​Michael Jackson is one of the most searched names on the internet in April 2026, and for good reason — the long-awaited biopic Michael has just hit theaters worldwide, introducing a new generation to the King of Pop. But behind the moonwalk, the Thriller jacket, and the sold-out arenas lies a life far stranger, richer, and more remarkable than any film could fully capture. In this post, we explore 15 interesting facts about Michael Jackson that go beyond the headlines — stories of royalty, record-breaking, and a legacy that continues to shape music and culture to this day.

Containment zones back in Chennai as Omicron cases in Tamil Nadu rise to 45

With the National Institute of Virology confirming 11 more cases of Omicron in Tamil Nadu, thus taking the total number to 45, State Health Minister Ma Subramanian said on Wednesday, December 29, that there was no need to panic as all the cases detected so far are asymptomatic. After inspecting the city’s first COVID-19 containment zone in Chennai’s Ashok Nagar since the removal of lockdown restrictions during the second wave, the Minister also said that all the Omicron patients had availed two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. 
The Minister visited the containment zone along with Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department Dr J Radhakrishnan, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi and other officials. As to the containment zone in Ashok Nagar, Radhakrishnan said it was the first in the city after the lockdown curbs were lifted. A cluster of 10 people infected with coronavirus was detected two to three days ago and the area has been cordoned off, he said.
Tamil Nadu had detected 129 persons with S-gene drop and their samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV). On Tuesday, December 28, NIV confirmed 11 cases of Omicron (in addition to the previous 34 cases) and including 5 old cases, totally 16 persons are undergoing treatment now, the Health Minister said. About 29 persons out of 34 who tested for Omicron have been treated and discharged.
With the rising Omicron cases in mind, the government has established COVID-19 Care Centres at three places in the city with a total bed strength of 500. Preparations are on to revive the CCC at the Chennai Trade Centre and also to ramp up the RT-PCR testing to 25,000 tests per day, from the present 23,000 tests, in Chennai, the Minister said.
Asserting that the present situation is not alarming, the Minister said the emphasis should be more on COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and people should come forward to get vaccinated to shield themselves from coronavirus and its variants. 

Pointing out that England and several countries world over were changing treatment protocols, asking asymptomatic persons to undergo treatment at home, the Minister said Tamil Nadu too would closely monitor the cases apart from following the guidelines. 

​Inoculation against COVID-19 would help to protect the people, Subramanian said, and added that plans are on to ensure 100% vaccine coverage of the beneficiaries.
Already 86% of the population have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine while the second dose has been administered to 58%, the Minister said. For its part, the GCC has initiated steps to make sure the entire eligible population is covered, including vaccinating those above 60 years, he added. Chief Minister MK Stalin will launch the vaccination drive for the 15 to 17 years age group at a camp in Porur on January 3 and it will be simultaneously initiated in all the schools across the State, Subramanian informed. 

Only restaurants and hotels serving food have been allowed to function till 11pm by following Covid-19 protocol, with the managements told to ensure that all employees are fully vaccinated, according to an advisory from GCP.

Police commissioner Shankar Jiwal has requested the public not to gather at Marina, Elliot’s, Neelankarai and East Coast Road (ECR) or to park vehicles on arterial roads (Anna Salai, Rajaji Salai, RK Salai, Kamarajar Salai and GST Road) for any celebrations).

As a precautionary measure, police have completely banned vehicular movement along Marina and Elliot’s beaches and the stretch connecting War Memorial with Gandhi Statue.
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Jiwal appealed to the public to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour (CAB), warning about a possible spread of Omicron.

The legal notice alleges that the film 'Sarpatta Parambarai' has certain misleading scenes, depicting the political scenario of the 70s in Chennai inaccurately.

AIADMK leader and former MLA RM Babu Murugavel has issued a legal notice to Amazon and the makers of the film 'Sarpatta Parambarai' alleging that certain scenes in the films are inaccurate and misleading.

The legal notice claims that certain facts produced in the film are totally inaccurate and induce the sense of misleading the public at large with events and incidents without material proof.

Sarpatta Parambarai released on Amazon Prime on July 22.

​The movie, directed by PA Ranjith, who is known to portray the essence of Madras in its raw form, is about the 70s when Chennai was buzzing with a boxing culture.

The movie depicts the rivalry between 'Sarpatta Parambarai' and 'Idiyappa Parambarai', two groups ruling the boxing ring in the 70s in the city.

​However, the movie also has some scenes showcasing DMK and AIADMK leaders.

AIADMK leader has raised objection over a dialogue in the movie. While the movie dialogue claims "Chief minister's son was also arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act [MISA]", Babu Murugavel says that no such incident took place at that time.

Babu Murugavel stated that the scene seems to be based on the then chief minister, M Karunanidhi, and his son and MK Stalin. He added that after research, he had found out that there were no such incident of MK Stalin's arrest under the MISA Act.

The legal notice also stated that there are more scenes in the film showing "false propaganda" and "politically motivated verses" in favour of the present government of Tamil Nadu.

Babu Murugavel has demanded removal of the scenes.

Former AIADMK minister Jayakumar had also expressed objection over the movie earlier, saying that the director had hidden 30 years of good governance by MGR in the movie.

Sarpatta Parambarai makers are yet to comment to the allegations.

This is big. Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) on Saturday published a notice inviting tenders to build 29 underground stations of Chennai’s new 45.81 km Line-3 which will connect Madhavaram and SIPCOT in the 118.9 km Chennai Metro Phase 2 project.

These 29 stations of the line’s 26.7 km underground section between Madhavaram Milk Colony and Taramani Road Junction will be built through 5 civil packages, UG-01 to UG-05, and financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The brief scope of each package indicates the contractor(s) will be responsible for the entire civil works at 21 stations and partial civil works at 8 stations.

Those 8 stations’ remaining partial works and approximately 21 km long twin tunnels (total 42 km) connecting all 29 stations will be built as part of Packages TU-01 and TU-02, and for that CMRL received 8 bids (2 each) from Gulermak, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), STEC-WH JV and Tata Projects (TPL) a little over a week ago.

Package UG-01 (Madhavaram to Perambur)This package includes entire civil work at 5 stations and partial works at 2 stations.
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Brief Scope: Construction of five (05) underground stations at Thapalpetti, Moolakadai, Sembiyam, Perambur Market and Perambur Metro and Crossover at Sembiyam and works other than diaphragm wall of two underground stations at Madhavaram Milk Colony and Murari.

• Completion Period: 1460 days (4 years)
• Pre-bid Meeting: 22/12/2020 at 11:00 hours
• Bid Submission End Date: 08/03/2021 up to 15:00 Hrs
• Technical Bid Opening Date: 09/03/2021 up to 15:00 Hrs

Package UG-02 (Ayanavaram to Kellys)This package includes entire civil work at 4 stations and partial works at 2 stations. The proposed station at Doveton Junction has not been mentioned in its scope of works, so I assume it has been dropped.
Brief Scope: Construction of four (04) underground stations at Otteri, Pattalam, Perambur Barracks Road and Kellys and works other than diaphragm wall of two underground stations at Ayanavaram & Puraisaiwakkam High Road cum Crossover Box

• Completion Period: 1550 days (4.2 years)
• Pre-bid Meeting: 22/12/2020 at 15:00 hours
• Bid Submission End Date: 08/03/2021 up to 15:00 hrs
• Technical Bid Opening Date: 09/03/2021 up to 15:00 hrs

Package UG-03 (KMC to Royapettah)This package includes entire civil work at 5 stations and partial works at 2 stations. The new station-box at KMC (Kilpauk) will form an interchange with the 22 km Green Line (Line-2) which connects Chennai Central and St. Thomas Mount, while a new station box at Thousand Lights will form an interchange with the 23.10 km Blue Line (Line-1) which currently connects Chennai Airport and Washermanpet.

Brief Scope: Construction of five (05) underground stations at KMC, Sterling Road Junction, Nangambakkam, Gemini, Thousand Lights and Thousand Lights Crossover and works other than diaphragm wall of two underground stations at Royapettah Govt. Hospital & Chetpet Metro

• Completion Period: 1725 days (4.7 years)
• Pre-bid Meeting: 22/12/2020 at 17:00 Hours
• Bid Submission End Date: 08/03/2021 up to 15:00 Hrs
• Technical Bid Opening Date: 09/03/2021 up to 17:00 Hrs

Package UG-04 (Radhakrishnan to Adyar Junction)This package includes entire civil work at 4 stations with partial works at 1 station (Greenways). Thirumayilai will serve as an interchange with Phase 2’s new 26.09 km Line-4 (Light House – Poonamallee Bus Depot).

Brief Scope: Construction of five (05) underground stations at Radhakrishanan Salai Jn, Thirumayilai Metro, Mandaiveli, Greenways Road (with part diaphragm wall), Adyar Jn and two cross passage shafts and one emergency escape shaft.

• Completion Period: 1725 days (4.7 years)
• Pre-bid Meeting: 23/12/2020 at 11:00 Hours
• Bid Submission End Date: 08/03/2021 up to 15:00 Hrs
• Technical Bid Opening Date: 09/03/2021 up to 17:00 Hrs

Package UG-05 (Adyar Depot – Taramani Link Road Ramp)This package includes entire civil work at 3 stations, partial works at 1 station and one ramp leading to the elevated section towards SIPCOT.

Brief Scope: Construction of three (03) underground stations at Adyar Depot, Indira Nagar and Taramani Road Jn and Ramp and works other than diaphragm wall of underground station station Thiruvanmiyur Metro.
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• Completion Period: 1725 days (4.7 years)
• Pre-bid Meeting: 23/12/2020 at 15:00 Hours
• Bid Submission End Date: 08/03/2021 up to 15:00 Hrs
• Technical Bid Opening Date: 09/03/2021 up to 18:00 Hrs

With this development, here’s the status of all packages for which bids have been invited so far:

Services on Washermenpet-Wimco Nagar stretch will begin after safety inspection

Chennai Metro Rail’s much awaited north line, connecting Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar, is likely to be opened in the last week of January or the first week of February next.

At a recently held high-level meeting, officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited informed the State government that the stretch would be open for operations in two months.

Delay due to pandemic

The phase I extension should have been inaugurated by June but the construction schedule was delayed due to the pandemic and the deadline was pushed by several months.

The extension will provide better transport options for commuters residing in north Chennai. The signalling system for this project would likely be installed by mid-January. After that, the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) and his team will conduct an inspection.

According to officials, the CMRS will check the construction of the stations, facilities for emergency evacuation, the quality of construction and the working of passenger-related amenities like information display systems and automated fare collection gates.

All-clear certificate

“When the CMRS issues certification saying that the Washermenpet-Wimco Nagar stretch is fit for operations, the train services will begin,” an official said.
Sources said the existing frequency was likely to be maintained when the phase I extension is opened.

While some sources said the delay in the signalling system could be the reason for the project inauguration being deferred till the end of January, others said the pace of construction of stations also contributed to it.

“We are expecting a marginal increase in patronage after trains services commence in north Chennai,” another official said.

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• Valid FASTag has been made mandatory for new third party insurance with effect from April 2021
• Renewal of fitness certificate will be done only after the fitment of FASTag for the transport vehicles

NewGovernment on Saturday said FASTag will be mandatory for four-wheelers or M&N category of vehicles that were sold before 1 December, 2017. Through amendments in Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, FASTag has now been made mandatory to be available by 1 January, 2021 in vehicles sold before 1 December, 2017.

Valid FASTag has been made mandatory for new third party insurance with effect from April 2021.

Fitness certificate will be renewed only if the vehicle has FASTag.

"As per Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, since 1st December 2017, the FASTag had been made mandatory for all registration of new four wheeled Vehicles and is being supplied by the Vehicle Manuracturer or their dealers. It had further been mandated that the renewal of fitness certificate will be done only after the fitment of FASTag for the Transport Vehicles. Further that for National Permit Vehicles the fitment of FASTag has been mandated since 1st October, 2019.
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"It has been further mandated that a valid FASTag is mandatory while getting a new 3rd Party Insurance through an amendment in FORM 51 (certificate of Insurance), wherein the details of FASTag ID shall be captured. This shall be applicable w.e.f. 1 April 2021," said Ministry of Road Transport & Highways in an official release.

M&N vehicles refers to vehicles having at least four wheels and used for the carriage of passengers (e.g., standard car with two, three, four doors) and power-driven vehicles having at least four wheels and used for the carriage of goods, respectively.
The ministry said that this notification would be a major step for ensuring that the payment of fees be 100% at toll plazas through the electronic means only and that the vehicles pass seamlessly through the fee plazas. There would be no waiting time at the plazas and would save fuel, said the ministry.

"The steps for ensuring the availablity of FASTag at multiple channels are being made through physical locations and also through online mechanism so that the citizens are able to have them affixed at their vehicles within the next two months at their convenience," added the ministry.

The National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) programme, the flagship initiative of the MoRTH, has been implemented on a pan-India basis in order to remove bottlenecks and ensure seamless movement of traffic and collection of user fee as per the notified rates, using passive radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.
FASTag is a prepaid tag that enables automatic deduction of toll charges and lets the vehicle pass through the toll plaza without stopping for the cash transaction.

The radio-frequency identification (RFID)-based FASTag is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle. It allows for direct payment of fee from the prepaid or savings account linked to it and enables vehicles to drive through without stopping for transactions.

Disclaimer : Below article is not going to help our current water crisis but it really helps for our future. "Use water cautiously"  

Chennai, India faced a devastating flood in 2015 that killed hundreds of people and displaced many more. Today, the southern Indian city’s four main reservoirs are virtually dry.
This crisis is not only due to lack of water. Lack of proper management is exacerbating dry conditions in Chennai and many other cities around the world. If Chennai does not take action, it will likely face similar crises in the future.

Chennai’s Water Crisis Is a Management ProblemChennai gets its water from four main reservoirs—Puzhal, Cholavaram, Chembarambakkam and Poondi. Puzhal and Cholavaram have completely dried up. Chembarambakkam and Poondi have little water left. While rainfall this week is bringing a temporary reprieve, reservoirs are unlikely to recharge until the North East Monsoon arrives, which is still months away.

In the meantime, the city and many of its more than 10 million residents are now desperately drawing water from wells, further depleting scant groundwater resources. Others wait in line for hours to get water that’s trucked in from other locations or pay exorbitant sums to private water providers.

While last year’s poor monsoon season contributed to the current crisis, Chennai’s water scarcity has worsened in recent decades, driven largely by unplanned urbanization and increased competition.

Chennai’s population has increased from 500,000 to more than 10 million over the last century. Its economy and appetite for water-intensive industry, products and agriculture have grown in-step with population. According to WRI’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, Chennai faces extremely high baseline water stress, meaning that on average more than 80% of the available water supply is used up every year by agriculture, industries and consumers.
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At the same time, the water that is available is becoming increasingly polluted. Dumping untreated sewage into lakes is common practice in Chennai. These pollutants also seep into the soil and affect groundwater, further worsening the city’s water security.

 Things Chennai Can Do to Increase Water Security.

Many have proposed ideas such as bringing water from other watersheds or investing in desalination plants to provide water to the increasingly water-stressed Chennai.

​​But bringing water from distant watersheds such as Cauvery or Krishna wouldn’t help the city in the long run, as these watersheds are also facing water-scarcity issues. Desalination plants could address some of the concerns, but they are very costly and consume a lot of energy. Chennai’s government is in the throes of a crisis – a difficult situation in which immediate action must be taken to sustain residents until the monsoons come. The city should also think about taking steps to help avert a similar situation in the future:

1. Harvest rainwater: The easiest and lowest-hanging fruit for the city is to better enforce existing laws related to rainwater harvesting in buildings. Rapid urbanization has brought more and more pavement into the city, which prevents groundwater recharge and rainwater absorption. Recharge points like green spaces and wetlands can absorb stagnant water from roads and increase groundwater levels. Corporations could also fund these solutions as part of their corporate social responsibility programs.
2. Reuse wastewater: The Covoum and Adyar rivers carry a huge amount of sewage into the sea every day. Multiple lakes across the city have also been affected by sewage dumping. Small sewage treatment plants combined with apartment-level sewage treatment systems could help treat the sewage without using up more land. The treated sewage water could be reused for non-potable purposes (such as running HVAC systems, flushing toilets and landscaping) across the city while improving water quality overall.
3. Conserve lakes and flood plains: Chennai’s master plan must incorporate the protection of lakes and associated flood plains. Flood plains are the biggest recharge points. They also help prevent floods. Rapid construction over flood plains has made Chennai vulnerable to both floods and drought. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority should immediately take steps to stop construction over floodplains and consider providing incentives to prioritize developments over ridges instead.
4. Open data: Part of the problem is that the government does not provide open and transparent data on water resources and uses, such as the extent of water pipes and how much water flows through them every day. More research and analysis could be done with open data, which could help lead to better solutions. Many experts in the industry and academia would be able to pool their thoughts and ideas if data were made available to them.
5. Improve efficiency: Agriculture is the biggest consumer of water resources around the world,  and India is no exception. Improvements in irrigation efficiency can increase available water resources for other sectors, including municipal users. Although many of India’s farmers, most of whom are small scale, cannot implement high-cost irrigation systems, new financing models can help. City governments could explore and implement policies to invest in and improve rural irrigation systems. Without addressing rural and agricultural water, Chennai (or any part of Tamil Nadu, the state where Chennai is located) is unlikely to solve its water crisis.

Ensuring Water-secure Futures for Cities Like Chennai. While Chennai’s “Day Zero” water shut-off was the latest to make headlines, cities around the world face similar problems. Cape Town, South Africa experienced a similar situation a year ago. Sao Paulo, Brazil nearly ran out of water in 2014 and experienced another severe drought last year. WRI’s Aqueduct tool shows that 36 countries are considered “extremely water stressed,” where more than 80 percent of the available supply is used up every year by agriculture, industry and consumers.

Cities around the world cannot afford to wait. They need to implement sustainable solutions with a focus on integrated water resource management to avoid having their own “Day Zero” experience. Chennai and other cities like it could be water-secure again, but only if we start acting now.

​Inputs: wri.org

Watch YouTubers videos on Chennai Water Crisis :

Online Movie Ticket market has grown so big after the transformation of Internet in India. BookMySHow and Paytm are 2 most popular names in this market with major market share. These platforms do offer discounts most of the times but one thing that disappoints online users is the Internet Handling Fee that one gets to pay to complete the booking.
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​According to the recent reports, “Internet Handling Fee” that online movie booking platforms like BookMyShow and PVR charge is not legal at all. An RTI has recently revealed that any online movie booking platform that is charging you Internet Handling Fee is illegal and against the RBI regulations.

In a reply to the RTI filed by Vijay Gopal, the president of ‘Forum Against Corruption’, RBI responded that this fee is supposed to be paid by the merchant and not end customers.

According to RBI rules, every merchant has to pay Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) to banks when they accept payments online. However, the merchants are charging customers which is unethical.

After RBI’s reply, Vijay has filed a case against BookMyShow and PVR. He took to Twitter and announced.
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​Glad to share, A case has bee filed in the Hyd Consumer Court-3 against BookMyshow, PVR and the IT Dept. If GOI or shifting the operating cost of the theatre to the consumers calling it Internet Handling Fee. Justice will be served soon like sizzlers..!!

​What do you think about this case? Do share your comments in this section.

Chennaiites can now travel on metro trains any number of times a day on a single ticket, as Chennai Metro Rail Limited has launched a monthly pass that allows commuters unlimited rides. Passengers will have to pay Rs 2,500 with an additional refundable fee of Rs 50 to purchase the ‘tourist card’.

​“With this card, commuters can travel to any station at any time of the day for an entire month,” an official said.
While smartcards were introduced for commuters to avoid waiting in queues, metro rail officials said the new monthly tourist card is for office-goers and tourists who use metro rail facility multiple times a day.

​At present, CMRL offers trip cards that allow passengers a set number of trips within a specific number of days between two stations. There is also tourist card for Rs 100 +50 refundable fee that allows unlimited rides for a single day.