The way of water: TN’s Avatar
As the summer sun started blazing down, political parties set up thaneer pandals (water kiosks) at prominent locations across Villupuram, Cuddalore and Kallakurichi districts. On the day of the inauguration, party workers not only distributed water but also buttermilk, juicy watermelons and tender coconuts to people. But after two days, cadres called off their show and the pots went empty. After the political stunt drew flak on social media, parties started refilling water in some places. Though people flocking to these pandals too waned after the first-day ‘hit show’, the pandals still offer succour to stray cattle and dogs that seek relief from the blistering heat.
Jungle tales remain in woods
When this reporter approached a senior forest department official to get some details about an adult tiger being maintained at Manthirimattam near Valparai, the officer flatly refused to share any information. “If you publish the news, other papers would follow suit and then NGOs would come to know about it and they will question the forest department and may go to court. This may hamper the department’s efforts to re-wild the big cat,” the official said.
Sibling ‘wisecracks’
Speaking at a school education department’s event recently, Chennai South MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian said, “My elder brother Thangam Thennarasu was the school education minister 10 years ago. I am happier now about the activities of the department than I was a decade ago now that my younger brother Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi holds the portfolio.” Speaking after her, sports and youth welfare minister Udhayanidhi Stalin teased the MP by saying he would inform industries minister Thangam Thennasaru about her comments.
The thing about posters
The school education department recently inaugurated JEE coaching classes for government school students at Saidapet. Health Minister Ma Subramanian and school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi were scheduled to participate in the event, while Udhayanidhi Stalin made a last-minute decision to attend it. Speaking at the event, Ma Subramanian apologised for the posters not featuring Udhayanidhi.
Silent Collector
Power and position can change a person and one such example is Madurai collector Dr S Aneesh Sekhar who has not been responding to calls or messages from journalists or the general public for the last few months. When he was the commissioner of Madurai Corporation he used to respond to calls promptly. What changed him is a million-dollar question that only the higher-ups can answer and resolve.
Bill makes DMK work ‘extra time’
The ruling DMK is facing its first real political test due to stiff opposition from its alliance partners and trade unions over a recent bill that extends working hours from eight to 12 hours in factories. The DMK leadership, caught unawares by this mutiny from within, is now taking extra efforts to win back its partners. The DMK leadership has instructed its trade union leaders and legal wing functionaries to open an informal line of communication with trade unions of Left parties and alliance partners to convince them of the bill’s merits.
(Contributed by S Senthil Kumar, B Bagalavan Perier, Subashini Vijayakumar, Jeyalakshmi Ramanujam, S Kumaresan; Compiled by Affan Abdul Kadar)