CMRL is planning to commence trial run on Anna Salai line this week. CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has urged the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) management to expedite its works in the city and complete them at the earliest, and thereby ensure commuting is made easy for the public.
State Industries Minister M. C. Sampath requested CMRL managing director Pankaj Kumar Bansal to complete works from Nehru Park to Central and from Saidapet to AG-DMS soon. The minister, who had recently visited the underground sites of the CMRL and inspected the work, had expressed satisfaction over the progress of the work, and wanted passenger services on the routes to begin soon. The stations between AG-DMK and Saidapet are getting finishing touches particularly at the entry or exit point, official said. CMRL is planning to commence trial run on Anna Salai line this week, said sources. The commissioner of Metro Rail Safety is likely to be invited for inspection in March. At present, CMRL is operating services in two routes in the city - Nehru Park to Airport and Little Mount to Airport. The first trial run between Nehru Park and Chennai Central covering a distance of 2.7 km was conducted on Jan.26. The first train was flagged off in 2015 by the then Chief Minister J. Jayalaltihaa. According to sources, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited is likely sign a loan agreement with JICA, for the phase II project and the sum is likely to be higher than the funding for the first project. JICA had funded phase I project for about Rs 14,600 crore. The CMRL is likely to sign an agreement with JICA once the Centre gives the nod. Tamil Nadu would never be able to get Cauvery water from Karnataka, declared BJP Rajya Sabha member Dr Subramanian Swamy. Chennai: Tamil Nadu would never be able to get Cauvery water from Karnataka, declared BJP Rajya Sabha member Dr Subramanian Swamy, insisting that setting up desalination plants along the coastline was the only answer to the state’s water crisis.
“People must first decide what they want — water or Cauvery water? If they want Cauvery water, they will never be able to get that. But if they just want water, we could have the vast seawater converted into potable water through desalination plants. Let Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami ask me if he does not know and I shall get four desalination plants from Israel for installation here”, the inimitable Dr Swamy told reporters at the airport here on Sunday. “You will never have any water problem if I get the Israeli desalination plants installed here”, Dr Swamy said. When it was pointed out that TN was knocking on Karnataka’s doors as there was not enough water in the Mettur reservoir to save the standing samba crop in the Cauvery delta, he said desalination plants would provide a permanent solution. “You will never have water crisis after that”, he said. To another question on inadequate allocations for TN in the Central Budget, Dr Swamy said the TN MPs should function effectively in the Parliament to secure enough funds and projects for the state. “They should not function like cattle”, he said. This is not the first time that Dr Swamy is recommending Israeli desalination plants to quench TN thirst. Even on January 30, he had tweeted: “Tamil Nadu CM must stop begging for Cauvery water from Karnataka govt. He should instead set up four desalination plants on the TN coast”. That tweet got huge response in social media with many raising questions how water from desalination plants could be pumped across vast hinterland to reach the delta farmers — the distance, the cost of maintenance and diesel. One twitterati asked Dr Swamy why he could not get the Israeli PM Netanyahu to sell the desalination technology directly to TN when he visited India a couple of weeks ago. “Without TN CM asking me?” shot back the BJP senior. On the Cauvery dispute, Sellur K Raju said the chief minister was taking suitable steps to secure state's water share from K’taka. Tamil Nadu Minister Sellur K Raju has courted controversy by saying that government welfare measures would be given only to AIADMK card holders, even as Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said that such schemes were meant for all.
Raju made the statement on Sunday at an event in Madurai to enrol new members and to renew membership of those who had completed five years. "AIADMK party card is what identifies us and is equal to our life itself.... every party member should have it. All party members should have the card. Only if you have it, can you get government welfare schemes benefits either for you or your family," he had said. On the vexed Cauvery river water issue, Raju said that the chief minister was taking appropriate steps to secure the state's share of water from Karnataka. Referring to the local body polls, he said AIADMK is always ready to face any elections. However, Panneerselvam said that all government welfare measures are aimed at benefiting the ordinary and poor people and all sections of society, irrespective of party affiliations. He said Karnataka has declined water to Tamil Nadu and that steps were being taken to initiate legal measures to secure water for the state. "We have a right to seek water for our standing crops," he said On a related note, Haasan, earlier in Sept, said he would be willing to work with Rajinikanth, if the superstar decided to enter politics. Tamil superstar Rajinikanth has extended his wishes to actor Kamal Haasan for announcing his political debut.
"I wish him all the best," said the 67-year-old. On that note, Haasan, on Tuesday, announced that he will undertake a state-wide tour of Tamil Nadu from February 21 and will also announce the name of his political party and its ideology at the beginning of his journey. He further announced that the tour will be undertaken in multiple phases. On this tour, which will be flagged off from his hometown of Ramanathapuram, the 'Dasavatharam' actor will be proceeding to the districts of Madurai, Dindigul and Sivagangai, where he will be interacting with locals. On a related note, Haasan, earlier in September, had said he would be willing to work with Rajinikanth, if the superstar decided to enter politics. Earlier on Wednesday, actor R Madhavan also extended his support to Kamal Haasan for his entry in politics. The players, spread over two cars, were travelling from Kandapalayam, in Namakkal district, after they played a match there. A Tamil Nadu league cricketer died and six other players were injured when the cars they were travelling in collided and fell off a bridge in Namakkal district on Monday evening.
Nine league players were in two cars, travelling from Kandapalayam after they had played a match. According to the Times of India, they were in Namakkal district to play a match held as part of the Pongal festival. After the game, they were on their way to a hotel in Paramathi Velur. The accident took place at around 4.15 pm. The police told TNM that both cars were racing each other near Paramathi Velur when the incident took place. "The two cars were trying to overtake one and other when the accident happened," said an investigating officer. "One person died on the spot, six were injured and two escaped unscathed.” Reports suggest that the drivers were attempting to avoid hitting a woman who was crossing the Salem-Madurai highway. When the first car hit the brakes, the second one rammed into it from behind. The two cars then fell off the bridge. A player from Thanjavur, identified as Prabhakar, died on the spot. The others, who were injured, were rushed to government hospitals in Salem and Erode. The Nallur police have registered a case and investigations are underway. The other players are from across the state, including Coimbatore and Cuddalore. In a separate incident in Krishangiri district, six people died and 27 others sustained injuries when a car hit a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus near Hosur on Sunday evening. The bus fell on its side when its driver tried to avoid a collision with the car. The bus rolled over and fell into a roadside pit. The conductor passed away on the spot. According to reports, the accident happened when the car driver lost his control over the vehicle. The car rammed the median of the Bengaluru-Chennai National Highway at Gurubarathapalli, near Shoolagiri. 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. 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. One lakh and counting Less than a week after its launch, the ‘Rajini Mandram’ mobile app, launched by Tamil film actor Rajinikanth to kick-start his political career has been downloaded by over a lakh users. This is in contrast to the apps launched by senior politicians such as DMK leaders M. Karunanidhi and M.K. Stalin, PMK’s Anbumani Ramadoss and DMDK founder Vijayakant.
While Mr. Anbumani’s For Change app, which he launched when he projected himself as the Chief Ministerial candidate in 2016, has been downloaded by about 50,000 users, most other apps of politicians have found acceptance among 10,000 or fewer mobile phone users. ASK, an app launched recently by actor-politician R. Sarathkumar, who is also keen on projecting himself as an alternative leader, has seen about a thousand downloads. Aspiring politician and leading actor Kamal Haasan too had indicated that he will formally launch his app maiam whistle in January. Does the popularity of Mr. Rajinikanth’s app indicate that traditional politicians have failed to tap technology to reach a larger audience or have not found acceptance from the tech savvy people? Mr. Palanivel Thiagarajan of the DMK, and MLA from Madurai Central who heads the party’s Information Technology cell, acknowledges that having an app helps in two-way communication, monitoring responsiveness, identify who is an active supporter, analyse trends among other things. “But the most important thing is it helps us get feedback,” he says. Mr. Anbumani agrees that with more than two crore households in Tamil Nadu with a smart phone, the app helps politicians reach citizens easily. According to Mr. Ramadoss, the app also helps in communicating directly with the users. 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 |
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