QChennai: Jaya Probe Report in 3 Months; Anitha Suicide Inquiry

Here’s a look at what’s making headlines in Chennai.

1. Inquiry Committee to Submit Report on Jaya's Death in Three Months

The Commission of Inquiry constituted under Justice A Arumughaswamy by the Tamil Nadu government would inquire into the circumstances leading to the hospitalisation of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and treatment provided to her till her death on 5 December last year and would submit its report to the government within three months.

In a GO issued on Wednesday about the terms of reference, the Commission of Inquiry was “to enquire into the circumstances and situation leading to the hospitalisation of Jayalalithaa on 22 September 2016 and the subsequent treatment provided to her till her unfortunate demise on 5 December 2016.”

(Source: The Hindu)

2. NCSC Suspects 'External Force' Behind Anitha's Death

The vice-chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, L Murugan, at a press conference on Wednesday, said that an “external force” may have been involved in Dalit student S Anitha’s death.

Stating that the commission had asked the Superintendent of Police (SP) and the District Collector to file a report, he said that she was eligible for degrees in veterinary science, agriculture and aeronautical engineering at MIT. “She had already prepared to join a BVSc course, and in that situation, why should she attempt this [suicide]? Did someone provoke her? We have asked the SP to look into that angle. I think she could have been threatened. External force was there,” he said.

(Source: The Hindu)

3. Don't Engage Schoolchildren for MGR Centenary Event, Says HC

The Madras High Court on Wednesday granted an interim injunction against the State government and the school education authorities from bringing schoolchildren to attend MGR centenary public meetings.

A vacation bench comprising Justices S Vaidyanathan and R Subramanian passed the interim order on a public interest litigation filed by A Narayanan, a social activist, who sought a direction to the authorities to prepare guidelines to be followed by the school education department, the police department and school managements whenever children were made to participate in public functions, rallies and campaigns held at venues outside schools.

(Source: The Hindu)

4. Medical Students Seek Reduction in College Fee

Around 150 students of the Rajah Muthaiah Medical College, Annamalai University, and their parents, along with the Doctors Association for Social Equality, staged a protest in Chintadripet on Wednesday.

The major demands of the students included bringing the fees charged at the college in line with that of State government medical colleges, affiliating the institution to the Tamil Nadu MGR Medical University and bringing it under the Directorate of Medical Education, and giving patients free treatment at the attached hospital. Students noted that while the university has been run by the State government since 2013, the fee charged was much higher than at State medical colleges and that the patient inflow into the hospital was low because it charged for everything and that patients were hesitant to come.

(Source: The Hindu)

5. CM Announces Cash Incentives to Sportspersons

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday announced cash incentives totalling ₹16 lakh for three sportspersons from the State – P Vikas, V Leonard and S Dhanush – who won medals in the recent swimming events at the 9th Asian Group championships 2017 in Uzbekistan.

Vikas won four medals including one gold, while Leonard bagged one gold medal, he noted. Dhanush bagged a silver medal, the Chief Minister said and expressed joy over the swimmers bringing laurels to Tamil Nadu. He announced a cash incentive of ₹9.5 lakh for Vikas, ₹4 lakh for Leonard and ₹2.5 lakh for Dhanush. Palaniswami also announced a total of ₹2.4 lakh as incentive to the respective coaches of the three sportspersons.

(Source: The Hindu)

6. Taxiway at Airport to Be Straightened

Aircraft at the Chennai airport may be able to proceed to the main runway faster in the near future, as an important taxiway called ‘Bravo’ is all set to be straightened. The proposal has just received the final nod from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and work is likely to begin in two months.

The work has been on the anvil for nearly 10 years. The straightening of the taxiway – which runs parallel to the main runway – is crucial as aircraft can cut down on fuel and reach the main runway quickly.

(Source: The Hindu)

7. DMK Plans to Tap Tech Talent for IT Wing

At a time when political parties are increasingly dependent on social media to propagate their ideas and set out their positions on key issues, the DMK has invited applications for the posts of Information Technology (IT) coordinators for districts and Assembly constituencies. The announcement, published in the party organ Murasoli, made it clear that the candidate should have completed Plus Two, have knowledge of MS Word/Excel and be able to operate smartphones.

Dr Rajan, who was elected from the Madurai Central Constituency, said that IT would come in handy to assess, calculate and manage problems and risks. He has created a database of all voters there, and they can communicate with him through multiple channels. He wants to replicate this across the State for the DMK.

(Source: The Hindu)