Another son-rise
Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK scion and Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni MLA, was the cynosure of all eyes at the closing ceremony of the Chess Olympiad as words of approbation such as ilam thalaivar (young leader) and ilam sooriyan (young sun) made the packed house go delirious. He gave away medals and shawls to winners and dignitaries. Is the writing on the wall clear?
No escape from trauma
Dealing with suicide cases do traumatise investigating cops and officials. A top official of the social welfare department in Chennai lamented that she and her colleagues were going through a rough phase. “When I was a sub-collector, my worst nightmare was to probe suicide cases,” she says. A promotion, she thought, would relieve her from probing such cases. But now, the increasing number of student suicides has brought back her nightmares. The focus now is to identify students who are depressed and counsel them, she tells TNIE.
Right under the nose
Just a stone’s throw away from the Prohibition Enforcement Wing (PEW) police station at Alangulam in Tenkasi, an illegal bar did brisk business on the campus of a liquor shop. Run by a politically influential person, it drew customers with a bold signboard illuminated with serial bulbs. After repeated complaints to PEW and TASMAC fell on deaf ears, a social activist directly complained to DGP Sylendra Babu and IG (South Zone) Asra Garg through WhatsApp. The very next day, four police vehicles rushed to the spot, closed the bar and seized liquor bottles. The PEW inspector was summarily transferred for “unknown reasons”.
A Twitter fight within the opposition
One can’t miss the sudden spike in attacks on the DMK government and CM MK Stalin on social media, particularly on Twitter. It appears that the handles of an NGO known for its anti-corruption activities, a whistle-blower, and a few other ‘influencers’ who vehemently propagated for a regime change during the assembly elections, have hijacked the opposition’s space there. Though it’s a long way off for them to build an anti-incumbency narrative, they seem to have weakened the right-wing’s attempt to capture the opposition space.
Rules ready, but can’t see them
Service rules, meant for workmen welfare, can’t be shrouded in secrecy. When a new set of draft service rules is being framed for the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, it’s only natural that the officers at the city’s nodal planning agency are curious. Sources tell TNIE that despite their repeated demands, they were denied access to the draft rules. Later, they were invited to a meeting and briefed about them hurriedly. Mid-way through the meeting, a top official, hurt by objections raised by officers, cancelled it abruptly. Watch this space for updates!
(Contributed by Thinakaran Rajamani, S Kumaresan, Subashini Vijayakumar, B Anbuselvan, C Shivakumar. Compiled by Maneesh T)