People running from pillar to post as property registration documents get stuck in ‘headless’ department

C Shivakumar
Chennai:

People are being forced to run pillar to post to get their property
registration documents which are gathering dust for the last five to
six months as the post of district revenue officer (stamps) lies
vacant in Chennai Collectorate.

Even as the state government is losing revenue worth several crores of
rupees by not collecting the stamp duties, the wait for getting the
registration documents to get patta transferred or pay property tax or
sell the property is even forcing people to take the legal route to
get back the documents.

Advocate Abdul Razzak, who is also a victim due to the delay in
getting back his document, says it has resulted in a huge delay in his
plan to sell his property. “I had no other go but to file a case in
the High Court which has passed a favourable order,” says Razzak.

But all are not lucky as Razzak. Sources at the department located in
Chennai Collectorate say that thousands of files are pending. “We are
helpless. The files can’t be returned to the owner of the property
until it gets the approval of DRO, Stamps,” they say.

But with nearly five months have passed, registration documents
disputing the guideline value of property under 47 A are gathering
dust.

Even, the DRO (stamps) office wears a desolate look. A few persons
hoping against the hope wait at the entrance while other call through
the landline. “The DRO is not there as such the files won’t be
cleared. Once the DRO is appointed then it will be cleared,” says the
official while putting the phone down.

Most of the officials are sympathetic to people but then all they have
is sympathies which is worthless for a man in despair to sell his
property to either pay debts or even get his daughter married.

The department handles cases pertaining to 47 A. This section is about
resolving disputes over the guideline value of property. “Once a party
disputes the guideline value, the document is referred to DRO stamps.
He settles the dispute between parties regarding the guideline value,”
an official said.

“We are hoping that by next month we will have a DRO,” the official
says. But people say this has been the answer for the last five
months.

writingonblog uncensored: 5,000 traders to take part in national rally

writingonblog uncensored: 5,000 traders to take part in national rally: Chennai: More than 5,000 traders from Tamil Nadu will take part in a national rally as well as conference organised by Confederation of ...

5,000 traders to take part in national rally

Chennai: More than 5,000 traders from Tamil Nadu will take part in a
national rally as well as conference organised by Confederation of All
India Traders at the national capital on December 18.

Adressing a press conference here national vice president of CAIT and
Tamilnadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaippu state president Vikram Raja,
CAIT national chairman Mahendra Shah, national president B C Bhartia
and secretary general Praveen Khandelwal also stressed on the need to
regulate online trading of essential commodities besides a single
goods and service tax.

They also said that CAIT opposes Food Safety and Standards Act besides
demanded a creation of a financial body to help traders get loans.

“While the corporate are being extended loan by banks, why the traders
are being given step-motherly treatment,” said general secretary of
Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaippu Mohan said.

“We have demanded a separate bank for unorganised trade which should
grant loans to the sector,” he said.

During the national rally, Union ministers and various trade bodies
and organisations are likely to take part, he added.

writingonblog uncensored: Bring down unsafe buildings in Georgetown, demand ...

writingonblog uncensored: Bring down unsafe buildings in Georgetown, demand ...: Chennai: George Town All Merchants Welfare Association has slammed Chennai Corporation for de-sealing a dilapidated structure which resulte...

Bring down unsafe buildings in Georgetown, demand traders body

Chennai:

George Town All Merchants Welfare Association has slammed Chennai
Corporation for de-sealing a dilapidated structure which resulted in
the death of two people.

Addressing a press conference here, the association general secretary
U Khader Sait alleged that the dilapidated structure located in
Malayaperumal Street at Old Kothawalchavadi opposite to
Kanigaparameswari Women’s College Entrance was sealed on November 17 a
day after it collapsed.

“But the building was desealed the next day,” the association alleged
demanding that all the dilapidated buildings that are unsafe and on
the verge of collapse should be razed.

He said that till now six deaths have happened due to building
collapse in the last one month as such Chennai Corporation should raze
unsafe buildings.

The association stated that Chennai Corporation has identified a
nearly 150 dilapidated unsafe buildings and 80 per cent are located in
busy Georgetown area,” he said.

Interestingly, the association has already moved petitions to Chennai
corporation to initiate action against the unsafe structures. Sait
said that more than two to three lakh people visit Georgetown which is
located in the heart of the city for its wholesale market, hardware,
food items, paper and stationary business.

228-year old Chennai GPO to become 1,000th CBS office

Chennai:

The 228 year-old Chennai General Post Office is set to be equipped
with core banking solution from December 1, 2014.

Postmaster general of Chennai City region Merwin Alexander said that
the GPO will become the 1,000th CBS office in the country once it goes
live on Monday.

He said that CBS is being implemented in GPO as part of India Post
drive to switching over CBS platform with a total outlay of Rs 800
crore.

Interestingly, it was Greames Road Post office in the city to become
the first Core Banking Solution office in the country to go live on
December 16, 2013, Alexander said.

He said the project in GPO is implemented through Infosys, one of the
Indian IT major whose CBS software ‘Finacle’ is being used by a large
number of commercial banks.

Interestingly, the department is planning to celebrate 1,000th CBS
office by releasing a special cover which will be released at Chennai
GPO on December 1. The cost of the cover with cancellation is Rs 15
while plain covers would be sold at Rs 10. This will be available for
sale at the venue and also at the Philatelic Bureau, Anna Road head
Post office.

Mail orders may be addressed to the Chief Postmaster, Anna Road HO,
Chennai 600002, chennaiphil@gmail.com

writingonblog uncensored: Horrors of flawed resettlement policy haunt slum d...

writingonblog uncensored: Horrors of flawed resettlement policy haunt slum d...: C Shivakumar Chennai: The horrors of resettlement of thousands of families living in slums to outskirts of the city in Kannagi Nagar ...

Horrors of flawed resettlement policy haunt slum dwellers

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

The horrors of resettlement of thousands of families living in slums
to outskirts of the city in Kannagi Nagar and Semmencherry without any
basic social amenities continue to haunt slum dwellers, who are
refusing to budge from the six acres of defence ministry land opposite
Island Grounds.

Even as slum clearance board has been requested to provide tenements
in Perumbakkam to 3,000 families who have been residing in the area
for the last 30 to 35 years, by the defence department, residents say
they won’t vacate the land and demand insitu houses built by Tamil
Nadu Housing Board in the same locality.

The slums, which dot the road as well as along the banks of Cooum
opposite army quarters, has been a vote-bank for political parties but
then when it comes to the issue of eviction cadres from different
parties bury their hatchet while opposing the eviction move.

A trader and an AIADMK party cadre T Joseph, who is living in the area
for the last 35 years, says that slum dwellers are ready to be evicted
but they want Tamil Nadu Housing Board to build houses in the same
area.

“We refuse to be evicted from the area and dumped 30km far away. Our
livelihood would be affected. We know about the horrors of earlier
resettlement by the government,” he said.

LIC agent A Balaiyah, who had moved into the locality 20 years ago,
says that government should provide the defence establishment with an
alternate piece of land rather than evicting the residents.

Interestingly, residents say they have yet to be served a notice.
Munnusamy, who works as a coolie and is VCK cadre, says that most of
the residents do menial jobs in and around the locality. “Some work as
coolies. They start work early and return late at night. If the
government dumps them 30km far away how will they earn their
livelihood,” he reasons.

Independent researcher Vanessa Peter says that the slum dwellers can’t
be evicted from Perumbakkam as no social impact assessment has been
done in Perumbakkam. This is in violation of National Rehabilitation
and Resettlement Policy 2007 and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act,
she says. As per the act for any involuntary displacement of four
hundred or more families en masse, an Environment Impact Assessment
(EIA) and a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) has to be undertaken.

Interestingly, this is not the first time, the slum is facing
eviction. DMK government had tried to evict the slum dwellers.
Officials tried to enumerate us but we refused to cooperate, a slum
dweller says. The only enumeration done in the area was three months
ago on the pretext of  survey of slums, says Joseph.

Interestingly, the slum has a Chennai Corporation school, a Chennai
corporation toilet, a ration shop, electricity board connection, a
marriage hall, a corporation hospital from MP fund. The residents have
Voter ID card, Aadhaar card and family ration card.

It is learnt that despite JNNURM’s explicit emphasis on in situ
development, over 77 per cent of the funds allotted to Chennai under
the Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) component have gone towards
construction of the Perumbakkam tenements.

Perumbakam Factfile:

--- A total of 20,000 tenements are being built in Perumbakkam

--- No public consultation has been conducted for this housing project yet.

---- Funds from the Special Component Plan have been used for the
construction of these tenements in Perumbakkam.

---- There are 24 houses in each floor of the Perumbakkam buildings,
across 8 floors



---- The houses span only 310 square feet

Eviction from Defence Land at Indira Nagar

No          Name of slums           Number of families

1.       Pallavan Nagar               745

2.    Gandhi Nagar                     2245

(A, B, C, D, E blocks)

2,990 families face eviction from defence land

Defence Ministry asked to contribute Rs 1.6 lakh for resettling each family



C Shivakumar


Chennai:

More than 2,990 families are likely to be evicted by beginning of next
year from six acres of defence ministry land opposite the Island
Grounds near the banks of Cooum which has been their home for the last
35 to 40 years.

As officials are working out the logistics to evict the families, the
slum dwellers residing in the area are demanding that the state
government build them flats in the same area rather than dump them in
the outskirts thus denying them their livelihood.

Official sources said that it is the Defence Ministry which is
planning to evict the slum dwellers. “We are ready to provide them
with accommodation in Perumbakkam. We have nothing to do with
eviction,” said a Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board official.

Interestingly, the defence ministry has till now identified a total of
 2,990 tenements in the defence land. The Slum Clearance Board
official said that Defence department has requested TNSCB to resettle
the slum families encroaching on their land.

Of those identified, 745 families reside in Pallavan Nagar while 2,245
families stay in Gandhi Nagar A, B, C, D and E blocks. Interestingly,
the tenements have come up on a road leading to army quarters.

Sources said Chennai Corporation has been asked to enumerate the slum
families along with Land owning department – Defence department to
enable TNSCB to allot tenements for these families living on the land
belonging to defence ministry.

This comes after Slum clearance Board completed the construction of
12,000 tenements with required infrastructure at Okkium Thoraipakka
and Perumbakkam in south Chennai.

Sources said that defence ministry will have to bear 10 per cent of
beneficiaries contribution for resettling the slum dwellers. TNSCB
sources said that a cost of a tenement in Perumbakkam is worked out at
Rs 7 lakh. “This means the defence department has to pay Rs 70,000 per
family,” TNSCB sources said.

Besides, the TNSCB source also said that the defence department also
has to bear shifting, subsistence and livelihood allowances and
training cost which is around Rs 90,000. Totally, it will cost the
defence ministry Rs 1.6 lakh to resettle a single family.

Interestingly, it is not only the tenements in the defence land but
also in the Public Works Department land which are likely to face
eviction. It is learnt that 3,683 tenements in Sathyavanimuthu Nagar
have been identified to be relocated

writingonblog uncensored: Ban on Sale of Loose Cigarettes

writingonblog uncensored: Ban on Sale of Loose Cigarettes: Chennai: The expert panel constituted by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has inter alia, recommended prohibition on sale of loose...

Ban on Sale of Loose Cigarettes

Chennai:
The expert panel constituted by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has inter alia, recommended prohibition on sale of loose or single stick of cigarette, increasing the minimum legal age for sale of tobacco products, increasing the fine or penalty amounts for violation of certain provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA), as well as making such offences cognizable.

The Ministry has accepted the recommendations of the Committee and a draft Note for Cabinet has been circulated for Inter - Ministerial consultation.

India is seriously considering hotline between India-China HQs, says Defence Minister

New Delhi:

India is seriously considering to establish hotline connection between the military headquarters of India and China.

This is as per the provisions of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement 2013 between the two countries.

The establishment of a hotline between military headquarters of India and China has been discussed at various forums with China, including during the visit of Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee to China in July 2014 and 7^th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) held in New Delhi on October 16-17, 2014.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Lal Sinh Vadodia in Rajya Sabha.

writingonblog uncensored: TN gets 5pc excess rainfall but Chennai reservoirs...

writingonblog uncensored: TN gets 5pc excess rainfall but Chennai reservoirs...: Illegal development along catchment areas threaten Chennai’s water security C Shivakumar/ ENS Chennai: Tamil Nadu as a whole may have got f...

TN gets 5pc excess rainfall but Chennai reservoirs remain dry

Illegal development along catchment areas threaten Chennai’s water security
C Shivakumar/ ENS

Chennai:

Tamil Nadu as a whole may have got five per cent of excess rainfall
but it has failed to bring a smile among the city water managers who
are looking to skies to fill up the reservoirs supplying water to the
Chennai.

As the rains begin to elude Chennai, water managers are mulling at
going in for contingency plan. If one goes by the Chennai Metro Water
data on lakes levels figures, it seems the city has less than 600
million cubic feet of water when compared to the same period last
year.

Although, water managers have yet to press the panic button and are
praying to rain gods to fill up the reservoir but then the dry days
can’t be ruled out.

A senior Metro Water source told Express that there is still two to
three weeks left before the monsoon will come to an end. “We expect
there will be some rains,” he said.

To a query on what would happen if the rains fail Chennai again, the
source said then the city will again go in for contingency plan to
weather the summer.

Last year, it was the south west monsoon which saved the city from
massive rainfall deficit. But this year, neither the southwest monsoon
nor the north east monsoon failed to make any impact as the catchment
areas received less rainfall.

Y E A Raj, deputy director general of meteorology, regional
meteorological center (RMC), Chennai told Express that while Chennai
city is nearer to realizing the full quota of monsoon, the catchment
areas which lie in Thiruvallur and near south Andhra Pradesh received
13 per cent less rainfall. This doesn’t augur that well for the city.
Interestingly, the monsoon has failed to make an impact in Vellore,
Tiruvanamalai and Ariyalur districts also, says Raj.

Although, Raj predicts rains in the next three to four days, it is
still unclear whether Chennai will benefit from it. “We expect
rainfall activity in next four to five days. The coastal districts,
like Thoothkudi which already received 100 cm more rainfall, would
benefit but I am not sure how much will Chennai benefit from the
possible rainfall in the next four to five days. The city already is
nearing its full quota of rainfall,” the weatherman predicted.

Interestingly, the blame for failure of reservoirs brimming with water
also lies in the failure of authorities to monitor as well as to free
the catchment areas from encroachments. It is learnt that illegal
layouts are mushrooming in the catchment areas of Red Hills and Puzhal
lake. A source said that these layouts are being sanctioned by local
bodies. “Even though several fake layouts have surfaced during a
routine check by CMDA but officials tend to sleep over it rather take
any action. It is time the High Court asks Chennai Metropolitan
Development Authority or Chennai Corporation to take a survey of all
the catchment areas and find out how it was being encroached and
punish the officials. This will help in someway realizing water
security of the city,” he said.

Factfile:

--- Development regulations of Second Master plan state that Red Hills
and Puzhalal lake are main
sources of water supply to the city

----- To protect this water source from the negating fact of urban
development, contiguous areas in the catchments of these lakes has
been declared as catchment area restricted for development

----- There are 27 villages covered along the catchment area and these
should not be developed

---- 70 per cent of the villages have been developed along the
catchment areas not only for residential
but also industrial purposes

---- Most of the residential layouts in catchments areas as well as
wetlands is due to the approval of panchayats

writingonblog uncensored: Chennai Metro rail set to lay tracks on the underg...

writingonblog uncensored: Chennai Metro rail set to lay tracks on the underg...: Chennai: The five kilometre stretch between Koyambedu and Shenoy Nagar, likely to be operational by the end of 2015, is set to get a boost ...

Chennai Metro rail set to lay tracks on the underground stretch between Shenoy Nagar and Thirumangalam

Chennai:

The five kilometre stretch between Koyambedu and Shenoy Nagar, likely
to be operational by the end of 2015, is set to get a boost with
process of laying of the track on the underground stretch of Chennai
Metro Rail in the next 15 to 20 days.

While the first tunnel boring machine has drilled till VeeCare
hospital in Thirumangalam, the other tunnel boring machine is on the
verge of completing the drilling operations. “It is just 220 metres
away. This could take 15 to 20 days,” a Chennai Metro Rail spokesman
said.

Once the tunnel work is completed then Chennai Metro rail will start
work on laying the track. “This will also be the first time when a
track is being laid at underground stretch,” the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Chennai Metro rail is building a ramp connecting the
elevated stretch in Koyambedu. “The pillars have been laid for the
elevated stretch linking the underground stretch.  We have only to lay
the slabs before starting the work to lay the tracks,” the spokesman
said while refusing to give any time-frame on when the work will get
completed.

The stations in the 5km underground stretch would include  Shenoy
Nagar, Anna Nagar East, Anna Nagar  Tower and Thirumangalam. The work
on the stations is progressing smoothly. “We have started entry and
exit works along the underground stations,” the spokesman added.

Meanwhile, work is progressing smoothly to ensure the March 2015
deadline to start the commercial run between Koyambedu and Alandur is
progressing.

A Metro rail source said that routine dynamic tests of signalling and
telecom on mainline between Koyambedu and Alandur has been started.
This comes in the wake of Chennai Metro rail alleging delay in
procuring final software from Siemens. Interestingly, Seimens has
rejected the allegations. The final software would integrate design,
supply, installation, testing, signals besides providing track data
and other vital data.

Metro Rail said that Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) testing besides
controlling and monitoring of trains running on mainline as well as
integration test with signalling system and train systems are under
process.

Testing of passenger information systems and announcements, CCTV
units, radio systems and other related systems integration with
stations, operational control center, train operator and operation and
maintenance personnel are also under progress.

writingonblog uncensored: Trafficking in children on the rise

writingonblog uncensored: Trafficking in children on the rise: 2 bn people not adequately protected from human trafficking by national legislation: UNODC report Vienna: Trafficking in child...

Trafficking in children on the rise

2 bn people not adequately protected from human
trafficking by national legislation: UNODC report

Vienna: Trafficking in children has gone up by five per cent with one in three known victims of human trafficking is a child, according to 2014 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons released on Monday by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The report states that there is five per cent increase in child trafficking when compared to the 2007-2010 period. Girls make up two out of every 3 child victims, and together with women, account for 70 per cent of overall trafficking victims worldwide.

The report also highlights that there is no place in the world where children, women and men are safe from human trafficking.

No country is immune – there are at least 152 countries of origin and 124 countries of destination affected by trafficking in persons, and over 510 trafficking flows criss-crossing the world.

Trafficking mostly occurs within national borders or within the same region, with transcontinental trafficking mainly affecting rich countries.

 In some regions – such as Africa and the Middle East – child trafficking is a major concern, with children constituting 62 per cent of victims.

Trafficking for forced labour – including in the manufacturing and construction sectors, domestic work and textile production – has also increased steadily in the past five years. About 35 per cent of the detected victims of trafficking for forced labour are female.

There are, however, regional variations: victims in Europe and Central Asia are mostly trafficked for sexual exploitation, whereas in East Asia and the Pacific forced labour drives the market. In the Americas, the two types are detected in almost equal measure.

Most trafficking flows are interregional, and more than 6 out of 10 victims have been trafficked across at least one national border. The vast majority of convicted traffickers - 72 per cent – are male and citizens of the country in which they operate.

The report highlights that impunity remains a serious problem: 40 per cent of countries recorded few or no convictions, and over the past 10 years there has been no discernible increase in the global criminal justice response to this crime, leaving a significant portion of the population vulnerable to offenders.

writingonblog uncensored: Swaminathan moots for genetically biofortified cro...

writingonblog uncensored: Swaminathan moots for genetically biofortified cro...: Chennai: India should go in for Genetically biofortified crops like Golden Rice and iron rich rice after appropriate regulatory clearances ...

Swaminathan moots for genetically biofortified crops to meet zero hunger target of 2025

Chennai:

India should go in for Genetically biofortified crops like Golden Rice
and iron rich rice after appropriate regulatory clearances to meet the
challenges of Zero Hunger by 2025, according to noted scientist M S
Swaminathan.

Addressing a silver jubilee symposium on ‘Enhancing and Sustaining
Agriculture Productivity for Food and Nutrition Security’, Swaminathan
also highlighted that public fears over genetically modified organisms is a
biggest obstacle to meet the target.

Expressing concern over the golden rice trial site being vandalized by
people in the Philippines, Swaminathan advocated for trials of genetic modified organisms
at the fields of Indian state universities.

“The scientific problems can be solved, but public fears over GM
organisms (GMOs) may be a bigger obstacle,” the scientist said while
advocating for National Biosafety Authority to access risks and
benefits from GMOs with reference to biodiversity, human and animal
health and environment.

He also highlighted how United States Department of Agriculture has
approved modified potato to reduce the amounts of potentially harmful
ingredient in potato.It is learnt that potato has Acrylamide which is carcinogenic. “It
is produced when the potato is fried and it is  suspected of causing
cancer in people,” he said.

He also urged L Gautam, vice president of National Academy of
Agricultural Sciences, to urge the government to declare 2018 as
International Year of Underutilized & Biofortified Crops.