Beep song: Things get tougher for Simbu

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THURSDAY 17.12.2015 (EVENING) H OTHER STATIONS FRIDAY 18.12.2015 (MORNING) H 8 PAGES Rs. 4.00 H Regd. No., TN/CC(S) DN/223/15-17, RNI No: 33810 / 82
Four TN
fishermen held
by Lankan Navy
Ramswaram. Dec 17:
Four Tamil fishermen have been
arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy
for allegedly trespassing into the
country’s waters. The navy has also
confiscated their boat.
All Indian fishermen are from Pudukottai district.
Much recently, 20 fishermen were
arrested by Lankan naval personnel
on charges of allegedly violating
the International Maritime Boundary Line.
Their four boats were also taken
into custody, Assistant Director of
Fisheries Department Gopinath
said. Eleven of the fishermen from
Rameswaram were arrested near
Katchatheevu, an islet ceded to
Sri Lanka by India in 1974 and
they were taken to Talaimannar,
he said.
Other fishermen, hailing from Jagadapattinam in Pudukottai district,
were arrested near the Sri Lankan
coast and taken to Kangesanthurai,
he said. He said a boat had sunk
near Katchatheevu and six fishermen in it were rescued by other
fishermen and brought here.
Two held for
‘raping’ girl
Gadchiroli, Dec 17 (PTI):
A minor girl was allegedly raped
by two persons, including a school
cook who was instructed to drop
her home after she sustained a
leg injury in school, police said
today.
The two accused have been arrested, they said. The cook, Bandu
Madavi (30), and his friend Prashant
Pillare (32), on the pretext of escorting the injured girl to her home at
Dhodraj village in the district, took
her to an isolated forest where they
allegedly raped her on Tuesday,
Sub-Divisional Officer of Police
Sandeep Gawit said. The school
headmaster had apparently asked
Madavi to drop the girl at her home
as she sustained some leg injury in
the school.
However, the accused took his
friend Prashant along with him on his
motorbike and then the duo ‘raped’
her in a forest while on way to the
girl’s village. After committing the
crime, they dropped the girl at her
village and fled, he said.
On the attack
he Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today demanded
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s resignation and
an impartial probe into the Delhi and District Cricket
Association (DDCA) scam. Addressing a press conference in Delhi, AAP leader Kumar Vishwas alleged the
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided Delhi
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office on Tuesday to
see the file related to the government’s decision to
set up a commission to investigate the DDCA financial
misappropriation scam.
‘Whenever anyone has tried to expose the DDCA
scam, the Centre has opposed it,’ Vishwas alleged.
‘AAP wants to tell today that the raid at CM’s office was
an attempt to cover corrupt activities done in the DDCA
during Arun Jaitley’s tenure as president,’ he added.
The party accused Jaitley and other office-bearers of
DDCA of siphoning funds amounting to several crores.
Meanwhile, expressing grief over the death of an Air
India technician at Mumbai airport, Minister of State for
Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma today said that a committee has been set up under the Air India CMD to look into
the incident. Sharma also said that an ex-gratia amount
of Rs 5 lakh has been granted to the victim’s family.
The Minister said that the committee will investigate all
issues related to the freak accident last evening in which
Ravi Subramanian got sucked into the engine of an Air
India aircraft during push back at the Mumbai airport.
Beep song: Things get
tougher for Simbu
q Chennai police may impound actor’s passport q Anirudh stays put in Canada
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
The already blown-up controversy on
the ‘Beep’ song seems to be getting
more bizzare with every passing day.
After protests, police complaints, et al
against both actor Simbu and music
composer Anirudh Ravichander for
coming out with a song containing
cuss words, reports now say that
efforts are on to impound Simbu’s
passport.
Based on a complaint lodged by AllIndia Democratic Women’s Association with the Coimbatore City Police
Commissioner, A Amalraj, cases have
been registered against Simbu and
Anirudh, who has allegedly composed
the music for the Beep Song.
The summons were handed over to
Simbu’s father T Rajhendherr in Chen-
BEEP BOYS
Simbu and Anirudh
nai which asked Simbu to appear at
the Race Course Police station on
Saturday, police said. Also the summons were given to Anirudh’s father
Ravi Raghavendra, since the former
is yet to return from Toronto where
IN THE DOCK
Simbu and Anirudh are booked
under Section 4 read with Section
6 of the Indecent Representation of
Women (Prohibition) Act, Section
509 (word, gesture or act intended
to insult modesty of a woman) of the
IPC and Section 67 (Punishment for
publishing or transmitting obscene
material in electronic form) of the
Information Technology Act based
on AIDWA complaint.
he had gone to participate in a music
show last week.
While Anirudh of Kolaveri- fame
denied he composed the tune for the
song, Simbu contradicted his claim
by stating that was done by them only
Jaya ‘urgently’ seeks
Rs 1,549 crore from Centre
q Writes to PM for Union govt’s share in scholarship to SC/ST students
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today
sought the intervention of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi to release
Rs 1,549 crore to Tamilnadu towards
scholarship to students.
In her letter to the Prime Minister, a copy of which was released
to the press here, she said,
Tamilnadu is implementing the
Centrally-sponsored scheme of
Post Matric Scholarship for students belonging to the Scheduled
Castes/Scheduled Tribes pursuing higher studies in recognised
institutions.’
Under this scheme, she said, 100 per
cent Central assistance is provided
to all States/Union Territories beyond
the committed liability. In 2015-16, the
government of Tamilnadu has to incur
a total expenditure of Rs 1,295.55
crore towards Post Matric Scholarships, out of which Rs 942 crore is the
government of India’s share.
‘For the period up to 2014-15, arrears totalling Rs 1175.10 crore were
pending. During 2015-16, so far, only
Rs 567.34 crore has been released
by the government of India, leaving
a total balance of Rs 1,549.76 crore,’
she said.
Jayalalithaa further said: ‘I have
been informed that the Ministry
of Social Justice and Empowerment has admitted the claims of
Tamilnadu under the Post Matric
Scholarship scheme, but is unable
to release the funds to the State
due to insufficient budgetary allocations.
‘You would appreciate that timely
release of scholarships is very es-
Unrest continues
at Madras varsity
sential to keep the students, most
of whom are from very poor families,
adequately motivated to pursue
their studies. Delay in the disbursement of scholarship undermines the
credibility of the scheme. This is
clearly a very important scheme to
enable the weaker sections to move
forward in life through education,’
she added.
‘Given the importance and sensitivity of this scheme, I request that the
Ministry of Finance may be directed
to provide adequate funds to the
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to release the entire pending
central share of Rs 1,549.76 crore
due to Tamilnadu, including the balance amount of Rs 607.76 crore due
for the period up to 2014-15, and the
sum of Rs 942 crore due for the year
2015-16,’ she concluded.
On 19 December, both
Simbu and Anirudh are
expected to turn up
before Kovai Police
Commissioner
as a private affair and that they did not
want to release the number. However,
the mysterious leak has shocked all
for the cuss words in the song has
offended the sentiments of many.
Also, many NGOs and women’s
organisations have criticised Simbu
and alleged that since it is now public
and a complaint has been filed, the
law has to take its course.
Members of students association
staged protests in front of Simbu’s
house while cases were filed in
Chennai, Thiruthuraipoondi, Thanjavur
and other places. Effigies of Simbu and
Anirudh were burnt at many places.
Though Simbu has tweeted yesterday that he is ready to face trial over
the Beep song controversy, since he
has not contacted the police with regard to summons issued against him,
reports say that his passport might be
impounded to ensure that he doesn’t
go abroad to evade enquiry.
On 19 December, both Simbu and
Anirudh are expected to turn up before
Kovai Police Commissioner to offer
explanations, where more drama are
expected to unfold.
Meanwhile, a group of lyricists including Muthulingam, Pulamaipithan,
Pa Vijay among others have issued a
joint statement condemning the song.
Illicit affair: Man
held for murdering
woman at Kolathur
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
City police have arrested a
man in connection with the
murder of a woman at Kolathur
in November.
According to police
sources, Mahendran
alias Mahendra
Kumar (38) from
Puzhal Camp has
been arrested for
killing her alleged
paramour Govindammal (45), a native
of Villupuram.
Police said, Govindammal, a
ragpicker, lived in Iyyappa Nagar
in Kolathur, while her 13-year-old
son stayed in their native.
Recently, Govindammal’s husband Shekar had passed away and
Mahendran’s wife deserted him
eight months ago.
Police said, Mahendran, who is
also a ragpicker, was involved in
an accident in Tiruppur which was
a setback to his health. After that,
he began living in with Govindammal.
On 22 November, while
the duo were drinking
together at an under
construction site in
Kolathur, Mahendran
picked up a fight with her
regarding her closeness to
one Rajendran.
When the fight escalated, Mahendran strangled Govindammal to death and fled the spot.
The incident was reported
to the police by the building
owner.
CAUSEWAY OR CROSSED WAY?
q University denies charges, says student
was ‘offensive from beginning’
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
The war of words between the
students and management of the
University of Madras continued
today, with the latter claiming that
the behaviour of the student Jonas
Anton Pulendrarasa, who was allegedly attacked during a seminar,
was offensive from the beginning.
The university, through a press
statement, has also denied allegations raised against it that Jonas
was manhandled by the nonteaching staff on Tuesday.
Jonas, a second year student of
Political Science and Public Administration, was allegedly sent out
from the seminar organised by the
Centre for Disaster Management
on ‘Managing Disaster- A case
study of Chennai floods 2015’ for
allegedly heckling the guest speaker, State Election Commission
Secretary Jyothi Nirmala Samy IAS.
Speaking to News Today, Assistant
Professor of Journalism and Communication T R Gopalakrishnan, who
is also a Syndicate Member of the
varsity, said Jonas did not abide by
the rules to be followed while attending a seminar.
To begin with, Jonas reportedly
walked into the seminar and took a
seat among the press members.
It was not a panel discussion
where students and guest speakers could exchange views. Jonas
violated the decorum and threw
questions and remarks at Jyothi
Nirmala Samy. ‘He did not pay
heed when asked to reserve his
questions for later,’ Gopalakrishnan
said. He also felt that the incidents
that unfolded could be intentional,
judging by the events which had
spiralled from the Political Science
and Public Administration Department recently.
Meanwhile, students unrest continues on the campus despite the
University asking those staying in
the hostels to vacate.
One of the students claims to have
an audio clipping where he had recorded an university official saying
that Jonas deserved it when he was
being pushed out from the seminar
hall and allegedly assaulted.
The causeway at Ekkatuthangal is full of garbage, dumped by the flood waters of the Adyar. Residents
want the huge amount of waste to be removed from here and the way to be opened again.
Photo: M SRINIVASAN
City
2 THURSDAY
17 DECEMBER 2015
Centre
Many hands
offered help
They too received
assistance
FB group rescued stray dogs took them to safer places
CHENNAI
NGOs chipped in to provide aid in T Nagar
N
one expected such disastrous floods in
the late evening hours of 2 December
and the days to follow was a horrible
time for them as many residents in the neighbourhood were left empty-handed with no food
and water.
When government machinery took time to act
on the situation, it was private bodies and NGOs
that rushed relief materials to various locations
in the area.
Institutions like Matha Amrutananda Mayee
Trust, Sri Sathya Sai Seva organisations sent
vehicle-loads of materials, including food, medicines, blankets and dresses to the neighbourhood.
Many individuals turned up in large numbers
and provided the much needed food and water
to the affected residents. They were spotted disDog ‘Beyonce’ receiving medical treatment at a veterinary hospital
tributing the materials at the junction of T Nagar
bus terminus, Rangarajapuram flyover, Valluany people endured hard- located near the canal at Sixth Avenue hours of treatment, the doctors devarkottam and Nandanam signal.
ships during the Chennai saw a dog stuck in the water and he cided that the best thing to do was to
A large group of youngsters from faraway placfloods; thousands are taking informed his friend. This friend posted put her to sleep as her intestine and
es like Chintadripet and Avadi were seen distribshelter in makeshift relief camps and the news on the group page which gar- veins were damaged. The volunteers
still wondering what awaits them in nered a lot of attention. So, we took a named the dog ‘Beyonce’.’
uting not only food packets but also items like
the future as all their belongings were call on rescuing the animal. The dog Around 300 animals were ressanitary napkins, candles, mosquito coils and
either submerged or washed away by (female stray) was stuck in the canal, cued during the recent
medicines to the affected persons in the area.
the rising waters.
her hind legs were completely under floods. Blue Cross,
A resident of Damodara Street said, ‘Water
Animals, too, were affected by the water. She had probably been stuck along with youngwas everywhere and we felt hopeless. Thank
floods. Cats, dogs, cattle - and even there for three days. Weak from strug- sters, teamed up
God, many individuals came with drum full
Salute
snakes - were stranded in the rain. gling
to
get back to and helped strandof food and distributed it to us at the time
A group of volunteers in Anna Nagar land,
the
current from ed animals by giving
to
of necessity. I saw them doing this great
worked tirelessly, attending to calls the
canal
water was them food and shelter. Many
service for the next few days and help
our
and rescuing animals in trouble. From slowly pulling her in.’
residents from Anna Nagar
many.’
HEROES A few shrines like Jain temple and Gurdbirds to cattle, all animals were saved He went
on to add were part of this project.
and admitted at a nearby veterinary that ‘At first,
we
were ‘I am a member of Blue Cross
wara on G N Chetty Road prepared and
hospital.
clueless
about how and when I received informadistributed food continuously during this
The group, which connected through to reach her but then we got help from tion from my friend that they
period and helped the residents of nearby areas.
Facebook group, ‘The Pound’, banded residents and then walked across the were helping rescue animals, I wanted
Also, clubs like Rotary Club of Port City came
together for the rescue operations. canal using a harness and rescued the to help out as well. So, I grabbed my
into the picture in time and organised relief
They went around the neighbourhood animal. The dog had suffered injuries cycle and headed to Velachery. It was
camps at T Nagar. The club members distribfeeding stray dogs and nursing injured and blood was gushing from her back. hard but then it was worth it as we got
uted blankets, water bottles and biscuits to resianimals.
She was immediately taken to a vet- to save many animals suffering due to
dents of Giriappa Road, Kamarajapuram and
One member of the group recalls an erinary hospital where she was given the rain,’ said Sahail, a resident of 18th
Amutham Colony.
incident that happened during the res- treatment. Sadly, the doctor could only Main Road.
Several members of the Jain community from
cue op. ‘A guy who worked in the shop do so much to save her. After a few
- NT Bureau
areas like Sowcarpet came in big vans and dis-
M
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tributed food pockets and other items near Rangarajapuram flyover and T Nagar bus terminus.
Chandrasekaran, a local, said, ‘I saw a gentleman by name Kabeer who had come all the
way from Kaveripattinam to distribute blankets
and dresses to many for a couple of days. He
also gave away the remaining clothes to the
residents and asked them to give it to the needy.
Another person, Chandrasekaran, who is said to
be from Singapore, came with plenty of medicines and distributed it to the residents.’
Nadigar Sangam, whose property is situated on
Habibullah Road, was quick to react to the situation as its general secretary and actor Vishal and
treasurer Karti brought together a big team of
actors for the cause and organised relief camps
across the city.
Daasya, an NGO functioning in the neighbourhood, will organise a mega health camp exclusively for flood-affected residents on 19 and 20
December at Panigraha Kalyana Mandapam,
West Mambalam.
Corporation Zone 10 chairman, LIC Manickam,
was seen inspecting relief operations at several
locations. The staff of the corporation distributed
chlorine tablets and bleaching powder packets
to residents of the area.
‘Removal of garbage is a big challenge for us
and several lorries have been hired for the purpose,’ said a civic worker.
- NT Bureau
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Around Town
CHENNAI
THURADAY
17 DECEMBER 2015
3
HEALING
TOUCH
LINES OF CONTROL
q Young docs band together to give succour to flood victims
q Wade through knee-deep water to different locations
Lecture on
Bhagavad Gita
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
Sri Panchamukha Anjaneyar
Siddhar Peetham (Bhaktivedanta
Ashram Trust) is organising a
lecture on
Bhagavad
Gita
by
Sevakapati Das on
every Saturdays from
19 December, at 7.30
pm at No 28,
Yerikarai
Street, Taramani (Near IIT Backside Gate).
According to a press release, the
programme will start with bhajans
(6.30 pm), arati (7 pm), lecture (7.30
pm) and distribution of prasadam
(8 pm).
For details contact: 96000 88669.
‘1.7 lakh huts
have been lost’
q TN floods adjudged ‘severe nature’: Centre
NT Bureau/ PTI
Chennai, Dec 17:
The Centre has accorded the status
of ‘severe nature’ to the recent rains
and flood disaster in Tamilnadu in
which 354 people lost their lives and
over one lakh huts damaged, Rajya
Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
‘As per the information received
from the State government, based
on their preliminary assessment, 354
humans and 4,383 cattle have been
lost and 1.17 lakh huts have been reported damaged due to floods during
November-December 2015’.
‘...keeping in view the intensity and
magnitude of floods of November,
2015 in Tamilnadu, it has been adjudged a calamity of a ‘severe nature’
for all practical purposes,’ Minister of
State for Home Kiren Rijiju said in a
written reply.
He said with regard to declaring
a national disaster, it is informed
there is no provision to declare
a natural calamity as a ‘national
disaster/calamity’ in the guidelines.
‘However, the Government of India adjudges a disaster/ calamity
of ‘severe nature’ on case-to-case
basis taking into account inter-alia
the intensity and magnitude of the
calamity, level of relief assistance,
cope capacity of the State government to tackle the problem, the
alternatives and flexibility available
within the plan to provide succour
and relief etc.
Rijiju added during a calamity of
‘severe nature’ additional assistance
is also considered from the National
Disaster Response Fund.
Parthasarathy temple set
for Vaikunta Ekadesi fete
q Over 1,000 cops to manage crowd qSpecial buses, trains to run
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
The famous Parthasarathy Temple at
Triplicane is gearing up for Vaikunta
Ekadesi celebrations on 21 December.
With the annual Pagal 10 ra 10 pooja
that happens regularly in the month of
Margazhi going on now, the temple
officials are expecting a huge crowd
to witness Vaikunta Ekadesi.
Over 1,000 police personnel will be
deployed in and around the temple
with 500 traffic police on the occasion.
Three medical camps with two standby
ambulances would be stationed at the
venue to attend to people.
Addressing mediapersons about the
arrangements, Deputy Commissioner
of the Temple, K Kothandaraman said,
‘The crowd will be segregated into
three different queues. One queue
will be on ticket basis, another free
dharshan for 1,000 people on a first
come first serve basis and there will be
a special queue for senior citizens and
Parthasarathy Temple Deputy Commissioner K Kothandaraman
addressing mediapersons about Vaikunta Ekadesi celebration in
Chennai yesterday.
differentlyabled people. A ramp will be
erected for them’.
He further said special buses and
trains would be operated to Triplicane.
Also vehicles will not be allowed to ply
on the temple’s road, so that devotees
can visit the temple without any hardship, he said.
Apart from policemen, CCTV cam-
eras will be monitoring the crowed.
‘There are 20 CCTV cameras inside the
temple premises with 14 more outside,’
the official said.
Food such as tamarind rice, curd
rice, pongal and laddu will be given to
devotees. Also Bhagavad Gita books
will be distributed at free of cost, Kothandaraman said.
ABINESH H
Chennai, Dec 17:
On the day of the flood, Ajay
Manavalan, who lives in Chetput,
was awakened rudely by the water
entering his house. More than annoyed, he went to the terrace.
From there he saw the Cooum
overflowing menacingly, washing
away everything in its path. None
were spared from Nature’s wrath.
People, property were all swept
away.
‘At the time, something struck me,
I wanted to go outside and give
medical advice to people,’ said the
27-year-old physician.
While the city dwellers scrambled
to help those affected by the floods,
Ajay and his companions chose to
put their educational degrees to
good use by organising medical
camps.
Through his friends, Ajay and
others collected medicines and
necessary resources and set out to
give help. The team started off from
Nandanam, then moved to Jafferkhanpet, wading through kneedeep water to dispense healthcare
to flood victims.
‘I put a post on social media about
what we were doing and almost
immediately began receiving calls
from other doctors,’ said Ajay.
What started with two doctors
gathered momentum and became
a movement that included many
others.
‘Every doctor who accompanied
us brought more doctor friends
with them. Someone even started
a WhatsApp group, added doctors
A medical team attending to rain-affected people at Jafferkhanpet
in Chennai.
of the hour.’ Eventually, when they
What started with
started conducting medical camps,
two doctors gaththey met many youngsters involved
in the same work as theirs. ‘There
ered momentum
were so many people helping, leavand became a move- ing behind their differences and
ment that included working as one,’ said Sridevi.
As the rain subsided, news about
many others
medical camps spread like wildfire.
and requested them to add more
Now, with the government and prihealthcare professionals who could
vate medical colleges and hospitals
help,’ said Benil, another doctor.
stepping in, these youngsters have
A shuffling team was formed: given way to them.
whenever a camp was organised,
Yet, they are still connected.
whoever was available from the Their WhatsApp group is always
group would attend.
buzzing with activity. They constantly exchange information
However, doctors around the
about supplies, debate about
city didn’t limit themselves to just
medical decisions with doctors
medical work. Sridevi, a physician
across the city. ‘If ever need be,
from a private hospital, got together
in future, we will always come
with a few colleagues to source and
together and stand as one for the
distribute food. She said, ‘People
city,’ said Ajay.
needed food and that was the need
Rlys comes closer
with passengers
q Invites ideas from public for next budget ICSI convocation
NT Bureau/PTI
Chennai, Dec 17:
For the first time, Railways has invited suggestions and innovative ideas
from the public to include them in its
forthcoming budget to improve its
operations and amenities to a satisfactory level.
‘We have sought suggestions and
innovative ideas from public for the
Rail Budget 2016-17, slated to be
presented in the last week of February next year,’ said a senior Railway
Ministry official.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu,
who will present his second budget
in Parliament, is keen to improve
passenger amenities to a satisfactory
level across the country. The suggestions on crime prevention, safe
running of
trains, disaster management, computerisation, electrification,
station development, road overbridge can be given online on the
website of Ministry of Railways, the
official said.
The last date of submission of ideas
and suggestions is 15 January, 2016.
Suggestions can be given under
15 heads (with many sub heads)
namely computerisation, electrical,
electrification of lines, finance, foot
over bridges, freight (traffic requirements sidings, rake handling facility),
infrastructure (freight corridors, high
speed corridors, port and mine
connectivity, PPP initiatives), innovative ideas.
Also on land (commercial utilisation
of land, station development), railway
lines (new lines, gauge conversion,
doubling), road over/under bridges,
tourism related ones, trains (new
trains, extension of trains, augmentation of trains, frequency of trains, tourist trains, pantry cars and catering).
on 23 Dec
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) will be conducting
the convocation of its Southern India
Regional Council on 23 December
at BKR Convention Centre, No.32
Venkatesan Street, T Nagar here.
A press note said Prafulla Agnihotri,
Director, Indian Institute of Management - Tiruchi, would be the chief
guest and deliver the convocation
address.
The others who will be addressing the convocation include: Atul H
Mehta, president, ICSI; C Ramasubramaniam, convocation programme
director and central council member,
the ICSI; Nagendra D Rao, convocation programme coordinator and
chairman, SIRC, ICSI.
Mixed response to order
on archakas appointment
q Only those with knowledge of Shastras entitled to serve God: Priests
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
The Supreme Court’s judgement
which made appointment of ‘Archakas’ (temple priests) in Tamilnadu as
per the ‘Agama Shastras’, striking
down the GO of 2006, has come as
a blow to hundreds of non-Brahmins,
who have learnt or are learning
Vedas.
It may be noted that the 2006 GO
allowed the appointment of temple
priests from all castes after training
in the Hindu worship practises.
A Supreme Court bench said that
the exclusion of some and inclusion
of a particular segment or denomination for appointment as ‘Archakas’
would not violate Article 14 (right to
equality) so long such inclusion/
exclusion is not based on the criteria
of caste, birth or any other constitutionally unacceptable parameter.
Earlier in 1970, the State government had amended the Tamilnadu
Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act to abolish the principle
of next in line of succession for ap-
What is
Agama Shastra?
The rules of Hindu worship, agamas guides one in temple rituals.
It has everything like methods of
temple construction, idol creation,
philosophical doctrines and meditative practices.
pointment of priests in temples there.
The amendment was challenged in
the Supreme Court and the Constitution bench had upheld its validity.
While social reformers termed the
court’s order to be a breach to Right
to Equality scheduled under Article
14 of the Indian Constitution, priests
argued that it supports the Right to
Religious Freedom entitled in the
same Constitution.
‘Agama Shastras’ are a guide to
worship practises has a mention
of everything about Hindu rituals.
Explaining it, Kanaka Sabapathy, a
temple priest for more than 70 years
said, ‘From temple building to the
placement of idol, everything would
be done according to certain rules.
Only a qualified person with knowledge of Vedas and Shastras will be
entitled to serve God.’
However, would the Agamas allow non-Brahmins perform worship
practises? No, say priests. The
chief priest of Sri Parthasarathay
Swamy Temple in Triplicane, V R
Parthasarathy said, ‘In Vaishnavism,
Vaikhanasa Agamam is a must. According to it, during the eight months
of first pregnancy, the mother-to-be
will be given a payasam that purifies
the womb. The payasam was dipped
in Sangu Chakra Homam, conducted
in the name of Lord Vishnu.’
The male child born to such a
mother is entitled for the post of a
priest after he masters Vedas.
This means a Hindu, who is a nonVaishnavite by birth cannot serve
God (in big Vaishavite temples)
despite learning the vedas.
Surya Pillai, who is learning Vedas
from a vedic school in Kancheepuram
said, ‘As my chances of getting into
major temples are slim, I would go to
a small temple where there are not
Court view
Lions Club of Chennai Sunrises (324-A1) members distributed flood
relief materials worth Rs 2 lakh to 500 primary school students at
Corporation School, Thiruvanmiyur in Chennai recently.
The SC Bench said that the exclusion of some and inclusion of a
particular segment or denomination for appointment as ‘Archakas’
would not violate Article 14 (right
to equality) so long such inclusion/exclusion is not based on
the criteria of caste, birth or any
other constitutionally unacceptable parameter.
‘Appointments of Archakas will
have to be made in accordance
with Agamas, subject to their
due identification as well as their
conformity with the Constitutional
mandates and principles,’ the
bench said.
so many restrictions. How can caste
become an obstacle in serving the
Almighty?’
Send SMS to get
lost voter ID cards
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
People who have lost their voter ID
cards during recent floods need not
worry as Elections Department has
announced an SMS-based system
to apply for duplicates.
Those in flood-hit districts like
Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram
and Cuddalore can make use of it.
The applications can also be submitted at the ongoing special camps at
Taluk headquarters in the districts.
The department has introduced
a mobile number (94441 23456)
to avail the service. If the voter is
unaware of the ID number, they
can type and send the message
to the number. If his/her mobile
number is already registered with
the Election Commission, an immediate response will be received.
If the data is correct, then will have
to be typed and sent. If the data is
wrong, they can reply with or can
reach the toll-free helpline 1950 for
submission of details.
Those who know the ID number
can type and send the message to
the mobile number.
Blend
4 THURSDAY
17 DECEMBER 2015
Nawaz Sharif
vows revenge
WHAT NEWS TODAY PRINTS IS NEWS THAT COUNTS
Kejriwal’s drama
T
he CBI raid against Rajendra Kumar, the Principal Secretary to the
Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, has caused a furore. Some
in the Opposition found in it yet another reason to disrupt Parliament.
Kejriwal and his underlings who do not bat an eyelid in inventing lies
and untruths worked themselves into holy anger, spewing unprintable
venom against Prime Minister Modi and his ministers. The Trinamool
Congress leader Derek O’Brien, fully aware of the ongoing Saradha chit
fund investigations in which many of his senior colleagues were already
exposed, compared the current situation to an undeclared emergency. And
Kejriwal himself called the Prime Minister a ‘psychopath’, a ‘coward’.
But nobody seemed to be concerned about the real reason behind the
raid.
Following a complaint last year by a senior bureaucrat in the Delhi
Government, the CBI undertook investigations against Kumar. The
charge was that during his various postings he had favoured a couple of
companies allegedly owned by his family members and/or friends and
thus caused a loss to the exchequer. Following preliminary investigations,
on Tuesday morning, after getting due permission from the court, CBI
raided fourteen different places in Delhi and Noida, UP, allegedly
connected with the suspects. Two of these were the office and the home of
Kumar. Given that he is the Principal Secretary to the CM, it was natural
for him to have his office adjoining Kejriwal’s. Because he was his most
trusted aide, the two apparently go back together to their student days,
it was also natural for him to have files and other documents connected
with the CM’s office. Therefore, it was absolutely necessary for the CBI
to scrutinize all materials available in Kumar’s office.
From this to claim that the agency had raided the CM’s office was a
stretch. But nothing better can be expected from a bunch of opportunists
who have banded together under the banner of AAP. They miss no
opportunity to play a disruptive role in the polity. The question is: why
would AAP go all out to defend an IAS officer facing serious corruption
charges leveled by a fellow bureaucrat? This seems to have escaped all
those who are crying foul against the CBI and the Modi Government.
For the sake of argument, why should it matter if the CBI took a look
at the CM’s files if the CM has got nothing to hide? Of course, it is a
white lie that the CBI raided his ‘office’ in search of a file concerning
the Delhi and District Cricket Association, which at one time was headed
by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Kejriwal claims that he was about to
order an inquiry into the DDCA affairs. Before inventing the lie, Kejriwal
would have done himself a favour had he bothered to find out if he really
had jurisdiction over the DDCA.
No other government in free India has had as many parliamentary
secretaries as the Delhi Government, though it is not even a full-fledged
state. Distributing largesse to party supporters is the route Kejriwal has
chosen to keep his brood happy and under control. But he is in danger
of being exposed as a charlatan, hoodwinking the poor by offering free
water, power etc. while all the while furthering his own interests. Such
self-seeking has all along been the bane of politics. One more too cleverby-half practitioner foolish enough to call the Prime Minister of India a
‘psychopath’ needs to be exposed. He offers nothing but false hope.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
@SriSri
A good leader will find & nurture the
goodness even in those who have committed crimes. A poor leader tries to find
a fault even in a child!
‘By appreciation, we make excellence in
others our own property.’:)
Anupam Kher
@AnupamPkher
FB lets users call
Uber cars
SAN FRANCISCO:
Facebook announced an alliance
with Uber that lets people summon
cars from the ride sharing service
using the Messenger smartphone
application.
The partnership was a major move
for both California firms, further expanding Facebook's stand-alone
messaging service beyond simply
communicating and putting Uber in
a social network-backed application with some 700 million users.
'With this new feature, you can
request a ride from a car service
without ever needing to download
an extra app or leave a conversation,' product manager Seth Rosenberg said in a blog post.
'It's super easy and doesn't take
you away from the plans that you're
making with your friends or family.'
Uber was described as the first
partner in the launch of 'transportation on Messenger,' leaving the
door open to add Uber rivals as options for users of the smartphone
messaging service.
Uber is making its Messenger debut in the United States in the latest
version of the application. Rosenberg promised that more countries
and partners would be soon added.
People can access the feature
by tapping a 'transportation'
menu tab or can enter Uber
as a search query, according
to Facebook.
Updates on the status of drivers
will be delivered in Messenger, and
friends can be notified that a ride
has been summoned.
'With the ability to request, track
and pay for a ride in Messenger,
we're making transportation as simple as sending a message,' Rosenberg said.
CHENNAI
‘Justice for blood lost in Peshawar
school massacre’
ry of the attacks and remember the
victims, said the operation against
militants will continue until the threat
of militancy is eliminated.
In the aftermath of the Peshawar
attack, the government responded
by broadening the 'Zarb-e-Azb' military operation which was launched
Peshawar attack. File photo
PESHAWAR:
Teary-eyed relatives of children
massacred in a Taliban assault on
an army-run school in Peshawar
paraded the city carrying photos of
victims as Pakistan marked the first
anniversary of its worst terror attack
with Premier Nawaz Sharif vowing
revenge 'for every drop of blood'.
Sharif, army chief Gen Raheel
Sharif, Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf
chief Imran Khan and several top
leaders and security officials attended a ceremony here to remember
the victims of the brazen attack on
the Army Public School in which Tal-
iban gunmen in army uniforms killed
over 150 people, including 136 students, on 16 December last year.
Relatives of the attack victims participated in a parade in Peshawar,
holding pictures of their loved ones,
while rallies and demonstrations
were held in other parts of the country to pay tribute to the victims of the
assault.
Vowing revenge, Prime Minister
Sharif said the blood of the 'martyrs'
will not go waste. 'We will take revenge for every drop of your blood."
Sharif, while addressing the ceremony to observe the first anniversa-
defeat terrorism soon; we will defeat
the enemies of education and children and give a peaceful Pakistan
to our new generation,' Sharif said.
The Prime Minister said like all others he too had 'come with the feelings of grief and sorrow'. The attack
unified the divided nation because
Sharif also announced that 16
December will be observed as the
Day of National Resolve to Promote
Education
in June last year. The attack prompted the government to take several
measures, including lifting a moratorium on the death penalty and formulating the National Action Plan
against terrorism.
Pakistan earlier this month hanged
four men linked to the Peshawar attack. Sharif said the operation has
broken the back of terrorists and
the day was not far when terrorism
will be completely eliminated. "The
operation will continue and we will
'everybody felt the pain of attack', he
said. Sharif also said that it 'was exactly after this attack that I gave up
the idea of seeking peace with Taliban'. Sharif also announced that 16
December will be observed as the
Day of National Resolve to Promote
Education. The attack shocked the
country scarred by nearly a decade
of insurgency. Students and parents
still complain of ongoing trauma for
which many are still receiving psychological help.
US decides to lift
ban on oil export
WASHINGTON:
The US is set to lift a fourdecade ban on export of
oil, a move that may benefit countries like India by
giving them an option to
purchase crude from nonMiddle Eastern nations.
The measure allowing oil
exports is at the centre of
a deal Congressional leaders announced yesterday
on spending and tax legislation. Both the House and
Senate still must pass it and President Barack Obama must sign it into
law. This legislation is scheduled to
be voted on this week before Congress adjourns for winter break.
'We are lifting the government's
40-year-old ban on crude oil exports. This is big win for American
jobs and for our energy industry.
It's a big win for our manufacturers and for our foreign policy,' Paul
Ryan, Speaker of the US House of
Representatives told reporters after
Congressional leaders agreed on
the USD 1.1 trillion spending bill for
the current fiscal ending on 30 September 2016.
Ryan said it has been 40 years
since the ban was implemented in
1975 amid the Arab oil embargo
and petroleum shortages. In just the
past few years alone, the US lost
C
ICE, ICE BABY
80,000 jobs because oil producers
have been forced to scale back their
rigs by nearly 60 per cent.
Lifting the ban would create an estimated one million American jobs in
nearly all 50 states within a matter
of years, and it would add $170 billion annually to the US GDP, Ryan
said.
The move could benefit countries
like India in the long run, giving it
another option to purchase crude oil
from non-Middle eastern countries.
Ryan said US producers would
generate more than a million barrels
daily, which means more American
jobs and greater economic competitiveness in the global marketplace.
This means higher wages for hardworking Americans and greater
economic competitiveness in the in
the global marketplace, he argued.
PIC
Shepherds with the herd of sheep at a snow covered area after first
heavy snowfall, near Mughal Road in Shopian district. In the other
photograph, Central Reserve Police Force vehicles covered with snow
during heavy snowfall near Jawahar Tunnel in the Pir Panjal mountain
range at Qazigund in Anantnag.
Internet users must be free to
speak their minds: Xi Jinping
BEIJING:
Chinese citizens should have
the right to speak their minds on
the internet, president Xi Jinping
has claimed, just two days after a
prominent free speech advocate
was put on trial for sending seven
tweets.
Speaking at the start of a major
Beijing-organised conference on
the internet, Xi said it was crucial his
nation’s 670 million internet users
enjoyed online 'freedom', despite
widespread censorship and the
blocking of many foreign internet
services including Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia and Instagram.
'As in the real world, freedom and
order are both necessary in cyberspace,' Xi told the opening of the
so-called world internet conference,
taking place over three days in
Wuzhen, a town in eastern China.
'Freedom is what order is meant
for, and order is the guarantee of
freedom. We should respect internet users’ rights to exchange
ideas and express their minds and
we should also build good order
in cyberspace in accordance with
[the] law as it will help protect the
legitimate rights and interests of all
internet users.'
L ICK
Brazil court
orders 48-hour
WhatsApp block
SAO PAULO:
A court in Brazil has ordered cellular service providers nationwide to
block the popular WhatsApp smartphone application for two days.
The unprecedented 48-hour blockage was to implement a Sao Paulo
State court order and was to take effect at 0200 GMT today, although it
was not immediately clear if service
providers would acquiesce to the
order.
VOICE MAIL
Remove blocks
Xi Jinping
Hanging over Xi’s 25-minute adThe outspoken lawyer has
dress was the trial of Pu Zhiqiang,
138,000 followers on Twitter and
an internet-savvy civil rights lawyer
had a similarly large following on
who is facing eight years in prison
Chinese social networks, where his
for seven posts he made on Weibo,
accounts were repeatedly closed
China’s Twitter, criticisby government cenNEWS MAKER
ing the Communist party.
sors.
of the day
Pu went on trial in BeiXi’s speech made no
jing on Monday in what campaigndirect reference to Pu’s case which
ers described as a landmark freecritics have slammed as a 'sham
dom of speech case that will help
trial' - and offered no hint that Beidefine what can and cannot be said
jing would back away from its tight
on the Chinese internet in future.
control of the internet.
Sir,
Free passage of water is
blocked at storm water drain
(SWD) at 12th Street, Nanganallur, connecting Second Main
Road Nanganallur culvert, one
more SWD of 12th Street connecting 37th Street culvert, and
SWD of 37th Street connecting
Second Main Road of Nanganallur culvert. Because of this,
water from various parts of Nanganallur get blocked/stagnate at
12th Street and 37th Street.
S PADMANABHAN,
Nanganallur
ADDRESS YOUR LETTERS TO :
The Editor, News Today, 85, Mount Road,
Guindy, Chennai - 600 032.
or e-mail to : letters@newstodaynet.com /
newstodaydaily@gmail.com
Enterprise
CHENNAI
Coming soon: A subsidy
scheme for electronic
manufacturers
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI):
Government is in the process of
finalising guidelines for the subsidy
scheme aimed at companies manufacturing electronic items such as
chips and other advanced equipment,
a senior official said.
‘We have introduced an element
of production subsidy, now we are
in process of finalising guidelines
and since there are different kinds of
projects, we are looking for specific
technical inputs,’ Additional secretary
DeitY Ajay Kumar was quoted as saying in an Assocham statement.
Kumar invited suggestions from the
industry to take into consideration the
elements that require subsidy.
‘Where we need support in that is,
to be able to pinpoint what needs to
be subsidised and how, some work is
going on, the consultants are working on it, but any specific inputs from
industry are more than welcome,’
he said.
Kumar said the production subsidy
is very substantive and a huge differentiator with 10 per cent of the
turnover for 10 years and it is meant
for projects that are capital intensive
and possibly do not look attractive by
themselves.
Kumar also shared that the government is working on fabless chip design policy which aims to support the
companies involved in chip design.
He emphasised on the need to
manufacture low-priced laptops in
India to spur computer manufacturing. ‘Maybe a price point of Rs 10,000
and it cannot be a device which can
be seen as a low grade version of
laptop,’ Kumar said.
Google set for massive
expansion in India
Huge new campus, more recruitments, internet for all & more
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who
is on his first visit to India after taking over the top position of the tech
‘PITCH’AI
spots in 100 Indian train stations in the
coming year.
The India-born CEO said the company wanted to connect Indians in their
own languages and Android — the
most popular mobile operating system
PAUSE BUTTON
Google will introduce a pause
buffer feature allowing users to
pause video, leave it to buffer, even
leave the app or site and let it continue buffering, said Vice-President
of Engineering for YouTube, Eyal
Manor. He said content uploaded
on YouTube from India has also
doubled and time spent was growing at 150 per cent ahead of global
figures.
giant, has underlined the company’s
intention to push for more internet
adoption in India, announcing free
Wi-Fi in 100 railway stations as
promised to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to Silicon Valley
earlier this year.
At a Google India event in New Delhi
Wednesday, Pichai said India is a key
driver for Google’s growth and its venture arm, Google Capital, will invest
$20 million in Indian startups working
on crowd computing. It will hire more
engineers in its Hyderabad facility
to make for-India products. Also, a
big centre is going to come up in the
EIGHT STEPS
Google CEO Sundar Pichai at an event in New Delhi Wednesday.
capital city of Telengana.
Pichai, who was accompanied by
other top executives of the company,
STRONG STATEMENT
Sundar Pichai made a strong
statement about the important
role India will play in the overall
strategy. Pichai and other visiting Google executives made it
clear that India is at the heart of
company’s strategy not just as a
burgeoning base of users but as a
product development base.
announced plans to launch a ‘huge
new’ campus in Hyderabad and to
US rate hike &
its impact on us
creased selling of the American
currency by exporters even as the
US Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in nearly
a decade.
DEALERS SPEAK
Forex dealers said a higher opening in the domestic equity markets
also supported the rupee but the
dollar’s rise against other currencies
overseas after the American central
bank hiked interest rates by 0.25 per
cent, capped the gains.
PITCHING IN
‘India is not immune to potential
general emerging market jitters related to the Fed lift-off, but it is better placed than many of its peers
recruit more Indians for business
development too. Pichai said Mumbai
Central will the first of the 100 railway
stations, getting Wi-Fi connectivity by
December 2016.
‘India is at the center of a digital revolution today, with millions of Indians getting
online every month. India has always
been key for Google and we continue to
work towards evolving our product offerings for the unique needs of our users,’
Google said earlier in a media note.
By 2016, India is to have more Android users than the United States,
Pichai said. The company is partnering
with the government’s skill development arm to train 2 million developers
in India. It will roll out free public wi-fi
in India — was already supporting up to
11 local languages. He said YouTube
and Google Maps were already available offline in the country, while the
‘search team in India has made pages
lighter and they now load faster’.
Google Search VP Tamara Yehoshua said 50 per cent of Indian internet
users were on 2G networks, while
those on 3G were complaining of 2Glike speeds. ‘Google plans to fix that
with Google AMP pages,’ she said,
about the new product that is being
rolled out in India.
Global solar installations may
reach 64.7 GW in 2016: Report
for a number of reasons,’ Thomas
Rookmaaker, director, Sovereign
Ratings, Fitch Ratings was quoted
as saying in a statement.
MORE IN STORE
Secondly, India is less dependent
than several of its peers on commodity exports, and has thus not
been negatively affected by the
global rout in commodity prices,
he added.
‘Only a small part of India’s sovereign debt is held by foreigners
or is denominated in foreign currency. Fourth, India’s favourable
economic growth outlook makes
India relatively attractive for foreign investors,’ he added.
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI):
Global solar installations are expected to reach 64.7 GW next year,
up from 57.8 GW forecast for 2015,
clean energy communications and
consulting firm Mercom Capital
Group said today.
‘Mercom Capital
Group...forecasts another
year of solar growth with
installations expected to reach
64.7 GW in 2016 up from 57.8
GW forecast for 2015,’ the firm said in
a statement. The big three markets in
2016 will again be China, the United
States and Japan, it said.
‘The United States is set to overtake Japan as the second largest
solar market behind China. These
three countries will account for about
65 per cent of installations next
year,’ Mercom Capital Group CEO
and Co-Founder Raj Prabhu said.
China will continue to be the largest
solar market in the world, installing
approximately 19.5 GW in 2016,
it said. China has installed almost
10 GW in the first three quarters
this year, well ahead of 3.79 GW
installed in the same period
last year. The statement
added that ‘Mercom is
forecasting the United
States to install about 13
GW of solar next year which will be
the best year for US solar installations by far.’ Japan is expected to
install about 9 GW of solar in 2016,
it added.
Indian solar installations are expected to reach about 3.6 GW in
2016, significant growth compared
to the 2.1 GW forecasted for 2015,
it said.
Double taxation
in realty sector
on the way out
Federal Bank makes it
easy for flood victims
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
As a goodwill gesture to provide relief to the rainravaged citizens of Chennai, Federal Bank has
launched a special top-up loan scheme exclusively
for housing loan borrowers in the city for reconstruction, refurbishing and repainting their houses that
have been damaged in the recent floods.
As per the scheme, the existing home loan borrowers of the bank in Chennai region can available
top-up loans up to 50 per cent of their housing loan
limits subject to a maximum of Rs 25 lakh.
Addressing media persons in Chennai yesterday,
DGM, Zonal Head, Chennai, Srinivasan RC, said,
‘During the floods except for 2 December our branches and ATMs in Chennai functioned continuously.
‘He also said that that during the floods a task force
was formed to ensure the safety of their employees
and public at large.
Other bank customers can also avail the special top
up faciltiy if they shift their housing loans to federal
bank. The borrowers only need to submit a deceleration regarding the estimated expenses for repairing
their properties along with their latest income documents. The present rate of interest is 9.68 percent.
The scheme which is exclusive for borrowers in the
Chennai region will be open till 31 January. When
asked if the scheme would be extended to the Cuddalore region as well, he said it would be considered.
HONDA’S HELP
Contributing towards the normalcy of life after raging floods in Tamilnadu, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter
India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI) announced free vehicle checkup and service drive for all Honda two-wheeler
customers in the State. The drive will continue till
24 December, 2015. The activity has been specially
organised for the flood-hit areas requiring immediate
vehicle service, said a press release.
PRACTO’S DECISION
Practo has announced and released free online medical consultation Chennai citizens, targeted towards the
flood affected residents. This will continue as long as
needed to help the people in Chennai, said a press
note, adding: ‘ We hope this simplifies and accelerates
the urgent medical advice people need in the city.
‘Upon continuous monitoring of the situation over
this week, it was realised that as the waters recede,
the requirement for medical attention and information
will rapidly increase.’
Sundar Pichai wants to get a billion
Indians online. Here’s what he said
in New Delhi on Wednesday.
BETTER PERFORMANCE
AT LOW SPEED
SMART MAPS
OFFLINE YOUTUBE
RAILWIRE
PROJECT LOON
INTERNET BIKES
TRAINING PLAN
CHROMEBIT
Power from above
India in better position when compared to peers: Fitch
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
In a historic move, the US Federal
Reserve on Wednesday hike rates by
0.25 percent, the first hike in almost a
decade, a sign that the world`s largest
economy had overcome most of the
wounds of the global financial crisis.
India is better placed than many
of its peers after the American
central bank - the US Federal
Reserve - raised its key interest
rates, said credit rating agency
Fitch Ratings today.
TODAY’S INPUT
The rupee appreciated by 13
paise at 66.60 against the US
dollar in early trade today on in-
THURSDAY
17 DECEMBER 2015
Chennai, Coimbatore
shop online actively
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
Delhi NCR has been rated as the most
online shopping savvy city in the country,
closely followed by Bengaluru, Mumbai,
Chennai and Hyderabad, according to an
analysis by e-commerce giant Flipkart.
Southern India has a significant presence with Bengaluru, Hyderabad and
Chennai featuring among the top 5 cities that shop the most online along with
Delhi NCR and Mumbai, the report said.
Among Tier-1 cities, Pune is the leader
followed by Coimbatore, Ahmedabad
and Lucknow. Bhubaneswar is the only
city from East India to feature in this list.
Mangaluru, Karnataka, has emerged as
the top Tier-2 city of digital Indian shoppers followed by Mysuru. The hill town
of Dehradun is third in the list followed
by Salem in Tamilnadu and Guntur in
Andhra Pradesh.
The fi ndings have come up in ‘FlipTrends2015’, a comprehensive and indepth view into how India shops online.
The study was conducted across 50
million Indian shoppers between January
1 and December 14 2015, throwing light
AGE MATTERS
The e-retail space is largely dominated by consumers falling between
the age group of 25-34. More than
half of the consumers shopping online
are office goers closely followed by
students, the analysis said.
on current trends dominating the online
retail space.
Rising mobile internet penetration and
availability of a wide variety of brands
and products at affordable prices across
the country at the touch of the mobile
screen have truly made 2015 the year
of e-commerce in India, it said.
According to the analysis, electronics
and mobiles have emerged as the top
performing categories.
Ankit Nagori, Chief Business Offi cer
of Flipkart said, ‘2015 is truly the year
of the digital Indian consumer. The data
taken from FlipTrends shows that Indians
are taking to shopping online at a very
fast clip.’
Electronic accessories, mobile, lifestyle accessories and women apparel
are consistently the top performing
categories across all regions, the
analysis found.
The study shows that 69 per cent of
the online shoppers are male.
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI):
The government will consider the real estate industry’s demand to remove
double taxation on developers who have to pay
both labour cess as well
as PF/ESI, Labour Minister
Bandaru Dattatreya said
today.
Addressing a conference
organised by realtors’
apex body Credai, the
minister also expressed
concern over huge
amount of labour cess
being unutilised. Around
Rs 16,000 crore is lying in
the treasuries of the state
governments, he added.
I, NAVEEN, Son of Thiru
S.Basker, born on 6th
October 1997 (native district:
Chennai), residing at No. 36/A,
Chengalani Amman Koil 1st
Cross Street, Narayanapuram,
Pallikarani, Chennai-600 100,
shall henceforth be known as
S.B NAVEEN RAJ.
NAVEEN
Chennai,17th December 2015.
5
SBI plans to raise
equity, non-equity
capital
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI):
SBI is looking to raise both equity
and non-equity capital through issuance of preferential shares and
bonds, and a meeting of the Committee of Directors is slated for Monday
to consider these proposals.
‘A meeting of the Committee of
Directors is scheduled to be held
on December 21, 2015, inter alia, to
consider authorising the chairman to
fix the date of a meeting of the shareholders for raising capital,’ it said in a
regulatory filing today.
The committee will also examine the
status and decide on requirements of
raising additional non-equity capital
by way of additional tier-I and/or tier-II
bonds in USD/rupee.
The additional tier I or II capital
is to be ‘considered as regulatory
capital under Basel III guidelines to
be issued to Indian and/or overseas
investors, in one or more tranches,
through a public offer and/or private
placement’.
The committee will also look into
the requirements and preparedness
of drafting the annual information
memorandum to be submitted to
stock exchanges in terms of Sebi
(Listing Obligation and Disclosure
Requirements) Regulations 2015.
Earlier in September, Sebi notified the
amended listing regulations allowing
listed companies to seek shareholders’ nod for related party deals via
ordinary resolutions as well
as aligning the rules with the Companies Act, 2013.
A 90-day period has been given to
listed companies to implement the
revised norms. The SBI stock closed
at Rs 227.30 on BSE today, up 0.53
per cent.
Where do seized
puzzles go?
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI):
Over 93,500 tonnes of pulses seized
from hoarders have been offloaded
in the retail markets, the government
said today adding that this will help
curb prices of lentils further. Pulses
prices have declined from the peak
of Rs 200 per kg in October to Rs
180 per kg at present in most retail
markets due to various government
measures including curbs on hoarding of pulses stocks.
Prices of key pulses, especially tur
and urad, have shot up unabated in
the last few months due to a fall in
domestic output by 2 million tonnes
in 2014-15 crop year (July-June) due
to deficit monsoon.
As per reports received from the
state governments, about 1,30,613
tonnes of pulses was seized from
hoarders out of which, 93,507.83
tonnes of pulses has been offloaded in the market, an official
statement said.
FORM NO 5
FORM NO 5
In the High court of judicature
at Madras
In the High court of judicature
at Madras
(Ordinary Original Civil Jurisdiction)
Company Petition No.494 of 2015
Connected with
Company Application No.1102 of 2015
In the matter of Companies Act, 1956
And
In the matter of section 391 To 394
of the companies Act, 1956 and
In the matter of Scheme of
Amalgamation of
Diesel Machinery Works Private Limited
(Transferor Company)
with
DMW CNC Solutions India Private Limited
(Transferee Company)
And
Their Respective Shareholders
DMW CNC Solution India Private Limited
8;'
Near Maharaja Women’s Hostel,
;<!"
(Ordinary Original Civil Jurisdiction)
Company Petition No.493 of 2015
Connected with
Company Application No.1101 of 2015
In the matter of Companies Act, 1956
And
In the matter of section 391 To 394
of the companies Act, 1956 and
In the matter of Scheme of
Amalgamation of
Diesel Machinery Works Private Limited
(Transferor Company)
with
DMW CNC Solutions India Private Limited
(Transferee Company)
And
Their Respective Shareholders
Diesel Machinery Works Private Limited
Erode Main Road, Pichandampalayam
!"
Rep. by Mr. M. Swaminathaswamy, Director
Petitioner/ Transferee Company
NOTICE OF PETITION
A Petition under section 391 to 394
of the Companies Act, 1956 for
sanction of scheme of amalgamation
among Diesel Machinery Works
Private Limited (Transferor Company)
with DMW CNC Solutions India
Private Limited (Transferee Company)
was presented by the Petitioner/
Transferee Company on the 6th day
of November 2015, it was admitted on
the 25th day of November 2015 and
# $ #
before the Company Judge on the
02nd January 2016. Any person who
intends either to oppose or support
the petition at the hearing should
send notice of his intention to the
Petitioner’s Advocate so as to reach
him not later than two days previous
# % $ # #
petition. Where he seeks to oppose the
petition, the grounds of the opposition
or a copy of his affidavit shall be
furnished with such notice. A copy of
the petition will be furnished by the
undersigned to any person requiring
the same on payment of prescribed
charges for the same.
Dated at Chennai on this the 16th day
of December 2015
Mr. R.Inbaraju
Counsel for Petitioner
No.10/17, Anandam Colony,
South Canal Bank Road
'*+#"
Rep. by Mr. Shanmugam, Director
Petitioner/ Transferee Company
NOTICE OF PETITION
A Petition under section 391 to 394 of
the Companies Act, 1956 for sanction
of scheme of amalgamation among
Diesel Machinery Works Private
Limited (Transferor Company) with
DMW CNC Solutions India Private
Limited (Transferee Company)
was presented by the Petitioner/
Transferor company on the 6th day of
November 2015, it was admitted on
the 25th day of November 2015 and
#
$#
before the Company Judge on the
02nd January 2016. Any person who
intends either to oppose or support
the Petition at the hearing should
send notice of his intention to the
Petitioner’s Advocate so as to reach
him not later than two days previous
# % $ # #
petition. Where he seeks to oppose
the petition, the grounds of the
&&
&%#
shall be furnished with such notice. A
copy of the petition will be furnished
by the undersigned to any person
requiring the same on payment of
prescribed charges for the same.
Dated at Chennai on this the 16th day
of December 2015
Mr. R.Inbaraju
Counsel for Petitioner
No.10/17, Anandam Colony,
South Canal Bank Road
'*+#"
6 THURSDAY
17 DECEMBER 2015
Sports
CHENNAI
Relief for Materazzi as CFC
seals finale berth
We are devastated: ATK striker Hume
Kolkata, Dec 17 (PTI):
Devastated after losing to Chennaiyin FC on 2-4 aggregate in
the Indian Super League football
semifinals here, Atletico de Kolkata
forward Iain
Hume blamed the defeat on the
lack of work ethic of his team while
Chennaiyin FC coach Marco Materazzi was relieved after his team
made the final.
Requiring a 3-0 win to overturn
their first leg deficit, ATK beat
Chennaiyin 2-1 in the semifinals
second leg yesterday but that was
not enough for them to go through
to the finals. Chennaiyin, who beat
ATK 3-0 in the first leg, booked a
final berth on 4-2 aggregate.
ATK scored through Dejan Lekic
and Hume himself but their hope for
a third goal went up in smoke after
their former player Fikru Teferra
struck an injury time goal to seal a
final berth for Chennaiyin.
ATK coach Antonio Habas was
furious and was seen shouting at
Chennaiyin FC celebrate the goal in the second leg of the ISL semifinal
against ATK. The team advanced on a better goal aggregate.
referee Yudai Yamamoto, protesting
the alleged unsporting behaviour of
the opponents. Habas was later sent
off by the referee.
‘Refereeing was decent today but
Mourinho
battles to save
job at Chelsea
Jose Mourinho
London, Dec 17:
Jose Mourinho could be fighting to
save his job amid a toxic atmosphere
in the dressing room after he accused
his Chelsea players of betrayal this
week, according to the club’s former
striker Tony Cascarino.
A 2-1 defeat at Leicester City on
Monday, the ninth loss in 16 Premier
League games for the champions,
has fuelled speculation that owner
Roman Abramovich is poised to part
company with the Portuguese coach
who has won three league titles for
the club.
The club’s hierarchy were reportedly discussing Mourinho’s position
on Wednesday, although not at an
‘emergency’ meeting as some media
had described.
With the reigning champions just
one point above the bottom three,
however, Cascarino believes failure
to beat fellow strugglers Sunderland
this weekend at Stamford Bridge
could signal the end for Mourinho.
‘We must be surprised (that he has
not been sacked),’ Cascarino, who
spent two years at the club from 199294, told Sky Sports News.
‘History shows us, we’ve seen (Luiz
Felipe) Scolari, Andre Villas-Boas,
Roberto Di Matteo all make very
quick exits.
‘The only people I feel are still behind him are the fans, they still sing
his name because they have so much
affection for him but they are losing
football match after football match.’
Mourinho accused some of his
players of ‘betraying his work’ after
the defeat by Leicester on Monday,
and Cascarino believes he is now on
dangerous ground.
‘There is a fine line, how far you take
it, how much criticism you can give to
your team?’ he said.
‘Behind closed doors you can say
a lot more but when you go public
and talk of betrayal you are taking it
to a level that a lot of players in that
dressing room won’t like.
‘They’ll start looking at Jose and
thinking, forget about us, what about
you? They will start looking at him,
and it could make a toxic atmosphere
in the dressing room.’
Cascarino said Eden Hazard’s hasty
exit from the pitch after picking up a
knock early on at Leicester was a
worrying sign.
it was poor on Saturday. It’s been
up and down the whole season. The
end of the game was ruined by lack
of (work) ethic. We’re devastated not
going into the final,’ Hume told the
Dwayne Bravo laments poor administration,
lack of infrastructure in Caribben
Melbourne, Dec 17:
Dwayne Bravo lamented the sorry
state of West Indies cricket, saying
‘too much politics’ was killing the
game in the Caribbean, and that the
administrators needed to take a hard
look at themselves.
Bravo, who was asked about the
team’s innings-and-212-run loss to
Australia in the first Test in Hobart,
said it was painful to see West Indies slip to one big loss after another
despite having the personnel to compete. He pointed the gradual decline
to a host of factors, including external
interference and lack of infrastructure.
‘We’ve got the players to be up there
with the best in the world, but there
are a lot of things going on,’ said
Bravo, who is in Australia to play
for the Melbourne Renegades
in the Big Bash League.
‘We don’t have proper
grounds, proper nets
or a proper academy.
All these things are a
part of our downfall.
‘The relationship
between players,
board members
and management
Lanka faces stern test on green-top
Kane Williamson
Williamson, who fronted the media
on Thursday instead of his captain
on the eve of the match at a lushlooking Seddon Park in Hamilton,
played down the injury but admitted the digit could be fractured.
‘You get a few knocks on fingers
and when it doesn’t get hit, it
settles a little bit, gets
less sensitive, but
it’s just something
I need to mana g e , ’
s a i d
Williamson, who scored
88 and 71 in the 122run victory over the
tourists in the first test
in Dunedin.
The 25-year-old
righthander, who
passed 1,000 Test
runs for 2015 at University Oval and is averaging 88.58 this year,
said he had not yet had the
injury checked by the team’s medical staff.
Rio de Janeiro, Dec 17 (AFP):
Brazil legends Pele and Zico have
signed an open letter calling for
change in the Brazilian Football
Confederation (CBF), starting with
the departure of its president, who
is facing corruption charges in the
United States.
‘We demand the definitive resignation of (CBF president) Marco Polo
Del Nero and his directors, followed
by free and democratic elections,’
read a statement following an initiative by Bom Senso FC (‘Common
Sense FC’), a collective of current and
former players led by 1994 World Cup
winner Rai.
Among the 130 signatories of the
letter were the recently-retired goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni, the coach Tite
and the prominent singer-songwriter
Chico Buarque.
The letter also called for the elections to be held ‘without the current
electoral threshold, a mechanism
which prevents the emergence of
independent positions in the system
because it demands candidates obtain eight signatures from federations
and five from clubs.’
Del Nero, 74, asked to be placed on
leave at the beginning of this month
‘in order to dedicate himself to prepar-
‘Too much politics
killing cricket in WI’
Williamson plays
down injury fears
Wellington, Dec 17:
As if a pitch that can barely be
distinguished from the outfield
was not enough for New Zealand
captain Brendon McCullum to
worry about ahead of
the
second Test against
Sri Lanka, it turns
out his top batsman
may have a broken
finger.
Kane
post-match news conference.
Hume said his side tried their best
but it was not enough. He also hailed
the huge crowd turnout of 68340
who were cheering for every move
by ATK.
Elated at the progress his side into
their maiden final, Materazzi credited the entire team for their success.
‘I congratulate the whole team right
now. They believe in what they’re
doing. This for me is the biggest
satisfaction. We had a great game,’
he said.
‘I always knew we had the potential. We just had to come out good
at certain points. Now, we have to
enjoy the final as the boys deserve
to be in there.’
Materazzi said the refereeing
standard was fine and added his
counterpart Habas’ remonstration
was natural.
‘The referee really did a great job
under pressure. Habas might have
lost a bit of control but that happens.
He also wants to win.
Pele wants Brazil
soccer chief to go
‘It’s just quite sore,’ he said. ‘I
don’t think many people play at 100
per cent every day and it’s just the
nature of professional sport.’
Broken fi nger or not, McCullum
will be hoping Williamson is able to
battle through the five days at Seddon Park and help his side seal a
2-0 series victory.
McCullum is keen that the momentum built across the Tasman Sea,
despite an unlucky 2-0 loss to Steve
Smith’s team, is maintained as he
looks ahead to the return series
against Australia in February.
New Zealand will be unchanged
for the match, opting to retain
a four-pronged pace attack with
rookie all-rounder Mitchell Santner
providing the spin option in his first
Test on his home ground.
The wicket block looked a green
swathe two days before the Test
and the side that wins the toss is
likely to bowl first, though Williamson felt swing would probably be
more important a factor than seam.
‘Every surface that we play on
here starts out green,’ said Williamson. ‘I think that it will be
a good cricket surface but if it
swings, that’s when I think it offers
more to the bowlers.
staff needs to get stronger and
tighter. They need to have a lot more
honesty. There are a lot of dishonest
people in charge at the moment.’
Bravo did not mince words when
he said it was time administrators
stopped talking up a glorious past
and started looking ahead.
His remarks follow those of Michael
Holding who said the WICB
was ‘dysfunctional, untrustworthy and not liked
by the employees,’
while Brian L a r a
squarely laid the blame on the administrators for ‘bad governance.’
‘It’s painful to see this is the stage
our cricket has reached, (given) at
one point in time we were the best
team in the world,’ Bravo said.
‘If those in charge keep harping on
about the past and not trying to do
anything for the present then we’ll always have these type of interviews,
we’ll have back and forth with explayers saying this and current
players saying that. The rest
of the world will go on and
we’ll always be backwards.’
Bravo, who was West Indies
captain until the tour of India
in October 2014, was sacked
after the team abandoned the tour midway over a payment dispute with
the WICB and the
West Indies players’ association.
He was also subsequently left out
of the World Cup
squad and has not
Dwayne Bravo
played an ODI since
October 2014.
Slammers trumps
Indian Aces
Dubai, Dec 17 (PTI):
Micromax Indian Aces suffered their
second loss in the tournament with
a 16-27 defeat at the hands of OUE
Singapore Slammers on the final
day of the Dubai leg of the International Premier Tennis League here
yesterday.
Despite the loss, Indian Aces still
maintained their top spot with Games
Won percentage of 55.2. They have
won eight of their 10 matches played
so far with 257 Games Won as
against 207 Games Lost.
With just the Singapore leg (18-20
December) left in the tournament,
Indian Aces are in a strong position
to make it the final in the five-team
tournament. The top two teams on the
standings table will play the Season
2 final on 20 December.
At the Dubai Duty Free Stadium on
Wednesday, Indian Aces could win just
one out of the five sets in the contest.
Singapore Slammers were one
set up after Carlos Moya won the
men’s legends singles 6-0 against
Fabrice Santoro before Indian Aces’
Agnieszka Radwaniska brought it to
even terms with a 6-3 victory over Belinda Bencic in the women’s singles.
The Slammers, however, won the
last three sets to score a comprehensive win.
The combine of Dustin Brown and
Karolina Pliskova beat Indian Aces
duo of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna in the mixed doubles before
Andy Murray-Marcelo Melo pair
defeated Ivan Dodic/Bernard Tomic
6-4 in men’s doubles.
Pele
ing his defence” in the US case and a
separate FIFA ethics inquiry.
The US corruption investigation
has targeted Del Nero as well as his
predecessors at the head of the CBF,
Jose Maria Marin (2012 to 2015) and
Ricardo Teixeira (1989 to 2012).
The letter also called for the Brazilian
authorities to open their own investigation into the corruption allegations.
The CBF was due to meet on
Wednesday to appoint a vice-president in place of Marin -- who was
arrested by Swiss police in Zurich
along with six other FIFA officials on
27 May and has since been extradited
to the United States -- and Del Nero
should he not return to his position.
Modi back as RCA prez;
promises transparent
functioning
London, Dec 17 (PTI):
With decks cleared for him to
continue as president of Rajasthan
Cricket Association (RCA) following rival Amin pathan’s withdrawal
of ‘No Confidence Motion’, former
IPL commissioner Lalit Modi in
a series of tweets spoke about
making the State association
‘transparent.’
‘Will be transparent in all our dealings and create every opportunity
for our cricketers to flourish. Cricket
in #RCA will always be FIRST!,’
Modi, who is currently based out of
London, said in one of his tweets.
With Team Rajasthan being
fielded under BCCI banner, Modi
said that he will work to regain
RCA’s lost pride.
‘Will work towards retaining top
#Cricket association tag for #RCA
and leading the way in organizational efficiency & commitment,’
he said.
He also spoke about improving
infrasructure.
‘Will create a #HighPerformanceCenter in #Rajasthan & put a 100Day mission document to effect
changes & make up for lost time
for cricketers,’ he tweeted.
‘Install Talent Resource Development Wing in #Rajasthan to
unearth new talent from districts &
produce national level cricketers in
2-3 yrs. There will be infrastructural
improvements, talent identification
& enrichment programmes. Will
improve support mechanism &
focus on execution,’ he also added.
Murray may leave
Aus Open early
Dubai, Dec 17:
Andy Murray will leave the Australian Open early if his wife goes into
labor prematurely.
Kim Sears isn’t expecting until
mid-February, but Murray told the
Daily Mail newspaper that he’s
prepared to withdraw from the first
major of the year if she goes into
labor early.
‘I’d go home. For sure, yes,’ Murray
said in Wednesday’s edition. ‘I want
to make sure at the beginning I am
there as much as I can be to try and
help out, just be there for whatever is
really required of me.’
The Australian Open, where Murray
has reached the final four times but
never won, runs from 18-31 January.
Regardless of his result, Murray said
he’s taking off all of February, and
won’t play again until the first round
of the Davis Cup in early March at
home against Japan. Britain will be
defending the trophy that Murray
led them to last month.
The second-ranked Murray
said he is looking forward to
becoming a father.
‘I am excited about that,’
he said. ‘People have asked
me, ‘Do you think it will be
a distraction?’ It might be
a distraction but it’s a good
distraction.
‘It’s actually not good to all
the time be just concentrating
on tennis and your training all
of the time. It is important ... when you
finish on the practice court, be able to
just go away and be with your friends
and your family.’
Murray also reunited with coach
Amelie Mauresmo, and her first child
Aaron, in Dubai this week. Mauresmo
gave birth in August and Murray
hadn’t seen her since Wimbledon
in July.
‘I really enjoy working with her,’
he said. ‘The last six months not
seeing
her, it’s just nice to
have her back
as
part of the
team, and
get that continuity going
again.’
Andy Murray
Mixed Bag
CHENNAI
THURSDAY
17 DECEMBER 2015
7
Time to say ‘thank you, jawans’
q Seva Bharathi felicitates Army personnel for rescue worse during Chennai floods
q Col Pillai receives honour on behalf of his men
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
Army personnel who risked their
lives to save others during the
Chennai floods were honoured by
Seva Bharathi at the Vijay Diwas
event held in Purasawalkam on
Wednesday.
The surrender of Pakistan General
Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi along with
93,000 soldiers during the 1971
Bangladesh war is celebrated in
India as Vijay Diwas. This year, the
defence personnel involved in the
Chennai flood relief were also honoured as part of Vijay Diwas.
Lt Col A Raja Pillai, General Staff
Officer, Chennai HQ, South India,
accepted a trophy that was presented by Seva Bharathi to honour
all the Army men involved in the
rescue ops in Chennai.
Seva Bharathi Tamilnadu state
organising secretary Rama Rajasekar said it was a proud moment for
the volunteers to have assisted the
defence personnel.
The members may not have the
physical training of the Army men,
but they are prepared mentally to
help, he said. This was evident when
From the horse’s mouth
Seva Bharathi
mission
l
People rescued: 1,350
l
Volunteers: 5,500
l
Food packets distributed: 21 lakh
l
Medical camps held: 133
l
Doctors: 160
l
Beneficiaries: 23,000
l
Relief camps: 118
volunteers went out on their own to
63 places to provide relief.
Talking about rehabilitation efforts,
Rajasekar said they gave a basic
survival kit to 63,000 families and
their aim is to reach one-and-a-half
lakh families. They have got down
to cleaning schools and colleges.
All this, when the houses of the
volunteers were submerged in neckdeep water.
‘While some left their families in
relief centres and continued with
the relief operations, there are also
those who involved their whole family in the work. Others took leave
Lt Col Raja Pillai receiving a trophy from senior RSS leader Narayana
Rao in Chennai yesterday. Seva Bharathi honoured army personnel
involved in Chennai rescue operations. Shriram City Union Finance
Limited ED Subhashree Shriram and Ramakrishna Math manager
Swami Vimurthanandha are present.
from their office to do volunteering
work,’ he said with gratitude.
Col (retd) D Pratip Kumar praised
the efforts of the youth of Chennai.
He said, ‘I saw youngsters wading
through the water and rescuing people. Army people are trained to do
this, but this is the first time I have
seen common people showing such
camaraderie.’
Shriram City Union Finance ED and
CFO, Subhasri Shriram, said it was
a learning experience for the youngsters to work with the Army.
Lt Col A Raja Pillai said he was just a representative of the more than
thousand jawans who risked their lives during the rescue operations.
‘It was on 1 December we got information that people were stranded, and
within the next two hours, 15 teams were deployed to the most affected
regions like Mudichur, Kotturpuram and Porur. Special teams were deployed
from Bangalore and Hyderabad in the next 24 hours,’ he said.
Apart from the pouring rain and rising water, language was the biggest
barrier. ‘Finding an address in Chennai even in normal conditions is a
Herculean task. We tried our best to depute in every team a soldier who
knows the language.’
As they were unable to land at waterlogged Chennai airport, taking the
road from Arakkonam was not easy.
Though the Army quarters of our personnel were also flooded, we said our
men would be used only to rescue civilians, he recalled.
The 24/7 control room set up at Island Grounds still functions. The helpline
numbers were flashed in FB, Twitter, WhatsApp and ADGPI website. It
proved useful as, on an average, they received three calls a minute.
The well-trained jawans themselves had a tough time swimming in the
water and used ropes to secure themselves. The men did not just rescue
people but also shared their own food and water with the victims who had
not eaten for days. Giving a pat for Chennaiites, the Lt Colonel said the
people rose like a phoenix - only this time it was from water. Together, they
made the natural disaster fail, he said in praise.
The Army saved more than 19,500 people, gave 2 lakh food packets and
has used four medical teams till date.
When Lt Colonel Pillai said we are here for you; the Army will be always
with you, there was thunderous applause and a few whistles from the
grateful audience.
‘Cong doing research
to stall Parliament’
q Arun Jaitley will not quit, says Venkaiah Naidu
New Delhi, Dec 17:
In a scathing attack at the Congress, the BJP has accused the
principal opposition party of working
on a spit and run strategy against
the government, while also rejected
demands for the resignation of
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over
the alleged Delhi District Cricket
Association (DDCA) scam.
Addressing reporters outside the
Parliament, Parliamentary Affairs
Minister Venkaiah Naidu said, ‘They
(Congress) are doing research to
find new issues to stall Parliament
everyday.’
Naidu asserted that the government, from day one, has been open
to discussing all issues but the Opposition, especially the Congress,
‘Govt ready for
AAP targets FM over corruption
The raid on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office was an attempt
to cover corruption activities in the DDCA, members of the AAP party alleged today.
‘Under Arun Jaitley’s tenure, a budget of Rs. 24 crore was approved to
construct the DDCA stadium. But Rs.114 crore was spent,’ AAP Spokesperson Raghav Chadha said. ‘We demand Arun Jaitley to publicly declare
what is his relation with Narendra Batra, who was DDCA Treasurer,’ he said.
‘Jaitley must resign to ensure fair probe by agencies some of which are
under Finance Ministry,’ he added.
has never been interested. ‘Spit and
run is the strategy of the Congress,’
he quipped and accused the party
of trying to deflect attention from the
National Herald case.
Naidu added that the whole country is looking at the Parliament for
forward movement on the reform
process but the Congress is only
wanting to keep disrupting the Parliament. ‘Their strategy will boomerang on them,’ Naidu said.
Naidu also defended his cabinet
colleague Arun Jaitely over the
alleged scam in the Delhi Cricket
Association. ‘No question of resignation of Arun Jaitley ji, he is an
honest person,’ he stressed.
Panel to probe
AI technician’s
death in Mumbai
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI):
Expressing grief over the death of
an Air India technician at Mumbai
airport, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma today said that a
committee has been set up under the
Air India CMD to look into the incident.
Sharma also said that an ex-gratia
amount of Rs 5 lakh has been granted
to the victim’s family.
‘It is very sad. We have lost a young
engineer. A committee has been set up
to investigate the incident and it has already started the probe,’ said Sharma.
The committee, comprising Air India
Chairman and Managing Director
Ashwani Lohani and senior DGCA officials, has already reached Mumbai,
he added.
The Minister said that the committee
will investigate all issues related to the
freak accident last evening in which
Ravi Subramanian got sucked into the
engine of an Air India aircraft during
push back at the Mumbai airport. He,
however, refused to elaborate further,
saying that ‘it will be too premature to
comment until the findings of the probe
are out’.
MARGAZHI SPECIAL
debate on petro
A view of the waterlogged stretch at Moovendar Nagar, Iyyappanthangal
in Chennai today.
Iyyapanthangal
still waterlogged
NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 17:
Even as rains stopped, waterlogging continues to be a problem
in various parts of the city and its
suburbs.
Moovendar Nagar, Iyyapanthangal, is one such locality where
waterlogging continues to trouble
people for more than 10 days. With
waist-level water, in most areas,
many residents have already fled
to their relatives’ homes.
Apart from waterlogging, the rest
of them also suffer other problems.
The most terrifying is danger of electrocution near electric poles while
wading through the water to reach
Poonamallee High Road. Worse,
the water is mixed with sewage.
Many locals are deeply worried that
this might lead to the outbreak of an
epidemic. Though residents have
complained to the civic authorities,
no action has been taken yet.
A local official said lack of drainage
mechanism was the main cause for
flooding and the authorities were
working on a methodology to solve
the grave problem.
With more than 100 individual
houses and residential apartments
greatly affected by the waterlogging,
residents hope that the higher officials take notice of this and solve
the issue.
product prices’
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI):
The government is ready for a discussion on the issue of petroleum
prices, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said in the
Lok Sabha as a notice of adjournment motion moved by some opposition members was disallowed.
Soon after the House met for the
day, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan
said she had received notices of
adjournment motion from Mallikarjun Kharge and Veerappa Moily
(Cong), Bhagwant Mann (AAP), A
Sampath (CPI-M), Saugata Roy
(TMC) among others, but was disallowing them.
She said while some issues have
already been raised, others could
be raised during Zero Hour. When
Kharge wanted to know the exact
time when he would be allowed to
speak, she said an accurate time
cannot be decided.
Devotees having a look at the 12 Jothir Lingams put up by Brahma Kumaris near Toll Gate near Thirovottiyur
in Chennai today. The Lingams are installed every year during the month of Margazhi.
Reservation should
continue in India: RSS
q Mohan Bhagwat stresses on need to end discrimination
Nagpur, Dec 17 (PTI):
Making a complete u-turn from his
previous statement that the quota
system needed a review, RSS Chief
Mohan Bhagwat has said reservation
should continue in the country as long
as there was social discrimination
and asserted that the Sangh was not
in favour of scrapping it.
‘RSS is of the firm opinion that
there is no question of scrapping the
reservation system. Reservation in
the country should continue as long
as social discrimination prevails in
the Indian society,’ Bhagwat said
while delivering a lecture on ‘social
assimilation’ here last evening.
On ‘social assimilation’, the RSS
chief said the beginning should be
from self and extended to the immediate family, extended family and
the society.
‘This should be done by respecting
the diversity in the society, but following the values and philosophy behind
the spirit of Hinduism,’ he said.
Elaborating the concept of ‘social
harmony and integrity’, Bhagwat said,
Mohan Bhagwat
‘No religion, sect, social reformer or
saint supported discrimination between human beings. Equality has
been the essence at the origin of
every sect, which was later divided
into castes and sects by us. Discrimination also was born out of behaviour
of the people.’
Bhagwat, however, stressed on the
need to end the discrimination and
reject traditions that were redundant.
‘In the name of tradition, this discrimination should not be allowed to continue further. The feelings of those
who have suffered for thousands of
years, must be understood. Some
sections of the society tolerated the
discrimination and injustice for a long
period,’ he opined.
India team for Oz
tour on Saturday
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI):
The selection committee of the
Cricket Board (BCCI) will meet here
on Saturday to pick the Indian team
for the upcoming limited-overs tour of
Australia, starting 12 January.
‘The All-India Senior Selection Committee of the BCCI will meet on Saturday at 5 p.m, 19 December, 2015 at
the Hotel ITC Maurya, Delhi, to select
the Indian team for the forthcoming
tour of Australia,’ a BCCI release said.
India’s short three-week tour of Australia will have five ODIs and three T20
Internationals starting on 12 January
and ending on 31 January.
During the tour, India will play matches at all major venues like MCG, SCG,
WACA, Adelaide Oval and Gabba in
Brisbane.
SCHEDULE:
ODI series: 12 January: India vs Australia, WACA Ground, Perth;
15 January: India vs Australia, Gabba,
Brisbane;
17 January: India vs Australia, Melbourne Cricket Ground;
20 January: India vs Australia, Manuka Oval, Canberra;
23 January: India vs Australia, Sydney Cricket Ground.
T20 Internationals: 26 January: India
vs Australia, Adelaide Oval;
29 January: India vs Australia, Melbourne Cricket Ground;
31 January: India vs Australia, Sydney Cricket Ground.
8 THURSDAY
17 DECEMBER 2015
, CHENNAI
Licensed to post without prepayment under WPP. No. TN / PMG / (CCR) / WPP-470 / 15-17
TOMORROW IN SABHAS
Mudhra, Infosys Hall, T Nagar
Sankaran Namboodri,
6.15 pm
Tapas festival, Tatvaloka Auditorium, Eldams Road
Ramana Balachandra,
4 pm
Sividya Sridharkumar,
5.15 pm
Tirumala Brothers,
6.30 pm
Mylapore Fine Arts Club
Sugantha Kalamegham,
4 pm
Hyderabad Brothers,
6.30 pm
Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha
Lec-dem by Madurai T N Seshagopalan,
8.30 am
P Vaantha Kumar (veena),
10 am
Kruthi Bhatt,
12.30 pm
Siddharth Sriram,
2 pm
Sublime Journey - Veena & Sitar Jugalbandhi - Nirmala and Gaurav, 4 pm
Malladi Brothers,
6.30 pm
Sri Krishna Gana Sabha
Maha Bhaktha Vijayam by Vittaldas Jayakrishna Dikshitar,
T V Sankaranarayanan,
Bharathanatyam by Manjari Chandrasekhar,
Bharat Sundar,
Neena Prasad (Mohiniattam),
Meenakshi Sundararajan Fine Arts Academy
Shanmuga Priya (Bharathanatyam),
Lalitha Mohan,
Parvati Ravi Ghantasala (Bharathanatyam),
A
RA GA,
S GA
Of kolams &
kutcheries
Poignant
Pantuvarali
A
Margazhi begins, so do
series of activities
7 am
9.30 am
1.30 pm
4 pm
7 pm
S
treets marked with colourful
huge kolams, soulful bhajans,
music concerts, dance performances
, and religious fervor have all begun
to charecterise areas of the city
dominated by the devout and culturally inclined.
Localities around temples wear
a festive appearance and will be
agog with activities from the early
morning till late night. Early
mornings will be charecterised by devout sojourns to
the nearby temples and ardent
prayers. Evenings will be busy
with attending their favourite
concerts and performances at
the numerous sabhas in and around
the locality.
A devout lady, Choodamani, is
ready with a host of kolams to adorn
her doorstep everyday of the month.
‘Everyday I will draw a huge kolam at
the entrance of my home and colour
it. I will decide the kolam for the next
day on the previous night and practice it on paper so that I can draw it
perfectly the next morning. I will use
many colours to make it attractive and
will not repeat any kolam during the
30 days’, she says.
11.30 am
2.30 pm
6 pm
MERRY MELODIES
Carnatic vocalist Bharathi Ramasubban performing at the
annual Iyal Isai Nataka Vizha of Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha
in T Nagar Wednesday.
Photo: B Anand
The drawing of kolams, in the
early morning was emphasised
in those days
as
ex-
p o s u r e
to the
morning air
of Marghazhi was believed to ward
of many diseases’, she adds.
People residing near temples are
looking forward to the dawn of spiritually elevating mornings.’ The
atmosphere will be full of religious
fervor. Everybody in traditional attire
will be on their way to temples. It will
be spiritually elevating to hear the
melodious of Thiruppavai relayed
from the temples also’, remarked a
resident .
‘It is also time for soul stirring
bhajans in areas like Mylapore ,
which are totally absent during other
days. The songs elevate us spiritually
and induce us to join in sometimes.
We forget everything and are at
peace. When we play host to some
of these bhajan groups by serving
them hot drinks and tiffin, at our home
our spirits of service receive a fillip’,
remarked a devout Mylaporean.
The cultural buffs are not far behind.
With numerous cultural and religious
activities in and around temples, our
culture receives a rejuvenation. It is
an eye opener for our youth and also
the time to draw them into the cultural
fold’, they opine.
- V PADMASINI
meditative raga, Pantuvarali
brings forth a wide gamut of
emotions when elaborated, and is
one of the favourite ragas of rasikas and performers alike. It has a
hint of pathos, intense yearning a
pleading quality.
Purya Dhanasri in Hindustani
closely resembles Pantuvarali.
Kamavardhini and Kashi Ramakriya are other names by which
this scale is known. In ancient
Tamil music, this scale is called
Sadari Pann.
Some of the popular krithis
in Pantuvarali are Raghuvara
Naanu, Ninne Nera, Vadera,
Saramegana (Thyagarajar) and
‘Ramanatham Bhajeham (Muthusamy Dikshitar).
Some of the popular films songs
include Amba Manam Kanindu
(Sivakavi), Yezhu Swarangalukkul
(Apoorva Ragangal), Ninnai Saranadainden (Bharthi), Piraye Piraye
(Piyjamahan), Om Shivayom
(Nan Kadavul) and Hai Rama
(Rangeela).
Mahesh Babu’s cop act
M
ahesh Babu’s Telugu hit Aagadu is all set to be dubbed
and released in Tamil as Idhu Thanda Police. Tamannah plays the heroine. The film also features an ensemble cast
of Sonu Sood as the primary antagonist while Shruti Haasan
makes a special appearance by performing an item number.
Rajendra Prasad, Rao Ramesh, Brahmanandam and M S
Narayana play key roles. The film is written by Anil Ravipudi,
Upendra Madhav and Praveen Varma and K V Guhan as the
cinematographer while S Thaman composed music.
Remember Idhu Thanda Police was the title of Dr Rajasekhar’s yesteryear action flick. Bhadrakali Films is releasing
the movie across Tamilnadu
NT Bureau
Crowded release
this Christmas
PASANGA 2
B
BHOOLOGAM
Wait is finally over,
Baahubali 2 begins
Jayam Ravi’s long-awaited Bhoologam is also slated for release on
24 December. Directed by S P Jananathan’s asistant Kalyankrishna, the
movie has Trisha playing the heroine. Music is by Srikanth Deva. Jayam
Ravi plays the role of a boxer in North Chennai.
Vemal’s Anjala is hitting the screens on Christmas eve. Directed by
Thangam Saravanan, it stars Nandhita as heroine. Gopi Sundar has
scored music for the movie that portrays the fightback of a family whose
ancestral tea shop faces multiple threats of demolition by the government.
T
Suseenthiran’s production venture Vil Ambu is also confirmed
to see the light of the day on the day. The movie stars Harish
Kalyan, Sri and Srushti Dange in lead roles. Ramesh Subramaniam has directed the film.
Vellaiya Irukiravan Poi Solla Mattan which was
supposed to release on 4 December is also
planning a Christmas release.
NT Bureau
VIL AMBU
Why Akshay
replaced Arnold
in Rajini’s film?
ollywood actor Akshay Kumar is all set to play the villain in filmmaker
Shankar’s 2.0, a sequel to Enthiran.
The bilingual film will have Rajnikanth with actress Amy Jackson
in the lead and is expected to be a high-budget movie. The maker’s were
earlier rumoured to cast Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenagger as villain.
Since the deal failed, they have managed to rope in Akshay Kumar.
Produced by Lyca Internationals, the movie will be scripted by dialogue writer
Jayamohan, edited by Anthony and the sound works will be done by Resul
Pookutty. Music is by A R Rahman and cinematography by Nirav Shah. The
movie will be released in 3D.
Legacy effects are by Animatronics Company, who worked on movies like
Jurassic Park, Iron Man and Avengers. Special costumes are being designed
by Mary E Vogt (Quantm Effects) who has done famous costumes for Tron,
Watchman are also the part of 2.0. This team also consists of Transformers
fame action director Kenny Bates, VFX are handled by Life of Pi fame John
Huges, Walt from Taufilms.
NT Bureau
C
o m e
24 December, it would be a
crowded release at the box office in
Kollywood. Pandiraj’s Pasanga 2 - Haiku,
which is produced by Suriya is releasing on the
day. Interestingly Suriya also plays a cameo in it. The
movie also stars Amala Paul and Bindhu Madhavi. Thefilm speaks about the attention deficiency syndrome among
children. Says Pandiraj, ‘It is a movie with a strong message.
Every parent should see it with their children’.
Actors Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, director Shankar, music composer
A R Rahman and producer Subas Karan at the launch of 2.0 in Chennai
ANJALA
he sequel to director SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali began in
Hyderabad today. The filmmamker
shot few scenes involving Prabhas
and Anushka at Ramoji Film City,
Hyderabad.
‘After the widespread success of part1, the team is all set to get back to shoot
part 2 from today. Prabhas, Ramya
Krishna, and other main cast members
will be kick-starting the first schedule
today at Ramoji Film City’, wrote the
official Twitter handle of Baahubali.
Baahubali featured Prabhas, Rana,
Anushka, Tamannah, Sathyaraj in key
roles. Music was by Keeravani. Sources
say the sequel will be released in 2017.
NT Bureau
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