Saturday, May 30, 2015
writingonblog uncensored: CMDA relaxes the height for special buildings
writingonblog uncensored: CMDA relaxes the height for special buildings: C Shivakumar Chennai: Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority has relaxed the rules for special buildings by increasing the maximum...
CMDA relaxes the height for special buildings
C Shivakumar
Chennai:
Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority has relaxed the rules for
special buildings by increasing the maximum permissible height from
15.25 metres to 17 metres.
The proposal to increase the height of special buildings and group
development buildings was put forth by Confederation of Real Estate
Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI).
The proposal was cleared during the recent authority meeting. “The
meeting decided that the habitable floors must have equal height and
resolved to accept the recommendation of permitting maximum height of
17 metres for all special buildings and group developments,” the
sources said. Currently, only hospital buildings have the permission
for a maximum height of 17 metres.
“The amendments to development regulations will now be forwarded to
government for approval along with the views of monitoring committee,”
sources said.
The stilt plus four floor building (special building) could also ease
the burden on many developers who had been struggling to get
completion certificate as the building height would have risen by few
centimetres, said the source.
Meanwhile, CREDAI’s national chairman for Best Practices T Chitty Babu
has welcomed the move by CMDA. “Now home buyers could get more volume
of storage space. The move is equally beficial to engineers and
architectures,” he said.
“The car parking space would be larger besides there will be more
display space with better elevation and space utilisation,” Babu said.
Interestingly, CMDA held discussions with the Directorate of Fire and
Rescue Services and experts before arriving at a decision. “It was
recommended that maximum height of 17 metres may be permitted for
residential buildings (special buildings and group developments) with
dwelling units size of 100 square metre or more and for the buildings
of commercial use,” sources said.
Friday, May 29, 2015
CBI arrests one more in MFL bribery case
Chennai:
Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested managing director of a
Bangalore-based firm in a bribery case involving chief manager of
Madras Fertilizers Limited.
A CBI spokeperson said that P Gnana Sambandam. chief manager of
process engineering and project (acting) Madras Fertilisers Limited,
Yalavarthi Sreenivasalu, managing director of Hi-Tech Air Power
Limited, Bangalore and K V Redappa, sales coordinator at branch office
of Hi-Tech air Power Limited have been arrested.
The spokesperson said that Anti Corruption Branch in Chennai arrested
Gnanasambandam while receiving a bribe of Rs one lakh from Hi-Tech Air
Power’s sales coordinator KV Reddappa. During investigation,
Yalavarthi Srinivasalu was also arrested, CBI said.
A case has been registered under various sections of Prevention of
Corruption Act against Gnanasambandam, Srinivasulu and Redappa on
allegations of awarding tender for the supply and installation reverse
osmosis memrance and issue of certificate after Guaranteed Test Run to
Hi-Tech Air Power.
CBI said that searches have been conducted at eight places in Chennai
and two places in Bangalore including the residences and offices of
the accused.
“During the searches, several incriminating documents, files, hard
discs and mobile phones were recovered,” CBI said.
The trio were produced before the special judge for CBI cases and have
been remanded to judicial custody.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
writingonblog uncensored: CMDA relaxes DR for Muthukumaran Educational Trust...
writingonblog uncensored: CMDA relaxes DR for Muthukumaran Educational Trust...: Monitoring Committee member seeks factual report on relaxing DR for medical college C Shivakumar Chennai: Chennai Metropolitan Developm...
CMDA relaxes DR for Muthukumaran Educational Trust Buildings
Monitoring Committee member seeks factual report on relaxing DR for medical college
C Shivakumar
Chennai:
Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority relaxed the provision of
development regulations for construction of Sri Muthukumaran
Educational Trust Buildings at Chikkarayapuram village on April 2015
despite allegations against the trust submitting a forged document to
Medical Council of India seeking recognition to Medical College.
It is learnt that the Trust forged the documents and submitted it to
the Medical Council of India stating that the building was approved by
CMDA by order Number TN/CMDA/HB: 2077 dated 2008.
Surprisingly, the trust never obtained building plan approval for any
of the buildings of any of the institutions run by them and it was
only on July 2013 that a planning permission was sought nearly three
years after the commencement of a medical college.
Surprisingly, the planning permission for the college was submitted
only after students of the college sent a complaint to the Medical
council of India on June 2013.
Madras high court has observed in 2014 that all the buildings put up
by the Trust were without the approval of CMDA.
A non-official member of Madras High Court appointed Monitoring
Committee M G Deivasahayam told Express that he has opposed the
relaxation of development regulations and sought a factual report to
be placed before the next session of monitoring committee so that it
can be brought to the notice of Madras High Court.
“I will be submitting before the Madras high Court on how they relaxed
the development regulations for the educational building of the trust
which was built on a public water course and has been highlighted by a
order of Madras High Court,” said Deivasahayam.
Interestingly, Madras High Court judge V Ramasubramanian has
questioned the move by the trust, which submitted a letter to CMDA
from Public Works department for re-routing a water channel.
“The college appears to be located not only in land owned by the trust
but also in a land that happens to be a public water course. How could
the PWD give no-objection certificate for re-routing a channel in the
light of special enactment of Tamil Nadu Protection of Tanks and
Eviction of Encroachments Act 2007,” the judge has observed.
Surprisingly, CMDA has relaxed the development regulations for all the
buildings in exercise of powers conferred by Section 113 of Tamil Nadu
Town and Country Planning Act 1971.
C Shivakumar
Chennai:
Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority relaxed the provision of
development regulations for construction of Sri Muthukumaran
Educational Trust Buildings at Chikkarayapuram village on April 2015
despite allegations against the trust submitting a forged document to
Medical Council of India seeking recognition to Medical College.
It is learnt that the Trust forged the documents and submitted it to
the Medical Council of India stating that the building was approved by
CMDA by order Number TN/CMDA/HB: 2077 dated 2008.
Surprisingly, the trust never obtained building plan approval for any
of the buildings of any of the institutions run by them and it was
only on July 2013 that a planning permission was sought nearly three
years after the commencement of a medical college.
Surprisingly, the planning permission for the college was submitted
only after students of the college sent a complaint to the Medical
council of India on June 2013.
Madras high court has observed in 2014 that all the buildings put up
by the Trust were without the approval of CMDA.
A non-official member of Madras High Court appointed Monitoring
Committee M G Deivasahayam told Express that he has opposed the
relaxation of development regulations and sought a factual report to
be placed before the next session of monitoring committee so that it
can be brought to the notice of Madras High Court.
“I will be submitting before the Madras high Court on how they relaxed
the development regulations for the educational building of the trust
which was built on a public water course and has been highlighted by a
order of Madras High Court,” said Deivasahayam.
Interestingly, Madras High Court judge V Ramasubramanian has
questioned the move by the trust, which submitted a letter to CMDA
from Public Works department for re-routing a water channel.
“The college appears to be located not only in land owned by the trust
but also in a land that happens to be a public water course. How could
the PWD give no-objection certificate for re-routing a channel in the
light of special enactment of Tamil Nadu Protection of Tanks and
Eviction of Encroachments Act 2007,” the judge has observed.
Surprisingly, CMDA has relaxed the development regulations for all the
buildings in exercise of powers conferred by Section 113 of Tamil Nadu
Town and Country Planning Act 1971.
Export ops resume in Chennai Port
Chennai:
The export operations from Chennai Port resumed on Wednesday afternoon
after Chennai Port Trust agreed to have a self-regulatory mechanism
for container trucks entering the port premises.
A Chennai Port official told Express that a meeting was held with the
Chennai Harbour Tractor, Trailer, Drivers and Cleaners Union where it
was agreed to have the self regulatory mechanism in place.
It is more like the earlier system implemented by the Lorry
Owners Association and the Union to ensure orderly clearance of
containers. The Union had been charging a mere Rs 30 for this service
which port officials feel was effective in easing the congestion.
The operations resumed around 2pm after discussions were held with
Chennai Port Trust chairman Atulya Mishra, the port official said.
Interestingly, apart from speedy clearance the discussions also
focussed on having toilet facilities for the truckers besides
subsidised food. “They wanted Amma Canteen. It is a state government
subject. We are planning to have tie-up with NGOs to provide them with
subsidised food,’ the port official said.
Interestingly, Chennai Port has suggested to set up a committee headed
by a customs officer to conduct regular meetings with the stakeholders
so that such incidents could be avoided.
The export operations from Chennai Port resumed on Wednesday afternoon
after Chennai Port Trust agreed to have a self-regulatory mechanism
for container trucks entering the port premises.
A Chennai Port official told Express that a meeting was held with the
Chennai Harbour Tractor, Trailer, Drivers and Cleaners Union where it
was agreed to have the self regulatory mechanism in place.
It is more like the earlier system implemented by the Lorry
Owners Association and the Union to ensure orderly clearance of
containers. The Union had been charging a mere Rs 30 for this service
which port officials feel was effective in easing the congestion.
The operations resumed around 2pm after discussions were held with
Chennai Port Trust chairman Atulya Mishra, the port official said.
Interestingly, apart from speedy clearance the discussions also
focussed on having toilet facilities for the truckers besides
subsidised food. “They wanted Amma Canteen. It is a state government
subject. We are planning to have tie-up with NGOs to provide them with
subsidised food,’ the port official said.
Interestingly, Chennai Port has suggested to set up a committee headed
by a customs officer to conduct regular meetings with the stakeholders
so that such incidents could be avoided.
Chennai's Poes Garden, Boat Club Road feature among 20 preferred upmarket residential hotspots in Indian cities
Chennai:
Poes Garden and Boat Club Road in Chennai are among the 20 preferred
upmarket residential hotspots in the top seven cities of India,
according to a study by Jones Lang LaSalle.
The study says that elite home buyers prefer to have their nest in
these localities as they house the Who’s Who of the City.
The study states that Poes Garden, which is the residence of Chief
Minister J Jayalalithaa and Tamil actor Rajnikanth, is one of the
cleanest patches of Chennai and is a VIP area.
“Poes garden is a VIP area where many top notch business tycoons and
politicians live besides teh area has adequate general and social
infrastructure, the study states.
The propert rates in Poes Garden range between Rs 33,000 to rs 35,000
per square feet, JLL study states.
Interestingly, the study also states that Boat Club Road, a calm
locality located away from the hustle and bustle of city is also a
preferred uparket residential hotspot.
“Homes here carry an affluence tag. With residential prices touching
rs 27,000 per square feet, Boat Club Road spreads across two square
kilometre in South Chennai and is certainly the most aspired pincode,
leaving even Poes Garden behind,” the study states.
The study also states that the southern neighbourhoods of India’s
primary cities have always been the poshest and most desirable
locations for elite home buyers. This phenomenon still continues,
however, over the time, other areas are competing with these legacy
locations and attracting younger noveau riche.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
writingonblog uncensored: Chennai gets first all women delivery post office
writingonblog uncensored: Chennai gets first all women delivery post office: Chennai: The newly upgraded delivery post office at Mahindra World City would Chennai’s first all women delivery post office. Post...
Chennai gets first all women delivery post office
Chennai:
The newly upgraded delivery post office at Mahindra World City would
Chennai’s first all women delivery post office.
Post Master general of Chennai City Region Merwin Alexander told that
although Mahindra World city post office is the second All Women Post
Office in the region, it also is the first of its kind when it comes
to delivery of posts by women.
“The All Women Post Office near Ethiraj College had women doing only
counter operations. But in Mahindra World City we have two postwomen
who will delivering the mails. It is full-fledged all women post
office,” said Alexander.
Interestingly, the Mahindra World City post office was recently
upgraded from delivery Sub Office to departmental delivery post office
on Monday.
Alexander said that Mahindra World City post office will serve as a
delivery office for the companies inside Mahindra World City with the
newly allotted Pincode 603004.
He also urged all companies to make changes in the pincode in their
address and also in the websites regarding the newly allotted pincode
603004 for Mahindra World City sub post office for easy and prompt
delivery of the articles.
writingonblog uncensored: VS Logistics to acquire DIESL
writingonblog uncensored: VS Logistics to acquire DIESL: Chennai: TVS Logistics (TVSL) along with Tata Opportunities Fund is set to acquire Tata group firm Drive India Enterprise Solutions (DIE...
VS Logistics to acquire DIESL
Chennai:
TVS Logistics (TVSL) along with Tata Opportunities Fund is set to
acquire Tata group firm Drive India Enterprise Solutions (DIESL) for
an undisclosed amount.
Addressing reporters here, TVS Logistics Services MD, R Dinesh said
that Tata Opportunities Fund, the private equity fund advised by Tata
Capital will fund TVS Logistics Services with amount of about Rs 250
crore to acquire DIESL.
As part of the deal, Tata Opportunities Fund will get a minority
equity stake in TVS Logistics.
DIESL is a 50:50 joint venture between Tata International and Tata
Industries. It has more than 180 warehouses and 6.5 million square
foot of storage space primarily for consumer products and generated a
revenue of Rs 950 crore last financial year.
With this acquisition, TVS Logistics will have a diversified base,
said Dinesh. He said that the total revenue of the company last year
was rs 3,000 crore and by the acquisition , it is expected to be
around Rs 4,000 crore.
He said that the acquisition is subject to the regulatory clearances
including from the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
Dinesh also did not rule out the possibility of going for an Initial
Public Offering. “We will be looking at an IPO,” he said
TVS Logistics (TVSL) along with Tata Opportunities Fund is set to
acquire Tata group firm Drive India Enterprise Solutions (DIESL) for
an undisclosed amount.
Addressing reporters here, TVS Logistics Services MD, R Dinesh said
that Tata Opportunities Fund, the private equity fund advised by Tata
Capital will fund TVS Logistics Services with amount of about Rs 250
crore to acquire DIESL.
As part of the deal, Tata Opportunities Fund will get a minority
equity stake in TVS Logistics.
DIESL is a 50:50 joint venture between Tata International and Tata
Industries. It has more than 180 warehouses and 6.5 million square
foot of storage space primarily for consumer products and generated a
revenue of Rs 950 crore last financial year.
With this acquisition, TVS Logistics will have a diversified base,
said Dinesh. He said that the total revenue of the company last year
was rs 3,000 crore and by the acquisition , it is expected to be
around Rs 4,000 crore.
He said that the acquisition is subject to the regulatory clearances
including from the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
Dinesh also did not rule out the possibility of going for an Initial
Public Offering. “We will be looking at an IPO,” he said
writingonblog uncensored: Chennai Port export ops hit as Containers go off t...
writingonblog uncensored: Chennai Port export ops hit as Containers go off t...: Jonathan Ananda and C Shivakumar Chennai: Export operations from Chennai Port were hit after container truck drivers went on a sudde...
Chennai Port export ops hit as Containers go off the road
Jonathan Ananda and C Shivakumar
Chennai:
Export operations from Chennai Port were hit after container truck
drivers went on a sudden strike even as Port officials were struggling
to break the deadlock.
A Chennai Port official told Express on Tuesday that the strike by the
container drivers started as the Chennai Port went by rule book after
there was a raid by Central Bureau of Investigation two weeks ago.
This affected the flow of container lorries into the port with drivers
alleging that the normal procedure is several times more time
consuming. “This has incensed the drivers who went on strike,” the
port official said.
He said that operations in both Port of Singapore Authority Terminal
as well as DP World Terminal were hit. Port officials said that on an
average day the Chennai Port caters to 1,700 containers.
Interestingly, this month the Port had seen a rise of 10,000
additional tus of cargo from containers when compared to the
corresponding period last year.
It is alleged by the drivers that the clearance of containers was
going smoothly as each container was being charged an extra Rs 60 by
officials. However, the CBI raid has resulted in officials eschewing
the Rs 60 and slowing down work. They add that the rate of containers
being cleared per day has come down to 600 to 700 from an average of
1,700 earlier.
E Kalimuthu, general secretary of Chennai Harbour Tractor, Trailer,
Drivers and Cleaners Union demanded the return to the earlier system
benefit all concerned since the slowing down of clearance has resulted
in drivers waiting three to four days for delivery of a single
container. “We also want the earlier system implemented by the Lorry
Owners Association and the Union to ensure orderly clearance of
containers. We had been charging a mere Rs 30 for this service,”
Kalimuthu said.
“The CBI raid has also resulted in this system being scrapped,” he added.
Meanwhile, Chennai Port officials tried to end the stand off through
dialogue along with custom officials but it turned futile. “We called
for a meeting at 3pm but barring one or two drivers none turned up,”
port officials said.
“Since the stir is continuing, we had called for another meeting at
11 am tomorrow,” he said. The officials also said there is also a plan
to post additional staff at the gates so that the clearance can be
expedited.
Monday, May 25, 2015
writingonblog uncensored: Coast Guard yet to locate missing Kasimedu fisherm...
writingonblog uncensored: Coast Guard yet to locate missing Kasimedu fisherm...: Chennai: The Indian Coastguard has intensified the search for five missing fishermen from Kasimedu who went to sea on Friday. “We have yet ...
Coast Guard yet to locate missing Kasimedu fishermen
Chennai:
The Indian Coastguard has intensified the search for five missing fishermen from Kasimedu who went to sea on Friday.
“We have yet to locate them,” said a Coastguard spokesman.
“The search and rescue efforts are going on full swing. A total of approx 17 hours by aircraft and 60 hours by ships have been logged till now. All Coast Guard units at sea have been directed to maintain sharp look out at sea to locate the missing boat,” the spokesman said.
The search and rescue operation by Coast Guard to locate the fishermen comes in the wake of allegations by the kin of fishermen that the Central agencies have failed to take any action.
The Coastguard said that following the receipt of the information by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Rescue Centre (MRCC) Chennai the Coast Guard launched Search And Rescue (SAR) operations immediately and diverted ship Rajtarang in area. Subsequently one interceptor boat was also deployed for close coast search.
Extensive search was carried out by coast guard helicopters and Dornier aircraft commencing early Sunday morning and Monday.
“No missing boat could be sighted. Coast Guard advanced offshore patrol vessel has also been deployed for search of the missing boat/crew at high seas,” the spokesman said.
It is learnt that Kadumbadi (28), Mayandi (32), Sakthivel (23), Mani (25), and Suresh (23), from Jeevarathnam Nagar, Kasimedu, sailed out on a fiber boat around noon on Friday.
They were expected to return by Friday night. Since all efforts to locate them failed, the families complained to Harbour Police and alerted the Coast Guard and other agencies about the incident.
Chennai Post sets a record in enrolling two minute baby into Sukanya Samriddhi scheme
Chennai:
Chennai City Postal Region set an unique record by enrolling a two
minute old baby R Dhanalakshmi under Sukanya Samriddhi Account on
Friday at Kovur Post office under Tambaram division.
The child was born at public health centre at Somangalam at 9.35 am
and was enrolled under the scheme by her father Rajasekar and mother
Jayalakshmi within two minutes of her birth.
Interestingly, Tambaram postal division alone had opened highest
number of accounts, which is also the highest by any postal division
in the country. Tambaram division has 95 sub post offices and three
head post offices besides 148 branch offices.
Chennai City Postal Region set an unique record by enrolling a two
minute old baby R Dhanalakshmi under Sukanya Samriddhi Account on
Friday at Kovur Post office under Tambaram division.
The child was born at public health centre at Somangalam at 9.35 am
and was enrolled under the scheme by her father Rajasekar and mother
Jayalakshmi within two minutes of her birth.
Interestingly, Tambaram postal division alone had opened highest
number of accounts, which is also the highest by any postal division
in the country. Tambaram division has 95 sub post offices and three
head post offices besides 148 branch offices.
BSNL breaks gender barrier, appoints first woman CGM of BSNL circle
Chennai:
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has broken the gender barrier after
appointing for the first time a woman as chief general manager of a
BSNL circle in the entire country.
A BSNL spokesperson said that S M Kalavathi became the first lady to
become the Chief General Manager of a BSNL circle in the entire
country after she was elevated to head Chennai Telephones.
Belonging to 1981 batch of Indian Telecommunication Service,
Kalavathi, who took charge as CGM on Friday, has the distinction of
being the third lady to enter the Indian Telecom Service. She succeeds
A Balasubramanian.
After serving as General Manager in other places like Pondichery and
Kerala, she joined Chennai Telephones in the year 2012 and has been
working here as senior general manager prior to her elevation as Chief
General Manager.
Having specialized in Switching and Transmission systems, she has been
instrumental for installation of the first WLL exchange of Tamil Nadu,
in Pondichery and the National Internet Backbone in Chennai. It was
during her tenure as General Manager that the Northern area of Chennai
Telephones saw a vast improvement in the quality of telecom services
thus emerging as a model area for the other areas to follow.
She has attended many international training programmes like Total
Quality Management in Sweden in the year 1991 and National Internet
Backbone in Singapore and US in the year 2000
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has broken the gender barrier after
appointing for the first time a woman as chief general manager of a
BSNL circle in the entire country.
A BSNL spokesperson said that S M Kalavathi became the first lady to
become the Chief General Manager of a BSNL circle in the entire
country after she was elevated to head Chennai Telephones.
Belonging to 1981 batch of Indian Telecommunication Service,
Kalavathi, who took charge as CGM on Friday, has the distinction of
being the third lady to enter the Indian Telecom Service. She succeeds
A Balasubramanian.
After serving as General Manager in other places like Pondichery and
Kerala, she joined Chennai Telephones in the year 2012 and has been
working here as senior general manager prior to her elevation as Chief
General Manager.
Having specialized in Switching and Transmission systems, she has been
instrumental for installation of the first WLL exchange of Tamil Nadu,
in Pondichery and the National Internet Backbone in Chennai. It was
during her tenure as General Manager that the Northern area of Chennai
Telephones saw a vast improvement in the quality of telecom services
thus emerging as a model area for the other areas to follow.
She has attended many international training programmes like Total
Quality Management in Sweden in the year 1991 and National Internet
Backbone in Singapore and US in the year 2000
writingonblog uncensored: Kolli Hills losing its sacred forest cover
writingonblog uncensored: Kolli Hills losing its sacred forest cover: C Shivakumar Chennai: The lush green Kolli Hills ecology is at risk as the hills are losing out its sacred groves due to encroachment...
Kolli Hills losing its sacred forest cover
Chennai:
The lush green Kolli Hills ecology is at risk as the hills are losing
out its sacred groves due to encroachment of commercial crops as well
as invasion of alien weeds.
“More than 230 sacred groves in Kolli Hills have degraded and only 30
sacred forest cover still remain,” said principal scientist and site
coordinator of M S Swaminathan Research Foundation E D Israel Oliver
King.
The sacred grove in Thuvarapallam Village in Kolli Hills which has a
small rivulet flowing by the side may be a pleasant sight to watch but
King says that the forest patch is slowly dying. As villagers
highlight the importance of the shrine of local deity Pongal Ayee
Amman, King says that traditional belief and value systems supporting
sustainable management of natural resources and their conservation has
disintegrated.
The encroachment due to commercial agricultural crops like Tapioca,
invasion of alien weeds such as Lantana Camera, parthenium
hysterophorusb which replaces the plants besides natural falling of
old lofty trees and poor regeneration of wild saplings are one of the
reasons for the dwindling of the sacred forest cover.
“Once a 100-year-old tree falls down in the grove, then weeds invade
the grove and it is difficult to re-generate the ecosystem,” says
King.
Known as Sami solai (sacred forest), they are found in the midst of
varying agro ecosystems, forest boundaries on hilltops and slopes
distributed across the geographical area of Kolli Hills.
The grove sizes range from one hectare to five hectare. King says that
sacred groves of Kolli Hills harbour several rare and endangered
species of Eastern Ghats like Myrstica dactyloides, Gaertner, Persea
macrantha (Nees) Kostern, Philicium decipens etc.
These forest patches have been conserved by Malayali tribal community
through community control mechanism by evolving several taboos and
restrictions and serve as source of perennial water for nearby
agriculture systems, he says.
Interestingly, King has a plan to regenerate the scared groves but
says it would require a huge investment from the government. “This
would require replanting of native species and also requires local
participation. The irony is that people don’t see the sacred grove as
commercially viable as such the native species are dying,” says King,
who has nearly 20 year experience in studying the Kolli Hills.
Former MLA and chairman of Senthamnagalam panchayat union
Chandrasekhar said that the planting of non native species like silver
oak is posing a threat to ecology as they consume more water unlike
the native species which hold water and serve as a perennial water
source.
Interestingly, there has been suggestions to develop people
biodiversity register for sacred groves into a database or network of
databases to help various stakeholders including panchayats, schools
and college access information and recognise the stake holders for
conservation effort. But it also requires government effort to
conserve the ancient way of insitu conversation of biological and
genetic diversity.
Factfile:
--- Ancient Tamil epics Silapadikaram and Manimekalairefer to
Kollipavai, the deity in the sacred grove, who is also considered the
guardian of the forests
--- In Ramayana, Kolli hills are called madhuvanam (forest of honey),
the abode of the monkey king Sugreeva
--- In Tamil Sangam literature, Kolli Hills was once ruled by the
benevolent and most valiant King Ori, who lived sometime during 200 AD
--- Conservation of sacred groves is practised by the lower strata of
social order.
-- The deity worshipped by the people is usually represented by a
stone kept under a robust tree or in the open space without any
shelter and unprotected
Friday, May 22, 2015
writingonblog uncensored: PWD contractors assn removes office-bearers; Gives...
writingonblog uncensored: PWD contractors assn removes office-bearers; Gives...: Chennai: Tamil Nadu Public Works Department (PWD) Contractors (Engineering) Association on Thursday removed the six office-bearers who ha...
PWD contractors assn removes office-bearers; Gives clean chit to officials
Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Public Works Department (PWD) Contractors (Engineering)
Association on Thursday removed the six office-bearers who had
threatened to come out with a list of top 10 corrupt PWD engineers
during 2014-15
A resolution this effect was passed during the meeting here where new
office-bearers were elected.
G Ekambaram, proprietor of Preethi Constructions who is now heading
the association temporarily, told reporters that the new
office-bearers would replace the earlier members.
“We had a total of 130 members in the association of which more than
100 members have backed us,” Ekambaram said.
Interestingly, till now 106 members have signed the register showing
their support to the new leadership.
The split in the association came to prominence after Tamil Nadu PWD
Contractors (Engineering) Association erected a huge flex hoarding
near the PWD office at Chepauk, warning that top 10 corrupt PWD
engineers during 2014-15 would be named in such advertisements
Ekambaram said that the decision by the office-bearers of the
association was done without the concurrence of all the members.
He said that the then office-bearers have been stripped of their
posts. To a query on whether they their membership from the
association will be withdrawn, Ekambaram said, “We have removed them
from the pots. They will continue to remain being the members of the
association,” he said.
To a query over the alleged audio tapes highlighting the corruption in
PWD, Ekambaram said that it is before the DVAC. “The officials are
clean and hardworking and the allegations are totally wrong,” he said.
Interestingly, most of the members of the association were against the
removal of the six office-bearers from the association.
Currently, PWD has got more than Rs 2,000 crore worth construction
projects and Rs 200 crore worth maintenance projects.
writingonblog uncensored: Paswan says bureaucracy is heartless
writingonblog uncensored: Paswan says bureaucracy is heartless: Chennai: Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Thursday highlighted the tussle between bureaucracy and politicians an...
Paswan says bureaucracy is heartless
Chennai: Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Thursday highlighted the tussle between bureaucracy and politicians and said while the politicians go by heart the bureaucracy goes by mind.
Speaking during a function to mark the 60th birth anniversary of DMK MP K P Ramalingam here, the minister said that most of the politicians have heart but they lack brain.
“Similarly, the bureaucrats have brain but are heartless and worry about the circumstances always,” the minister said.
Paswan said that if the politician has both heart and brain then he could bring in a revolution and said the country has few such politicians.
He said the politican should first put forth the interest of nation, then party’s interest and last his personal interest.
“If he goes against party and national interest then it would be a disaster,” he said. He also stressed the need to change the mindset and give dignity to labour. He said that his goal is to give power to the poor.
The minister also said that Indian Muslims are not the sons of Mughal King Babur. There are 50 crore Muslims and they have converted from here,” he said.
The minister also hailed the Dravidian culture and termed it as the oldest culture of the world.”I love Tamil Nadu than any other state. We all are member of same family,” said Paswan while hailing former Tamil Nadu chief Minister C N Annadurai.
Speaking on the occasion, DMK’s Rajya Sabha MP K P Ramalingam paid tributes to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M G Ramachandran and said that he was initiated into politics by him. He also hailed the role of role of DMK chief M Karunanidhi who has been his mentor in politics.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
writingonblog uncensored: Govt yet to give clearance to proceed against form...
writingonblog uncensored: Govt yet to give clearance to proceed against form...: C Shivakumar Chennai: The Central Bureau of Investigation is yet to get the permission to prosecute former Chennai Port chairman K Suresh i...
Govt yet to give clearance to proceed against former Chennai Port chairman in criminal misconduct case
C Shivakumar
Chennai:
The Central Bureau of Investigation is yet to get the permission to
prosecute former Chennai Port chairman K Suresh in a criminal
misconduct case.
The former port trust chairman, who is now holding a senior
administrative post in Madhya Pradesh, has managed to evade the law in
a criminal misconduct case for several years as government has yet to
give its consent to file chargesheet.
The Prevention of Corruption Act created a new offence called Criminal
Misconduct in the discharge of official duty. According to Clause D, a
public servant is said to commit the offence of criminal misconduct if
he by corrupt or illegal means or by otherwise abuses his position as
a Public Servant, obtains for himself or for any other person any
valuable thing or pecuniary advantage.
Interestingly, charge-sheet has been filed against Suresh in two
cases. These include causing a loss of Rs 20 crore to the Chennai Port
Trust by allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy with a
Singapore firm. He along with two other officials were accused of
abusing their official position to allot a berth in the Chennai Port
on April 11, 2007 to a non-functional ship, M V San Giorgio, which had
to be towed in to the harbour.
A CBI official told Express that the case is pending trial since April
2012 and charges are yet to be framed. Similarly, in the
disproportionate assets case, a chargesheet has been filed against
Suresh, who is a 1982 batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre.
CBI had registered an FIR on August 3, 2009, against Suresh and his
wife, and said during his central deputation he had amassed wealth
beyond his known sources of income. The check period was from 2003 to
2009. The case is before the court.
Suresh’s role is also being probed in the alleged embezzlement of
funds during installation of a conveyor belt system for transporting
coal at a cost of Rs 43 crore in 2009.
The probe began after a complaint alleged that a private player given
contract for installation had put up only 250 metres of belt against
the mandated length of 275 metres.
Chennai:
The Central Bureau of Investigation is yet to get the permission to
prosecute former Chennai Port chairman K Suresh in a criminal
misconduct case.
The former port trust chairman, who is now holding a senior
administrative post in Madhya Pradesh, has managed to evade the law in
a criminal misconduct case for several years as government has yet to
give its consent to file chargesheet.
The Prevention of Corruption Act created a new offence called Criminal
Misconduct in the discharge of official duty. According to Clause D, a
public servant is said to commit the offence of criminal misconduct if
he by corrupt or illegal means or by otherwise abuses his position as
a Public Servant, obtains for himself or for any other person any
valuable thing or pecuniary advantage.
Interestingly, charge-sheet has been filed against Suresh in two
cases. These include causing a loss of Rs 20 crore to the Chennai Port
Trust by allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy with a
Singapore firm. He along with two other officials were accused of
abusing their official position to allot a berth in the Chennai Port
on April 11, 2007 to a non-functional ship, M V San Giorgio, which had
to be towed in to the harbour.
A CBI official told Express that the case is pending trial since April
2012 and charges are yet to be framed. Similarly, in the
disproportionate assets case, a chargesheet has been filed against
Suresh, who is a 1982 batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre.
CBI had registered an FIR on August 3, 2009, against Suresh and his
wife, and said during his central deputation he had amassed wealth
beyond his known sources of income. The check period was from 2003 to
2009. The case is before the court.
Suresh’s role is also being probed in the alleged embezzlement of
funds during installation of a conveyor belt system for transporting
coal at a cost of Rs 43 crore in 2009.
The probe began after a complaint alleged that a private player given
contract for installation had put up only 250 metres of belt against
the mandated length of 275 metres.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
writingonblog uncensored: Wind forecasting project brings whiff of hope for ...
writingonblog uncensored: Wind forecasting project brings whiff of hope for ...: Chennai: The wind producers in the state have something to cheer about with the launch of nation’s first wind power forecasting micro pi...
Wind forecasting project brings whiff of hope for wind power generators
Chennai:
The wind producers in the state have something to cheer about with the
launch of nation’s first wind power forecasting micro pilot project in
Tamil Nadu after the sector suffered huge losses in the last two
years.
Ranked top among the states generating wind energy, the fortunes of
wind energy producers declined two years ago after the Union
government brought in new guidelines and changed the grid frequency
after the northern grid tripped in 2012.
Prof K Kasturirangian, chairman of Indian wind Power Association told
reporters on the sidelines of Wind Power Forecasting Service said that
three billion units of wind energy worth Rs 900 crore were lost due to
change in the grid frequency which was reduced after the tripping of
northern grid that blacked out 22 states.
Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Limited was cautious over
scheduling of wind power due to fluctuations as nobody had an idea of
how much wind power was available to be scheduled for state load
dispatch centre as a result three billion units of wind power was
lost, he said.
But now with wind power forecasting, TRANSCO will have the data of
wind power available every 15 minutes through the substations, he
said.
“Now TRANSCO will know the availability of wind power and have a
proper mix by utilising total wind energy resources available,” he
said.
Talking about the project, K Boopathi, additional director and head
Wind Resource Assessment Unit, National Institute of Wind Energy told
reporters that the micro-project would be implemented in four sub
stations in Ayyanaruthu in Kaythar and Udumalpet. “From there it will
be expanded across the state in 134 substations,” he added.
Although, there has been many service providers providing wind power
production forecasting, this is the first such project by Ministry of
New and Renewable Energy.
Varsha Joshi, joint secretary (wind energy), MNRE, said National
Institute of Wind Energy and MNRE in collaboration with Vortex
Factoria de Calculs, Spain is ready to provide its wind power
forecasting services initially in Tamil Nadu. “This will be extended
to entire country,” she added.
Boopathi said the project aims to provide forecasting services to the
wind industry for every 15 minutes forecast upto 10 days ahead. “this
will support the load dispatch centres for scheduling and dispatching
of electricity from wind farms for demand supply management with ease,
Bhoopathi added.
Box:
Why wind power forecasting:
1. The state power distribution company wants wind power forecasting
service in order to manage grid properly and effectively
2. The wind power forecast will provide forecast of wind and wind
power from wind farm or substation.
3. The equipment in the substation will accumulate data every 15
minutes and send it to NIWE through FTP
4. The data will then be transferred to State Load Despatch Centre
which will know how much units of wind energy is available to be
transferred to the grid.
5. This will ensure high level of wind energy evacuation and mitigate
effects on the stability of the grid and security of energy supply
The wind producers in the state have something to cheer about with the
launch of nation’s first wind power forecasting micro pilot project in
Tamil Nadu after the sector suffered huge losses in the last two
years.
Ranked top among the states generating wind energy, the fortunes of
wind energy producers declined two years ago after the Union
government brought in new guidelines and changed the grid frequency
after the northern grid tripped in 2012.
Prof K Kasturirangian, chairman of Indian wind Power Association told
reporters on the sidelines of Wind Power Forecasting Service said that
three billion units of wind energy worth Rs 900 crore were lost due to
change in the grid frequency which was reduced after the tripping of
northern grid that blacked out 22 states.
Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Limited was cautious over
scheduling of wind power due to fluctuations as nobody had an idea of
how much wind power was available to be scheduled for state load
dispatch centre as a result three billion units of wind power was
lost, he said.
But now with wind power forecasting, TRANSCO will have the data of
wind power available every 15 minutes through the substations, he
said.
“Now TRANSCO will know the availability of wind power and have a
proper mix by utilising total wind energy resources available,” he
said.
Talking about the project, K Boopathi, additional director and head
Wind Resource Assessment Unit, National Institute of Wind Energy told
reporters that the micro-project would be implemented in four sub
stations in Ayyanaruthu in Kaythar and Udumalpet. “From there it will
be expanded across the state in 134 substations,” he added.
Although, there has been many service providers providing wind power
production forecasting, this is the first such project by Ministry of
New and Renewable Energy.
Varsha Joshi, joint secretary (wind energy), MNRE, said National
Institute of Wind Energy and MNRE in collaboration with Vortex
Factoria de Calculs, Spain is ready to provide its wind power
forecasting services initially in Tamil Nadu. “This will be extended
to entire country,” she added.
Boopathi said the project aims to provide forecasting services to the
wind industry for every 15 minutes forecast upto 10 days ahead. “this
will support the load dispatch centres for scheduling and dispatching
of electricity from wind farms for demand supply management with ease,
Bhoopathi added.
Box:
Why wind power forecasting:
1. The state power distribution company wants wind power forecasting
service in order to manage grid properly and effectively
2. The wind power forecast will provide forecast of wind and wind
power from wind farm or substation.
3. The equipment in the substation will accumulate data every 15
minutes and send it to NIWE through FTP
4. The data will then be transferred to State Load Despatch Centre
which will know how much units of wind energy is available to be
transferred to the grid.
5. This will ensure high level of wind energy evacuation and mitigate
effects on the stability of the grid and security of energy supply
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
writingonblog uncensored: Koyambedu vegetable market to get Rs 1 cr parking ...
writingonblog uncensored: Koyambedu vegetable market to get Rs 1 cr parking ...: Chennai: Now Chennaites will soon have a space to park their vehicle in Asia’s largest perishable goods wholesale market in Koyambedu t...
Koyambedu vegetable market to get Rs 1 cr parking space
Chennai:
Now Chennaites will soon have a space to park their vehicle in Asia’s
largest perishable goods wholesale market in Koyambedu to buy fresh
vegetables, fruits And flowers.
A market management committee source told Express that parking woes
in Koyambedu is soon going to be addressed with a Rs one crore parking
lot being planned inside the market premises.
The parking lot will be built in the gap between storm water drain and
compound wall. It will be 12 feet wide and 700 metres long with a
capacity to park 500 four wheelers and two-wheelers. This will cater
to those vehicles which would be buying the Vegetables from the
market.
“We will be putting the proposal before Market Management Committee
which is likely to meet next week. Once it is approved, then tender
will be floated,” the source said.
The source said that this will ease the congestion in the market as
vehicles are parked haphazardly.
Meanwhile, 28 more surveillance cameras would be installed in
Koyambedu market. These will be installed in gate numbers 4, 5, 17 in
vegetable market, three and eight in fruit market and one and two in
flower market.
The official said that pre-qualification bids have been finalised and
price bids have been opened. This will also be placed before the MMC
meeting.
Meanwhile, the plan to have a new road after the closure of market’s
‘F’ and ‘G’ road has been stuck due to the new land acquisition act.
A MMC source said that land acquisition for the new 80 feet wide road
connecting Poonamallee High Road (NH 4) and Koyambedu Wholesale Market
Complex 'A' Road has been hit due to the new land acquisition act. “We
had acquired 70 per cent land required for the road. Now we require 30
per cent of land. But with new land acquisition act, the process has
slowed down” the source said.
He said the plan was to use the existing B road as either entry or
exit point while the other road could be put to use for either way.
“This would be a two-lane road and it would ease congestion along the
stretch,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Koyambedu vegetable market was inspected by housing
secretary Dharmendra Pratap Yadav and chief executive officer of
Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority Kiran Gurrala as officials
carried out raids to evict illegal shops that have been set up in
Koyambedu market.
“We have evicted 450 illegal shops and vegetables and other items
worth more than Rs 60000 were seized. These vegetables would be handed
over to orphanages,” the official stated.
The proposal to have a compost yard in the read side of flower market
in Koyambedu is waiting for the approval of Pollution control board
officials. “Ramky has already submitted a report. This would take of
100 to 110 tones of waste which is being transferred from Koyambedu
market to Perungudi” the official said.
“Since this lies close to residential area the proposal requires the
assent of pollution control board,” the official added.
writingonblog uncensored: China’s declining growth rate a boon for India, sa...
writingonblog uncensored: China’s declining growth rate a boon for India, sa...: Chennai: India could overtake China economically as the Communist country has exhausted its resources and now is working on a qualitati...
China’s declining growth rate a boon for India, says expert
Chennai:
India could overtake China economically as the Communist country has
exhausted its resources and now is working on a qualitative growth,
according to an expert.
Delivering a lecture on Economic Transformation of China at Madras
Institute of Development Studies here on Thursday, Dr Jacob Kurien,
Resident Professor of International Economics Nanjing University said
that India has the ability overtake China as the current government
has a majority in the parliament and could expedite all the
infrastructure projects provided there is no legal tangle.
He said India’s GDP would grow as its resources are yet to be tapped
while in China’s case it has exhausted its resources.
He said that China’s growth was more of a quantitative one. “The total
productivity has declined in China as officials focused more on
quantity rather than quality,” Kurien said.
“The earlier policy focused on rewarding growth quantitatively.
Officials were keen to show the growth rate at any cost. This has
affected the growth qualitatively and given rise to corruption forcing
the foreign markets to tread cautiously in China,” Kurien said.
Now China is addressing this issue and is focusing on qualitative
growth. Some of the measures include shutting down polluting units.
“The pollution in China was such that top CEOs were not keen to stay
in the industrial cities,” he said.
He also said that China has also shut down many of its companies that
were not remunerative. The communist country is now focusing on
consumption driven growth rate, he said.
Interestingly, the quantitative growth of China has also resulted in a
huge urban-rural divide. “It is one of the largest in the world,” said
Kurien.
However, he said unlike most of the Asian economies, the saving rate
of China is above 50 per cent. Interestingly, the communist nation
instead of rewarding the depositors taxes them and the money is given
to state owned companies.
He said that the growth of China was focused only on the coastal
region and now the country is looking to develop its inland region. He
said that the infrastructure in China is above its capacity. “This has
resulted in internal debt but then the country would clear it as it
has huge savings,” said Kurien.
The focus of the workforce is to make money as they don’t have the
right to own land. “The land is leased out to the workforce and when
the projects are to be undertaken the residents are shifted to other
place. They are connected to the high growth regions through high
speed rails,” he said.
India could overtake China economically as the Communist country has
exhausted its resources and now is working on a qualitative growth,
according to an expert.
Delivering a lecture on Economic Transformation of China at Madras
Institute of Development Studies here on Thursday, Dr Jacob Kurien,
Resident Professor of International Economics Nanjing University said
that India has the ability overtake China as the current government
has a majority in the parliament and could expedite all the
infrastructure projects provided there is no legal tangle.
He said India’s GDP would grow as its resources are yet to be tapped
while in China’s case it has exhausted its resources.
He said that China’s growth was more of a quantitative one. “The total
productivity has declined in China as officials focused more on
quantity rather than quality,” Kurien said.
“The earlier policy focused on rewarding growth quantitatively.
Officials were keen to show the growth rate at any cost. This has
affected the growth qualitatively and given rise to corruption forcing
the foreign markets to tread cautiously in China,” Kurien said.
Now China is addressing this issue and is focusing on qualitative
growth. Some of the measures include shutting down polluting units.
“The pollution in China was such that top CEOs were not keen to stay
in the industrial cities,” he said.
He also said that China has also shut down many of its companies that
were not remunerative. The communist country is now focusing on
consumption driven growth rate, he said.
Interestingly, the quantitative growth of China has also resulted in a
huge urban-rural divide. “It is one of the largest in the world,” said
Kurien.
However, he said unlike most of the Asian economies, the saving rate
of China is above 50 per cent. Interestingly, the communist nation
instead of rewarding the depositors taxes them and the money is given
to state owned companies.
He said that the growth of China was focused only on the coastal
region and now the country is looking to develop its inland region. He
said that the infrastructure in China is above its capacity. “This has
resulted in internal debt but then the country would clear it as it
has huge savings,” said Kurien.
The focus of the workforce is to make money as they don’t have the
right to own land. “The land is leased out to the workforce and when
the projects are to be undertaken the residents are shifted to other
place. They are connected to the high growth regions through high
speed rails,” he said.
writingonblog uncensored: TN tsunami alert as Nepal quake boundary plate tou...
writingonblog uncensored: TN tsunami alert as Nepal quake boundary plate tou...: 'Chennai felt Intensity-3 seismic wave as it lies on Zone III' C Shivakumar Chennai: The coast of Tamil Nadu could be v...
TN tsunami alert as Nepal quake boundary plate touches Andaman Nicobar Island, says expert
'Chennai felt Intensity-3 seismic wave as it lies on Zone III'
C Shivakumar
Chennai:
The coast of Tamil Nadu could be vulnerable to a massive tsunami if a
earthquake with a magnitude of above 7.5 at Richter Scale strikes
Andaman and Nicobar Island which lies along the Nepal quake boundary
plate, according to a top Indian geologist.
Former director general of Geological Survey of India A Sundaramoorthy
said that Nepal is experiencing the quake as the plate boundary
linking Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Nagaland, Manipur, Andamans and
Nicobar Island and Indonesia is moving towards the north.
This will result in friction and quake. The magnitude of 7.1
earthquake reported by Indian geologists in Nepal is due to it.
He said the plate movement would result in changes in the
Geo-morphology of Himalaya. The geologist said that Andaman and
Nicobar island is also vulnerable to such a magnitude of earthquake as
it lies on the same plate boundary.
“If it is on the sea and with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richeter
scale, then we will have a massive tsunami along the coastal Tamil
Nadu,” he said.
Interestingly, Chennai lies on Seismic Zone III and could feel the
seismic wave at higher intensity. “The seismic wave following the
impact of Nepal earthquake is felt in Chennai more than other parts of
Tamil Nadu as it lies on Zone III,” the geologist said.
To query on whether there will be enough breathing time to evacuate
the residents following the quake in Andaman and Nicobar Island, the
geologist said it is hard to predict the time.
He said while the quake struck Indonesia, India had a time of more
than one hour. “But if a quake strikes Andaman and Nicobar Island, it
is hard to predict how much time we would get to evacuate the people,”
he said.
He said that the state government should remain alert and be prepared
for any disaster if any that could happen following the quake.
Meanwhile, Chennaites felt the seismic waves at Teynampet, Besant
Nagar, Valasarvakkam, Santhome and Kodambakkam following the 7.1
magnitude earthquake epicentred in Nepal.
An official of the Seismology Unit of the Regional Meteorological
Centre here confirmed about the seismic waves. However, he said it is
too early to predict the intensity of the seismic waves. Unlike the
magnitude, the intensity is measured from 1 to 11. “The intensity
would be around 11 at the epicentre and Chennai could have experienced
the intensity of three,” said the official.
Interestingly, at many places, residents barged out of their homes as
they felt the vibrations. In Kodambakkam, residents stood outside a
building after they felt the vibration
C Shivakumar
Chennai:
The coast of Tamil Nadu could be vulnerable to a massive tsunami if a
earthquake with a magnitude of above 7.5 at Richter Scale strikes
Andaman and Nicobar Island which lies along the Nepal quake boundary
plate, according to a top Indian geologist.
Former director general of Geological Survey of India A Sundaramoorthy
said that Nepal is experiencing the quake as the plate boundary
linking Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Nagaland, Manipur, Andamans and
Nicobar Island and Indonesia is moving towards the north.
This will result in friction and quake. The magnitude of 7.1
earthquake reported by Indian geologists in Nepal is due to it.
He said the plate movement would result in changes in the
Geo-morphology of Himalaya. The geologist said that Andaman and
Nicobar island is also vulnerable to such a magnitude of earthquake as
it lies on the same plate boundary.
“If it is on the sea and with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richeter
scale, then we will have a massive tsunami along the coastal Tamil
Nadu,” he said.
Interestingly, Chennai lies on Seismic Zone III and could feel the
seismic wave at higher intensity. “The seismic wave following the
impact of Nepal earthquake is felt in Chennai more than other parts of
Tamil Nadu as it lies on Zone III,” the geologist said.
To query on whether there will be enough breathing time to evacuate
the residents following the quake in Andaman and Nicobar Island, the
geologist said it is hard to predict the time.
He said while the quake struck Indonesia, India had a time of more
than one hour. “But if a quake strikes Andaman and Nicobar Island, it
is hard to predict how much time we would get to evacuate the people,”
he said.
He said that the state government should remain alert and be prepared
for any disaster if any that could happen following the quake.
Meanwhile, Chennaites felt the seismic waves at Teynampet, Besant
Nagar, Valasarvakkam, Santhome and Kodambakkam following the 7.1
magnitude earthquake epicentred in Nepal.
An official of the Seismology Unit of the Regional Meteorological
Centre here confirmed about the seismic waves. However, he said it is
too early to predict the intensity of the seismic waves. Unlike the
magnitude, the intensity is measured from 1 to 11. “The intensity
would be around 11 at the epicentre and Chennai could have experienced
the intensity of three,” said the official.
Interestingly, at many places, residents barged out of their homes as
they felt the vibrations. In Kodambakkam, residents stood outside a
building after they felt the vibration
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
writingonblog uncensored: Now track your mail with India Post’s mobile app
writingonblog uncensored: Now track your mail with India Post’s mobile app: Chennai: Now you can track your speed post, electronic money orders and parcels sent through India Post with the launch of India Post Andro...
Now track your mail with India Post’s mobile app
Chennai:
Now you can track your speed post, electronic money orders and parcels
sent through India Post with the launch of India Post Android Mobile
App on Monday.
The citizen-centric Android Mobile application of Department of Posts
was developed by Centre for Excellence in Postal Technology.
A postal department official said that through the mobile application,
the user can track his mail or parcel besides conduct a search for
post office.
The tracking facility is made available on this mobile app for speed
post, registered letter, insured letter, value payable letter, insured
value payable letter, registered packets, registered Periodicals,
registered parcel, insured parcel, value payable parcel, insured value
payable parcel, business parcel, express parcel and electronic Money
Order (e-MO)
The user can track any of these by entering the articles number and
touching the Track button.
The mobile app user can also get information about list of post
offices by entering first four character of the name of the Post
office or by entering the Pin code of the office. Even information
like name of Post office, street address (location), contact details
of the Post office (where ever available) for the selected Post office
are available for the user.
The name of the Division and contact details of the Divisional
Superintendent (where ever available), details of Regional Postmaster
General and the Chief Postmaster General will also displayed in the
application, he said.
The app also has the feature to calculate the Postage (tariff) to be
paid for all types of articles based on the weight entered by the
user. The unique feature of the Postage Calculator is that in single
query it shows the tariff chargeable for ordinary letter, speed post,
domestic post, registered letter ordinary parcel, registered parcel,
registered book pack etc depending on distance between place of origin
and destination.
Besides, teh app also has features where users can check the premium
payable for types of postal or rural postal life insurance policies on
the basis of the input entered. The app also shows the interest rate
for savings scheme like sukanya samriddhi yojaana, recurring deposit,
time deposit (1 year, 2 year, 3 year and 5 year), monthly income
scheme, senior citizen savings scheme and National Savings
Certificate. It can be dowloaded from
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.indiapost
Now you can track your speed post, electronic money orders and parcels
sent through India Post with the launch of India Post Android Mobile
App on Monday.
The citizen-centric Android Mobile application of Department of Posts
was developed by Centre for Excellence in Postal Technology.
A postal department official said that through the mobile application,
the user can track his mail or parcel besides conduct a search for
post office.
The tracking facility is made available on this mobile app for speed
post, registered letter, insured letter, value payable letter, insured
value payable letter, registered packets, registered Periodicals,
registered parcel, insured parcel, value payable parcel, insured value
payable parcel, business parcel, express parcel and electronic Money
Order (e-MO)
The user can track any of these by entering the articles number and
touching the Track button.
The mobile app user can also get information about list of post
offices by entering first four character of the name of the Post
office or by entering the Pin code of the office. Even information
like name of Post office, street address (location), contact details
of the Post office (where ever available) for the selected Post office
are available for the user.
The name of the Division and contact details of the Divisional
Superintendent (where ever available), details of Regional Postmaster
General and the Chief Postmaster General will also displayed in the
application, he said.
The app also has the feature to calculate the Postage (tariff) to be
paid for all types of articles based on the weight entered by the
user. The unique feature of the Postage Calculator is that in single
query it shows the tariff chargeable for ordinary letter, speed post,
domestic post, registered letter ordinary parcel, registered parcel,
registered book pack etc depending on distance between place of origin
and destination.
Besides, teh app also has features where users can check the premium
payable for types of postal or rural postal life insurance policies on
the basis of the input entered. The app also shows the interest rate
for savings scheme like sukanya samriddhi yojaana, recurring deposit,
time deposit (1 year, 2 year, 3 year and 5 year), monthly income
scheme, senior citizen savings scheme and National Savings
Certificate. It can be dowloaded from
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.indiapost
writingonblog uncensored: PWD contractors split over 'name and shame' corrup...
writingonblog uncensored: PWD contractors split over 'name and shame' corrup...: Chennai: The move by office-bearers Tamil Nadu Public Works Department (PWD) Contractors (Engineering) Association to name top 10 corru...
PWD contractors split over 'name and shame' corrupt officials
Chennai:
The move by office-bearers Tamil Nadu Public Works Department (PWD)
Contractors (Engineering) Association to name top 10 corrupt PWD
engineers during 2014-15 has sparked a row with a section of members
of the association opposing it.
A statement signed by a section of the members of the association
stated that the decision by the office-bearers of the association was
done without the concurrence of all the members.
“This was done without taking proper approval from all the 130 members
of the association,” said the statement.
G Ekambaram, proprietor of Preethi Constructions, who signed the
document along with other members opposing Association’s move to name
the allegedly corrupt officials of PWD, gave a clean chit to the
officials.
He along with other members said that they have been in the
association for a long time and PWD officials never asked for money or
abused them.
He said a section of people are spreading rumours about the officials.
“The allegations are due to vested interest of some office-bearers,”
he said.
The statement came nearly five days after Tamil Nadu PWD Contractors
(Engineering) Association erected a huge flex hoarding near the PWD
office at Chepauk, warning that top 10 corrupt PWD engineers during
2014-15 would be named in such advertisements.
The office-bearers of the association could not be reached for their comments.
writingonblog uncensored: Fishermen remove bio-markers from dying Ennore Cre...
writingonblog uncensored: Fishermen remove bio-markers from dying Ennore Cre...: C Shivakumar Chennai: As Ennore Creek is slowly being poisoned to death by industrial waste, fishermen devoid of fishes are now conce...
Fishermen remove bio-markers from dying Ennore Creek
C Shivakumar
Chennai:
As Ennore Creek is slowly being poisoned to death by industrial waste,
fishermen devoid of fishes are now concentrating on plucking out
Polychaetes, the bio-marker as well as vital sea food for marine
organisms of the estuary, to eke out their livelihood.
Rising early in the morning before the sun pours out its fury,
fishermen in boats ferry out underneath the railway bridge and wade
through the water in search of polychaetes.
“We have to scour through the water for these poochis (polychaetes).
It has a huge value abroad,” says Rajesh on condition of anonymity.
He says a kilogram of polychaetes could get him Rs 1,000 a month and
if exported it fetches around Rs 3,000. “The pollution along the creek
has taken away our livelihood. This is now fetching us good money,” he
says unaware of the threat he is causing to the marine fauna in the
region.
Once the paradise for mangroves, turtles and some rare species, the
creek was a means of livelihood for the fisherfolk of three hamlets
but then due to effluents of industries as well as sewage, the creek
is turning out toxic for fishermen as well as marine life.
Thanks to the demand of polychaete from abroad as well as prawn
industry, fishermen are now scanning the waterbody for hours in a
knee deep water to get a kilo of polychates. But then it is also
having a negative effect on the estuary as it is losing out to one of
the vital food chain.
Dasan, a fisherman in the area, says that since the poochis are
snuffed out from the estuary there is hardly any fish available.
Interestingly, polychaetes are the natural diet and important source
of nutrient for fish larvae in the marine environment.
National institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) director M A Atmanand
says that polychaetes are sensitive to the natural conditions and any
alteration in the physicochemical parameters of these natural habitats
will negatively influence its distribution and abundance.
He says polychaetes (Neries sp.) are highly sought after for its value
as recreational fishing bait as well as for fish culture diet and many
species of them are being over exploited.
Interestingly, NIOT is planning to regulate the polychaete collection.
“We are considering to regulate polychaete catch in the creek. The
plan is to have the collection of polychaete only through trained
people by issuing license as being practiced in Australia,” he says.
But the impact of polychaete fishing has hit the fishermen hard in
Ennore Creek. “The fishing of polychaetes has dwindled the amount of
fish as well as other marine life which feeds on the benthic worms,”
says a official of Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management
Project Directorate (ICMAM) which is conducting a survey of the creek.
However, he refused to divulge anything further stating he doesn’t
have the authority to talk to media.
Atmanand says that polychaetes otherwise known as bristle worms are a
group of Annelids ("ringed worms" or "segmented worms"),predominantly
marine present in every seafloor irrespective of depth and
temperature.
This highly diverse group of organisms with around 8,000 species
ranging from a few millimeters to a whopping 20 ft long was described
all over the marine environments.
Because of its omnipresence in every marine and brackishwater
ecosystems, marine biologists considers them as an indicator to study
the effect of pollutants as well as natural and human induced changes.
The name polychaete is derived from the Greek words (poly= many;
chaite = long hair) due to the presence of many bristles in each of
its segments, Atmanand says.
The primary objective of bio-monitoring is to access the impact of
man-made changes such as the introduction of toxic chemicals on the
biosphere by examining the effects the chemicals have on the
polychaete. The United Kingdom, United states and many European
nations use them as pollution indicators, it is learnt.
But how could the polychaetes be protected in Ennore Creek from being
over-fished. “Since, they are now part of the livelihood of farmers
who are battling the alarming levels of pollution. The government
instead of taking any drastic measure, should form a nodal agency to
develop polychaete culture in Ennore Creek. This could solve the
livelihood issue of the fishermen,” a social activist says.
Interestingly, the creek eco-system is also facing the threat from
debris of construction material which was discarded after building the
Ennore railway bridge. This also chokes the creek of pollutants and
hardly any tidal water to cleanse it.
Atmanand says dredging till Railway Bridge (another 1.5 km) will
ensure the tidal and the minimum flow required to maintain the creek
ecosystem. However, it needs to be studied for its impact on
polychaete and other benthic faunal diversity, he says.
Factfile:
-- Polychaetes are dominant benthic fauna in the marine environment.
--- Polychaetes occur in most habitats ranging from estuaries and
inshore waters to the open sea and hyper saline lagoons.
--- There are 153 species of polychaetes that occur in Indian
estuaries, representing about 37.46% of the total polychaetes present
in Indian seas.
--- While 119 species were found to occur only in east
coast estuaries, 11 species were found only in the west coast
estuaries.
--- As polychaetes are the main food supply of many commercial fishes,
they also serve as an important factor in the evaluation of fishing
grounds
--- Polychaetes also play an important role in biomonitoring the
marine environmental quality being monitors for toxic materials and
pollution indicators
--- Nearly 400 coastal people were collecting Polychaetes for
livelihood and it is being sold for Rs 1000/kg to prawn brooders in
aquaculture industry.
--- Fishermen say the price of per kilogram of polychaetes in
international market is Rs 3,000 per kg
Monday, May 4, 2015
Qatar Airways to link Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta in US
DOHA: Qatar Airways will introduce three new passenger routes to Los Angeles, Boston and Atlanta. With these new destinations, Qatar Airways will offer daily nonstop services to all 10 of the largest metropolitan areas of the United States.
Effective, January, 1, 2016, Qatar Airways will commence daily flights to Los Angeles, California, the second largest city in the United States, with the airline’s flagship Boeing 777 aircraft, which features a two-class cabin with 42 Business Class fully lie-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration.
From March, 16, 2016, the airline will launch daily flights to Boston, the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, and will operate its latest flagship A350 XWB in a two-class configuration with 36 Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, featuring an 80” fully flat bed and 17” HD in-flight entertainment screen.
Atlanta, Georgia, the business centre of the southeast region of the United States, will be Qatar Airways’ third new route to the US and will commence with daily flights starting on July,1, 2016. The route will be operated with the airline’s flagship Boeing 777 aircraft.
Increasing passenger demand to America’s largest city and financial centre, New York, has prompted Qatar Airways to add a second daily service to the city from March, 1, 2016. Qatar Airways has served the city daily since the initial route launch in 2007. The second daily service to New York’s JFK will be operated by the Airbus A350 XWB aircraft providing passengers an opportunity to experience both the Boeing B777 and the A350 aircraft types on the route.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker said: "As Qatar Airways continues its global expansion, we are delighted to be offering even more gateways in the United States, connecting passengers from destinations across the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Africa and Southeast Asia.
"We look forward to offering a great travel experience to our US passengers on the World's Best Business Class across our network of more than 140 destinations, with a convenient one-stop transfer at the new state-of-the-art Hamad International Airport in Doha.”
Qatar Airways’ on-board experience and service is renowned and provides an unparalleled commitment to service quality, as exemplified by being ranked twice in a row as the best in Business Class, and also by being named World’s Best Airline in 2011 and 2012 at the Skytrax World Airline Awards.
The airline has seen rapid growth in just 18 years of operation to the point where today it is flying a modern fleet of 156 aircraft to 146 key business and leisure destinations. Among the 146 destinations currently served are Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Mumbai, New Delhi, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta and the Maldives – all with excellent connections from the US cities
writingonblog uncensored: Chennai Metro Water’s efforts to manage water scar...
writingonblog uncensored: Chennai Metro Water’s efforts to manage water scar...: Chennai: Efforts to manage the acute water scarcity in the metro effectively in 2014 following two rain deficit years has resulted in C...
Chennai Metro Water’s efforts to manage water scarcity gets global recognition
Chennai:
Efforts to manage the acute water scarcity in the metro effectively in 2014 following two rain
deficit years has resulted in Chennai Metro Water receiving a global award.
A Chennai Metro Water spokesman said that Chennai Metropolitan Water
Supply and Sewerage Board won the Water Leaders Award 2015 at the
Global Water Awards ceremony held on April 27 at Nasioutzik Museum in
Athens in Greece.
The award was given by Jose Manuel Barroso, former president of
European Commission and former prime minister of Portugal.
Metro Water was given the Global Water Leaders award for various
initiatives taken to manage the acute water scarcity brought in by two
years of deficit rainfall in the year 2014, the spokesman said.
During 2014, Chennai recieved deficit rainfall for second consecutive
year and reservoir levels were very low at 25 per cent of the
capacity.
A Metro water official said that decisions taken by the Chief
Minister, who reviewed the situation arising out of poor rainfall
during 2013 and 2014, were implemented immediately on a war-footing.
The decisions include commissioning of 100 MLD desalination plant at
Nemelli, creation of new ground water sources in the well fields at
Tamaraipakkam, Minjur and Poondi, creation of facilities for tapping
water from Neyveli Lignite Minies at Paravanar and Mine IA besides
rain water harvesting and supply of treated water to industries.
It also included approval for establishment of two 45 MLD tertiary
treated reserve osmosis plants in Koyambedu and Kodungaiyur besides
water supply through GPS enabled water tankers and modernised SMS
based 24x7 Call Centre for grievance redressal
writingonblog uncensored: HC to conduct Judicial review of fee fixation orde...
writingonblog uncensored: HC to conduct Judicial review of fee fixation orde...: Chennai: The Madras High Court will conduct a judicial review of the fee fixation order of The Commitee of Fixation of Fee In respect o...
HC to conduct Judicial review of fee fixation order for self-financing professional colleges
Chennai:
The Madras High Court will conduct a judicial review of the fee
fixation order of The Commitee of Fixation of Fee In respect of Self
Financing Professional Colleges.
The order was passed by Chief Justice of Madras High Court S K Kaul
and Justice T S Sivagnanam after hearing a petition by Velammal
Medical College Hospital and Research Institute.
Chief Justice S K Kaul said that the senior counsel of Velammal
appearing for the Velammal Medical College contends that the expenses
of the petitioner have not been taken into account which is alleged to
be obvious from the fact that total salary to be disbursed in Rs 11
crore while as per the fee fixed, the recovery would be only Rs 10
crore. “There are stated to be of course other expenses,” the judge
said.
He asked the Fee Fixation Committee to file an affidavit explaining
the fee fixation for the petitioner by June 10, 2015. Teh rejoinder
should be filed within two weeks. The next hearing will be held on
June 29, 2015.
The notice is accepted by P Sanjay Gandhi, additional government
pleader appearing for Tamil Nadu government and The Commitee of
Fixation of Fee In respect of Self Financing Professional Colleges.
The committee was constituted for fixation of fee of self financing
colleges under the chairmanship of Justice N V Balasubramanian. The
institutions were asked to submit the fee revision proposal for under
graduate and post graduate medical and dental courses for the academic
year 2014-15, 2015-16, and 2016-17
Saturday, May 2, 2015
writingonblog uncensored: TN seeking Rs 750 crore from TNCA as lease rentals...
writingonblog uncensored: TN seeking Rs 750 crore from TNCA as lease rentals...: Chennai: Spelling further trouble for under-siege ICC chief N Srinivasan, the Tamil Nadu government is reportedly seeking a whopping Rs...
TN seeking Rs 750 crore from TNCA as lease rentals for Chepauk stadium
Chennai:
Spelling further trouble for under-siege ICC
chief N Srinivasan, the Tamil Nadu government is reportedly seeking a
whopping Rs 750 crore from the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association as lease
rentals for the MA Chidambaram stadium at Chepauk following the expiry
of lease late last month.
Though revenue officials at various
levels either remained tight-lipped or maintained ignorance over the
notice, it is learnt from official sources that the notice to be sent to
TNCA to pay the dues lies with Chennai district collectorate.
A
local official confirmed that the lease has expired on April 20, and
that there has been some correspondence from TNCA over renewal of
agreement. However,he could not confirm on how much pending dues the
district collectorate has sought from TNCA.
It is learnt that
as per the lease granted under Government Orders issued on April 7 and
June 6, 1995, respectively, the initial lease rent was fixed at Rs
6,326.70 for Madras Cricket Club (MCC) allotment of share of one
cawnies, 15 grounds and 1,104 square feet, and lease rent of Rs
43,673.30 for TNCA alloted share of 11 cawnies eight ground and 949
square feet. The lease was for 20 years.
It was later revised
in accordance with revenue standing order 24 A which states that the
lease rent is levied based on the land cost depending upon commercial
and non commercial purpose. What has altered the calculation is the
advent of cash-rich Indian Premier League. The commercial value of the
land was evaluated at 14 per cent on land cost since 2007 on account of
Indian Premier League while the non-commercial valuation was done seven
per cent of land cost.
As per the contract and taking into consideration Revenue Standing Order 24 A, the lease rental comes to Rs 750 crore.
It
is learnt that TNCA leases out all the stands inclusive of MCC stands
for IPL for only a few thousand of rupees per day, while the league is
reaping profits in hundreds of crores in TV rights, in stadia
advertising and entrance fee or ticket sales.
Incidentally,
the Chepauk stadium is the home ground of Chennai Super Kings, the IPL
team owned by Srinivasan. While his reign as the top honcho of Indian
cricket has suffered a major set back in the recent past, Srinivasan
continues to be the Ceaser of the State association. The association also abolished the two-term
ceiling for presidents, enabling him to continue in the powerful post
for an unlimited number of years.
Srinivasan-headed TNCA has
been embroiled in a bitter row with government, as it did not take due
permission for demolishing the stands in the stadium before
reconstructing them.
As per clause of lease deed, TNCA should
not use the land except for the purpose of construction of cricket
stadium, and shall not erect buildings, fences or structures of a
permanent or temporary character on the land without the prior sanction
from the district collector.
Sources said that TNCA violated
the clause of lease deed and built a club and rooms. The district
collector refused to comment on the issue despite repeated requests.
Meanwhile,
sources in the TNCA maintained that the association had not received
any communication. "Till today, we didn't recieve any letter," said a
senior association official.
The official confirmed that lease
for the stadium expired recently. "We have applied for lease renewal
and are expecting communication from authorities in this regard. Till
now, there's no news of any letter asking us to pay," he said.
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