A 13-year-old boy got electrocuted after a DMK flagpole he was trying to erect came in contact with a live overhead cable. The incident happened on Friday on the Villupuram-Mambazhapattu Road while arrangements were being made to welcome Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi for the wedding ceremony of a DMK functionary.
Former AIADMK minister D Jayakumar said Monday that it was unnecessary to discuss the Kodanad heist-cum-murder case at the Legislative Assembly when the state was facing so many other pressing issues. A few days ago, Congress Legislature Party Leader Selvaperunthagai had said his party will introduce a calling attention motion on the Kodanad issue in the Assembly on Monday. Before the session began on Monday, Jayakumar called a press meet at his residence and said it is unusual to discuss a matter that is sub judice.
For assistance on COVID-19-related queries and mental health support in Chennai, citizens can contact the Greater Chennai Corporation's (GCC) COVID-19 helpline 044 46122300 or 044 25384520 | Citizens can also contact the general helpline 104, the 24-hour helplines 044 29510400 or 29510500 and the 24 x 7 mobile helplines 8754448477 or 9444340496 | Citizens can find the nearest GCC-facilitated COVID-19 fever clinic here | Find the nearest GCC vaccine centre here and book your slot here | For lodging rain-related complaints and assistance during the monsoon, citizens can contact the GCC's monsoon helplines 044 25384530 or 044 25384540 or the control room 1913 (available 24x7)
Tamil Nadu Chennai News August 20, 21, 22 Highlights
The first tremor was felt at 4.33 AM (Magnitude 1.2), followed by one at 6.04 AM and another at 6.07 AM (Representational/ seismo.gov.in)
As schools and colleges are reopening in the state on September 1, the Tamil Nadu Transport Corporation Monday said all the school and government college students can travel free in the busses from their residence to their Institutions until they are provided a bus pass by the corporation. The students are directed to carry their Identity card and show them to the bus conductor when required.
Tamil Nadu recorded 1,585 positive cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, bringing the state tally to 26,04,074. Among these, Chennai reported 165 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,42,902. The state recorded 27 deaths on Tuesday, putting the state toll at 34,761. A total of 1,842 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,50,710.
General secretary of Tamil Nadu BJP K T Raghavan resigned from his post Tuesday after a ‘sting operation’ showed him purportedly engaging in a sexually explicit video chat with a woman.
Raghavan took to social media and said he denies all the allegations and will take the legal route. He said the people of Tamil Nadu and those closely associated with him know him well.
BJP state president K Annamalai issued a statement where he said that Raghavan had informed him that with a motive to bring bad reputation to the party, with advanced technology, an allegation has been levelled against him and he would like to resign from the party post. Annamalai said he accepted Raghavan’s resignation and said he is confident that he would face the issue legally and prove himself.
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Tamil Nadu Minister for Municipal Administration and Water Supply Tuesday said six new corporations would come up in the state. Tambaram, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore, Karur, Kumbakonam, Sivakasi will be upgraded as the municipal corporations, taking the overall count of municipal corporations in the state to 21.
While making an announcement in the legislative assembly, Nehru said Tambaram, Pallavaram, Sembakkam, Pammal, Anakaputtur municipalities and a town panchayats will be integrated. Similarly, municipalities and a town panchayats around Kancheepuram, Cuddalore, Karur, Kumbakonam, Sivakasi will be Integrated.
A special court here on Tuesday asked top AIADMK leaders O Panneerselvam and K Palaniswami to appear before it on September 14, after the duo could not do so in response to the summons issued by it in a defamation plaint by an expelled party leader. Initially after taking objection to the non-appearance of Panneerselvam, the AIADMK Coordinator and the joint coordinator Palaniswami today, in response to the summons issued earlier on the basis of a defamation complaint from V Pugalendhi, the special court constituted for exclusive trial of corruption cases against MPs and MLAs adjourned the hearing to September 14, when the duo should appear before it.
The pre-production work for the upcoming season of Bigg Boss Tamil has begun. Kamal Haasan will return to host season 5 of the popular reality show. The 66-year-old superstar will shoot for the show’s promotional videos in Chennai on Tuesday. Sources close to the production said the promos for the new season will be released this week.
The new season is expected to begin by end of October. An official word, however, is awaited.
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In his special address, at the XVI International Conference on Public Policy and Management, hosted by the Centre for Public Policy at IIM Bangalore, Dr. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Minister for Finance and Human Resources Management in the Tamil Nadu Government, focused on the complexity of administering public policy. “We need a lot more investment and professionalism in the area of governance,” he said.
Stepping back to the time he forayed into public administration from the world of international banking, Dr PTR said he had assumed that running the government would have access to performance data, institutional memory, and infrastructure/ systems. “I took institutional knowledge/ memory for granted, but I got the biggest shock when I assumed office. In administration, we don’t have the continuity or institutional knowledge/ memory that a simple small business would have built into it.”
He said while the bureaucracy – deemed IAS and the exam-written IAS cadre – has a direct connection with ministers, there is adequate continuity in administration as they are rotated. “The ministers and the bureaucrats keep changing. The continuity happens only below the cadre of IAS officers – who are rarely in direct contact with the ministers. Adding an additional layer to this complexity is the fact that there is no efficient data, dashboard, record keeping or electronic infrastructure. The net result is that you have a system which is in constant flux. Another part of the problem of complexity is the proliferation of boards, corporations, agencies, and entities, created by politicians who are searching for short-term solutions, or a relatively quick and easy way to leave a legacy, without these entities being backed up with adequate management capabilities or adequate infrastructure. This results in failure of governance, poor performance and poor explanation to the people, who then begin to feel excluded and alienated from the growth story.”
On the need to rethink and reimagine the use of resources, he used the example of land. “Land is a huge, under-utilised asset in most states and the lack of land banks is a big barrier to industrial growth,” he said, pointing out that, for example, there was no need for huge tracts of land to be allotted for official housing for government officers and ministers in prime parts of a city.
Prices of petrol and diesel eased across the country on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, after remaining steady for a day. In the national capital, the petrol price fell 15 paise while that of diesel slipped 15 paise.
In Chennai, petrol is priced at Rs. 99.20 per litre while diesel costs Rs. 93.52 per litre.
A total of 1,23,842 posters have been removed across Chennai by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) till Monday as a part of the civic body’s poster removal campaign.
Here are the details:
North Chennai - 33,644
Central Chennai - 39,336
South Chennai - 50,862
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said he is likely to meet the Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi on August 26 to discuss the proposed dam on Cauvery water at Mekedatu. Bommai said he will also hold a meeting with the State's legal panel headed by the Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi and other senior lawyers to chalk out strategies to tackle the water sharing disputes with neighbouring states.
Besides Shekhawat, Bommai told reporters in Bengaluru he has sought appointment from Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
He added that most probably he would go to Delhi on August 25 evening and meet the Ministers the next day.
Karnataka is pushing for the ambitious balancing reservoir at Mekedatu at Kanakapura in Ramanagara district of Karnataka, which Tamil Nadu is opposing saying that it will hamper the interests of the State, especially the farmers. The State wanted the Mekedatu project to utilise the "balance" water to meet the drinking water requirement for Bengaluru and neighbouring regions.
The Tamil Nadu government has launched 24×7 vaccination centres in 55 government hospitals across the state. Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian launched the initiative Monday at Government Omandurar Medical College Hospital.
The Minister also inaugurated a 15-bed paediatric Covid ward with ICU facility and an oxygen generator worth Rs 1.5 crore at the hospital as part of boosting infrastructure to deal with a possible third wave of the coronavirus.
Subramanian said the 24-hour vaccination centres will help travellers and working professionals to get their vaccines at any time. He added that the health department is in talks with Apollo Hospital to supply second dose Covaxin shots from batches the hospital has purchased using Rs 5 lakh from its CSR funds.
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A total of 36,80,013 people have been vaccinated in Chennai till date, with 30,692 people inoculated on Monday alone, according to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).
Kangana Ranaut-starrer Jayalalithaa biopic Thalaivii finally has a release date, after being pushed due to the second deadly wave of the pandemic. The makers on Monday noon shared a brand new poster of the film, announcing that Thalaivii will hit theatres on September 10 this year.
Kangana Ranaut, who plays the titular role in the movie, also shared the happy news on her social media. Sharing the same poster, Kangana wrote, “The story of this iconic personality deserves to be witnessed only on the BIG SCREEN! Pave way, for #Thalaivii as she is all set to make a superstar entry into the world of cinema, yet again, a place where she has always belonged! Thalaivii IN CINEMAS near you on 10th September! #ThalaiviiOnTheBigScreen #ThalaiviiInTheatres.”
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An earthquake measuring 5.1 was reported at 12.35pm on Tuesday. The National Centre for Seismology has identified the epicentre located off Andhra Pradesh coast at a 10km depth in the Bay of Bengal (Latitude 14.40 and Longitude 82.91). The earthquake was a Category VII in the tremor intensity considered 'Very Strong'.
Filmmaker Pa. Ranjith called out Rolling Stone India magazine and music platform Maajja for failing to credit lyricist, rapper and singer Arivu in its latest cover story for the songs Enjoy Enjaami and Neeye oli. The magazine interviewed singers Dhee and Shan Vincent de Paul and featured them on its August cover but failed to credit Arivu, lyricist of Enjoy Enjaami and co-lyricist of Neeye oli, who is known for his strong anti-caste lyrics. He was not featured on the cover also.
“@TherukuralArivu , the lyricist of #Neeyaoli and singer as well as lyricist of #enjoyenjami has once again been invisiblised. @RollingStoneIN and @joinmaajja is it so difficult to understand that the lyrics of both songs challenges this erasure of public acknowledgement? (sic),” Ranjith, the director Sarpatta Parambarai, wrote on Twitter.
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An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale sent tremors across parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, on Tuesday.
According to the National Centre for Seismology, the earthquake hit at 12.35 pm in the Bay of Bengal, around 320 km east of Chennai. It was recorded at a depth of 10 km.
A total of 1409 senior citizens, aged over 80 years, have been vaccinated at their homes by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). Of these, 909 people were vaccinated on Monday alone. Residents can call 044-2538 4520, 044-4612 2300 to book a slot for senior citizens.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday announced that the state government would build a memorial for former chief minister and DMK stalwart MK Karunanidhi at his resting place on Marina beach in Chennai.
Stalin said Karunanidhi, his father, played a pivotal role in Tamil Nadu’s development and worked till his last breath for the welfare of Tamils. Stalin said the memorial, which is set to be built on 2.21 acres and costing Rs 39 crore, will have digital content on the life and achievements of Karunanidhi. Stalin made the announcement under rule 110 of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly.
Stalin said there has never been a leader in the country like Karunanidhi, who was never defeated in his 13 outings in the elections. He further added that in his 80 years of political life, Karunanidhi was an assembly member for 60 years.
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has seized a beach-facing bungalow in Chennai, Rs 82.5 lakh cash and over a dozen luxurious cars in connection with a money laundering case against Sukesh Chandrashekar, an accused in an alleged multi-crore extortion racket.
The money laundering case of the agency is based on an FIR of the Delhi Police’s economic offences wing (EOW) against him and others.
“The ED has seized a luxurious beach front bungalow located in Chennai, Rs 82.5 lakhs cash, two kg gold, 16 luxurious cars and other high-end items in the Sukesh Chandrasekhar case,” the agency said in a Twitter post.
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The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday felicitated senior DMK leader and Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan for his 50 years of legislative service, with leaders cutting across party lines greeting him. Chief Minister M K Stalin heaped praises on Duriamurugan and said he has been guiding him in the absence of his father and late DMK president, former CM M Karunanidhi and the late K Anbazhagan, another party veteran.
AIADMK Deputy leader O Panneerselvam, BJP's Nainar Nagendran and other members including from the Congress feted the DMK leader, who has been elected to the House 10 times since 1971, eight of them being from Katpadi constituency in Vellore district.
"He will leave his stamp in any department that he would be allotted and can reel out the names of all the rivers in Tamil Nadu even now," Stalin said about his cabinet colleague who has in the past handled portfolios including the key Public Works Department. The chief minister, hailing Duraimurugan's acumen, noted he knows all details regarding the Cauvery river water agreements, even the one dating back to 1925. He can make an audience laugh or cry with aplomb, the CM said about the Leader of the House.
"He has been elected to the House 10 times from 1971 till date and has strived for the state's growth," Stalin said, before moving the resolution to laud the Minister which was adopted by the House. (PTI)
Schools and colleges in the Union Territory of Puducherry would reopen on September 1, Chief Minister N Rangasamy said on Monday.
Classes IX and X would be held on Mondays and classes XI and XII on Tuesdays, he told reporters here after a meeting with officials of the Health and Education Departments. Home and Education Minister A Namassivayam was among those present at the meeting.
The Chief Minister said most of the teachers have taken the vaccine against COVID-19 and that the decison to re-open the educational institutions was taken in the wake of a dip in number of virus cases in the Union Territory. (PTI)
The Tamil Nadu government on Monday said the State would go on an appeal before the Supreme Court to challenge the order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in the Mekedatu Dam issue.
Detailing the action taken by it to prevent neighbouring Karnataka from going ahead with its proposal to construct the dam, a policy note tabled in the Tamil Nadu Assembly by Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan said the Tamil Nadu government, taking note of media reports of Karnataka commencing the preliminary work at the site, had, on April 27, requested the Central government to advise Karnataka not to take any action on the Mekedatu project.
In the meanwhile, the NGT (southern zone), on its own, took up the issue and ordered a committee to be set up to go into the question of whether any construction activity was started without obtaining necessary clearance and to assess the damages, if any, that would be caused to the environment. The NGT asked the committee to submit its report.
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The north and south units of the DMK in the Union Territory of Puducherry have been merged as one unit, general secretary of the party Durai Murugan announced on Monday.
Announcing the merger in a press release, Durai Murugan said S P Sivakumar, former Minister for Education in the Union Territory, is the presidium chairman of the DMK, and R Siva, Opposition leader in the Territorial Assembly, is the convenor of the party.
The release said K M P Logayyan is the treasurer of the party and the eight deputy convenors appointed for the merged unit include legislator V Annibal Kennedy and two women.
The need to make the two units as one was felt in view of the forthcoming civic polls, the release added. (PTI)
Three accused in the sensational Kodanad heist-murder case have moved the Madras High Court, seeking to examine former Chief Minister K Palaniswami, expelled AIADMK leader V K Sasikala and her relatives J Ilavarasi and V N Sudhakaran in connection with the matter, praying for setting aside a lower court order, which dismissed their similar plea earlier.
Seeking to turn the heat on the AIADMK, the Congress, an ally of the ruling DMK, has sought to raise the Kodanad issue in the state Assembly, possibly on Tuesday, with the opposition party crying foul over the move, saying “sub-judice” matters are not discussed on the floor of the House.
However, the DMK hit back at its rival, saying it was the AIADMK that had brought the issue into the House, raking it up last week when it even staged a walkout and sat on a dharna outside the hall over the matter, with the Congress asking why it took the matter to the state Governor.
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Can successful implementation of family planning programmes of the central government be put against the people of the state by taking away political representations in Parliament, asked Madras High Court while hearing a PIL relating to de-reservation of the Thenkasi parliamentary constituency last week. Answering its own question, the court said, “Yes.”
The bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and B Pugalendhi observed that Tamil Nadu had 41 MPs in Lok Sabha till 1962 and it was reduced to 39 from 1967. “…two less than the original number merely because the state government successfully controlled the population and population growth by various measures,” the court said during the August 17 hearing.
It said it was “very unfair and unreasonable” to reduce the number of MPs from 41 to 39 for successfully bringing down population as part of the national family planning programme.
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DMDK founder Vijayakanth on Monday said he will fly abroad for medical treatment soon and urged his fans to not converge in Chennai on his birthday on August 25, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.
The actor-turned-politician had earlier also travelled to the US for medical treatment.
In a statement, he said he has been celebrating his birthday as "Poverty Eradication Day" for long and urged his supporters to distribute welfare assistance to mark his birthday. While the coronavirus cases in the state were on the decline, mass gatherings could lead to a spurt and therefore his supporters should not converge here on Wednesday, he said.
"Further, I am going to travel abroad soon for medical check-up," the 68 year-old leader added. (PTI)
A seven-member gang abducted a rice merchant's son from Kangeyam in Tirupur district of Tamil Nadu and demanded Rs 3 crore for his release, police said on Monday. Three members of the gang were caught in Madurai Monday afternoon while a search was on for the rest, the police said.
According to the police, the gang intercepted the car of Shivpradeep, son of the merchant, on Sunday at Kangeyam. The seven, posing as policemen from Ramanathapuram, took Shivpradeep and his driver Saddam in the car and reached Sirumalai in Dindigul from where a call was made to the merchant asking for the ransom, the police said.
The merchant handed over the sum and brought his son and the driver back. On the way, they lodged a police complaint. Based on it, the police caught the three belonging to the gang in Madurai and recovered the money. A hunt is on for the four others, the police said. (PTI)
A 13-year-old boy got electrocuted after a DMK flagpole he was trying to erect came in contact with a live overhead cable. The incident happened on Friday on the Villupuram-Mambazhapattu Road while arrangements were being made to welcome Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi for the wedding ceremony of a DMK functionary.
The deceased, identified as Dinesh, was studying class 8 in Poonthottam government municipality school. A resident of Rahim Lay-out, Dinesh had taken up part-time work as schools are closed in view of the pandemic. A contractor had engaged him in erecting flag poles to welcome the DMK minister. Sources said no prior permission was sought by the contractor to erect flag poles.
In the FIR, it was noted that Lakshmi, Dinesh’s mother, got a call around 2 pm on August 20 that her son got electrocuted and was admitted to a government hospital. The boy, however, passed away before she could reach the hospital.
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Former AIADMK minister D Jayakumar said Monday that it was unnecessary to discuss the Kodanad heist-cum-murder case at the Legislative Assembly when the state was facing so many other pressing issues.
A few days ago, Congress Legislature Party Leader Selvaperunthagai had said his party will introduce a calling attention motion on the Kodanad issue in the Assembly on Monday. Before the session began on Monday, Jayakumar called a press meet at his residence and said it is unusual to discuss a matter that is sub judice.
“It is the practice to move a calling attention motion during zero hour to draw the government’s immediate attention in case of events like a flood, fire accident or a natural calamity. But that is not the case with the Kodanad estate issue. I have served as the Speaker during the AIADMK regime and we did not discuss anything about cases pending in court,” he said.
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An elephant, believed to be 30 years old, got electrocuted in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Erode district of Tamil Nadu on Monday, forest officials said.
According to them, the animal searching for food and water got killed after coming into contact with a live wire around a fence put up by a farmer to keep wild boars off.
The officials said they have registered a case against the farmer who, they added, is absconding. (PTI)
Multiplexes and theatres in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu, as well, will start receiving film lovers from August 27, nearly four months after cinema halls were closed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association said on Monday.
With the state government relaxing COVID-19 lockdown regulations permitting theatres to re-open from today, theatre owners are bracing for a grand re-opening this week-end hoping to draw a steady trickle of movie lovers.
On Saturday, Chief Minister M K Stalin announced extending the ongoing lockdown in the State by another two weeks till September 6 but permitted the re-opening of theatres with 50 per cent occupancy. And along with it, the government allowed beaches and parks to be thrown open to the members of the public from today.
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Tangedco has announced a power cut in parts of Chennai today from 9 am to 2 pm for maintenance work.
Here are the affected areas:
Tambaram:
Neelankarai: New and Old Ganesh Nagar, Vaithiyalingamsalai, Ruby Complex, Thiruvalluvar Nagar, Matha Koil, Bharathiyar Nagar and surrounding areas
Thirumudivakkam: Somangalam, Sakthi Nagar, Puthuperu, Mettur, Periyar Colony, Manimangalam Salai, Thirumudivakkam Industrial Area, Thirumudivakkam Village, Palanthandalam, Naduveerapattu, Poonthandalam, Melathur and surrounding areas
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Tamil Nadu recorded 1604 positive cases of Covid-19 on Monday, bringing the state tally to 26,02,489. Among these, Chennai reported 172 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,42,729. The state recorded 25 deaths on Monday, putting the state toll at 34,734. 22 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 1863 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,48,868.
As of Monday, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 18,887. Till date, 15,19,824 males, 10,82,627 females and 38 transgenders have tested positive for the virus in the state.
According to a bulletin released by the Health and Family Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu, 4,10,59,465 samples from the state have been tested till date, with 1,53,068 samples having been sent yesterday. There are 286 Covid-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 69 are government and 217 are private facilities.
Vanakkam Chennai!
Welcome to today’s live blog. We bring to you the latest news on Covid-19, politics, features, entertainment, sports, weather, art and culture from across Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Follow our live blog and @ie_chennai to stay up to date with what’s happening in the state.
Tamil Nadu recorded 1,604 positive cases of Covid-19 on Monday, bringing the state tally to 26,02,489. Among these, Chennai reported 172 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,42,729. The state recorded 25 deaths on Monday putting the state toll at 34,734. A total of 1,863 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,48,868. There are 18,887 active cases in the state.
Chief Minister MK Stalin expresses shock over the Villupuram incident where a 13-year-old old boy was electrocuted while erecting a flag pole to welcome DMK Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi. Stalin says he is disappointed with cadres for indulging in these acts despite several warnings. Stalin said it's time to end the banner culture and a true homage to the victims would be not repeating these acts again.
The Greater Chennai Corporation said they have sent a letter to 231 private hospitals to explain their stand on why they did not divulge details of the persons who had visited their hospitals with signs of fever, cough, those who are advised to be in-home quarantine and those who had tested Covid-19 positive and discharged 12 days before from the hospital. The hospitals have also been accused of not maintaining their premises by spraying disinfectants. In a statement, the civic body said the representatives of all hospitals took part in the meeting on August 13.
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) has developed India’s first indigenous motorized wheelchair vehicle that can be used not only on roads but even on uneven terrains.
Called ‘NeoBolt’, it has a maximum speed of 25 kmph and travels up to 25 km per charge. It empowers wheelchair users with a convenient, safe and low-cost mode of outdoor mobility when compared to cars, auto rickshaws or modified scooters. NeoBolt is powered by a Lithium-Ion Battery that will give 25 Kms for every charge.
Throughout the development process, the IIT-M Researchers collaborated extensively with organizations and hospitals working among people with locomotor disability and built the products factoring in their experiences and making constant design adjustments.
NeoBolt was developed by a team led by Prof. Sujatha Srinivasan, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, and has been commercialized through a startup called ‘NeoMotion.’ The Startup has been co-founded by Prof. Sujatha Srinivasan and an IIT Madras Alumnus Mr. Swostik Sourav Dash, who is the CEO of NeoMotion.
A total of 36,49,321 people have been vaccinated in Chennai till date, with 23,357 people inoculated on Sunday alone, according to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).
Nearly four months after they were closed due to the Covid second wave, parks, beaches and theatres reopened Monday in line with the fresh relaxations in pandemic restrictions in Tamil Nadu.
Since early morning, people began to flock to Marina beach. Previously, only walkers and joggers were allowed alongside the service lane stretch from 5 am till 9 am. Fitness enthusiasts and others welcomed the move and urged the public to make use of the relaxations by following the safety guidelines. Police personnel have been deployed alongside the shoreline and are spreading Covid-19 awareness through the public announcement system.
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Owing to demand from passengers for more train services at night, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has announced the extension of train services till 11 pm on weekdays (Monday to Saturday), with effect from today.
In a statement released on Sunday, CMRL announced that trains will now be operated from 5.30 am to 11 pm on weekdays along the Green (between St. Thomas Mount and Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M G Ramachandran Central Metro stations) and Blue (between Airport and Wimco Nagar metro stations) Lines, as opposed to the earlier timings of 5.30 am to 10 pm.
Peak hour services will be from 8 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 8 pm with trains running with a headway of 5 minutes. Trains during non-peak hours will continue to run with a headway of 10 minutes.
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Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Sunday greeted La Ganesan on his appointment as Governor of Manipur.
Purohit said he was delighted to know that Ganesan has been appointed as Governor of Manipur. "I congratulate Thiru La. Ganesan and extend my best wishes for glorious service to the people of Manipur. I wish him peaceful and successful tenure in Manipur," he said in a Raj Bhavan statement. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday greeted La Ganesan on his appointment as Governor of Manipur. Stalin pointed out that the senior BJP leader from the state had a long political experience.
In a tweet, Stalin, also the DMK President, addressed Ganesan as an elder brother and recalled the BJP leader's affectionate ties with his late father and former chief minister M Karunanidhi. "Greetings to elder brother La Ganesan...who has a long political experience," Stalin said in the tweet.
Senior BJP leader from Tamil Nadu La. Ganesan was on Sunday appointed as the new governor of Manipur.
The post of the governor had fallen vacant after the retirement of Najma Heptulla earlier this month.
A communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said Ganesan will be the new "Governor of Manipur with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office". (PTI)
Tamil Nadu recorded 1630 positive cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, bringing the state tally to 26,00,885. Among these, Chennai reported 177 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,42,555. The state recorded 23 deaths on Sunday, putting the state toll at 34,709. 19 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 1827 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,47,005.
As of Sunday, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 19,171. Till date, 15,18,906 males, 10,81,941 females and 38 transgenders have tested positive for the virus in the state.
According to a bulletin released by the Health and Family Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu, 4,09,06,397 samples from the state have been tested till date, with 1,55,607 samples having been sent yesterday. There are 286 Covid-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 69 are government and 217 are private facilities.
A 65-year-old man was arrested on Sunday for allegedly trying to sexually assault a 14-year-old girl in Pollachi in Coimbatore district, police said.
The girl had gone to graze goats on Saturday when the man, allegedly drunk, attempted to abuse her. She fled from the scene and told her parents about the incident, the police said.
The elderly man was arrested based on a complaint from the victim's parents, they added. (PTI)
The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu on Sunday named M M Abdullah as its candidate for the September 13 Rajya Sabha bypoll from the state.
The election was necessitated due to the vacancy caused by the death of AIADMK’s A Mohammedjan in March this year.
In a statement in Chennai, party president and Chief Minister M K Stalin announced the candidature of Abdullah.
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A total of 170 flights will be operated between Chennai and major cities today, with 84 arrivals and 86 departures scheduled at the Chennai International Airport.
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus services to Tamil Nadu are resuming from Monday 23 August.
According to KSRTC, around 250 buses will be operated to different destinations mainly Hosur, Vellore, Thiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Thirukoilur, Coimbatore, Thirunallar, Trichy, Madurai, Kumbakonam, Kanchipuram, Chennai, and Ooty.
Bus services were stopped to Tamil Nadu due to COVID-19 restrictions on April 27, 2021.
The result links will be activated at dge.tn.nic.in or tnresults.nic.in. Students have to visit one of these websites and click on the SSLC result link on the main home page, fill in required details like registration number or roll number which is mentioned on the admit cards.
After filling in the required details, students will be able to see their marksheet on the screen, after which they can download it and later get a printout for future reference. To pass the SSLC exams, students need to secure at least 35 marks out of the total 100 in all six subjects.
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Tangdeco has announced a power cut in parts of Chennai today from 9 am to 2 pm for maintenance work.
Here are the affected areas:
Tambaram Lakshmipuram: Lakshmipuram, Thirumal Nagar, Chandran Nagar, Periyar Street, New Street, Nagappa Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, VOC Street and nearby areas
IT Corridor: Sipcot, Thalambur Village, Natham Village, Sakthi Nagar, Natham Road, Egattur and surrounding areas
Adyar:
Besant Nagar: Rukmani Road, Beach Road, Nava Bharath Colony, Parvathi Street and MGR Road
Sastri Nagar: Nethaji Street, NSK Street and Muthulakshimi Salai
Velachery: Sarathi Nagar, Seetharaman Nagar, Velachery Tambaram Main Road and surrounding areas
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The Tamil Nadu Directorate of Government Examination (TNDGE) will release the results for the Secondary School leaving certificate examination (SSLC) or class 10 examination today. The results with a detailed score will be available at the websites- dge.tn.nic.in or tnresults.nic.in.
Over 9 lakh students have been registered for Class 10 or TN SSLC exams this year. A candidate needs to score a minimum of 35 marks in all the six subjects out of 100 to clear the exams.
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Theatres across Tamil Nadu will begin operations today with 50 per cent capacity, provided all the employees are vaccinated. Theatres in the state, which had reopened in November last year were shut down again earlier this year in the wake of the second wave.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin had announced the reopening on theatres from today as a part of relaxed lockdown restrictions in the state.
Vanakkam Chennai!
Welcome to today’s live blog. We bring to you the latest news on Covid-19, politics, features, entertainment, sports, weather, art and culture from across Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Follow our live blog and @ie_chennai to stay up to date with what’s happening in the state.