Thattukadai: An invisible astrologer
An invisible astrologer
The last two council meetings of the Tiruchy Corporation had raised some doubts among councillors about the scheduling of meetings. It was because both of the meetings were scheduled on Amavasya. Though many councillors suspect that the meetings were scheduled as per the advice of some astrologer, they avoided raising the matter in any public forum. But in the recent meeting, the hot tea served with delicious snacks forced a fasting senior woman councillor to raise the issue. She asked the Mayor why they were scheduling council meetings on Amavasya and whether it was done as per the advice of any astrologer. Another councillor supported the view and added that it was really unfair to schedule the meetings on such days and serve hot tea and delicious snacks before those fasting. The Mayor immediately assured he will consider this matter and the council meetings will be scheduled on convenient days. He also clarified there was no astrologer’s advice behind the scheduling of meetings.
The curious case of biryani ban
Ahead of Vinayagar Chaturthi, a police inspector from Kancheepuram issued a circular to shopkeepers in the vicinity of the Sankara mutt. The circular read that on September 2 and 9, during the Vinayagar idol procession, all meat and biryani shops near the mutt must be closed. Obviously, it went viral on social media. While the officer denied signing such a circular, senior police officers confirmed and said the circular was indeed issued but cancelled immediately. Sources tell TNIE that the inspector, a faithful follower of the Sankara mutt in Kanchi, apparently acted with the mutt’s interests in mind.
Fight for your ‘right’
Two doctors in Tenkasi Government Headquarters Hospital (GHQH) got into a tiff recently. The spat was on who has the right to divert a patient needing orthopaedic surgery to a private hospital. Finally, one of the doctors redirected the patient to his private hospital claiming that the GHQH will take several days for surgery. The patient was promised discharge in two days at the private hospital. Among other grievances, a staff nurse has petitioned the hospital superintendent against the money-minded doctors openly diverting patients to private hospitals.
Miffed in the ‘alliance’
While the majority gives the ruling party a free hand to take tough decisions, it also causes indifference towards the alliance parties with differing views. This was palpable in the Chennai corporation council meeting. While the CPM members alleged in their Facebook posts that they were deliberately not given a chance to speak at the council meeting that cleared the hike in property taxes, its members, who opposed the appointment of temporary teachers at corporation schools, were booed out of the council by the DMK members.
(Contributed by Sahaya Novinston Lobo, Jose K Joseph,Thinakaran Rajamani, Subashini Vijayakumar. Compiled by Krishnaveni P)