World Tourism Day 2015 in Pondicherry

students performing at the Puducherry Extravaganza 2015 as part of World Tourism Day held on Beach Road in Puducherry on Sunday

Maintaining balance as part of a human pyramid is challenging enough. The team from the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya took things a step further by doubling up as ‘parai aattam’ (a type of percussion) drummers, drawing cheers from the audience on Sunday evening.

With 20 different cultural programmes, the three-hour ‘Puducherry Extravaganza’ organised as part of World Tourism Day celebrations by the Department of Tourism, lived up to its name.

More than 100 students from Department of Tourism Studies, Pondicherry University, Kendriya Vidyalaya 1, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Bharathidasan Government College for Women and a team from NGO Volontariat participated in the programmes.

Cultural elements from across the country -- folk dances from Tamil Nadu and North East India, Bihu for instance, apart from Odissi, Kathakali and songs -- were part of the programme. Sunday’s line-up of programmes also included the three best skits from ‘Nukkad’ the inter-collegiate competition on responsible tourism.

‘One billion tourists’

“The skit competition was organised to create awareness among the youth on responsible tourism, covering areas like hygiene and cleanliness. These youth will be tourists in other places and must know about responsible behaviour,” said Y. Venkata Rao, Head, Department of Tourism Studies, Pondicherry University.

Prize winners of various events such as photography, cookery and cultural competitions and the skit competitionwere awarded at the programme, attended by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, Tourism Minister P. Rajavelu and others. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) which declared ‘One billion tourists, one billion opportunities’ as theme for World Tourism Day 2015, has identified five areas of commitment fromtourists: buy local, respect local culture, save energy, protect heritage and use public transport.

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NHRC team visits Kalapet prison

kalapet:A team of the National Human Rights Commission on Wednesday visited the Central Prison at Kalapet and reviewed the living conditions and treatment meted out to inmates in the premises.

The team headed by member and Justice D. Murugesan along with Joint Registrar A.K. Parashar and Special Rapporteur Shyamsundar interacted with the inmates at the women’s and men’s barracks and ascertained their grievances. Mr. Murugesan also enquired with the inmates whether they had been tortured by the Prison and police personnel.

The team also visited the undertrial and convict yard and enquired about the training given to inmates to improve their vocational skills.

The NHRC team also inspected the medicines stock in the pharmacy, kitchen, library and the video conferencing facility in the Central Prison.

Chief Superintendent of Jails M. Pandjacharam explained to the team members about the facilities available in the prison complex. The team also visited the Rajiv Gandhi Government Women and Children Hospital at Ellaipillaichavady and inspected the conditions in the wards.

Bakery planned at Kalapet prison

 

PUDUCHERRY: The Jail Department will shortly establish a bakery unit in the prison complex at Kalapet.

It has tied up with the District Industries Centre and the Small Industries Product Promotion Organisation, Tamil Nadu, to establish the unit at the central prison by the end of this fiscal, Inspector-General of Police (in-charge of prisons) S. Vasudeva Rao told The Hindu.

While the District Industries Centre would provide financial assistance, personnel of the Small Industries Product Promotion Organisation would train a few inmates.

The training would begin in a fortnight.

Forty prisoners would be trained in two batches.

The department also planned to establish a unit manufacturing washing powder. A team of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission recently visited the jail and trained 40 prisoners, Mr. Rao said. 

Service providers told to cut off mobile signals from Kalapet jail

In an effort to prevent mobile signals from reaching Central Jail in Kalapet, the Senior Superintendent of Police, Law & Order, Omvir Singh, on Monday took a team of representatives of service providers to the jail campus and tested the availability of signal with necessary equipment.
The representatives of various service providers including BSNL, Aircel, Airtel, Tata docomo, Vodafone, and Reliance tested the level of radiation and frequencies of mobile towers and the frequencies of jammers installed on the prison premises.
They spent more than an hour there and discussed ways and means to completely cut out the mobile signals. They were accompanied by technicians.
Later, the SSP held a discussion with them.
Informed sources told The Hindu that Mr. Singh, while stating that the signals of a few service providers had already stopped reaching jail premises, also specifically pointed out the availability of signal from one or two mobile operators. He asked them to totally cut off the signal within 24 hours.
He had asked them to be present on the jail premises on Tuesday afternoon to recheck signal availability.
It is said that the service providers also promised to make necessary adjustments at the nearby mobile towers to stop the signals from reaching sensitive areas that included central jail.
Besides, Mr. Singh and the Superintendent of Police, North, P.K. Tripathy held a separate meeting with the jail authorities and reviewed the security arrangements.
The authorities were told to intensify round the clock security.
They were instructed to closely follow the movements of noted convicts and undertrials.
Meanwhile, “Murder” Manikandan and Karuna, who were involved in several murder cases, have been brought to Kalapet jail from Yanam sub jail amid tight security.
While Manikandan is expected to be produced at a court in Puducherry on Tuesday in connection with a case filed by the Grand Bazaar police, Karuna will be produced related to a case registered in Mudaliarpet police on Wednesday.
The police are making special arrangements for their safe appearance in courts.

Puducherry heritage building collapses in rain

 

The Mairie (French for town hall), which housed the Mayor’s office, functioned for over a century as the hub of municipal administration.

The 144-year-old Mairie Building, the seat of municipal administration in the French era and one of the prominent landmarks of Puducherry, caved in on a rain-hit Saturday afternoon.

Eyewitnesses said the building collapsed at around 1.40 p.m.

There were no casualties.

“Nine workers who were engaged in restoration works were out for lunch when the structure collapsed,” said Mannadhan, the building watchman who was the first to report the incident to higher-ups.

The damage assessment carried out by a team of experts and Government officials has indicated that the entire structure would have to be built from scratch.

“We would inspect the other heritage and ancient buildings constructed during the French regime to ascertain their stability. The government is keen to restore all the heritage buildings in Puducherry,” said N.G. Pannirselvam, Local Administration Minister.

Built in 1870-71, the Mairie (French for town hall) building was an important part of an ensemble of sea-facing landmark structures, including the old lighthouse, the Chief Secretariat and the French

Consulate, that date back to a period of French colonial rule in this coastal town.

It was in 1674 that the French East India Company established a trade outpost here.

After a series of wars through the eighteenth century, primarily Anglo-French wars for possession, the town was continuously under French rule since the second decade of the 19th century, and remained

so even when the British gained control of the whole of India in the late 1850s.

The Mairie, which housed the Mayor’s office, functioned for over a century as the hub of municipal administration. In fact, it was in this building that the first attempt at democracy for Puducherry was tried out during 1870-1900 long before the first general elections were held in British India, according to Ashok Panda, co-convener, INTACH.

The Mairie also housed the Legislative Assembly of Puducherry for four years from 1964 (when the first general election was held in the wake of de jure transfer of power) before the Assembly was shifted to the

present premises in 1969. It also provided facility for marriages and other public functions.

For years, the building served as the office of the municipal administration department of the Puducherry Government. Many offices were relocated to a new complex in Kamban Kalai Arangam and the last

remaining registry office was shifted in 2012. Since then, the building has been kept vacant to undertake the restoration works.

It was earlier this year that a renovation plan was sanctioned under the Project Implementation Agency (PIA) of the Government with a Rs. 7.5 crore aid from the World Bank. The task was entrusted to the INTACH after taking technical advice of IIT, Madras, and Archaeological Survey of India.

A.K. Das, Project Manager, INTACH, told The Hindu that the exact cause for the collapse is yet to be ascertained.

“We have to sit with the government and make an assessment of the present situation,” he said.

At the moment, no one can hazard a guess as to what it would take or how much it would cost to rebuild and restore the Mairie to its original state.

The eastern and western façade of the two-storied building featured arcaded entrance verandahs on high plinth accessed by a broad flight of ornately designed granite steps, while the first floor featured

coloured galleries and a large ceremonial hall with wooden flooring.

The diverse architecture and aesthetic appeal, the very virtues that the Marie symbolised, will now poses a challenge of monumental proportions to any agency that is tasked with its restoration.

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Pondicherry university students lay siege

The V-C has assured students that their demands would be met

 A view of the main administrative building of Pondicherry Central University

Even as a section of students of the Pondicherry University had announced an indefinite siege from Monday at the main gates of the University seeking ouster of Vice-Chancellor Chandra Krishnamurthy for alleged maladministration and human rights violations. The authorities warned of “appropriate action” against those, including faculty, taking part in the protest.

A spokesperson of the Pondicherry University Students Movement alleged that the administration under the leadership of the V-C had been harassing students who tried to voice their opinions.

A few Heads of Departments and the Dean had been threatening students with dire consequences if they raised their voice against the V-C.

The management had also not taken any step to tackle the problem of acute shortage of rooms in hostels. Instead of solving the problems the VC had been resorting to pressure tactics against the students, they alleged.

The students have also demanded that the authorities hold elections to the student council immediately. Though the academic year has commenced the elections are yet to be held.

Six buildings which were built at the cost of Rs.50 crore during 2012-13 remained unopened and no infrastructure had been created for the past two years.

Meanwhile, the University Registrar (in charge) S. Pannirselvame issued a circular to the Heads of all departments and Deans of all schools asking the students to abstain from participating in any form of protest “against the MHRD and the University”.

“All the teachers, staff and students of Pondicherry University are hereby informed that participating in such protests or in any form of strike would be a direct violation of the relevant provisions of the Pondicherry University Conduct Rules as far as teachers and staff are concerned and a direct violation of Code of Conduct in respect of students of the University,” the circular stated.

The Circular cautioned that appropriate action would be taken against teachers, staff and students if they participated in any protest.Strike withdrawn

The Pondicherry University Students Council has announced withdrawal of the proposed strike on July 27 after the Vice-Chancellor Chandra Krishnamurthy assured them that no student would be left without accommodation in the campus.

The VC has also assured students that all the newly constructed buildings would be put to proper use within a month’s time. The pending merit scholarships submitted by Postgraduate students would be disbursed within two days, K. Dinesh, president, Students Council said.

As the VC has accepted and fulfilled most of the crucial demands of the students and assured us that she would look into the other demands seriously within a shorter time frame, we have decided to withdraw the proposed strike on Monday, he added.

Students want election to be held and adequate hostel facilities provided

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RAIN IN CHENNAI

Chennai flooded, more rain forecast

The Adyar river overflows

CHENNAI: Heavy rain lashed Chennai overnightand left several roads and neighbourhoods flooded. The city received heavy rain of about 3cm since midnight. There was 4cm rainfall since 8.30am on Monday. Met department has forecast more rain in the next 24 hours though the depression formed in the Bay of Bengal is showing signs of weakening.

With copious inflow of water being recorded in drinking water reservoirs in the city, public works department on Monday released 500 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water from Chembarambakkam reservoir in Kancheepuram. The water is released to Adyar river, that winds its way across South Chennai before reaching Bay of Bengal. Saidapet, MKB Nagar, Ekaduthangal, Ramavaram and Nandambakkam along the river embankment face the threat of waterlogging, if the flow keeps rising in the river.

The inflow into the reservoir was hovering at around 16,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) on Monday morning. "We have decided to release 500 cusecs initially and depending on the inflow, a further rise will be made considering the safety of the tank," said a senior PWD official.

The storage of Chembarambakkam was 2.703tmcft on Monday, as against the full storage capacity of 3.645tmcft. The level stood at 81.8ft against the full level of 85.4ft. Revenue department officials used public address system to warn people living along the banks of Adyar river in Guindy, Mambalam and Mylapore to move to safer places.

As the water-level increased in Adyar river, neighbourhoods like Nandambakkam, Manapakkam, Porur and main roads in Adyar were flooded. Stranded residents had to be rescued in boats at Vijaya Nagar in Velachery. Traffic has been disrupted along the busy 100-feet road and at Adyar due to waterlogging. Localities in Vysarpadi were also flooded due to heavy rain since last evening.

Railways cancelled a few suburban trains because of water stagnation on tracks. Suburban trains and long distance trains arrived late this morning at Chennai central and Egmore railway stations. Southern railway has diverted a few trains: Train No.12295 Bangalore - Patna express, scheduled to leave Chennai Central at 15.45 hrs. on 16.11.2015, will be diverted via Melpakkam, Renigunta & Gudur (without touching Chennai Central), Train No.22859 Puri - Chennai Central express, scheduled to reach Chennai Central at 14.55 hrs. on 16.11.2015, will be diverted via Gudur, Renigunta & Arakkonam, Train No.12269 Chennai Central - Nizamudin express will be diverted via. Arakkonam, Renigunta and Gudur, Train No.12842 Chennai Central - Howrah Coromandal express will be diverted via. Arakkonam, Renigunta and Gudur, Train No.12656 Chennai Central - Ahmedabad Navjivan express will be diverted via. Arakkonam, Renigunta and Gudur, Train No.12687 Madurai - Dehradun express will be diverted via. Arakkonam, Renigunta and Gudur, Train No.06336 Kochuveli - Guwahati express will be diverted via. Arakkonam, Renigunta and Gudur, Train No.12851 Bilaspur - Renigunta express will be diverted via. Gudur, Renigunta and Arakkonam. 

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7th PAY COMMISSION

  7th Pay Commission to submit report on November 19       NEW DELHI: The 7th Pay Commission will submit its report to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday recommending increase in remuneration of central government employees as well as pensioners.

"We are ready with the report and will submit it on November 19," the commission's chairman Justice A K Mathur told PTI. The Commission was set up by the UPA government in February 2014 to revise remuneration of about 48 lakh central government employees and 55 lakh pensioners. Its recommendations will also have a bearing on the salaries of the state government staff. The Union Cabinet had extended the term of the panel in August by four months, till December. Government constitutes the pay commission almost every 10 years to revise the pay scale of its employees and often these are adopted by states after some modifications. As part of the exercise, the commission holds discussions with various stakeholders, including organisations, federations, groups representing civil employees as well as defence services. The recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission are scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2016. Besides the chairman, other members of the commission are Vivek Rae, a retired IAS officer of 1978 batch, and Rathin Roy, an economist. Meena Agarwal is secretary of the commission. The 6th Pay Commission was implemented with effect from January 1, 2006; the 5th from 1 January 1996, and the 4th from January 1, 1986. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/news/7th-Pay-Commission-recommends-14-2-hike-in-basic-pay/videoshow/49849323.cms http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/business/7th-Pay-Commission-Monetary-impact-is-Rs-102000-crores-says-Jaitley/videoshow/49856278.cms