Express takes a look at the four most significant concerns in the last five years...
Taming jallikatu ban, together
On January 17, 2017, thousands of youth gathered on Marina Beach to protest Supreme Court ban on jallikattu. The protest, which was largely organised on social media, soon turned into a celebration of Tamil traditions with people from various professions joining the chorus, forcing the Centre to clear an ordinance proposed by TN to ensure conduct of the bull-taming festival. The culmination of the protest in violence left a bad taste that lingers till date. While the State government has claimed that its draft ordinance is a permanent solution, many say it is just a stop gap measure
Gaja wreaks havoc in Delta
Cyclone Gaja made landfall on November 16, 2018, between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam. As many as 45 people lost their lives and over 1,17,000 houses were partially or fully damaged. According to weather blogger Pradeep John, Gaja has been the worst cyclone to hit Tamil Nadu since Vardah in 2016, and the worst to affect the Cauvery delta since the cyclone in 1993. According to government estimates, 1,70,454 trees and 39,938 electric poles were uprooted, while over 100 cattle and 600 goats were killed in the cycloneWhen a virus gripped the State
When a virus gripped the State
As the whole world grappled with the pandemic, Tamil Nadu had its own ups and downs in the course. The Tamil Nadu government was among the first to launch measures to tackle Covid-19. On January 30, it put under house quarantine 78 people who have landed from China. Until March 20, 2020, the State reported three Covid positive cases. As on April 3, 2021, the State’s total tally stood at 8,96,226, and 3,446 people tested positive on Saturday. With the second wave wrecking havoc, the State’s fight against the virus may be far from over
Training in water management
In the summer of 2019, all four reservoirs that supply water to Chennai ran virtually dry. The shortage forced some schools to shut, companies to ask employees to work from home, and hotels to ration water for guests. In this situation, a ‘water train’ carrying 25 lakh litres of Cauvery water from Jolarpettai in Vellore district was taken to Chennai on July 12. Two trains were allotted by Indian Railways for transporting water and they made four trips a day making the total amount of water transferred 11 million litres
