Vandalur zoo to start night safari

Vandalur zoo to start night safari

Oppili.P@timesgroup.com

Chennai:23.02.2021 

Vandalur zoo is planningtostart a nightsafari on a portion of the reserve forest near the rescue and rehabilitation centre on Vandalur-Kelambakkam Road. A proposal sent to the government has been accepted and the zoo management is all set to scout for funds.

A senior wildlife official said when chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami visited the zoo in August 2019, a meeting was held to start the night safari. Last January, the chief minister, in his reply to the governor’s address in the assembly, had announced that infrastructure at the zoo would be upgraded. In September 2020, another meeting was held where it was decided that the safari will be developed as a public private partnership. Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Fund Management Corporation Limited (TNIFMC) will lay down norms to get funds, the official said. An in-house team will be formed under TNIFMC to oversee the project.

Principal chief conservator of forests and head of the forest department S Yuvaraj told TOI that the department had prepared a concept note on the night safari and had sent it to the government.

“The government has accepted it and will take steps to establish the new facility,” he said.

A senior wildlife official said a night safari was mooted 14 years ago. In 2009, the government had sanctioned ₹156 crore for a safari zone and another ₹36 crore for an entertainment zone, which would have included an amphitheatre, recreation centre and an interpretation centre.

With the funds released in 2010, work on the night safari began. The zoo authorities laid a circular road, which was designed by the structural engineering division of Anna University’s civil engineering department. They completed construction of enclosures for tigers, elephants, Indian gaur, spotted deer, sloth bear and sambar. However, the project could not take off as the next government shelved it. Another proposal for the night safari was submitted after reducing the cost to ₹82 crore in August 2011. But itwas rejected, a retiredzooofficial said.

IN THE DARK: The zoo, now shut at 5pm, will soon be open at night

To speed up work on Tambaram line, S Rly to run fewer locals

To speed up work on Tambaram line, S Rly to run fewer locals

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:23.02.2021

Suburban commuters on Tambaram-Beach-Chengalpet-Kancheepuram-Arakkonam route may have to start earlier than usual to reach their workplaces on time as railways has cut down on the number of trains on the route for 18 days from February 24 to March 13. The railways will carry out work to lay the third line between Tambaram and Chengalpet during the window.

Around 80 trains will be operated daily on the Beach-Tambaram route with a peak-hour frequency of 15 minutes as against 10 minutes. There will be around 30 trains from Chengalpet to Kancheepuram or Thirumalpur. There will be fewer trains during the afternoon and late in the evening, said an official.

More than 100 trains are run on the route a day.

From Beach, the first train to Chengalpet will be at 3.50am, to Thirumalpur at 5.10am, to Arakkonam at 9.10am. The last train to Tambaram will be at 11.59pm, to Chengalpet at 10.30pm and to Thirumalpur at 7.55pm. The first train from Chengalpet to Arakkonam will start at 8.20am. The first train from Tambaram to Beach will be at 3.55am, from Chengalpet to Beach at 4.20am and from Arakkonam to Beach via Thirumalpur and Kancheepuram at 4.45am.

An official said laying of the third line at Tambaram yard which will lead to “restrictions and cross movement”. Most of the work for the line from Tambaram to Chengalpet has been completed and the final stage work to link it to the yard is going to be taken up in the coming days. The deadline to complete the line is next month, the official said. Southern Railway received ₹60.54 crore for the work in the 2021-22 budget.

Railways will run 80 suburban trains with a peak-hour frequency of one local every 15 minutes

Reduction of percentage of Non-MBBS faculty members in medical colleges: Delhi HC partial relief to existing teachers

Reduction of percentage of Non-MBBS faculty members in medical colleges: Delhi HC partial relief to existing teachers: Delhi: In the matter of reduction of the quota of non-MBBS faculty in medical colleges, a recent hearing took place at Delhi High court. The court while refusing to give a stay on the National...

Death row convict Shabnam asks son to focus on studies

SON MEETS HER IN JAIL

Death row convict Shabnam asks son to focus on studies

Maria Khan TNN

Bareilly:22.02.2021

The 12-year old son of Shabnam Ali, a death row convict who could become the first woman to be hanged in independent India, visited Rampur district jail to meet his mother on Sunday afternoon. The boy, who was accompanied by his guardian, met his mother for 45 minutes in Rampur jail, where she has been lodged for the past two years. Talking to media persons after the meeting, he said that his mother asked him to focus on studies.

He again appealed that her mother be forgiven and not be given capital punishment. “I am requesting President uncle again to forgive her,” he said. Earlier, a video had gone viral in which the boy held a placard that said, “President uncle, please forgive my mother Shabnam.” Rampur jail superintendent PD Salonia said, “After the news arrived that preparations had begun to hang Shabnam at Mathura jail, the mother-son duo desperately wanted to meet each other. The boy, who otherwise visits his mother in Rampur jail every three months, came to visit her here on Sunday afternoon. The meeting continued for around 45 minutes following which he left.” Shabnam, now 38, had been convicted of killing seven of her family members — her mother, father, two brothers, sister-inlaw, cousin and 10-month-old nephew — after they opposed her relationship with Saleem, also a resident of the Amroha village in UP that she is from.

Now, board an SETC bus to Coimbatore from Velachery

Now, board an SETC bus to Coimbatore from Velachery

Ram.Sundaram@ @timesgroup.com

Chennai:22.02.2021

Passengers travelling to Coimbatore and Madurai can now board government deluxe and A/C buses from T Nagar, Velachery, Saidapet and Broadway.

From Monday, those residing in Chennai need not travel to Tambaram or Koyambedu, which were the only two authorised points to board State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) buses, till now. Three ultra-deluxe category buses, which will transport passengers to Tuticorin, Thanjavur and Kumbakonam, will depart from T Nagar between 7pm to 10pm every day. On their way, these buses will pick up passengers in Saidapet, Alandur and Chromepet.

Six buses going to Coimbatore and Madurai will leave from Broadway and reach the city’s suburbs via Adyar, Velachery and the IT corridor.

With operations at the new bus terminus in Kilambakkam expected to begin in six months, SETC is hoping to add more pickup or drop-off points within city limits to attract more passengers.

The proposed terminus is on the Chennai-Trichy highway, 30km from Koyambedu, and its nearest suburban railway station from Kilambakkam is 2km away. “Reaching the city will be a costly affair if passengers choose a cab or an autorickshaw,” said a senior SETC official. “Why make passengers get down at Kilambakkam and choose another MTC bus when the same SETC bus can take them into the city?”

This is expected to reduce fuel usage, the official said. “To transport 60 people, we need one bus which would consume 20 litres of diesel. Otherwise, we need 15 cars, which need 100 litres of diesel, or four vans, which will require 50 litres of diesel or 30 two-wheelers which burn 40 litres of fuel,” the official said.

For travelling to Bengaluru and Kerala, SETC is planning to set up similar pickup points in the city on Poonamallee and Tambaram, the official said.

Doctor slits wife's throat, runs over her with car in Tamil Nadu

Doctor slits wife's throat, runs over her with car in Tamil Nadu

Police said that he assaulted his father-in-law as well and later met with an accident when he tried to escape.

Published: 20th February 2021 06:28 PM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A 35-year-old doctor allegedly murdered his wife by slitting her throat and running his car over her in Kancheepuram district on Friday.

Police said that Dr Gokul Kumar assaulted his father-in-law as well and later met with an accident when he tried to escape.

According to the police, the deceased was identified as Keerthana, 28, who worked as a HR in a private hospital in Kancheepuram, Gokul was a practising doctor in a private hospital near Potheri. Police said that Gokul had stopped going to work after the lockdown.

Keerthana's elder sister was married to Gokul's elder brother. The duo fell in love and were married three years ago, said the police.

After the marriage the couple moved to Anand Nagar near Maturantakam along with Keerthana’s parents.

Quoting the neighbours the police said that the couple used to quarrel often, which became a daily routine during the lockdown since Gokul had left his job.

"Six months ago, both applied for divorce but continued staying in the same house with Gokul leaving town half of the month," said a police officer.

An argument erupted on Friday around 4.30 pm between the couple. Gokul took a knife from the kitchen and slit Keerthana’s throat.

Police said Keerthana’s father Murahari tried to rescue her and was attacked with a sharp tool in the melee. Police said after slitting Keethana’s throat, Gokul dragged her out of the house by her hair.

Meanwhile the neighbours had come out of the house to witness the incident.

"Gokul then ran his car over her. After that he sped away in the same vehicle even as the neighbours tried to stop him and alert the police control room," said a police officer.

The neighbours rushed Keerthana and her father to the hospital. While Keerthana was brought dead on arrival, Murahari has been admitted in the Kancheepuram Government Hospital and is in critical condition, said a police officer

Meanwhile all the police stations on the National Highway limits were also put on alert.

However, Gokul, speeding on Chennai-Trichy National Highway, soon lost control of the vehicle and it turned turtle near Arthur toll booth. The Acharapakkam police team rescued Gokul from the accident site and admitted him to a hospital. Later, Madurantakam police arrested him and further investigation is on.

Unreserved rail coaches to be back from June?

Unreserved rail coaches to be back from June?

Bookings unavailable for second-sitting coaches, which used to be for ‘general’ pax

Published: 21st February 2021 05:11 AM |

By B Anbuselvan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Even as the Railways has dropped no hints on when regular train services will be resumed, online reservation of tickets from June 1 has been blocked on the IRCTC portal for converted second-sitting (2S) coaches.

General-class coaches on regular trains were converted to second-sitting coaches when train services were resumed after the Covid-19 outbreak, on June 1 last year to contain the spread of the pandemic. IRCTC officials in New Delhi said they were unaware why bookings were blocked, but added that it could be because the Southern Railway was changing the composition of trains. “If second-sitting coaches are removed by the zonal railway from June 1, the seats will not be available,” they said.

Officials of the Southern Railway, meanwhile, could not be reached for comment. On Saturday, people were unable to book seats in second-sitting coaches (erstwhile general class coaches) on the Chennai-Tiruchy Rockfort Special, Chennai-Coimbatore Special, Chennai-Mettupalayam Special, Chennai-Madurai Pandiyan Special, Chennai-Mangaluru Special, and several other trains.

When train services were resumed after the lockdown, ‘regular’ trains were renamed as ‘specials’, and didn’t have ‘unreserved’ coaches. So far, more than 60 per cent of the Southern Railway’s regular trains have resumed operations. Passengers have raised concerns on why full-fledged train services haven’t resumed yet, despite a request from the Tamil Nadu government, and general-class coaches are not available.

“Besides the ticket fares, it is inconvenient to book tickets for travel to and fro every day. Thousands of daily commuters will benefit if general-class coaches are attached,” said K Rajan Krishnan, an office-goer from Vellore. Previously, each ‘express’ and ‘mail’ train had at least three or four unreserved coaches.

An official spokesperson of the IRCTC said, “We have not suspended bookings of converted second-sitting coaches in several northern States. No policy decision has been taken to this effect. The coaches may not be available if the zonal railway plans to remove them from June 1.”

‘Why aren’t services back in full swing?’

Passengers have raised concerns on why full-fledged train services haven’t resumed yet, despite a request from the State government, and general-class coaches are not available. Previously, each ‘express’ and ‘mail’ train had at least three or four unreserved coaches.