Flying to Madurai, Trichy costlier than to Delhi, Mumbai on Diwali

Flying to Madurai, Trichy costlier than to Delhi, Mumbai on Diwali

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.11.2021

Air fares to Trichy, Madurai and Tuticorin are higher than Mumbai and Delhi as demand for tickets has shot up for travel on Diwali eve.

The one-way fare is ₹9,500 to Trichy, ₹10,000 to Madurai and ₹9,200 to ₹11,000 to Tuticorin though these destinations could be covered in almost an hour's flight. The fare is also high for the coming days as people are travelling before the festival.

The one-way fare to Madurai has touched ₹14,000 for 24hours advance booking for travel on Monday.

In contrast, fares to Mumbai and Delhi are in the range of ₹6,000 to ₹7,000. Though fares are high to other inter state destinations, it has not crossed ₹10,000.

Airport officials show that the hike in fare shows an increased demand, hinting that festive travel has resumed to the pre-Covid-19 level.

Arul Lazaran of United Travels said that "the air fares are likely to increase further in the coming days. It can also touch ₹15,000 to ₹20,000. This used to happen in the pre-Covid days because a lot of people would want to travel a day before the festival and return."

The return fare from these three cities to Chennai is also high for travel on Sunday. The air fare has already shot up above₹8,000. There is also good traffic to Chennai for the festival.

Though there have been calls by passenger associations and travel agents that the ministry or the regulatory body should control the fare from increasing beyond ₹10,000, the DGCA is not able to curb it.

Trains too are on waitlist to most of the towns in the south as several people travel home for Diwali. Reservation status has touched the waitlist for air conditioned class and sleeper class on the 15 trains including day trains to Madurai.

Trains to most of the towns in the south are also on waitlist as several people are travelling home for Diwali. Reservation status has touched waitlist for AC class

Cars headed for Chengalpet told to avoid Perungalathur

FESTIVE RUSH

Cars headed for Chengalpet told to avoid Perungalathur

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.11.2021

In order to avoid traffic congestion during the Diwali festival eve, the state transport department has advised private cars and taxis to avoid the Tambaram-Perungalathur route to reach Chengalpet.

Instead, vehicles have been asked to take either the Thirukazhukundram or Sriperumbudur routes to reach Chengalpet so that they can proceed towards Salem or Trichy.

“If they take this detour, motorists will be driving 25 km to 50 km extra. But the travel time will be more or less the same as Perungalathur will be congested due to movement of government special buses,” said a senior transport department official.

To avoid delays at Perungalathur, government buses (Diwali specials), which depart from Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) in Koyambedu, will not take the Maduravoyal Bypass Road to reach Perungalathur.

All these buses, which will carry reserved passengers from Chennai to other Tamil Nadu districts for the next four days (November 1 to 4), will travel along the Outer Ring Road (via Nazarathpet) to reach Urapakkam.

A temporary bus stand has been set up at Urapakkam to pick up passengers, who have booked their bus tickets from Perungulathur. Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), Chennai has arranged special buses to pick up passengers from Perungulathur and drop them at Urapakkam.

Besides this, MTC has arranged special buses round the clock from CMBT to four other temporary (special) bus stands setup in the city at Madhavaram (buses to Gummidipoondi), KK Nagar (Puducherry, Chidambaram), Tambaram (Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Tindivanam and Thiruvannamalai) and Poonamalle (Arani, Krishnagiri and Hosur).

According to official data, 9,808 government buses are expected to leave the city during the next four days.

“Trucks and heavy containers will be stopped at checkposts on national highway stretches in the city's suburbs if buses and cars need more time to leave Chennai. Or else it will result in a congestion at Sriperumbudur," said a Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP) official.

Police have requested highway authorities on Chennai-Trichy and Chennai-Bengaluru highways to earmark one lane in each toll plaza for buses so that the waiting time gets reduced.

TN schools open doors to students after 19 months

TN schools open doors to students after 19 months

Parents, Kids Excited As Classes Begin

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.11.2021

After studying online for the last 19 months, younger students of the state, studying in Class I to VIII, will return to schools on Monday. With this, all one crore students studying from Class I to XII in Tamil Nadu are being allowed to return to schools for the first time since March 2020.

The elementary education department has asked the schools to conduct storytelling, drawing and other creative sessions for the first two weeks to ease children back into the academic environment. Schools have devised their own ways to split students' strength into two and conduct physical classes on alternate days.

Parents whom TOI spoke to said their kids are excited to return to school after 19 months from Monday. Leeba, a parent from Tambaram, said her son Andrew Thomas, a class VIII student, was excited to return to school and had kept his school bag and shoes ready a day in advance.

Sripriya Raj, another parent from Kolathur, said her daughter is looking forward to her friends and teachers after a long gap. “Though our daughter is excited to return to school, I still have doubts about sending her to physical classes as she may get the infection,” she said.

Some teachers are planning to welcome students with sweets, chocolates and balloons to physical classes. “Our teachers will greet students with flowers, sweets, biscuits and pencil pouches,” said MM Ramalakshmi, headmistress of Presidency Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Egmore. The school is planning to reopen for Classes III, IV, V and VII on Monday and Classes I, II and VIII on Tuesday to maintain distance.

CBSE schools are also planning to restart physical classes for younger classes on November 1. "We want to reopen in a phased manner," said K Manoharan, principal of SBOA School and Junior College in Anna Nagar.

Many schools have divided their student strength into two in order to prevent over-crowding on their premises

Chennai

 

20-year-old NEET aspirant dies by suicide near Pollachi

20-year-old NEET aspirant dies by suicide near Pollachi

The boy, son of a farmer, allegedly took the extreme step over the fear of not getting a place in government colleges.

Published: 30th October 2021 10:29 AM 

By Express News Service

COIMBATORE: A 20-year-old medical aspirant died by suicide near Kinathukadavu in Coimbatore district. It is alleged that he ended his life in fear of not securing sufficient score in (The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) NEET to get a seat in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The youngster was identified as Keerthivasan (20), son of a farmer named Kuppusamy from Sangarayapuram in No. 10 Muthur near Kinathukadavu. According to police, after completing his schooling two years ago, he took the NEET in 2019 and scored 128. However, as he wanted to secure a seat in the AIIMS, he aimed to score high and took the test again in 2020. Though he scored 250 in that attempt, the cutoff mark for entry into AIIMS was higher at that time. He again gave the test a try in 2021 and hoped to get sufficient score enough to make it to AIIMS, the police said.

Meanwhile, the answer key for NEET 2021 was released recently. After checking the answers, he was allegedly upset as he thought he would fail to grab a seat in AIIMS this time too, the police said. At around 3.30 pm on Friday when he was alone at home, Keerthivasan allegedly tried to end his life by suicide. Later, he was taken to Pollachi Government Hospital and then to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for treatment. However, he died at CMCH at 11.45 pm without responding to the treatment, the police added.

Kinathukadavu police registered a case under Section of 174 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and initiated a probe. After postmortem, the body of the deceased was handed over to his family on Saturday.

(To overcome suicidal thoughts, contact Tamil Nadu Health Department’s helpline 104, Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050, or N Damodaran Centenary Lifeline Number for Suicide Prevention 1800-121-203040 or ‘Vidiyal’ suicide prevention helpline run by Coimbatore police 0422-2300999.)

With losses aplenty, traditional ‘crowd-funding’ feast 'moi virundhu' loses its sheen

With losses aplenty, traditional ‘crowd-funding’ feast 'moi virundhu' loses its sheen

A traditionally-evolved practice, moi virundhu is a feast hosted by a person or group of people who are in dire need of money.

Published: 31st October 2021 03:52 AM 

Moi refers to the cash a person gives as a gift on a birthday, wedding, or other event. (Soumyadeep Sinha)

By Sowmya Mani

Express News Service

PUDUKKOTTAI: Friday evening wasn’t pleasant for Gunasekaran (50), who sat dejected at the construction site of his house, after waiting all day for guests to arrive. His second consecutive moi virundhu, a traditional form of crowd-funding through feasts scheduled for the day, turned a damp squib. The last time he held such a feast was October 13. But, even that didn’t get him the cash gifts that were due.soumyadeep sinha

A traditionally-evolved practice, moi virundhu is a feast hosted by a person or group of people who are in dire need of money. Moi refers to the cash a person gives as a gift on a birthday, wedding, or other event. Guests at such feasts offer cash gifts, which are noted down by the hosts and repaid when the guests organise a similar feast.

Says Tamilarasan, a moi virundhu organiser in Vadakadu, “It originated in Peravurani, Thanjavur, to help people farm. Farmers would repay their guests from their profits. From Peravurani, the practice came to Alangudi and Vadakadu. I started getting people together and organising feasts as people couldn’t individually afford to spend on one.”

Gunasekaran also got into this practice about 20 years ago and has organised four feasts. “It can be done only once in four or five years. In 2011 and 2016, I received good cash gifts and have paid back everything. Now, I need money to build a house. I am disappointed as people are not giving the moi they owe me,” he explains.

On Friday, there was actually no feast, or even tea. It was more like ‘please come and give the cash you owe.’ Moi, says Tamilarasan, is also a matter of honour for many. “If don’t pay back, people will ensure everyone hears about it. It is essentially an interest-free loan,” he says. Often held in the Tamil months of Aadi or Avani (June to August), such feasts usually witness gifts of anywhere between Rs 250 and lakhs of rupees.

So, why has such the traditional form of crowd-funding lost its appeal? Locals cite a wide variety of reasons, from natural calamities like Gaja cyclone to the pandemic-induced lockdowns. “Covid rendered a cruel blow to the business. Earlier, such feasts would help people raise funds to send children abroad or get them married or build a house. Now, people can’t repay the gifts,” says Tamilarasan. Gunasekaran says he is planning to stop this practice now. “I just want to recover my money. Once it’s done, I will no longer continue this.”

Rail passengers irked as display goes defunct in Chennai Central

Rail passengers irked as display goes defunct in Chennai Central

As a result, passengers entering the station at the last minute, have to run to the concourse area to check the train position on the main display board and then proceed to catch the train.

Published: 28th October 2021 06:46 AM 

The stand that once held the digital display board at the western entrance of the Chennai Central Railway Station | Martin Louis

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The dysfunctional information display board at the western entrance of the Chennai Central has been causing a lot of inconvenience for hundreds of passengers every day. Passengers arriving by suburban trains, cars, and two-wheelers use the western entrance to enter the Central station. A large electronic board in this part of the station that displayed information on train position remained dysfunctional for a few weeks before being removed recently.

As a result, passengers entering the station at the last minute, have to run to the concourse area to check the train position on the main display board and then proceed to catch the train. The additional time taken to find the train’s position causes a lot of inconvenience to the elderly, pregnant women and passengers carrying heavy luggage, say travellers.

A smaller LED screen has been installed, but it has been of little use as information relayed is often delayed, complain passengers. Recalling the ordeal, 65-year-old Kumaravel Sami from Villivakkam said, “On October 22, at around 6 am, there was no display in the electronic board. I ran to the main entrance to find the position. To my surprise, the Coimbatore Express, which I was supposed to board, was stationed at platform 10, just a few yards away from the display board. My wife and I boarded the train after a lot of struggle. Had the display board functioned, we would have comfortably walked to the train.”

Similarly, daily travellers from Arakkonam and Katpadi, too face inconvenience. “After parking the bike, when we enter the station, there is no information on train position on the platform. About 20 to 30 per cent of daily travellers reach the station just a few minutes before departure. Every day, we have to run hither and thither to board the train,” said S Krishnan from Katpadi.

A Chennai Division railway official said the electronic display board was removed for maintenance and will soon become functional. “We have now installed LED boards at the western entrance. Announcements on train position are given regularly. The main entrance display board is not too far from the western side.”

Adding to the rush

Since the board (displaying information on train position) at the western entrance of the Central station was not functioning, passengers entering the station in the last minute had to run to the concourse area to check train position and then proceed to catch the train