A city police officer caused a stir by attending a screening of ‘Pushpa 2’ at a local cinema while on duty Saturday night. His choice of transport? His official police vehicle, naturally.
Nellai Commissioner in-charge Pa Moorthi, in the midst of reviewing law and order, found himself unable to contact the officer. It soon transpired that the officer was engrossed in the cinematic world of ‘Pushpa Raj.’
While the incident raised a few eyebrows, it also served as a lighthearted reminder that even those upholding the law sometimes find themselves captivated by the allure of the silver screen.
A washout of an excuse
Remember those cosy blankets on your AC train journeys? Turns out, they might be cosier than you thought - cosier with the grime of countless passengers past!
TNIE exposed this hygiene horror show on October 21, revealing that Indian Railways treats blankets to a spa day roughly once a month. Parliament even got in on the action, giving the Railways a good dressing down. Southern Railway, in a desperate bid to save face, issued a press release that went spectacularly wrong.
“We’ve totally upped our laundry game!” they declared, helpfully adding that back in the Stone Ages (2010), blankets got a wash every 3 months! Passengers were horrified, railway groups erupted in laughter, and even senior officials admitted the release did more harm than good. Perhaps they should stick to running trains and leave the PR to professionals.
Next time you snuggle up in a train blanket, you might want to pack a hazmat suit.
Fine the darkness!
In Vellore, where streetlights seem to have a mind of their own, Ward 26 councillor brought up the rather dark subject of non-functional lamps at the October council meeting.
This tickled Commissioner Janaki Raveendran’s funny bone, perhaps because she knew the punchline to this comedic tale. You see, the corporation fines contractors if lights dare to shine during the day. A noble idea to save electricity, except it’s led to contractors simply switching them off altogether!
Ward 26 residents, fed up with living in the Dark Ages, took matters into their own hands, installing five lights with a separate switch. But with no one to flip the switch, the lights were permanently on, attracting the Commissioner’s wrath and the contractor’s swift action – plunging the street into eternal darkness again. Perhaps the corporation should consider fining the darkness next?
(Contributed by Thinakaran Rajamani, Jose K Joseph, Dheepthi OJ; compiled by Dinesh Jefferson E)