Snake on Tambaram railway platform triggers scare

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

PublishedFeb 26, 2019, 1:45 am IST

Passengers and passersby alerted railway officials and the local police who informed the forest department in Tambaram.

Forest officials capturing the snake. (DC)

CHENNAI: Passengers waiting at the Tambaram Sanitorium railway station were in for a fright on Sunday night, when a snake made its way onto the platform.

According to police, passengers crossing platform No. 3 of the Sanitorium station, noticed a two-feet-long snake coiled around a stone bench. It was assumed to be a baby python.

Passengers and passersby alerted railway officials and the local police who informed the forest department in Tambaram. After 30 minutes, the reptile was rescued and sent to the forest office in Velachery.

Sources said, “In the absence of a foot-overbridge between the platforms, passengers were forced to cross the railway lines to reach the other side.”

Passengers accused the railway officials of not clearing bushes near the station and platforms. Passengers using platform-3 had often faced threat of poisonous snakes and other reptiles, as it is always covered by bushes.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Mohan, forest Ranger, TN forest department, Velachery, said the snake was a common sand boa, and not a python as it was made out to be. The reptile would be kept under watch for 15 days, he added.

Will improve hostels in Anna University constituent colleges: V-C

The Anna University plans to improve condition of the hostels in its constituent colleges and regional campuses on a priority basis, said varsity authorities.

Published: 25th February 2019 05:17 AM |

Anna University (File | EPS)

By Binita Jaiswal

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Anna University plans to improve condition of the hostels in its constituent colleges and regional campuses on a priority basis, said varsity authorities. 

Speaking to Express, Vice-Chancellor M K Surappa said they were busy chalking out plans to develop infrastructure of the hostels in the 16 constituent colleges of the university across the state.

Surappa said that the state government recently allocated Rs 100 crore in its budget for infrastructure development in the university and the funds would be utilised for improving condition of the hostels. He has asked the officials of the constituent colleges to submit a detailed proposal on condition of hostels and other infrastructural needs at the earliest. After examining the proposals, adequate funds would be sanctioned to the respective colleges.

“The facilities such as classrooms and laboratories in our constituent colleges and even in our regional campus are inadequate. Especially the hostels are in bad shape in the constituent colleges so I have plans to take care of the issue first,” said Surappa. “To ensure basic comforts and proper facilities to students in the hostels is my duty,” he added.


University officials said the condition of the hostels in constituent colleges was really deplorable. In many places, they are overcrowded and students have to sleep on the floor due to paucity of beds. They further said the V-C had been personally visiting the different constituent colleges and had, time and again, expressed concern over the miserable condition of hostels.

On a priority basis, measures will be taken to provide necessary facilities in all hostels in the constituent colleges, which are mainly engineering colleges. After improving the condition of hostels, authorities will focus on developing the classrooms and equipping the laboratories appropriately.

‘Death penalty can curb corruption’
During the hearing, the judges observed that corruption had become rampant in all government offices in the State.

Published: 26th February 2019 03:30 AM |

By Express News Service

MADURAI: Corruption can be stopped only if officials engaging in the practice are punished with death penalty, opined the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging leakage of the question paper of the written examination conducted for the Assistant Engineer (AE) recruitment by Anna University (AU) in Chennai.

A Bench, comprising justices N Kirubakaran and S S Sundar, made the observation on a PIL filed by one Paranibharathy of Madurai seeking direction to stay the recruitment proceedings and also to conduct fresh written examination for the candidates. Rejecting the contentions of the counsel appearing for AU, that the leaked question paper could have been created and circulated by the candidates after the examination, the judges also ordered interim injunction forbearing the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) from proceeding with the recruitment.



During the hearing, the judges observed that corruption had become rampant in all government offices in the State. Such corrupt practices cannot be stopped unless there are stricter laws, they stated. They opined that officials engaging in corrupt practices should be awarded death penalty.

Irked by ‘suspicious’ husband, woman kills their two kids & commits suicide

On information, Royala Nagar police rushed to the spot and sent the bodies to the SRMC Hospital in Porur for post-mortem.

Published: 25th February 2019 04:56 AM |

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Upset with her husband for suspecting her fidelity, a 37-year-old woman killed her two children and self on Saturday. “She has left behind a suicide note,” said the police. Abitha, the deceased, had been married to Senthamarai (42) for 12 years. They had moved to the city from Pudukottai. Senthamarai had a computer sales and service centre in Arumbakkam while Abitha was a home-maker.

Their children - Lakshminarayanan (10) and Mahalakshmi (7) - were class 5 and 3 students. The family is said to have moved to the rented house on the first main road at Royala Nagar a few months ago. Police said there were frequent quarrels between them as Senthamarai suspected her “character.”

“On Friday night, they fought again. Senthamarai left for work on Saturday. He called his wife in the evening and since she did not pick up the calls, Senthamarai rushed home only to find it locked from the inside, said the police. He broke open the door with the help of neighbours and found his wife and two children hanging.

On information, Royala Nagar police rushed to the spot and sent the bodies to the SRMC Hospital in Porur for post-mortem. Police said that in the suicide note, Abitha accused Senthamarai of suspecting her. “She also advised Senthamarai not to trust his brother and wife,” said police.


Senthamarai was taken into police custody for interrogation, he has not yet been arrested. Senthamarai’s brother and his wife have been summoned by the police. Since preliminary post-mortem report showed no signs of poisoning in children’s bodies and police believe that Abitha herself hanged the children doing the same to herself. (Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on Tamil Nadu’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050).

Probe on

Senthamarai was taken into police custody for interrogation. He has not yet been formally arrested. Senthamarai’s brother and his wife have been summoned by the police for inquiry

Battery-operated car for Perundurai Medical College

STAFF REPORTER

ERODE, FEBRUARY 26, 2019 00:00 IST

The battery-operated car at the IRT Perundurai Medical College in Perundurai.

To serve the needs of patients visiting the IRT Perundurai Medical College, a battery-operated car was inducted into service here on Sunday.

Under the MLA Local Area Development Fund, Perundurai MLA Thoppu. N.D. Venkatachalam purchased a car at Rs. 8 lakh that was handed over to the college to mark the 71st birth anniversary of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa here. The key was handed over to Dean M. Rajendran.

Mr. Venkatachalam said that the medical college was one of the premier government medical institutions where hundreds of patients visited every day. Hence, the battery-operated car would help the patients move inside the hospital premises.

Summons issued to 31 advocates in 2009 case

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, FEBRUARY 26, 2019 00:00 IST

The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Egmore has issued summons to 31 advocates, asking them to appear before it on February 28 in a case registered by the CBI in connection with the clash between police and advocates on the Madras High Court premises on February 19, 2009.

The CBI investigated the case and filed charge sheets naming 32 advocates, about 10 police personnel and one law college student under various provisions of the IPC and Tamil Nadu Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act, 1992.

Departmental action was recommended against 22 police personnel. Several advocates, police personnel, journalists and a High Court Judge Arumuga Perumal Adityan were injured in the clash. A police station and scores of vehicles were damaged in the fire and stone pelting.

The charges against the police and advocates include offences of criminal conspiracy, rioting, unlawful assembly, causing simple/grievous hurt, causing simple/grievous hurt to deter the public servant from discharge of his duty, mischief by fire, criminal trespass in order to commit offence and causing damage to public/private properties, the sources added.

Meanwhile, Mahendran, an advocate filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court challenging the orders of ACMM Court.

Spain named world’s healthiest country
India Slips One Rank, Trails Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  26.02.2019

Spain and Italy have grabbed the two top spots in the list of the healthiest countries in the world. In South Asia, Sri Lanka at 66, Bangladesh at 91 and Nepal at 110 continued to rank well above India, out of the 169 countries that were evaluated. India slipped from 119 in the 2017 ranking to 120.

China rose three places to 52nd. Life expectancy in China is on track to surpass the US by 2040, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, stated the Bloomberg analysis. This was according to the 2019 edition of the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index which ranked 169 economies according to factors that contribute to overall health, including traditional measures such as mortality by communicable and non-communicable diseases and life expectancy.

US which spends the highest per person on health, $11,000, slipped by one rank to 35 and its life expectancy had been dipping the last three years, while UK which spends $4,000 per person climbed from 23rd rank in 2017 to 19th this time. Cuba too improved it ranking from 31 to 30, well above the US and the only country not classified as “high income” by the World Bank to be ranked that high. The countries that have performed the best are those with universal healthcare where over 70% of healthcare spending is done by the government. These include Iceland, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Singapore and Norway in that order in the top ten.

Japan improved its ranking from 7th to 4th while Singapore, the only other Asian nation in the top ten, dropped sharply from 4th rank to 8th. Spain and Italy spend much less on healthcare (roughly $3500 per person) than many of the European countries and yet managed to top the list. India is estimated to spend barely $240 per person and most of it is spend by people from their own resources with little support from the government.

Pakistan (124), Myanmar

(129) and Afghanistan (153) are the only countries from this region with a lower ranking than India. Sri Lanka, facing increasing privatisation of healthcare and shrinking public spending on health slipped by one rank from 65 to 66. South Korea jumped seven places to 17th. Bangladesh improved its ranking by three spots while Nepal’s rank has remained the same.

At the bottom of the pile are mostly Sub-Saharan African countries, accounting for 27 of the 30 unhealthiest. Haiti, Afghanistan and Yemen were the others. Bloomberg evaluated health variables and risks ranging from those of behavioral nature to environmental characteristics. Final index only included nations with at least 0.3 million population and sufficient data.