TN this Week: Rain Creates Havoc in Delta Region, Crops Submerge Under Water

Two people died and two were injured after a Ganesh Chaturthi chariot came in contact with a live electric wire in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar. This is the second such tragedy involving the electrocution of temple chariots in the last five months.

The police in Tamil Nadu’s Kancheepuram district withdrew a circular directing meat and biryani shop owners to shut shops for three days in view of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. The circular created unrest among certain sections and drew flak on social media.

Five Primary Health Centres in Tamil Nadu obtained the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) certification. The Centres have laboratory facilities to test for malaria, tuberculosis, haemoglobin and blood sugar.

A 21-year-old girl, who was awaiting her National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (NEET) results, died by suicide in the Tenkasi district. The exam results are expected to release on September 7.

The Supreme Court on August 29 issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government seeking its response on the appointment of non-Brahmins as priests in temples. It was a hearing on a plea by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy against a State law authorising the government’s control over temples. 

The Tamil Nadu government has released the list of State Film awards for 2009 to 2014. The awards for best male and female actors, villains, movies and TV serials will be given out on September 4.

NewsClick brings you a round-up of the happenings this week in Tamil Nadu.

INCREASE IN ROAD ACCIDENTS, SUICIDES

The latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reported a rise in road accident fatalities in Tamil Nadu in 2021, while Chennai topped in road accidents among the metros for the third year in a row.

Tamil Nadu has ranked second in the country in terms of the number of suicides, with the state recording 18,925 suicides, behind Maharashtra.

The number of crimes against children also recorded a sharp spike, going up by nearly 40% when compared to the previous year.

‘IN SOLIDARITY WITH BILKIS BANO’

Condemning the release of the 11 life convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, protests were held across the state of Tamil Nadu. All Women’s Federation, an umbrella group of 40 women’s organisations, held joint protests in many districts this week.

Protest held in solidarity with Bilkis Bano in Chennai. Image courtesy: AIDWA, Tamil Nadu

The protestors termed the release of the convicts a travesty of justice, as they were convicted of such a heinous crime after a long legal fight.

Notably, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) ended its silence on the matter. Its mouthpiece ‘Murasoli’, on August 30, said “what has happened to Bilkis Bano has woken up the conscience of India”.

RAIN PLAYS SPOILSPORT

Crops in several thousands of acres have submerged due to the heavy downpour from pre-northeast monsoon rains across the Delta region. Tanjore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur declared holidays for schools and colleges in their respective districts on September 1.

With dengue cases being reported in many districts following intermittent rain, the Health Department and the local bodies have stepped up mosquito control measures.

Fishermen also complained of not being able to set out to sea.

In a series of unfortunate events, the state reported many cases of people being struck by lightning. A 24-year-old youth, Dinesh Kumar died after being struck by lightning in Walajabad on August 31. Two farmers - Anbarasan (40) and Malaimani (47) died similarly in the Ariyalur district.

FARMERS UNHAPPY WITH MSP

Delta farmers expressed dissatisfaction over the state government’s recent announcement of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy. They cited that it was similar to the price fixed by the Union government.

The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) demanded the government to at least fix it at Rs 2,500 per quintal as promised by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in its election manifesto.

‘EPS IS AIADMK’S TOP LEADER’

On the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party leadership dispute, the Madras High Court on September 2 allowed K Palaniswami's (EPS) appeal, setting aside an order in favour of O Panneerselvam (OPS). A division bench nullified the July 11 General Council (GC) meeting which elected EPS as the interim general secretary of the party and ousted OPS.

In another case, the Court granted bail to 70 AIADMK members who were arrested for their involvement in the violence on the day of the GC meeting.

Meanwhile, the Arumugasamy Commission submitted its report to the Tamil Nadu chief minister on August 28. The commission was constituted by the previous AIADMK government to inquire into the circumstances that led to former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s death in December 2016. The Tamil Nadu Cabinet is seeking a legal opinion on the report.

Regarding the Kodanad heist-cum-murder case, the state police on September 2 informed the Madras High Court that it has unearthed several covered accidental deaths and further hidden evidence.

‘STATE UNI MUST FOLLOW STATE POLICY’ SAYS CM

At a conference of Vice-Chancellors of State-run universities on August 30, Chief Minister MK Stalin said these universities “must function as per the policy decisions of the State government”. 

However, the Governor is still the chancellor of the universities, and the Bill passed by the State government seeking powers to appoint the V-Cs is not yet implemented.

Meanwhile, the state Higher Education Ministry issued a notification mandating Tamil as a subject in the UG courses.

SECURITY BEEFED UP IN PARANDUR

As fear of protests looms large in Parandur and surrounding villages, police have stepped up security at the proposed site for Chennai’s second airport. Read more