The approach adopted by the NTCA to measure tiger numbers as well as tiger spatial distribution are deeply flawed. Therefore, the results they present in all five surveys from 2006 to 2022 are unreliable.
TAMILNADU
Krishnagiri – Walajahpet Highway stretch ranks among nations top 20
The 148.3 km-long Krishnagiri-Walajahpet stretch of the Chennai-Bengaluru Road has been chosen one among the top 20 National Highways stretches in the country. It came sixth in terms of the total score obtained. It got 87.15 points under three heads user Services, highway efficiency and highway safety.
The 142.87 km stretch running through four districts Krishnagiri, Tirupattur, Vellore and Ranipet witnesses around 37,000 vehicles daily. We have divided the stretch into three portions and have individual accident response teams with ambulances and cranes. Apart from this we have emergency calling booths every 2 km through which people can call our control room, said a source in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Tamil Nadus defunct plans for welfare of differently abled
The board set up to ensure the welfare of thedifferently abledin the state have held no meetings for three and a half years now, though it is supposed to meet at least twice a year.
Thewelfare boardfor the differently abled, which now has chief minister M K Stalin as chairman, last met in August 2017. It was set up in 2007. A second body called the state advisory board (SAB) was constituted two years after the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act 2016 came into force. Experts in rehabilitation of the disabled are supposed to be members of the board.
The objective of the welfare board and SAB is to facilitate framing of policies for the Empowerment of the differently abled, implement welfare schemes and support them to improve their socioeconomic status.
Tamil Nadu to regulate bike taxis, travel costs may go up
Nearly three years after the Madras directed it to regulate operation of bike taxis, the TN transport department is to soon frame rules in accordance with the guidelines of the Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) for aggregators.
Once approved, aggregators will need to pay `6 lakh to `10 lakh for obtaining a licence and spend a considerable amount every year on recruiting and training drivers. Once rules are introduced, transport officials say, two-wheelers deployed for commercial purposes including those used for delivering food and other essentials will be fitted with yellow number plates.
For instance, in Goa, one of the very few states where bike taxis are legal and aggregators pay permit fees, users pay `20 for the first kilometre and `10 for every additional km travelled. In TN, where bike taxis are unregulated and no permit fees are collected, most firms charge `7 for the first 5km and the per/ km charge is `12.
Bike taxis and even door delivery costs in TN might also get costlier once the regulations come into place. This is when the State Government should intervene and fix fares for all forms of vehicles deployed by aggregators, particularly two-wheelers as it is used by the maximum number of passengers of late.
Tamil Nadu assembly will pass resolutions against farm laws and CAA: M K Stalin
Naduchief minister M KStalin announced that the state assembly would pass resolutions against the Union governments contentious farm laws and the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) in the upcoming budget session.
Responding to the appeal made by Manamadurai MLA A Tamilarasi to pass resolutions against the farm laws, Stalin said theDMKhad registered its strong protest against the farm laws on several occasions. The party has been demanding that the Union Government revoke the Acts, which were against the interest of the farming community.
He added that the assembly would pass a resolution against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on the occasion. The act was against the interest of minorities across the country. It created panic among the minorities
Urban local bodies in Tamil Nadu record 61% polling
Polling in 21 corporations, 138 municipalities and 489 town panchayats in Naduremained by and large peaceful on Saturday, barring a few incidents of malfunctioning of EVMs, complaints of campaigning near polling booths halting the polling process for a while and protests by people demanding that voters be allowed to cast votes after 5pm. The state Election Commission said the Average turnout was 60.7%.
It was business as usual in Chennai with arterial roads witnessing traffic, government buses remaining packed and shopping hubs getting huge footfalls. The state capital recorded just 43.6% polling, lower than 51.6% recorded in 2011. Tension prevailed at Royapuram afterAIADMKandDMKmembers clashed over allegations of Booth Capturing during polling.
Madurai district gets TNs first biodiversity heritage site
The Nadugovernment has notifiedArittapattiandMeenakshipuramvillages inMaduraidistrict as abiodiversity heritage site. The first such site in the state is Home to several endemic species and historical structures more than 2,000 years old.
A total of 193.2 hectares in Meenakshipuram in Madurai taluk and Arittapatti in Melur taluk have been notified as the Biodiversity heritage sites.
As per the government order issued by additional chief secretary of Environment, forest and Climate-change”>Climate Change Supriya Sahu, some hillocks in the area have rich biological and historical significance with the presence of around 250 bird species, including three raptor species, laggar falcons and other wildlife including endangered slender loris.
The area consists of a chain of seven barren granite hillocks as a watershed and supports 72 lakes, 200 natural spring pools and three check Dams.
The megalithic structures found in the area have Tamil Brahmi inscriptions, Jain beds and rock-cut temples which are 2,200 years old.
FinTech Governing Council Set Up By TN
In order to become a worldwide fintech powerhouse, the Nadu government established a FinTech Governing Council.
Highlights:
Under the chairmanship of Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu, the FinTech Governing Council was formed.
Vice Chairman of the Governing Council will be Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu.
Pooja Kulkarni, the Managing Director and CEO of Guidance Tamil Nadu, will chair the Governing Councils.
The announcement of the formation of this council coincided with the introduction of the fintech policy at the Investment Conclave.
On November 23, 2021, a business conference will be held in Coimbatore. MK Stalin, the Chief Minister, will preside over the event.
Stalin unveils TN’s first liquefied, compressed natural gas station
Chief minister M K Stalin inaugurated Nadus first liquefied, compressed natural gas (LCNG) station set up by AG & P Pratham near Manthangal village inRanipetdistrict.
The facility will cater to the piped natural gas requirements of domestic households, industries, commercial establishments and CNG for the transport sector. The company will lay a 300km pipeline Network in Vellore and Ranipet regions by the end of this financial year. The new station will benefit more than 30,000 households and 325 industrial and commercial establishments across Vellore, Ranipet and Tirupattur districts,” Gupta said.
He said the company is developing city gas distribution networks in six districts — Kancheepuram, Chengalpet, Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur and Ramanathapuram — besides South-East Chennai.
Tamil Nadu govt told to retrieve 62 acres of temple land in Tirusulam
Take immediate measures to retrieve 62 acres of land belonging to Arulmighu Trisoolanathar temple in Tirusulam from encroachment, the Madras has directed the Chennai district collector and the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department.
The issue pertains to a plea moved by advocate S Xavier Felix alleging that a substantial part of the land belonging to the temple had been taken over by encroachers and the authorities did not take any meaningful steps to recover the land.