QChennai: Stalin Demands SIT Probe Into Kodanad Break-in & More

Catch all the latest news from Chennai right here.

1. Stalin Demands SIT Probe Into Kodanad Estate Break-in

DMK president MK Stalin on Sunday said his party would make representations to President Ram Nath Kovind and Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, seeking a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the murder and break-in at former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s Kodanad Estate bungalow in 2017 and the subsequent “mysterious” deaths of key suspects in the case.

Referring to claims by former Tehelka journalist Samuel Mathew and two of the accused in the Kodanad case that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had a role in the break-in at the bungalow, the murder of security guard Rao Bahadur and the death of key suspect Kanagaraj (Jayalalithaa’s former driver), Stalin said they warranted an SIT probe.

(Source: The Hindu)

2. Uber Cab Burns to Ashes, Woman Escapes

Do you travel in cabs frequently? Then, this news will be nothing less than a nightmare to you. A Uber cab caught fire and burnt into ashes in TTK road flyover in Chennai on Saturday night. The incident has put the safety of customers who travel in cabs at stake.

Popular costume designer and stylist Pallavi Singh took to social media to narrate her horrible experience during her Uber ride. Pallavi was on her way back home when she spotted something wrong with her cab. She sensed a burning smell in the car and saw smoke emanating from below the vehicle.

(Source: The New Indian Express)

View this post on Instagram

@uber_india A word of caution to all Uber users out there, who believe their safety is being taken care of with utmost sincerity. Last night, on my trip back home, I sensed a burning smell inside the car. At first my limited imagination made me think that it’s coming from the outside. Once the car drove up the TTK road fly over, I saw smoke coming out from the foot area and possibly the AC ducts. To my shock, the driver had not spotted it nor taken any effort to warn me about it. I warned him and asked him what was going on. Luckily, people from other cars around told us to pull over, as they had seen sparks from under. We stopped and exited the car, only to see it burn down to ashes, and along with it my bag containing my IDs, Dailies and Wallet. I came to know that only the metal skeleton of the seats remained. It was undoubtedly the scariest moment of my life. I cannot get that image out of my head. And it’s been over 12 hours since this happened and I wonder if Uber even knows this happened or have absolutely nothing to say to me. This is heights of carelessness, ignorance and utter lack of interest in their customers. Thanks Uber. FYI, I saved your driver’s life last night. @uber_india

A post shared by Pallavi Singh (@pallavi_85) on Jan 12, 2019 at 11:45pm PST

3. Simulators to Improve Bus Driving Skills

Giving a push to road safety, the State Transport Department has proposed to purchase 11 heavy vehicle driving simulators to improve driving skills of drivers of the eight State Transport Corporations. The four simulators bought earlier are in disuse and imported simulators cost a fortune. Therefore, the department has decided to buy simulators locally, matching international standards.

The Institute of Road Transport, the nodal agency for identifying and procuring the driving simulators, has awarded the tender to Vertex Research Centre located at Palladam of Tiruppur district. Each simulator is being purchased at Rs 9 lakh. A senior official of IRT said that the company would supply 11 simulators. The simulators are being purchased from the road safety funds allotted by the State government. In the second tranche, five simulators would be purchased.

(Source: The Hindu)

4. Check Flight Status on Day of Bhogi

Chennai airport has geared up to meet any eventuality arising out of Bhogi celebrations on Monday and has asked passengers transiting through Chennai airport to access flight schedules through ‘Chennai Airport’ mobile app and plan their travel accordingly.

In a bid to reduce passengers’ inconvenience during Bhogi celebrations on Monday, Chennai airport director G Chandramouli said that considering the previous year’s experience, the Airport Operations Control Centre, in coordination with all stake-holders, has geared up to minimise the inconvenience to passengers. Last year, 73 departures and 45 arrivals scheduled in the morning between 0300 to 0900 hours, departed only after 11am, as a result of which passengers were stranded for long hours.

(Source: The New Indian Express)

5. Temples Too Say No to Plastics

Right from not burning the plastic covers on camphor to using areca nut leaf plates or stainless steel bowls for holding archana articles, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE) has made a list of dos and don’ts to be implemented in temples to enforce the ban on single-use plastics.

“We began our training programmes and preparations for the ban three months ago. Prasadam counters and shops that are let out by temples on lease have been instructed to shift to non-plastic packaging. Though it will seem costly at present, it will get absorbed in the long run. Temples stand for traditions and plastics are an intrusion into that ethos. We are only reviving the culture of people carrying flowers and archana items in bamboo/wooden/steel baskets to temples,” said T K Ramachandran, former Commissioner of the HR&CE Department, who is now posted as the Thoothukudi Port Trust chairman.

(Source: The Hindu)