Charged situation
Miffed by electricity minister Senthil Balaji’s announcement that there was no need to discuss all issues with trade unions, the latter has decided to go on an indefinite strike from January 10. The rift erupted after Tangedco decided to abolish a few posts as part of administrative reforms and revenue augmentation. Trade unions have been opposing it as their promotion would be affected and as a result, a few workers have been kept away from it for a week despite coming to the office.
Help from afterlife
Ahead of MGR death anniversary, a poster was pasted on a wall in Ramanathapuram district seeking the help of AIADMK founder MGR to save the party. The message says, “Thalaiva (MGR) you started the party for the common public but it has now broken into pieces, save it.” However, many cadres failed to notice the incident of an unknown person leaving a saffron-coloured towel on the shoulder of the MGR statue near KK Nagar Arch in Madurai.
Open or shut case?
The west entrance of the Coimbatore City police commissioner has been locked for most of the last decade. Officials say that whenever the west gate was opened, unrest happens in the city and hence none of the commissioners were ordered to open it. The gate was opened a few months ago after V Balakrishnan took charge as the commissioner. But the gate was closed again after a row of Molotov cocktail-hurling incidents last September. After the car blast incident in October, police sources said there is no chance of the gate being opened. However, the official reason for not opening to gate is because of a curve in the road in front of the gate which leads to accidents if the gate is opened.
Data stonewalling
Official data is very crucial in holding the government to account and also in making or breaking a story for a reporter. In this relentless pursuit, quite often reporters get stonewalled from accessing data required to substantiate a story and hold government officials accountable. It was no wonder that the Madurai Corporation health department officials did not respond to requests seeking data about the corporation’s stray cattle seizure drive the previous week, despite multiple calls.
Language politics
Journalists covering the inauguration of the building for the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation at Periamet were left in a pickle as Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya spoke only in Hindi. Reporters were left stone-faced and went scrambling for the organisers to get a translation of the minister’s speech. Also on the mind of journalists was why the minister couldn’t speak in English or have a translator.
(Contributed by S Guruvanmikanathan, Vignesh V, Thanaraj, Kirubakaran R & Sinduja Jane, edited by Affan Abdul Kadar)