Indian High Commission in Malaysia denies negligence

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on July 29, 2011:

Sources:

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/high-commission-denies-negligence/298908.html

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/details-of-missing-tn-men-collected/298909.html

CHENNAI:  Countering the raging allegations that it never took up the Indian migrant labourers’ ordeal with the Malaysian Government properly, the Indian High Commission in Malaysia has said that it was equally concerned about the welfare of all Indian nationals in the country like any other organisation, and were providing all the needed assistance to Indian citizens, including Indian workers, in distress there.

Reacting to the allegation by NGOs working for rights of migrant workers, an official of the High Commission, in an e-mail statement, said they have a Consular Wing and a separate Labour Wing, which assists Indian nationals, including workers, through various means, including handling of labour disputes and providing consular services to those Indians who were in prisons and detention camps.

The High Commission official said, “From January to June 2011, the High Commission’s representatives have made 25 visits to 11 detention camps in Malaysia and assisted Indian nationals to establish their identity and provided consular services to them thereafter.”

Details of missing TN men collected

CHENNAI: The Migrant Employees Education for Transformation, Prevention and Protection Union (MEETPPU), an NGO, in association with a Kuala Lumpur-based social worker T Kamalanathan, worked for the welfare of migrant workers from TN and collected details of labourers who went to Malaysia from the State and went missing there. Kamalanathan tried to trace them and made arrangements to send them back to India after completing legal formalities in Malaysia.

When contacted by Express, the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur said it was unaware that any Indian had died due to malnutrition in any camp in Malaysia, and no Indian in camps visited by the High Commission officials had drawn their attention. 

“Our visits require the approval of the Malaysian authorities and during such visits we have access only to the interview rooms in such detention camps,” an official from the Commission said.MEETTPU representatives, however, told Express that about 7,000 Indians were languishing at 11 such detention camps. 

Beacon of hope for TN labourers in Malaysia

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on July 29, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/states/tamilnadu/beacon-of-hope-for-tn-labourers-in-malaysia/298907.html

CHENNAI: For thousands of migrants from Tamil Nadu now working in different places in Malaysia or held at detention camps for visa-related issues, social worker T Kamalanathan is nothing less than a messiah on foreign soil.

With his consistent efforts, both Chinnasamy and Gibir Ali, who were held at one of the detention camps in Malaysia for expired visas, returned to India on Thursday.

Since 2007, Kamalanathan had rescued more than 1,500 such workers from Tamil Nadu, who were lured with handsome jobs by their agents in Malaysia and finally landed in government-run detention camps for not possessing proper visa or permits for working in the country.

An expected help to affected migrants in the alien nation, which was started in a small way in 2007 by the Serdang-born Kamalanathan, finally developed into a full-fledged social support mechanism for Indians, particularly Tamil migrant workers, who lacked proper representation with the Indian High Commission in case of detention at these camps. 

“I feel happy to help and represent those migrant labourers, who were cheated by their job agents and slowly losing hope at these detention camps,” said Kamalanathan in an email interview to Express.

With the coordination of the Tamil Nadu-based NGO, Migrant Employees Education for Transformation, Prevention and Protection Union (MEETPPU), the Kuala Lumpur-based social worker works for the welfare of migrant workers in that country.

With his work now expanded to several hundred people and Tamil labourers always approaching him for representing them at the High Commission, Kamalanathan is planning to start an NGO by the name Malaysia Global Rescue Organisation.

Sivasomasundaram of MEETPPU would send details on labourers who went to Malaysia from Tamil Nadu and went missing there. Based on the details, Kamalanathan would visit the detention camps and gather more information to pass them on to the Indian High Commission.

Once the labourers are traced, Kamalanathan would fulfil all legal formalities with both the Malaysian authorities and the Indian High Commission and send them back to India. He would also mobilise funds to meet travel expenses by air up to Chennai or Trichy airport.

Tales of malnutrition deaths in Malaysian camps

Pic by J Manoharan/EXP

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on July 29, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/states/tamilnadu/tales-of-malnutrition-deaths-in-malaysian-camps/298877.html
CHENNAI: Reports from the Malaysian government-run detention camps for migrant labourers have indicated that 15 Indians, including seven labourers from Tamil Nadu, have died of malnutrition in the last three months.
According to a Chinnasamy, who returned to India recently, seven labourers from Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Virudhunagar, Chennai and Cuddalore districts died of malnutrition and inhuman conditions in the camps.
Chinnasamy, who was detained in such a camp for over a year for his expired visa, said, “In  Lenggeng, Tanah Merah and KLIA camps, where I was detained on rotational basis, I saw the death of 15 Indians in the past three months, due to malnutrition, since food and clean drinking water for the detainees are heavily rationed. Malaysian authorities used to give us only 150 grams of food (rice or bread) twice a day and we had to survive with it for the whole day.”

Describing the situation at the camps, he said, “Besides the food scarcity, the authorities never provided clean drinking water to detainees and the tap water, which is used for drinking as well, came from a dirty tank where dead rats used to float.”

Though the Malaysian detention camp authorities and the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur have denied such deaths and claimed they were due to ‘natural causes’, we regularly get reports of such occurrences in camps from those who return to India, said S Sivasomasundaram, secretary of Migrant Employees Education for Transformation, Prevention and Protection Union.

RTI Act stamp: Aavin bows to pressure

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on July 26, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/rti-act-stamp-aavin-bows-to-pressure/298094.html

CHENNAI: After stamping ‘RTI Act purposes only’ on more than 500 replies under the Right to Information Act over the years, the Tamil Nadu Co-operative Milk Producers’ Federation Ltd (Aavin) has finally bowed to the pressure exerted by a rights activist and ‘decided’ not do it anymore on any replies sent in future.

The change in Aavin’s attitude while sending RTI replies came after a relentless fight with the organisation by R Natarajan, city-based RTI activist and a research scholar, who strongly objected to the stamping.About 15 months ago, Natarajan had sought information from Aavin on customer data and milk distribution in the city.When he received the information, he was perplexed to see stamping on every page saying ‘For Right to Information Act purpose only’. While going for further appeal on the Aavin’s customer data issue, Natarajan planned to move a separate plea with the organisation for the illogical usage of stamping as it amounts to suppressing the information and goes against the very spirit of introducing the Act — transparency and accountability in administration.Though the Aavin management feigned ignorance to Natarajan’s plea initially, after 12 months of his persistent follow-up, the agency has now “decided” not to do any such stamping on RTI replies.Natarajan told Express, “Though I used to tell the agency and its public information officer (PIO) time to time that its wrong usage as the Act is meant for infusing transparency and accountability in the administration, they never accepted it in the past. Ultimately, they are forced to see the truth and finally my stand on Aavin’s illogical usage of stamping is vindicated.”“I have been using the RTI tool to unearth information in many parts of the country and not a single PIO till now sent me any reply with such a stamping,” Natarajan added.According to Right to Information experts, there is no provision in the RTI Act to provide information with stamping.

CHENNAI: Health officials stub out 4 hookah lounges

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on July 24, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/health-officials-stub-out-4-hookah-lounges/297250.html

CHENNAI: The City Health Department of the Chennai Corporation recently ordered the closure of four hookah lounges that functioned illegally in posh Nungambakkam and brought an estimated 20 more such illegal lounges under its scanner after reports of rampant use of drugs there.

According to civic body sources, the decision to close the joints was taken on two counts -one, flouting the government ban on smoking in public places; and two, they had license only to run a restaurant, food court or coffee joints.Food inspectors of the City Health Department have also collected samples of substances used at those four hookah lounges for detailed lab analysis.“We deem the 25-odd hookah lounges in the city limit as illegal as the civic body never issued licenses for them per se. The licenses they obtained were meant for running either restaurants or coffee shops only,” a senior official of the Corporation told Express.Though there was no official word on what actually led to the crackdown, it was reliably learnt that rampant use of drugs, such as marijuana and hashish, was the trigger.According to a regular visitor to one of the hookah lounges in the city, the per hour charge is between Rs 300 and Rs 400.Drugs are provided on the pretext of offering different flavours to enhance pleasure.

The lounges have a young clientele. College students and IT professionals, including a considerable number of girls, are regulars, sources said.“If the samples lifted from those four lounges are found to contain drugs, their (restaurant or coffee shop) licenses would be revoked immediately under the Madras City Municipal Corporation Act -1919,” civic body sources said.

Vasan reviews performance of Chennai and Ennore

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on July 23, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/states/tamilnadu/vasan-reviews-performance-of-chennai-and-ennore/296935.html

CHENNAI: Taking stock of the financial and operational capabilities of the homestate ports personally, Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan on Friday held meetings with top officials of the Chennai and Ennore ports.He reviewed the performance of the Chennai Port with its chairman Atulya Misra at the port premises in the morning and in the evening, chaired a similar review meeting on Ennore Port premises where S Velumani, chairmancummanaging director of the port, explained him the status of the different projects there.

During the meetings, the Minister fixed specific deadlines for all development projects and directed officials to adhere to the deadlines for achieving sustained growth.

Official sources said that the strategy to improve the traffic and trade through Chennai Port in the context of the possible shifting of coal and iron ore to Ennore Port following directions in the recent HC judgment, was discussed in detail and the potential for alternative cargoes was also assessed.The Minister also had a thorough review on the impact of the judgment on the future of Chennai Port.

Concluding his review at Chennai port, Vasan appreciated the efforts put in by the port officers and workers in achieving positive growth in traffic compared to the previous years in spite of connectivity problems and reduction in volumes of iron ore and coal. He expressed confidence that the port would successfully encounter currentchallenges.

At the review meeting in Ennore, Vasan directed the port to showcase its fully mechanised and environmentfriendly cargo handling terminals, particularly, the Common User Coal Terminal in the light of the recent judgment given by the HC regarding shifting of dusty cargo from Chennai Port Trust to Ennore Port.

While reviewing the Container Terminal project at Ennore port, the Minister emphasised the need for early implementation of the project.

The Minister also conducted a joint review of the port connectivity projects relating to Chennai and Ennore ports and the elevated port link to Maduravoyal with government and port officials.

TAMIL NADU: Minister sails away from planned road roko

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on July 23, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/states/tamilnadu/minister-sails-away-from-planned-road-roko/296921.html
CHENNAI: Slow progress of work on the Chennai-Ennore Port road connectivity project coupled with continuing congestion of container trailers on North Chennai roads forced Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan to go off the roads on Friday on his way to the Port and instead take a sea route.

Though Chennai Port Trust officials claimed that the Minister’s visit had been planned from the start via sea, informed sources told Express that the port management altered his original road-travel plan at the last minute, on recei­ving information that a group of con­tai­ner trailer drivers were likely to stage a road-roko on the Ennore Expressway.

Sources in the export-import business said that despite the Minister’s repea­ted assurances that more gates would be opened to the Port in order to ease the wait for trailer drivers and the resulting traffic congestion, nothing substantial has been done. Thousands of trailers are forced to share a single gate (Gate-1 at Kasimedu) for both inward and outward movement of cargo, which leaves drivers waiting in queue for days.

As the information of the road-roko appea­red credible, the Minister and his entourage from Chennai preferred to sail on a boat to Ennore in the afternoon. They returned to Chennai in the evening.

According to a trailer driver, who requested anonymity, there was a plan for an agitation, to bring to the notice of the Minister the pathetic situation that trailer drivers are put in. The port management, he said, always hid these facts from the Minister.

Sewage Water For Mathur Residents

Publishied in The New Indian Express, Chennai on July 22, 2011:

As the Madhavaram-Mathur Lake has fully dried up now, some Mathur residents are forced to draw contaminated drinking water from their borewells due to sewage let out by the municipality, Ramesh, a resident said.
"The clandestine act by the municipality has increased the health concerns among the thousands of families who have primarily selected the area for its best drinking water quality," B Thirugnanam, president of TNHB Colony Residents Consumer Protection Awareness Welfare Association told Express. 
When contacted, S Ramamoorthy, Commissioner of Madhavaram Municipality, denied the municipality was letting out sewage into the lake.
We will inquire about it and visit the spot from where the sewage has been discharged towards the lake, Ramamoorthy said and added that it is not a deliberate act by the civic body to pollute the water body and someone might have routed it that way as the surrounding areas are a low-lying.
He also said the municipality has its own treatment plant, but the pumping is not happening as of now since the work to link sewage lines from all over the local body is yet to be completed.

Chennai legislators to be briefed on expansion

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on July 22, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/chennai-legislators-to-be-briefed-on-expansion/296579.html

CHENNAI: Chennai Corporation officials will hold a meeting with legislators representing areas in the city to discuss city expansion plans.

Corporation Commissioner D Karthikeyan on Wednesday held talks with representatives of 42 local bodies that would be annexed during the expansion.Officials collected specific inputs on garbage collection and disposal, and the financial position in the 42 local bodies, sources told Express. 

The sources said, a detailed report would be sumbitted to the state government. Besides the 16 MLAs, elected from the existing Chennai Corporation limits, another seven MLAs from areas to be annexed: Alandur, Shozhinganallur, Maduravoyal, Ambattur, Madhavaram, Thiruvottiyur and Ponneri, would take part in the briefing.The plan calls for a village panchayat namely Idayanchavadi in Minjur limit which would be the Corporation's entry point from the north. Uthandi village panchayat on the ECR would be its southern boundary.

Municipalities in the north Kathivakkam, Thiruvottiyur and Manali, and those in the west Madhavaram, Ambattur, Maduravoyal, Valsaravakkam and Alandur and UllagaramPuzhuthivakkam in the south were included in the city limit.

CHENNAI:Sewage released on the sly into Madhavaram waterbody

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on July 22, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/sewage-released-on-the-sly-into-madhavaram-water/296589.html

Pics by P Anand Kumar

CHENNAI: Severe health problems due to ground water contamination are threatening about 70,000 families residing at Mathur, Manali and Madhavaram localities in the city's northwestern suburbs. The Madhavaram Municipality has been clandestinely letting out its untreated sewage into a lake that is the only groundwater source for these areas.

According to residents from Mathur Village Panchayat in Puzhal Union, the municipality has disregarded their repeated requests to reroute its sewage to the Chennai Metrowatermaintained treatment plant at Kodungaiyur and save the groundwater source meant for thousands of families in the locality.  The 134 acre Madhavaram-Mathur Lake, which remained full perennially and is a source of groundwater for families in the locality, has dried up over the last one year.

Under the pretext of draining rainwater into the lake through stormwater drains, the local body, about a year ago, built a concretecanal up to the mouth of the lake and let the sewage and polluted the groundwater, C M Ram­esh, a resident of Mathur told Express.

Children’s playground turns into a dump yard

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on July 21, 2011:

Pics courtesy: P Anand Kumar

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/children%E2%80%99s-playground-turns-into-a-dump-yard/296150.html

CHENNAI: The 2.5-acre-plot, which was planned under the area layout as a children park and playfield by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) while promoting residential plots at MMDA-Mathur in the 1990s, has now become an open dumping ground for the local body.

Despite numerous pleas to K Elumalai (DMK), the Mathur Village Panchayat president, and even to the Tiruvallur District Collector for the past several years, no solution is in sight yet, angry residents told City Express.

Sandwiched between Madhavaram Municipality and Manali Municipality, Mathur Village Panchayat is one of the largest village panchayats in terms of its voters. The village panchayat alone has about 15,000 voters and more than 35,000 people live there.

In 1992, when the TNHB sold hundreds of plots within the village panchayat limits under different categories, the 2.5-acre site, located in the middle of a residential area, was earmarked as a children’s park and playfield.The particular patch of land was later handed over to the local body (village panchayat) for developing it as a park and playfield for children. For their part, the local residents who have migrated to the area after constructing houses on the plots allotted to them in the mid-90s have also started demanding that the village panchayat develop the area, as the whole locality lacked a proper lung spot where people could spend some quality time.To the local residents’ dismay, the village panchayat, instead of developing it as a public utility, started dumping garbage collected from different parts of Mathur at the site, showing scant regard to the TNHB instruction and the people’s wish.

“Most of the people, who have migrated here from different parts of Chennai city, had thought of having a peaceful life, but the local body is playing the role of villain in everybody’s life by creating severe health hazards,” said B Thirugnanam, president of TNHB Colony Residents Consumer Protection Awareness Welfare Association.

When contacted, officials of the village panchayat first feigned ignorance about the prevalence of garbage dumping there. Later, they changed their stand and said that they needed more funds to develop it and hence, the delay.However, residents said that several corporate houses located in Manali and the suburbs and service-oriented clubs like Rotary and Lions were ready to sponsor the project, but the village panchayat was blocking it.

Chennai on top of India’s density index

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on July 20, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/chennai-on-top-of-india%E2%80%99s-density-index/295917.html

CHENNAI: The provisional population totals released by the Directorate of Census Operations-Tamil Nadu on Tuesday revealed that the Chennai (district) has now become the second district in the country in terms of population density.

The North East district in the National Capital Territory of Delhi is the most densely populated district in the country, with a whopping 37,346 people per sq km in 2011, compared to  29,468 people per sq km in 2001.According to the official statistics released by S Gopalakrishnan, Director of Census Operations in the State, the population density in Chennai has increased from 24,963 per sq km in 2001 to 26,903 people 2011. In other words, about 1,940 people have been added to the city’s per sq km area in the past 10 years.This growth in density puts to rest the popular notion among Chennaiites and policy makers that many people, due to increasing cost of living and congestion in the city, have moved to the suburbs and settled there in the past 10-15 years.While Chennai district recorded a phenomenal growth in density, Thiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Madurai and Kanyakumari have registered a nominal three-digit growth. Thiruvallur district has a density of 1,049 people per sq km, while in Kancheepuram it is 927.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Arunachal dist has just one person per sqkm

Chennai district, which stands second in population density in the country, is followed by Delhi East District with a density of 26,683 persons per sqkm and Kolkata district (West Bengal) with a density of 24,252 people.

Central Delhi district stands fifth with 23,147. Mumbai Suburban district (Maharashtra) is at the sixth spot with a density of 20,925 persons per sqkm.

On the contrary, Dibang Valley district in Arunachal Pradesh has grabbed the top post for having the lowest population density in the country with just one person per sqkm. Dibang Valley district is also the lease populous district in the country.


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Urban population sees 14% jump in 2 decades

CHENNAI: The State’s urban population has recorded a remarkable 14 per cent jump in the last two decades, according to the new census statistics released here on Tuesday.

Unveiling the provisional population totals of the State here, S Gopalakrishnan, Director of Census Operations-Tamil Nadu, said, “In the last two decades, percentage of urban population has increased to 48.45 per cent of the total population from 34.15 percent in 1991.”Incidentally, the share of urban population in the State, which stood at 24.35 per cent in 1951, has increased to 48.45 per cent in past six decades.

While districts like Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Madurai and Kanyakumari have recorded a share of over 60 per cent of their population under urban category among all the districts of Tamil Nadu,  other districts such as Pudukottai, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Villupuram, Dharmapuri and Tiruvannamalai in the State  have less than or 20 per cent of their population in the category.

IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE JUDGEMENT BY MADRAS HIGH COURT ON SAMACHEER KALVI CASE ON JULY 18, 2011:

IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE JUDGEMENT BY MADRAS HIGH COURT ON SAMACHEER KALVI CASE ON JULY 18, 2011:

VISIT THE MHC SITE FOR FULL JUDGEMENT: http://judis.nic.in/judis_chennai/qrydisp.aspx?filename=32985

DOWN BELOW IS THE REPRODUCTION:

As noticed by us in the preceding paragraphs, there would be a great impact on the student community if the Amending Act is to be implemented.  It would unsettle settled issues, causing chaos and confusion in the young minds, which we cannot permit.  Much has been said about the syllabus and text books of Matriculation schools.  At this stage, we may point out that one of the Committee Members nominated by the Government, after the direction was issued by the Supreme Court, in her comments on the Uniform System of Education, the syllabus and text books, has stated that Samacheer Kalvi is a laudable object and a necessity and the present Matriculation and Anglo-Indian Streams are not perfect systems and do not conform to the principles laid down in the National Curriculum Framework-2005 and Samacheer Kalvi syllabus and text books have been prepared keeping the Matriculation Syllabus as a benchmark.  However, this observation of the Committee Member has not been fully brought out in the final report submitted by the Government to this Court.  Though much was said about the nomination of three Committee Members i.e., one Government representative and two academicians, we are satisfied on a perusal of the individual comments offered by these members that the validity of their nomination to the Committee need not be gone into.  At this stage, we may note that the Committee Members were not of the unanimous opinion that the uniform syllabus and common textbooks have to be discarded for the current year.  Each member has pointed out certain changes and additions.  The nominees from the NCERT have also voiced such an opinion.  The positive aspects of the uniform syllabus and common textbooks have been pointed out in their individual reports.  If that is the state of affairs, we feel that the decision of the State Government to put on hold the Uniform System of Education and to revert back to the 2004 stream is undoubtedly a step backward, which we shall not permit. 

            50. As noticed by us earlier, the parent Act has already been implemented in respect of Classes I and VI from the Academic Year 2010-2011.  Therefore, to revert back to the position prior to 2010-2011 would not only amount to violating the decision of the Division Bench of this Court and would have the effect of repealing the Parent Act, but also would be detrimental to the interests of the children.  Therefore, at this stage, such reversion should not be permitted, as the same would not be for the welfare of the student community.  In respect of the other classes, viz. Standards II to V and VII to X, it has been stated that substantial work has been done for introduction of the new syllabus and printing the textbooks and the same has already been made available to the students by publishing it in the official website.  Therefore, we are of the firm view that if the impugned Amending Act is to be given effect to, it would result in unsettling various issues and the interest of the children would be jeopardized.   

            51. As noticed by us earlier, much efforts appear to have been taken by Dr.S.Muthukumaran Committee from 2006 onwards and even thereafter, the Committee's report has been examined by a one man committee, which in turn, constituted a group of academicians to visit other States and study the pattern of education, and after considering all aspects, and after a period of more than four years, the system was introduced during 2010 and at that stage, the introduction of the Uniform System was resisted by the Matriculation Schools.  The impasse ended after the  Division Bench upheld the parent Act and allowed implementation of the Uniform System of Education for Standards I and VI from the Academic Session 2010-2011. Therefore, we cannot countenance the submission made by the State as well as the Matriculation Schools that the introduction of Uniform System of Education was done in a hasty manner.  The State has attempted to justify their action by stating that certain provisions of the Act have not been complied with, as directed by the Division Bench.  We fail to understand as to why the student community should be put at peril for the inaction or lethargy of the Executive.  Nothing prevented the Executive from notifying the Academic Authority, though the Division Bench found that the Board which was in place could very well be notified as the authority under the Act. At this stage, we may reiterate that though this Court while granting interim protection and liberty to the State to conduct a detailed study of the common syllabus and make addition or deletions, also directed the Government to conduct the study on the other books which have been given and notify the approved text books, with a view to comply with the direction of the Division Bench contained in paragraph 63 of the Division Bench judgment.  However, the State ignored this direction and the Matriculation Schools are now complaining that the Government has not notified the approved textbooks.

            52. In view of all the above reasons, we conclude by holding :-

            (a) Section 3 of the Tamil Nadu Uniform System of School Education (Amendment Act 2010) is unconstitutional and ultra vires Article 14 of the Constitution of India and is accordingly struck down.

            (b) The State shall forthwith distribute the textbooks printed under the Uniform System of Education to enable the teachers to commence classes and such distribution shall be completed on or before  22.7.2011.

            (c) In terms of the recommendations made by the individual Members of the Committee constituted pursuant to the direction issued by the Hon'ble Supreme Court, the syllabus and textbooks shall be reviewed and the objectionable portions be ordered to be deleted and the materials or portions which are required to be included as per the suggestions of the individual Committee Members may be added and supplied to the students in the form of an additional booklet within a reasonable time, which in our view, would be three months.

            (d) The State shall notify the approved textbooks from among the textbooks already stated to have been submitted to the Government on or before 22.7.2011.

            53. In the result, the writ petitions are allowed on the above terms, all the impleading petitions are allowed and the other miscellaneous petitions are closed.  There shall be no order as to costs.  In view of our aforesaid findings, Writ Petition No.16266 of 2011 stands dismissed.

            54. We hope and trust that every endeavour shall be made by the State to implement the Uniform System of Education and achieve excellence, taking note that the children of today are the future of our country. 

சமச்சீர் கல்வி தொடர வேண்டும் : சென்னை ஐகோர்ட் பரபரப்பு தீர்ப்பு

Source:http://www.dinamalar.com/News_Detail.asp?Id=277664

சென்னை: தமிழகத்தில் சமச்சீர் கல்வி தொடர்பாக சென்னை ஐகோர்ட் பரபரப்பு தீர்ப்பை வெளியிட்டுள்ளது. நடப்பாண்டில் அனைத்து வகுப்புகளிலும் சமச்சீர் கல்வியை தொடர வேண்டும் என்றும் வரும் 22 ம் தேதிக்குள் சமச்சீர் கல்வி தொடர்பான புத்தங்கள் வழங்கிட வேண்டும் என்றும் ஐகோர்ட் பரபரப்பு தீர்ப்பளித்துள்ளது.

ஆட்சி மாற்றம்- கல்வி முறையில் மாற்றம்: கடந்த தி.மு.க., ஆட்சி காலத்தில் தமிழகத்தில் மெட்ரிக்., அல்லாத எல்லோருக்கும் சமமான கல்வி வழங்கும் நோக்கத்தில் சமச்சீர் கல்வி என்ற புதிய திட்டத்தை துவங்கியது. இதன்படி கடந்த கல்வி ஆண்டில் 1ம் வகுப்பு, மற்றும் 6ம் வகுப்பில் இருந்து கொண்டு வரப்பட்டு திட்டம் துவக்கப்பட்டது. இந்த ஆண்டு ஏனைய வகுப்புகளுக்கு இந்த திட்டம் கொண்டு வரப்படவிருந்தது. இந்நிலையில் அ.தி.மு.க, ஆட்சி மாற்றத்திற்கு பின்னர் சமச்சீர் கல்வியை ரத்து செய்வதாக தமிழக அரசு அறிவித்தது. எந்த பாடத்தை கற்பிப்பது, புத்தகம் அச்சிடுதல் உள்ளிட்ட காரணத்தினால் கடந்த ஜூன் 1 ம் தேதி திறக்கப்பட வேண்டிய பள்ளிகள் 15 ம் தேதி வரை தள்ளிப்போனது. பள்ளிகள் திறந்தாலும் பாடங்கள் எதுவும் நடத்தப்படாமல் உள்ளது.

சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட் வரை சென்ற வழக்குகள்: சமச்சீர் கல்வி ரத்து செய்யக்கூடாது என சென்னை ஐகோர்ட்டில் பொது நலமனு தாக்கல் செய்யப்பட்டது. இதில் தமிழக அரசு சமச்சீர் கல்வியை ரத்து செய்தது சரியல்ல என்று நீதிபதிகள் தீர்ப்பளித்தனர். இதனால் தமிழக அரசு சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட்டில் அப்பீல் செய்தது. ஜூன் மாதம் 14 ம் தேதி அப்பீல் மனுவை விசாரித்த நீதிபதிகள் ; தலைமைசெயலர் தலைமையில் ஒரு புதிய நிபுணர்குழுவை நியமித்து அறிக்கை தாக்கல் செய்ய பணித்தது. இத்துடன் இந்த வழக்கை சென்னை ஐகோர்ட் விசாரித்து விரைவில் தீர்ப்பளிக்க வேண்டும் என்று உத்தரவிட்டனர்.

கல்வியாளர்களை கொண்ட , தலைமை செயலர் தேபேதிரநாத் சாரங்கி தலைமையிலான குழு இந்த வழக்கில் கடந்த கால சமச்சீர் கல்வி தொடர்பான விஷயங்கள் குறித்து ஆய்வுசெய்து அறிக்கையை கடந்த சில நாட்களுக்கு முன்னர் தாக்கல் செய்தது. இதில் இந்தக்கல்வி தரமானதாக இல்லை என்றும் மொழிப்பெயர்ப்பில் தவறுகள் உள்ளதாகவும், புத்தகம் திருத்தம் உள்பட முற்றிலும் மாற்றி அமைக்க வேண்டியிருப்பதால் சமச்சீர்கல்வியை நடைமுறைப்படுத்த முடியாது என்றும் கூறப்பட்டது.

சட்ட திருத்தமும் ரத்து: இந்த வழக்கில் இன்று சென்னை மதியம் (12. 45 மணியளவில் ஐகோர்ட் நீதிபதிகள் தீர்ப்பளித்தனர். தலைமை நீதிபதி இக்பால் தலைமையிலான பெஞ்ச் கொண்ட நீதிபதிகள் அளித்துள்ள தீர்ப்பில் கூறியிருப்பதாவது: நடப்பாண்டில் 1 முதல் 10 வரை அனைத்து வகுப்புகளிலும் சமச்சீர் கல்வியை தொடர வேண்டும் என்றும் வரும் 22 ம் தேதிக்குள் சமச்சீர் கல்வி தொடர்பான புத்தங்கள் வழங்கிட வேண்டும் என்றும், பழைய பாடத்திட்டத்திற்கு தடை விதித்தது. மேலும் இன்னும் 3 மாதத்திற்குள் ஒரு குழுவை அமைத்து சமச்சீர் கல்வி குறைபாடுகளை தீர்த்துக்கொள்ளலாம். தமிழக அரசு கொண்டு வந்த சட்ட திருத்தமும் ரத்து செய்யப்படுகிறது. இவ்வாறு ஐகோர்ட் பரபரப்பு தீர்ப்பளித்துள்ளது. புதிய பாடப்பபுத்தகம் வழங்குவதற்கான கால அவகாசம் போதாது என்று அரசு வக்கீல் சார்பில் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டது .இது ‌தொடர்பாக தனி மனுவை தாக்கல் செய்யுங்கள் என நீதிபதிகள் தெரிவித்தனர்.

இந்த உத்தரவுக்கு எதிராக சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட்டில் மேல்முறையீடு செய்யப்படும் என தமிழக அரசு வழக்குரைஞர் கூறியுள்ளார்.

ரஜினிக்கா இந்த அவமானம்!

""தொழிலதிபர்களான "இந்தியா சிமென்ட்ஸ்' சீனிவாசன், சன் குழுமத் தலைவர் கலாநிதி மாறன், விஜய் மல்லைய்யா போன்றவர்களுக்கு நமது அதிகாரிகள் குழைந்தும் நெளிந்தும் விமானத்திலிருந்து இறங்கியதுமே எல்லா சேவகங்களையும் செய்து, சிறப்பு வாகனத்தில் ஆறாவது வாயில் வரை சென்று வழியனுப்புவார்கள். ஆனால், தமிழகம் முழுவதும் லட்சக்கணக்கான ரசிகர்களை கொண்டிருக்கும் ரஜினிகாந்த் "இமிக்ரேஷன்' சோதனைக்கு நடத்திச் செல்லப்பட்டார். அவர் மூச்சிரைக்க நடந்து வந்ததைப் பார்க்கவே சங்கடமாக இருந்தது''  காவல்துறை கான்ஸ்டபிள்
Published in Dinamani, on July 15, 2011:


சென்னை, ஜூலை 14: சிங்கப்பூர் மவுண்ட் எலிசபெத் மருத்துவமனையில் சிறுநீரகப் பாதிப்புக்குச் சிகிச்சை பெற்று, பூரண குணமடைந்து சென்னைக்குத் திரும்பிய நடிகர் ரஜினிகாந்த்துக்கு, விமான நிலையத்தில் அதிகாரிகளால் தரப்பட்ட அவமானகரமான மரியாதை பலரையும் வேதனைப்படுத்தி இருக்கிறது.

PIC Courtesy:http://www.pravasitoday.com/rajinikanth-leaves-for-singapore
புதன்கிழமை இரவு ரஜினிகாந்த் சென்னை திரும்புவதாக "தினமணி' உள்ளிட்ட எல்லா ஊடகங்களிலும் செய்தி வெளியாகி இருந்தும், அவரை வரவேற்கத் தகுந்த ஏற்பாடுகள் செய்யப்படாதது, ரஜினி ரசிகர்களை மிகவும் எரிச்சலுக்கு உள்ளாக்கி இருக்கிறது.

ரஜினிகாந்த் சிங்கப்பூர் ஏர்லைன்ஸ் விமானம் மூலம் புதன்கிழமை இரவு சென்னை திரும்பும் தகவல் கிடைத்ததால் அவரது ரசிகர்கள் புதன்கிழமை மதியம் முதலே மீனம்பாக்கம் விமான நிலையத்தில் குவியத் தொடங்கினார்கள். பலத்த போலீஸ் பாதுகாப்பு போடப்பட்டிருந்ததே தவிர, தகுந்த முன்னேற்பாடுகள் செய்யப்படவில்லை என்பதுதான் உண்மை.
நடிகர் ரஜினிகாந்த், வழக்கமாக முக்கியமான பிரமுகர்கள் விமானத்திலிருந்து வெளியேறும் ஆறாவது வாயில் வழியாக வெளிவந்தார் என்பதும் அங்கே கூடியிருந்த ரசிகர்களைப் பார்த்து தனக்கே உரித்தான பாணியில் தலைக்கு மேல் கையை உயர்த்தி வணக்கம் தெரிவித்தார் என்பதும்தான் பத்திரிகையில் வெளிவந்த செய்திகள். அதற்கு முன்னால் நடந்த சம்பவங்களைப் பற்றிக் கேள்விப்பட்டால், ""ரஜினி ரசிகர்கள் மட்டுமல்ல, யாராக இருந்தாலும் ரஜினிக்கா இந்த அவமானம் என்று நிச்சயம் வேதனைப்படுவார்கள்'' என்றார் விமான நிலைய ஊழியர் ஒருவர்.
சிங்கப்பூர் ஏர்லைன்ஸ் விமானத்தில் வந்திறங்கிய ரஜினிகாந்தும் மற்றவர்களும் வழக்கம்போல விமானப் பாலம் (ஏரோ பிரிட்ஜ்) மூலம் வெளியே வந்தனர். வெளிநாட்டிலிருந்து வரும் பயணிகள் இமிக்ரேஷன் என்று அழைக்கப்படும் அனுமதி சோதனைக்குப் பிறகுதான் விமான நிலையத்திலிருந்து வெளியே செல்ல அனுமதிக்கப்படுவார்கள். முக்கியமான பிரமுகர்கள் இதுபோல வெளிநாட்டுப் பயணம் முடித்து இந்தியா திரும்புவதாக இருந்தால், அவர்களை விமானத்திலிருந்து இறங்கும் இடத்திலேயே வரவேற்று, இமிக்ரேஷன் அனுமதி அளிப்பது உண்டு.
""தொழிலதிபர்களான "இந்தியா சிமென்ட்ஸ்' சீனிவாசன், சன் குழுமத் தலைவர் கலாநிதி மாறன், விஜய் மல்லைய்யா போன்றவர்களுக்கு நமது அதிகாரிகள் குழைந்தும் நெளிந்தும் விமானத்திலிருந்து இறங்கியதுமே எல்லா சேவகங்களையும் செய்து, சிறப்பு வாகனத்தில் ஆறாவது வாயில் வரை சென்று வழியனுப்புவார்கள். ஆனால், தமிழகம் முழுவதும் லட்சக்கணக்கான ரசிகர்களை கொண்டிருக்கும் ரஜினிகாந்த் "இமிக்ரேஷன்' சோதனைக்கு நடத்திச் செல்லப்பட்டார். அவர் மூச்சிரைக்க நடந்து வந்ததைப் பார்க்கவே சங்கடமாக இருந்தது'' என்று விழிகளில் நீர்கோக்க நமக்குத் தெரிவித்தார் பணியில் இருந்த காவல்துறை கான்ஸ்டபிள் ஒருவர்.
அதுமட்டுமல்ல, ""இதுபோன்ற நேரங்களில் பிரமுகர்களை ஏற்றிச் செல்ல டாடா சுமோ போன்ற வாகனங்கள்தான் பயன்படுத்தப்படும். ஆனால், ரஜினிகாந்த் ஒரு பழைய பஸ்ஸில் அழைத்துச் சென்று ஆறாவது வாயிலில் இறக்கிவிடப்பட்டார். ரஜினிகாந்த் ஒரு நோயாளியாக சிகிச்சை முடிந்து நாடு திரும்புகிறார் என்று தெரிந்தும் விமான நிலைய அதிகாரிகள் முன்னேற்பாடுகளைச் செய்திருக்க வேண்டாமா?'' என்று கேள்வி எழுப்புகிறார்கள் ரஜினி ரசிகர்களான விமான நிலைய ஊழியர்கள்.
விமான நிலைய ஊழியர்கள்தான் இப்படி என்றால் நமது காவல்துறையின் செயல்பாடு அதைவிட கண்டனத்துக்குரியது. ரஜினியை வரவேற்க நண்பகல் முதலே ரசிகர்கள் குவிகிறார்கள் என்று தெரிந்தும், பிரமுகர்கள் வெளியேறும் ஆறாவது வாயிலின் அருகில் தற்காலிகமாக அதிக விளக்குகளைப் பொருத்தி அதிகளவில் வெளிச்சம் இருக்கும்படி பார்த்துக் கொண்டார்களா என்றால், இல்லை. அங்கிருந்து ரஜினி வெளியேறும் பாதையில் தடுப்புகள் (பாரிக்கேட்) போட்டிருந்தார்களா என்றால் அதுவும் இல்லை. அன்று ஏதாவது அசம்பாவிதம் நடந்திருந்தால் அதற்குப் பொறுப்பாவது முதல்வரும் அரசுமாக இருக்கும் என்று தெரிந்தும் காவல் துறை ஏன் முன்னேற்பாடுகளைச் செய்யவில்லை என்று வருத்தப்படாத ரசிகர்களே கிடையாது.
""இத்தனைக்கும் "இமிக்ரேஷன்' சோதனை நடத்தும் இலாகா ரஜினியின் நண்பரான உள்துறை அமைச்சர் ப. சிதம்பரத்தின் கீழ் வருகிறது. விமான நிலையம் அவரது இன்னொரு நண்பரான வயலார் ரவியின் அமைச்சகத்தின் கீழ் செயல்படுகிறது. ரஜினி வருகிறார் என்று ஊரெல்லாம் கொட்டி முழங்குவது இவர்கள் காதில் விழாதது ஏன்?'' என்று ரஜினிக்கு நெருக்கமான சிலர் கேள்வி எழுப்பினார்கள்.
இத்தனை குளறுபடிகளுக்கும் ரஜினி குடும்பத்தினரும் ஒரு காரணம் என்கிறார் ரஜினி ரசிகர் ஒருவர். ""1996-ல் ரஜினி வெளிநாட்டிலிருந்து திரும்பும்போது ரஜினி ரசிகர் மன்றத் தலைவர் சத்யநாராயணா முன்னேற்பாடுகளைக் கவனமாகச் செய்திருந்தார். அதேபோல, ரஜினி குடும்பத்தினர் முதல்வரின் அலுவலகத்தைத் தொடர்பு கொண்டிருந்தால், நிச்சயமாக அவர் தகுந்த ஏற்பாடுகளுக்கு உத்தரவிட்டிருப்பார். அவர்கள் சொல்லாதது தான் தவறு'' என்று கருத்துத் தெரிவித்தார் அவர்.
""ரஜினிகாந்தின் குடும்பத்தினர் தெரிவிக்கவில்லை. தவறுதான். தமிழகக் காவல் துறையின் புலனாய்வுத் துறை என்ன செய்து கொண்டிருந்தது? இவர்கள் ஏன் முதல்வரிடம் முன்கூட்டியே அறிவித்துத் தகுந்த ஏற்பாடுகளைச் செய்யாமல் விட்டார்கள்? இத்தனைக்கும் ரஜினிகாந்துக்கும் தமிழக முதல்வருக்கும் நல்லுறவு இருப்பது அவர்களுக்குத் தெரியாததா என்ன'' என்று கோபமாகக் கேட்பவர்கள் பலர்.
தொழிலதிபர்களுக்கெல்லாம் தொழுதடிமை செய்யும் நமது அதிகார வர்க்கம், தமிழக மக்களின் ஏகோபித்த அன்பையும் அபிமானத்தைப் பெற்ற நடிகர் ரஜினிகாந்தை, அதுவும் சிகிச்சை பெற்று அவர் திரும்பும் நிலையில், இப்படி நடத்தியிருக்க வேண்டாம் என்று வருத்தப்படாத ரசிகர்களே இல்லை!