The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Tamil Nadu unit has lodged a police complaint against actor Oviya Helen for allegedly disrespecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the state. Helen tweeted with the hashtag #GoBackModi on Sunday when the Prime Minister visited Chennai to launch several developmental projects. The saffron party demanded the actor to apologise for her tweet.
READ | Tamil Nadu BJP lodges complaint against actor Oviya over anti-Modi tweet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the Chennai Metro Rail Phase-I extension and laid the foundation stone for several other development projects. The stretch from Washermanpet to Wimco Nagar includes seven Metro stations, with two undergrounds. The extension will mean a big relief for the residents of North Chennai, who have been struggling for years for a good public transport system. They will now reach the airport within an hour, which otherwise takes several hours due to traffic congestion. They can reach the CMBT and Egmore station by switching Metros at Chennai Central.
READ | Metro line Prime Minister Modi inaugurated to ease commute for North Chennai residents
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 | Citizens can find the nearest GCC-facilitated COVID-19 fever clinic 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)
CPI general secretary D Raja on Monday alleged that the Centre's decision to accept the demand for bringing all sub-sects of Devandrakula Vellalar community under their collective was an attempt to protect the caste system.
"Devendrakula Vellalar name change is an attempt to protect the caste system on which the BJP hopes to nurture its political ambitions and establish itself (in Tamil Nadu)," he told reporters in Chennai.
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Raja accused the Modi government of depriving rights of the states and trying to break the Constitution, especially its secular fabric. "The results of the five state elections including in Tamil Nadu will mark the beginning of the fall of the BJP regime (at the Centre)," he claimed.
The CPI leader also took potshots at the AIADMK, alleging it was submissive to the central government and not taking up the state's rights. (PTI)
Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam will be presenting the interim budget for the year 2021-22 on February 23 at Chennai's Kalaivanar Arangam at 11 am. The announcement was made by State Assembly secretary K Srinivasan today.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate key projects of the oil and gas sector in Tamil Nadu on February 17 via video conferencing. His office said Modi will dedicate to the nation the Ramanathapuram-Thoothukudi natural gas pipeline and gasoline desulphurisation unit at Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited, Manali. He will also lay the foundation stone of Cauvery Basin Refinery at Nagapattinam.
These projects will result in substantial socio-economic benefits and will boost the country's march towards Urja Aatmanirbharta, the PMO said.
The Ramanathapuram-Thoothukudi section (143 km) of the Ennore-Thiruvallur- Bengaluru- Puducherry- Nagapattinam- Madurai-Tuticorin Natural Gas Pipeline has been laid at the cost of about Rs 700 crore. It will help utilise gas from ONGC gas fields and deliver natural gas as feedstock to industries and other commercial customers.
The gasoline desulphurisation unit at Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL), Manali has been constructed at the cost of about Rs. 500 crore. It will produce low-sulphur (less than 8 ppm) environment-friendly gasoline, help reduce emission and contribute towards a cleaner environment, the PMO said.
The Cauvery basin refinery to be set up at Nagapattinam will have a capacity of 9 million metric tonnes per annum. It will be set up through a Joint Venture of IOCL and CPCL at an estimated project cost of Rs. 31,500 crore. It will produce motor spirit and diesel meeting BS-VI specifications, and polypropylene as a value-added product, the PMO noted. (PTI)
A 57-year-old man, booked under theft and criminal intimidation charges by Medipally police, has been in jail since August 2018. Despite securing bail from the Metropolitan Sessions Judge LB Nagar, he is unable to leave the prison.
Similarly, a 28-year-old has been behind the bars since October 2019 in connection to a theft case in Bommaraspet police station limits in Mahabubnagar district. Despite securing bail from JMFC Kodangal, he too is unable to go home. So is the case of a 19-year-old who has been charged under NDPS Act in Chilkalguda police station and remanded to judicial custody in April 2020. Despite securing bail from MSJ Hyderabad, he is unable to leave. The list of such persons accused in various crimes and languishing in Telangana jails is long.
A response to a Right To Information (RTI) petition from the Telangana prisons department reveals that 429 undertrial prisoners who have been granted bail by the respective courts continue to stay in prison due to their inability to pay the bail amount or provide surety. The collated information furnished by Inspector General of Prisons, B Saidaiah, reveals that most of the prisoners have been in jails from 2019 and 2020.
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The Congress government in the Union Territory of Puducherry lost its majority in the legislative Assembly on Tuesday as MLA A John Kumar tendered his resignation to Speaker V P Sivakolunthu.
With the latest development, both the ruling Congress-DMK alliance and AIADMK-BJP alliance have 14 MLAs each in the 33-member House — the Assembly, which includes three nominated MLAs, currently has 28 active MLAs. The Congress has 10 MLAs besides three DMK MLAs and an Independent supporting the ruling coalition. The Opposition comprises three nominated MLAs of the BJP, seven MLAs of NR Congress, and four of AIADMK.
The Opposition has demanded a floor test in the House, charging that the Narayansamy government is already in minority.
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The Dikshant Parade of the 20th Batch of Canine and Canine Handlers was held at IITA (Integrated Intelligence Training Academy) Moinabad, Telangana today.
According to a release, the All India Level Basic Canine Induction Course (Explosives, Tracking, Narcotics, Assault & Guarding) for canines and their handlers was held from June 15, 2020 to February 16, 2021. Training for this batch had been imparted to 50 canines from five different breeds - Labrador, German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Golden Retriever and Cocker Spaniel - and 80 canine handlers and spare handlers in explosive sniffing, narcotic and tracking for eight months. The trainees all hailed from Telangana and Bihar.
The release said that the basic training course was held for a duration of eight months - love and affection (2 months), basic obedience (2 months) and specialized category training - explosive/narcotic/liquor sniffing, tracking, assault and guarding (4 months).
The release added that the performances of both the canines and their handlers were evaluated through tests on a monthly basis and the agility tests of the canines were conducted everyday. Canines which showed mediocre performances were provided with extra care by instructors for improvements. Mock drills were held to stimulate real-time experience for the canines in sniffing activities like explosive, liquor and narcotic detection in public places like bus Stations, railway stations and airports.
Mid-term test and final test were later conducted in explosive/narcotic sniffing and tracking for the canines and written and oral tests were held for the canine handlers by visiting faculty from other training centres. This year Dr. P K Chug, Consulting Director of Police K-9 Cell PM Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi, is an examiner for final test, the release said.
With this batch, a total of 669 canines and 965 handlers and spare handlers have been trained by the institute since 2004, the release added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the Chennai Metro Rail Phase-I extension and laid the foundation stone for several other development projects. At the Nehru Indoor Stadium, PM Modi flagged off the 9-km stretch between Washermanpet and Wimco Nagar, which has been completed at a cost of Rs 3,770 crore.
The stretch from Washermanpet to Wimco Nagar includes seven Metro stations, with two undergrounds. The extension will mean a big relief for the residents of North Chennai, who have been struggling for years for a good public transport system. They will now reach the airport within an hour, which otherwise takes several hours due to traffic congestion. They can reach the CMBT and Egmore station by switching Metros at Chennai Central.
The Chennai Metro Rail Limited has hired 13 transgender people to work at the Washermanpet station. They are to issue tickets and address queries of commuters.
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In a gesture aimed at communal amity, a Muslim businessman from the city has donated Rs 1 lakh towards the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya, as voluntary contribution from devotees in Tamil Nadu for the shrine in Uttar Pradesh has been growing.
With the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (SRJTK), set up by the Centre to construct the temple, coming out with donation coupons of Rs 10, 100 and 1,000, a large number of people came forward to donate, said S V Srinivasan, VHP state organising secretary who is involved in raising funds for the temple.
And when the members of the Hindu Munnani, accompanied by the volunteers from the SRJTK approached him, W S Habib gifted a cheque for Rs 1,00,008, taking the fund raisers by surprise. “I want to foster communal amity between Muslims and Hindus. We are all children of god. I donated the sum with this belief,” Habib, a property developer, told PTI.
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The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) conducted 268 fever clinics in Chennai on Monday. A total of 16,161 people attended the clinics, with swabs collected from 131 people who were identified with ILI symptoms, while others were provided with medication for minor ailments.
The most number of camps were held in Adyar (Zone 13) where 44 camps had been set up, while Madhavaram (Zone 3) and Alandur (Zone 12) had the least with six camps each.
Superstar Ajith on Monday expressed his disappointment with fans’ constant demand for the first look of his upcoming film Valimai. Ajith has issued a statement, asking his fans to show patience and also not behave inappropriately at public events over their love for Valimai.
“As announced before, the updates about the film will come out at the right time. And I will work closely with the producer and decide on it. Until then, please have patience,” Ajith said in a statement, tweeted by his spokesperson Suresh Chandra.
“Cinema is just entertainment for you. But for me, it is my profession. My decisions depend on my work and social welfare. Our respect in this society is decided by our actions,” the actor added.
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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit poll-bound Puducherry on February 17. Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said Gandhi will address fishermen in neighbouring Solai Nagar in Muthialpet assembly constituency and then proceed for an interaction with students of the Bharathidasan Government College for women.
Narayanasamy said the students had, through an e-mail, requested that Rahul Gandhi address them when he visits Puducherry and this has been conceded by the leader. After the interaction, Gandhi will address a public meeting organised by the ruling Congress, he added.
Puducherry is set to go to Assembly polls in the next few months. Narayanasamy said Congress will fight the polls in alliance with the parties constituting the secular democratic alliance including the DMK. (PTI)
The death toll in the fireworks factory accident at Achankulam village near Virudhunagar district reached 20 after one more factory worker succumbed to the burn injuries. The principal secretary of the Revenue Administration, K Phanindra Reddy convened a meeting with all the district officials including collector R Kannan to review the probe in the incident.
Speaking to the reporters after the meeting, Reddy said the district collector has been informed to provide the necessary legal documents to the kin of the victims and make sure the solatium announced by the state and the central government reach them without any delay.
He further added that they have put forth a request to the Controller of Explosives to direct training for all the workers of the fireworks unit by making an amendment to the Explosive Act via the Centre. Reddy said they discussed ways to prevent such incidents in the future.
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A total of 249 flights will be operated between Chennai and major cities today, with 124 arrivals and 125 departures scheduled at the Chennai International Airport.
Tangedco has announced a powercut in parts of Chennai today from 9 am to 2 pm to carry out maintenance work.
Here are the affected areas:
A total of 31 passengers who had returned to Tamil Nadu from UK and 20 of their primary contacts have tested positive for COVID-19 till date. Among the 31 primary cases, nine cases were reported in Chennai, three each in Thanjavur, Madurai and Nilgiris, four each in Chengalpattu and Trichy and one each in Theni, Nagapattinam, Coimbatore, Karur and Virudhunagar. Among the 20 contact cases, six were reported in Chennai, three in Thanjavur, two each in Nilgiris and Theni, four in Chengalpattu and three in Nagapattinam.
A total of 2300 passengers had travelled to Tamil Nadu from UK between November 25 and December 23, of which 2146 have been tested. Among these, 24 have tested positive, 2122 have tested negative and the tracing of more passengers is underway. Additionally, 3977 close contacts of the 2122 passengers who had tested negative were also tested for COVID-19 and were found to be negative.
A total of 2102 passengers had travelled to Tamil Nadu from UK between January 8 and February 15, of which 1703 have been tested. Among these, seven have tested positive, 1690 have tested negative and the results of six passengers are awaited. Tracing of further passengers is underway.
Of the 31 primary cases, 28 of them who tested negative in their follow up RT-PCR test have been discharged and kept under home quarantine. Similarly, all 20 contact cases who tested negative in their follow up RT-PCR test have been discharged and kept under home quarantine. Three of the primary cases are under hospital isolation.
Tamil Nadu recorded 455 positive cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the state tally to 8,45,575. Among these, Chennai reported 143 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 2,33,482. The state recorded six deaths on Monday, putting the state toll at 12,425. All six of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 477 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 8,28,918.
As of Monday, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 4232. Till date, 5,10,984 males, 3,34,556 females and 35 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, 1,68,13,020 samples from the state have been tested till date, with 50,352 samples having been sent yesterday. There are 254 COVID-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 68 are government and 186 are private facilities.
Good morning!
Welcome to the live blog from Chennai and Hyderabad where we bring to you the latest updates on Tamil Nadu elections 2021, COVID-19 vaccination, COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, UK COVID-19 virus in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and more across Chennai and Hyderabad throughout the day. Follow the blog to stay up to date with the states in real time.
Suriya’s next film has been announced with director Pandiraj at the helm. The film was launched on Monday with a customary puja in Chennai. The event took place in line with the COVID-19 safety protocols. The guest list was limited to the film’s cast and crew, put together by Pandiraj.
The project, which is tentatively called Suriya 40, will be bankrolled by Sun Pictures. Besides Suriya, the film also stars Priyanka Arul Mohan and Sathyaraj in the supporting cast. The director’s frequent collaborator, composer D. Imman, will score the music, with Rathnavelu as the cinematographer.
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A 21-year old woman, whose marriage was to be held in May, and her parents drowned on Monday as a family pilgrimage trip ended in a tragedy when their car plunged into a canal, about 60 kms from Karimnagar in Jagtial district in Telangana, police said. Her 18-year old brother escaped unhurt as he managed to jump out of the car in time, they said.
The deceased were identified as senior advocate K Amarender Rao (50) of Jagtial, his wife and daughter Shreya. According to police, Shreya's marriage was scheduled to take place on May 21 and they wanted to offer prayers at their family deity temple in nearby Joginipalli.
The four left their home around 4.30 am but soon Rao lost control of the car which veered off the road, fell into the SRSP Canal and sank. After being alerted by Rao's son, police reached the spot and retrieved the bodies of the three. (PTI)
Aspirants for party tickets to contest the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Assembly elections can get applications between February 24 and March 5 from the party headquarters in Chennai, the AIADMK said on Monday.
The applications should be duly filled and submitted at the headquarters during the period by paying a fee of Rs 15,000 for Tamil Nadu, Rs 5,000 for Puducherry and Rs 2000 for Kerala, a party release said.
While both the ruling AIADMK and main opposition DMK have been actively campaigning for the polls, the ruling party is the first to invite applications from party workers for the polls. (PTI)
The death toll in the fireworks factory accident at Achankulam village near Virudhunagar district reached 20 after one more factory worker succumbed to the burn injuries. The principal secretary of the Revenue Administration, K Phanindra Reddy convened a meeting with all the district officials including collector R Kannan to review the probe in the incident.
Speaking to the reporters after the meeting, Reddy said the district collector has been informed to provide the necessary legal documents to the kin of the victims and make sure the solatium announced by the state and the central government reach them without any delay.
He further added that they have put forth a request to the Controller of Explosives to direct training for all the workers of the fireworks unit by making an amendment to the Explosive Act via the Centre. Reddy said they discussed ways to prevent such incidents in the future.
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Chepauk saw a case of bubble-breach during lunch on the third day of the second Test between India and England on Monday. A young fan climbed the fence and entered the ground before security personnel spotted him. He was handed over to police.
Fans were allowed back to the stadium for this Test but the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association assured strong vigilance to ensure Covid safety protocols are followed. Volunteers are posted in the stands for monitoring. Still, as the reserve players from India and England were practicing during the Lunch break, the bubble-breach happened.
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Elections to urban local bodies in Andhra Pradesh will be held on March 10, the State Election Commission announced on Monday, eleven months after it suspended the process for the polls mid-way last year in view of COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a notification issued by the SEC, the counting of votes polled in the elections to 12 Municipal Corporations, including Greater Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, and 75 Municipalities and Nagar Panchayats will be taken up on March 14.
The announcement comes amid the ongoing four-phase elections for panchayats in the state of which two have been completed. The remaining phases will be held on February 17 and 21. (PTI)
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Tamil Nadu unit has lodged a police complaint against actor Oviya Helen for allegedly disrespecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the state. Helen tweeted with the hashtag #GoBackModi on Sunday when the Prime Minister visited Chennai to launch several developmental projects.
The saffron party demanded the actor to apologise for her tweet.
Tamil Nadu BJP’s state secretary D Alexis Sudhakar submitted a petition to the Superintendent of Police, CB-CID in Chennai to inquire whether the tweet was meant to incite public disorder, and take action against her under section 69 A of IT Act r/w 124 A, 153 A, 294 of the IPC.
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The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) conducted 223 fever clinics in Chennai on Sunday. A total of 4901 people attended the clinics, with swabs collected from seven people who were identified with ILI symptoms, while others were provided with medication for minor ailments.
The most number of camps were held in Adyar (Zone 13) where 42 camps had been set up, while Manali (Zone 2) had the least with three camps.
In a move that gathers significance in poll-bound Tamil Nadu, the Union government on Saturday introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha to group seven Scheduled Caste groups in the state under a common nomenclature as Devendrakula Vellalars.
Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar introduced the Bill to recognise Devendrakulathan, Kudumban, Pannadi, Kaalaadi, Kadayan, Pallan and Patharian, predominantly agrarian castes, collectively as Devendrakula Vellalars. Despite the common nomenclature, the seven caste groups will continue to be accorded the same reservation in education and jobs as SCs.
There has been a demand for grouping the castes under a common nomenclature and even de-listing them from the SC list. In 2015, then BJP chief Amit Shah had met SC groups in Madurai during a visit to the state, and endorsed the demand for a common nomenclature.
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A total of 249 flights will be operated between Chennai and major cities today, with 124 arrivals and 125 departures scheduled at the Chennai International Airport.
Telangana on Sunday recorded 99 new cases of COVID-19, taking the cumulative number of affected persons to 2,96,673. Of the total, only 89,002 (only about 30 percent of the caseload) have been symptomatic patients.
Among the new cases, Greater Hyderabad topped the list with 24 new infections. The state also recorded two deaths due to the virus. As many as 1618 persons have succumbed to the viral infection in the state so far.
The case fatality rate in Telangana stands at 0.54 percent and the recovery rate is 98.88 percent, said the daily medical bulletin from the office of director of public health and family welfare, released Monday morning.
The number of active cases in the state stands at 1676 as on Thursday. Of them, 705 persons are in institutional or home quarantine.
Tamil Nadu recorded 470 positive cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the state tally to 8,45,120. Among these, Chennai reported 140 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 2,33,334. The state recorded six deaths on Sunday, putting the state toll at 12,419. Five of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 479 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 8,28,441.
As of Sunday, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 4260. Till date, 5,10,734 males, 3,34,351 females and 35 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, 1,67,62,668 samples from the state have been tested till date, with 53,483 samples having been sent yesterday. There are 254 COVID-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 68 are government and 186 are private facilities.
Good morning!
Welcome to the live blog from Chennai and Hyderabad where we bring to you the latest updates on Tamil Nadu elections 2021, COVID-19 vaccination, COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, UK COVID-19 virus in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and more across Chennai and Hyderabad throughout the day. Follow the blog to stay up to date with the states in real time.