If film can set record even after film release means then it should be 'Mersal'
Mersal is creating records from time to time even when they released first look, twitter emoji, teaser, aalaporan tamizhan single & even after release whole country took a look on GST ISSUE & now it being telecasted in Zee Tamil on ocassion of Pongal & already whole tamilnadu glued to the channel there is no doubt in creating new TRP records to make more special for the first time in television history channel played Aalaporan Tamizhan song for twice & this should be first kind during a movie premiere & it added extra celebration among thalapathy fans Mersal is the film where it should be noted it is celebrated in two festival season from Diwali to Pongal.
Leading broadband service provider ACT Fibernet has partnered with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as official connectivity and internet partner. ACT Fibernet, with its extensive fiber broadband connectivity in Chennai, aims to ensure seamless internet broadband connectivity for the ardent followers of the CSK team during the IPL matches. The company will be providing wi-fi coverage to the entire Chennai stadium taking the in-stadium experience to a whole new level.
Over 40,000 fans seated in the stadium will be able to enjoy HD quality speeds on wifi, access internet in the stadium, catch up on live videos, watch match replays, and indulge in social media activities. Additionally, a whole range of fan engagement activities and contests have been planned by CSK-ACT Fibernet together to significantly enhance the in-stadium experience. This initiative by ACT Fibernet will bring the fan experience in stadia at par with the best stadiums in the world. Speaking on the partnership, ACT Fibernet COO Sandeep Gupta said, “We take immense pride in announcing that we are the chosen connectivity partner of the CSK team. CSK is not just a team but an emotion and passion amongst millions, and through this partnership, we are going to significantly enhance this spirit by enabling the CSK teams and its supporters stay connected.” Commenting on the partnership, CSK whole time director George John said, “Chennai Super Kings is known for its solid performances and consistency, ACT Fibernet complements all of this and therefore is our chosen partner. Our aim has always been to enhance the experience of our fans and supporters. With this association with ACT Fibernet, we are certain that we will be able to significantly enliven the in-stadium experience. This is the first amongst the many initiatives we have planned for the CSK fans in partnership with ACT Fibernet.” ACT Fibernet has planned exciting engagement activities and contests both in the stadium and otherwise. Chosen lucky customers will also win a chance to obtain free match tickets, signed memorabilia and interact with their favorite CSK cricketers The open ground inside Loyola College is a scene of much excitement. It is the venue for the curtain- raiser of the Tamil Nadu International Balloon Festival, that has been taking place in Pollachi for the last three years. A four-year-old claps and jumps in delight as a red hot air balloon starts inflating. His excitement spirals when he realises that the balloon is in the shape of an Angry Bird. It gets difficult to peel him away from the massive object that measures about 70 feet in height. Next to it is a 90-foot-high 2.0 theme balloon with images of Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar. The open ground inside Loyola College is a scene of much excitement. It is the venue for the curtain- raiser of the Tamil Nadu International Balloon Festival, that has been taking place in Pollachi for the last three years. “For the fourth edition this year, we are expecting at least 50,000 people,” says Benedict Savio, who started the Tamil Nadu International Balloon Festival in 2015. He says that in the first year, the festival drew 2,000 visitors from the villages around Pollachi. The next year, the number swelled to 8,000, with visitors flocking in from Karnataka and Kerala. “It has helped in creating tourism and in the economic development of the area,” says Savio. The hotels are all gearing up for the 2018 edition, and even locals have opened up their houses as Airbnb properties, to accommodate tourists. There are camping sites as well. The festival in Pollachi receives hot air ballooners from all over the world. “So far, we have only one participant from India,” says Savio. Pilots Bartek and Marlena from Poland, who have been flying hot air balloons for over two decades now, are here to participate in the event for the first time. “We heard of this festival in Pollachi and wanted to participate. We have flown in Bahrain, Europe, Africa, Malaysia, Singapore...” says Marlena. The couple has also been organising the balloon festival in Poland since 2004. Bartek then gets busy filling the balloon with cold air, and then with hot air. Every time flames from the burner come in, there are more gasps of awe. As the four vibrant balloons are set up, the crowd goes into a frenzy clicking pictures. And even though Chennai doesn’t have permission to fly hot air balloons, the onlookers aren’t deterred from having a good time. “The climatic condition in Chennai is not favourable for this sport; also, it has an active airport, so we can’t conduct the festival here. We invite everybody to come to Pollachi to enjoy the sight of the balloons in the air,” adds Savio. (Adhiban presents the Tamil Nadu International Balloon Festival in Pollachi, between January 10 and 16. It’s organised by Global Media Box and The Slaves restaurant, in association with Department of Tourism, Tamil Nadu. For details, log on to www.tnibf.com) Expert committee to inspect proposed site for one of the plants at Perur, along East Coast Road Desalination projects in the city, which have been delayed for various reasons, may soon be back on track. An expert appraisal committee from the Centre is expected to inspect the proposed site for a 400 mld desalination plant at Perur along East Coast Road in February to provide environmental clearance for the project.
The Environment Assessment Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had recently deferred the proposal and also questioned the setting up of two plants of different treatment capacities within a short distance of each other. Officials of the Chennai Metrowater said a fresh proposal addressing the queries raised by the EAC is also being prepared. The water agency is negotiating with the Japan International Cooperation Agency to fund the plant at Perur. Metrowater is confident that the project to build a 150 mld desalination plant at the existing site in Nemmeli can be started this year as environmental clearance has been obtained. The Nemmeli plant will come up with the assistance of KfW, a German funding agency. While the technical evaluation of the bids for the project is in progress, the water agency is mulling the use of pipe jacking technology to minimise shoreline erosion. Pipe jacking technology involves the use of specialised equipment to push lengths of pipeline into the seabed through a shore pit drilled for a diameter of up to 1 m. This is expected to help lay pipelines for drawal of sea water and disposal of brine without much disturbance to the shoreline. The dredging of the seabed for a 100 MLD plant in Nemmeli had caused much damage to the shoreline. Increase in supply Meanwhile, the Water Resources Department is also expecting an increase in the release of Krishna water in a fortnight. In the past 12 days, Poondi reservoir has realised nearly 180 million cubic feet. On Friday, nearly 275 cusecs (one cusec is equal to 28.3 litres of water per second) was received at Uthukottai in Tiruvallur district, which is the entry point of the Kandaleru Poondi canal in Tamil Nadu. Once the drawal for irrigation comes down in Andhra Pradesh, reservoirs in Chennai may get more Krishna water. Tamil Nadu has to be provided 4,000 mcft. of water between January and April as per the agreement between the States.
As many as 18 arriving flights were diverted to Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports.
Chennai: Flight services in and out of Chennai suffered on Saturday following a thick cover of smoke due to 'Bhogi' festival celebrations, airport officials said.
Between 4-8 am, both the incoming and the outgoing air traffic suffered. Flight services resumed after 9 am.
As many as 18 arriving flights were diverted to Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports. They flew in from various destinations such as Kuwait, Sharjah and Delhi.
No flights took off during this period, resulting in delays and scores of passengers waiting at the airport. A report on NDTV quoted a senior officer at the airport saying, “The visibility has dipped to 50 metres and since 3:30 am we have no flight activity. We hope there would be interested in an hour once breeze sets in clearing the air."
Bhogi, celebrated ahead of the Tamil harvest festival Pongal on Sunday, involves burning of old articles in a symbolic gesture of bidding adieu to the old and welcoming the new.
The celebrations started on Saturday morning with people setting bonfires on the streets with agricultural and household waste. Bonfires made using mats, paper, clothes and cardboard boxes dotted the streets of Chennai from as early as four on Saturday morning. Meanwhile, motorists plied their vehicles with their headlights on following the smoke cover which descended on the city and its neighbourhoods. The government launches regular awareness campaigns ahead of Bhogi, aimed at smoke-free celebrations of the day. Over the last ten years, the pollution control board in Tamil Nadu has been generating awareness ahead of Pongal, asking people to avoid burning materials. Say vehicles coming at a breakneck speed cause of frequent accidents After an 18-year-old was mowed down by an MTC bus on the Santhome High Road on Sunday, locals staged a road blockade urging the police to take action against the bus driver. They also wanted a traffic signal erected at the spot.
According to the residents, accidents were frequent on this stretch. “This is not the first accident. Buses and other vehicles come at a high speed from Madha Church Road - Demonte Street junction to Foreshore Street. Many schoolchildren use this stretch and it is with great fear we send them to school,” said Akhila, a resident. P. Raja, another resident, said they had been demanding a traffic signal at the junction for a long time, but no steps had been taken. “If there is a signal here, vehicles will slow down to an extent. The police should consider this request,” he said. Victim was breadwinnner The victim, Joseph alias Ajit’s relative Sarguna Devi said that he had left home with two of his friends, but she did not know whether he went on a bike or by walk. “He is the breadwinner of the family. His mother, Renuka, and sister are dependent on him. He is a fisherman but also goes for construction work,” she said. The integrated facility will be like Singapore's Changi airport In a few months, a new expansion project will begin at the Chennai airport.
This is just five years after Phase I of the modernisation drive was completed at the facility. Airport officials said AECOM, the consultant for Phase II of the project, has suggested designs with facilities similar to Singapore’s Changi airport. This firm was part of a consortium that designed terminal 4 of the Changi airport that has been rated the best in the world for years now. “This new integrated terminal will showcase themes based on the culture of Tamil Nadu with paintings, murals and statues. These themes will include Bharatanatyam, folk art and Tanjore paintings. The idea is to blend international facilities and an indigenous touch,” an official said. Officials said the new design would ensure that infrastructure problems such as the collapse of glass panels or leaking roofs are avoided. “The previous terminals faced such problems owing to a series of issues. We will consider Chennai’s climate and design the orientation of the terminal accordingly,” he said. With a host of facilities like a specialised baggage scanning system and a security system, the city airport’s new integrated terminal will certainly make travel far more comfortable for passengers, airport officials claimed. While the old terminals will be pulled down, the existing international and domestic terminals on either end will serve as the domestic terminal, and in place of the old terminals, an international terminal will come up, the officials noted. “The airport will look like one huge terminal. The domestic and international terminals will be separate entities but they will be connected,” an official said. The Phase II modernisation project is estimated to cost ₹2,500 crore and will increase the capacity of terminals from 18 million to 35 million. Also, aircraft movement per hour will be increased to 40. The new terminal is likely to become operational in four years. Tenders floated Airports Authority of India (AAI) received the final approval from the Public Investment Board recently and has now floated tenders to begin the project. “The tender is likely to be awarded in a month and the contractor will begin the work in about two months. It will take three-and-a-half years to finish the project,” an AAI official said. Its boundaries now match that of the Greater Chennai Corporation. The move is likely to help residents access a variety of services easily. However, questions remain regarding staff strength and pendency of files.
The North Chennai zone will comprise Tiruvottiyur, Tondiarpet, Madhavaram, Perambur and Purasawalkam taluks, which have 32 revenue villages. The head office will be at Tondiarpet.
The Central Chennai zone, with its head office at Ambattur, will include Ayanavaram, Aminjikarai, Maduravoyal, Mambalam and Egmore taluks, which comprise 47 revenue villages. The South Chennai zone, with its head office at Guindy, will comprise Guindy, Mylapore, Velachery, Alandur and Sholinganallur taluks and 43 revenue villages. “The revenue offices and workers will remain where they are but files concerning new areas presently in the offices of the Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur District Collectors will be brought to the Chennai Collector’s office,” V. Anbuselvan, Chennai Collector, told The Hindu. According to an official release, the expansion of the district will help in swiftly providing services to residents in newly included areas. The benefits are especially likely in areas such as medical facilities, employment opportunities, education, revenue and disaster management, election-related work, law and order issues, social security schemes and land-related programmes. The Chief Minister also launched online services as part of the portal eservices.tn.gov.in wherein field measurement sketches and block maps in 43 taluks across 21 districts have been computerised in the first phase. The digitisation of field measurement sketches and block maps (for urban areas) with COLLABLAND software commenced in Perambalur district in 2004 and of the total 55.33 lakh sketches, 54.12 lakh sketches have been digitised, the release stated. The digitising of the remaining maps is expected to be completed within June. Revenue Minister R.B. Udhayakumar, Chief Secretary (additional charge) K. Shanmugam and Revenue Secretary B. Chandra Mohan were among those present at the event. Graphic points Chennai district earlier: 178sq. km. Expanded Chennai district: 426 sq. km. Total number of taluks in expanded district: 16 Total number of revenue villages in expanded district: 122 North Chennai zone: 5 taluks, 32 revenue villages Central Chennai zone: 6 taluks, 47 revenue villages South Chennai zone: 5 taluks, 43 revenue villages Denies allegations of rise in accidents after operating buses with temporary drivers; accuses unions of misleading people Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar on Sunday urged the transport workers to respect the Madras High Court directive and return to work.
Addressing mediapersons here, Mr. Vijayabhaskar said that a number of employees were returning to work after accepting the wage revision offered by the government. The Minister exuded confidence that bus operations would resume in the State with more employees expected to return to work. Rebutting allegations about a rise in the frequency of accidents caused by temporary drivers, Mr. Vijayabhaskar said all the drivers hired by the State transport undertakings were qualified for operating the buses. “Retired drivers and those who have experience in driving school buses have been roped in,” he said. Alleging that the unions were giving misleading information, Mr. Vijayabhaskar said, “Around 32,000 employees have benefited from the wage hike. In addition, we have increased wages by ₹900 for entry level employees,” he informed. “We will wait for the High Court directive on Monday. The government will take a decision on action against employees later on Monday,” he said. The unions say they will continue the strike and will justify their stand in the court on Monday. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar on Sunday separately appealed to the striking transport workers to resume duty heeding the Madras High Court’s direction as two persons were killed in separate accidents involving buses reportedly driven by drivers hired on a casual basis in Cuddalore and Chennai districts.
However, the unions said they would continue the strike and justify their stand in the court on Monday. In Virudhachalam, a temporary driver J. Elumalai, who was driving a bus from the TNSTC depot, rammed a motorcycle being driven by Seon Kumar, 37, with two pillion riders. Seon succumbed to injuries following which the police arrested Mr. Elumalai. In Chennai, an 18-year-old youth — Joseph alias Ajit of Dooming Kuppam — was run over by an MTC bus when his bike skidded on the Santhome High Road. While it was claimed that the bus driver was hired on an ad hoc basis, the police did not confirm the same. Meanwhile, ruling out further talks with the unions, Mr. Vijayabhaskar accused them, including the CITU, of misleading workers on the actual wage revision. Releasing the break-up of the revised wages that the government was willing to pay, he told journalists: “If all the workers come to know about these figures, they will return to work.” |
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