A long wait at airport

A long wait at airport

21/11/2021

Staff ReporterCHENNAI

After a long flight, many international passengers arriving in the city endure a frustrating wait in long queues to complete immigration formalities at Chennai airport.

This particularly happens early mornings when several international flights arrive in short intervals.

There are not enough staff at the immigration counters at the international terminal of the airport to cope with the rush, sources said.

Irate passengers have been posting on social media platforms about the delay to complete the routine immigration formalities at the airport.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials said, this problem occurs due to bunching of flights.

Nearly seven or eight flights land at the airport between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. and since these are international flights, about 200-250 passengers could exit from each one, thus causing a large inflow of passengers, resulting in congestion.

Karunanidhi pic on Amma name board sparks row

Karunanidhi pic on Amma name board sparks row

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Madurai:22.11.2021

A new name board that appeared outside the “Amma unavagam” at Sundarajapuram in Madurai city on Saturday kicked up a controversy as it had the photograph of late chief minister M Karunanidhi also on one side besides that of J Jayalalithaa after whom the canteens set up across the state by the former AIADMK government were named. However, after it raised many hackles, the board disappeared on Sunday.

Established under the food and civil supplies department to supply food at subsidized cost, Amma unavagams are operated by local bodies and run by self-help groups. All such canteens had photograph of Jayalalithaa on the name board, and the new DMK government decided to retain them. It was in this backdrop that the new nameboard surfaced and disappeared. ``It really was a good move, showing that this government had a forward-looking approach to things,’’ said S Murali of Sundarajapuram. However, in a statement, former AIADMK minister R B Udhayakumar said the importance given to the photograph on the name board should also be given to the functioning of these canteens. In a letter to district collector Dr S Aneesh Sekhar, he said 700 Amma unavagams fed over 12 lakh people a day in the state. In Madurai, there were twelve of them operated by SHGs. But now, many of these canteens were finding it hard to function, like the one in front of Thirumangalam government hospital, due to lack of funds.

NEW FACE: The board outside “Amma unavagam” in Madurai city had pictures of former CMs J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi on Saturday

Premature release not a matter of right for convicts, says HC

Premature release not a matter of right for convicts, says HC

K.Kaushik@timesgroup.com

Madurai: 22.11.2021

Holding that premature release of convicts is not a matter of right and that life sentence means for the entire life, Madras high court has said that any premature release can be done only following due process of law which is the prerogative of the executive.

A division bench of Justices S Vaidyanathan and G Jayachandran made the observations while disposing of a petition filed by K Mariammal seeking premature release of her husband K Moorthy, a life convict in a murder case jailed for 17 years. She stated that her husband was entitled to premature release according to the 2018 GO as the government had taken a policy decision to release prisoners based on their good conduct in connection with the birth centenary of former chief minister M G Ramachandran.

However, the state submitted that Moorthy was found guilty of a major offence under Section 302 IPC and under sections of Explosives Substances Act, which is a central Act. The GO enables life convicts, who have completed ten years of actual imprisonment as of 2018, to seek premature release provided they exhibit satisfactory behaviour and are not convicted and sentenced for offence punishable under central Acts.

The state further submitted that the petitioner’s husband was twice imposed punishment of forfeiture of prison privilege of interview for three months for possessing cellphone inside the prison illegally. The judges observed that they don’t find any infirmity or illegality in the decision taken by the state government for not considering the release of the petitioner’s husband.

The judges took note of the state government’s submission that the prison authorities have initiated the process of constituting an advisory board to consider the case of life convicts who have completed 14 years of sentence as of 2018. Due to Covid-19 pandemic situation, the cases could not be taken up for consideration by the advisory board.

Madras univ plans easy questions in sem exams

Madras univ plans easy questions in sem exams

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:  22.11.2021

The upcoming semester exams of University of Madras will have familiar and direct questions in an effort to ease students back to the familiar mode.

Physical mode exams will begin on January 20, after a gap of 18 months. The higher education department had postponed the exams by two months to give more time for preparations after protests by students.

Though evaluation of answer sheets is likely to be more liberal, there will not be any changes in the question paper pattern, sources added.

Earlier, the university planned to start semester exams from the first week of December. Exams for first year students were planned after the Pongal holidays.

Now, exams for all students, including those in the first year, will be after January 20.

However, autonomous institutions which have nearly completed the syllabus are planning to conduct physical classes and revise the topics in the next few weeks.

D G Vaishnav College has planned things over the next two months to prepare students for the exams. “The classes have been conducted in a blended mode this semester. So, we will invite all students to physical classes and prepare them for offline mode exams by giving question banks, previous year papers,” said principal S Santhosh Baboo.

A majority of the affiliated colleges have completed three and half units of the syllabus and are planning to complete the rest by December 22. “Our college plans to conduct a model exam from December 23 and practical exams in the first week of January ahead of offline exams,” said S Ramanathan, principal of Asan Memorial College of Arts and Science.

Engineering colleges are also planning to conduct physical classes and hold model exams before the start of the semester exams.

Several autonomous institutions said they had completed the syllabus and were ready to conduct semester exams from next week. “The postponement of exams by two months will affect the final year students who are planning to go for higher studies or get placed in campus recruitment,” said the principal of an autonomous engineering college.

Physical mode exams at University of Madras will begin on January 20, after a gap of 18 months

2 goat thieves hack cop to death, CM announces ₹1 crore solatium

2 goat thieves hack cop to death, CM announces ₹1 crore solatium

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Trichy:22.11.2021

A special sub-inspector (SSI) was hacked to death by two thieves early on Sunday when he attempted to stop them from fleeing with a stolen goat. S Boominathan, 50, attached to Navalpattu police station in Tiruchi district, caught hold of them after a 10-km bike chase to bordering Pudukottai, but died after being attacked by them with sharp weapons.

According to police, Boominathan and constable Chithiraivelu were on patrol duty around 2 am when the SSI spotted two men on a bike with a goat. Suspecting them to be thieves, he tried to intercept them, but they fled. Boominathan chased them on his bike while his colleague trailed them on his two-wheeler. When they neared Palathupatti village near Kalamavur railway gate in Pudukottai district, Boominathan caught hold of the two as the entry to the subway filled with rainwater was blocked with boulders. The SSI called Chithiraivelu on his phone and asked him to come over. The two men, however, suddenly attacked Boominathan with sharp weapons from behind and fled.

Political leaders mourn death of SSI Boominathan

With deep cut injuries to the head, the SSI died on the spot before his colleague could reach the place.

Boominathan is survived by his wife B Kavitha, 45, and son B Kugan, 21. Condoling the death, chief minister M K Stalin announced ₹1 crore to the bereaved family and a government job to one of its members.

A native of Nagapattinam, Boominathan had settled at Cholamadevi near Thiruverumbur.

His body was handed over to his family after postmortem at MGMGH and was buried at a graveyard in Cholamadevi with full police honours. ADGP (Law and Order) P Thamaraikannan, DIG of Trichy range A Saravana Sundar, Trichy SP Sujit Kumar and police officers attended the funeral. The Keeranur police registered a case under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and commenced investigation based on CCTV camera footage sourced from nearby locations.

Trichy range DIG A Saravana Sundar told TOI that the policeman trailing Boominathan had reached the spot a few minutes late. “We have vital clues and hope to nab the culprits soon,” he added.

Various political leaders including PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss, AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran, former AIADMK leader V K Sasikala and BJP state president K Annamalai have extended their condolences to the bereaved family.

Senior police officials pay their respects to SSI S Boominathan, who was murdered by goat thieves near Trichy on Sunday

AP flood death toll goes up to 41

AP flood death toll goes up to 41

12 Deaths Reported On Sunday; Several Towns Still Remain Under Water

Sandeep.Raghavan@timesgroup.com

Tirupati: 22.11.2021

The flood situation in Andhra Pradesh continued to be grim with arterial roads cut off even as the toll increased to 41 with 12 more deaths reported on Sunday.

Train and bus services remained affected while many villages and towns in Rayalaseema and Nellore district remained under water.

Streams, rivulets and village tanks were full to the brim and a few of them were overflowing causing concern to people living in lowlying areas.

On Sunday, six more bodies were retrieved in Rajampet mandal and two bodies in Chinnamandem mandal of Kadapa district, while four deaths were reported in Nellore district. Officials said 15 bodies were handed over to the families. Three unidentified bodies are lying at Rajampet government hospital in Kadapa district. Two siblings, including a woman, who tried to cross over Mandavya river in Chinnamandem mandal, were washed away in the strong currents and their bodies were retrieved near Vandadi village.

While two, including a constable, have been reported dead in Nellore district, two unidentified bodies were retrieved near Somasila project on Sunday. Officials in Nellore have evacuated 44,275 people from low-lying areas and shifted them to 92 relief camps.

The road bridge connecting Kadapa-Tadipatri towns along the Papagni river collapsed due to the impact of flood in the early hours on Sunday. Road connectivity to several villages along the route remained suspended.

Meanwhile, a threestorey building came crashing down at Kadapa town in the early hours of Sunday. Police and firefighting personnel rescued a man and a woman.

Rail and road connectivity to the temple city of Tirupati remained cut off with the closure of Kadapa-Tirupati highway, Nellore-Tirupati highway, and Bengaluru-Tirupati highway. Also, Tiruttani-Tirupati highway was closed. South Central Railway cancelled 42 trains, partially cancelled one train and diverted 3 trains along Nellore-Padugupadu section of Vijayawada division and Rajampet-Nandalur of Guntakal division on Sunday.

Nearly 2,000 devotees, who boarded the Tirumala Express to reach Tirupati, were dropped off at Kadapa railway station, sparking off protests. Officials later arranged special buses and shifted them to Tirupati.

THROWING LIFE OUT OF GEAR: Children swimming in a flooded street in Tirupati on Sunday. Traffic along the national highway 16 connecting Kolkata with Chennai via Andhra Pradesh came to a halt after the road caved in at two places near Nellore on Sunday

Rain in Nellore hits rail traffic

Rain in Nellore hits rail traffic

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:22.11.2021

Travelling to Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad has become affected as trains from Chennai have been cancelled or diverted due to heavy rain and floods near Nellore. This comes a day after the Railways rectified tracks which were flooded near Tada.

Trains to Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur and a few other destinations got suspended because of waterlogging of tracks between Nellore and Padugiupadu near Vijayawada. The services between Chennai and Tirupati continue to be affected.

On Monday, the following train were cancelled: Mumbai CSMT – MGR Chennai Central superfast express, No.12510 Guwahati – Bangalore Cantonment Express, No.15930 New Tinsukia – Tambaram, No. 22664 – Jodhpur – Chennai Superfast Express leaving Jodhpur, 12616 New Delhi – MGR Chennai Central Grand Trunk Express, 12622 New Delhi – MGR Chennai Central Express, 12842 MGR Chennai Central – Howrah Express, 12077 MGR Chennai Central – Vijayawada Express, 12656 Dr. MGR Chennai Central – Ahmedabad Express, 12712 MGR Chennai Central – Vijayawada Express.