Edition 9 Page 1_Layout 1 3/29/2019 4:57 PM Page 1 Volume No 19 Issue No 9 March 29, 2019 LAB JOURNAL OF THE ASIAN COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM Are education loan Drug-resistant TB Madras Literary waivers feasible on the rise Society in ruins Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Big ‘no’ to manifestoes New building rules 74% respondents feel NEET exam not an important election issue shrink public spaces CHIYA AHUJA country. LEAH THOMAS Seventy per cent of the HARSHITA MISHRA maintain open spaces in urban ranging from 3000 sq. metres to JAYAKUMAR MADALA respondents said that the promise to cities. The new norm exempts 5000 sq. metres. solve the job crisis in the State by CHENNAI: A new development builders with less than 3000 square M. Andarasan, a Chennai-based CHENNAI: Seven out of 10 people introducing reservations in private plan passed by the State metres from following the 10 per builder, says that despite the are unsatisfied with the manifestoes sector jobs was not feasible. Government has relaxed the limit cent regulation. previous norm the public parks released by the Dravida Munnetra “The government is not able to for minimum open space Further, builders with plots were mostly built by builders Kazhagam (DMK) and the All implement reservation in private reservation norms which mandates between 3000 and 10,000 square themselves and the new order will India Anna Dravida Munnetra educational institutions. How can gifting 10 per cent of the land to metres can either gift the 10 per give builders more control over Kazhagam (AIADMK) for the they implement reservations in local bodies. cent land for public use, or pay an their land. April 18 General Elections, private companies?” asked Under the Combined equivalent amount to the However, S. Ramanathan, according to a sample survey Marimuthu, a mechanic from Development and Building Rules, registration body based on existing Deputy Secretary of Municipal conducted by The Word. Alwarpet. 2019, only builders with more than rates. Administration and Water Supply The major promises made by the To attract younger voters in the 10,000 square metres of land are In addition to that, the rules have Department says that the decision parties include abolition of the State, the Dravidian parties have required to gift 10 per cent of it to also excluded road area from the was taken after the concurrence of NEET examination, introduction of is the point of the manifestoes if important factor in the election. promised to waive educational the local bodies. Earlier, the limit total land to be calculated for the the government and resident reservation in private sector jobs, they don’t talk about these issues?” “The NEET exam is conducted loans taken by SC, ST and OBC was 2500 square metres, and the purpose. K.M. Sadhanand, a town bodies. “It will not lead to waiver of educational loans taken said Rajamani, an auto driver in the all over the country and the State students from nationalised banks. land was given to local bodies by planning expert, says that in a concretization of open lands as the from nationalised banks and Chennai Central constituency. Government is now taking efforts According to the Union Finance way of gift deeds. layout of about 10 hectares, 20 to deciding committee under the introduction of Tamil language in Incidentally, the ruling to improve the educational Ministry, Non-Performing Assets The government order, which 30 per cent is occupied by roads. Chennai Metropolitan the High Court and Central AIADMK government has not standards. So, now it is up to (NPA) in education loans stood at was passed recently stresses the This leads to an exemption of Development Authority took the Government offices. conducted local body elections students to prepare for it,” said 17 per cent by the end of 2017-18. need to ‘ensure more efficient and almost 40 per cent. approval of residents,” he said. About 78 per cent of the 174 since October 2016. Local Abhinav Raveendran, a college As many as 117 respondents in sustainable utilization of scarce “Altogether, one third of any The plan brings all the building respondents chosen at random from councillors are usually responsible student from Royapuram in the survey pointed out that such land, ensuring effective building area is occupied by roads and construction rules under one Chennai North, Chennai Central for civic maintenance in their Chennai North. promises had been kept in the past. enforcement of regulations relating as a rule of thumb. The new move umbrella across the state. and Chennai South constituencies wards. But now the Greater The rival parties have promised “This is not the first time such a to development and building will lead to crowding of urban Earlier, they were governed by in the city said that the manifestoes Chennai Corporation’s work is to exempt Tamil Nadu students promise has been made. Voters construction and to promote ease of spaces all over the State,” he says. seperate bodies. Officials say that failed to address the civic issues supervised by a Commissioner from the NEET examination, as have less confidence because they doing business in the State.’ In Chennai city, there are only about 70 per cent of the regulations which plagued the city. appointed by the State they feel that the State Board have failed to implement them in Open Space Reservation land is about 150 builders who construct which were overseen by the “There is no water in the city. Government. school students will not be able to previous attempts,” said Sudha used by the local bodies to build on plots over 10,000 square metres. Chennai Metropolitan Roads are in a bad condition and Around 128 respondents said compete with students from the Srinivasan, an officegoer from parks, playgrounds, recreational The rest are small and medium Development Authority have been garbage is all over the place. What that the abolition of NEET is not an CBSE and other streams across the Egmore. centers for public use and help builders who operate on holdings amalgamated into the Act. Row over mall in park People pay twice JOYDEEP BOSE to clear garbage CHENNAI: The Chennai Metro DEEKSHA SHYAM well,” said Rajendran. “He doesn’t Rail Limited (CMRL), indifferent care if I pay it all or not, the to an RTI and a writ petition filed CHENNAI; People living in problem later would still be on my in protest by Shenoy Nagar Sembakkam on the southern head.” residents against it last year, outskirts of Chennai have been told A. K. Subramanian, the father of continues the construction of an to pay the municipality a fee for a house owner residing in Canada, underground amenities centre and collecting garbage in the area. said that the cashier of the multi-level parking lot in Thiru Vi The Sembakkam Municipality Corporation told him to take his Ka Park. has added the garbage collection complaints to the higher-ups, The proposed two-storey fee to the property tax, with because he was just doing what he underground commuter amenities retrospective effect from July of the had been instructed to do. centre, with a shopping mall, previous fiscal year. “It won’t make any difference if restaurants, and parking facilities This fee is in addition to the Rs. I complain to a higher authority,” for two-wheelers and four-wheelers 30 a month paid to the garbage said Subramanian. “The entire alike, will once again come at the collectors in the first week of every matter will keep running in circles expense of the Park, which was a month. The Municipality has for several months till I will major lung space. informed the residents that they eventually have to pay. I might as “The Thiru Vi Ka Park has been have to pay Rs. 90 for the last 3 well do it now itself and save unavailable for us for almost over Thiru Vi Park before it was taken up by the CMRL| THE HINDU months of the first half of 2018-19 myself the trouble.” From left to right: C.P.Chandrasekhar, N.Ram, Sashi Kumar, nine years now, after it was taken and Rs. 180 for the second half as The Revenue Inspector of the Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Krishna Prasad |HIMALI SINGH over for metro rail construction any of these projects. Shenoy why promises of renovating the outstanding payment, along with Sembakkam Municiaplity, V. work,” said Ashok Vardhan, a Nagar was originally built to be a Park were not fulfilled and seeking the property tax and garbage fee for Kirubakaran, however, said that the resident of Shenoy Nagar. “After spacious residential area with a 10 the name of the government body 2019-20. overcharging had happened only the work for the Koyambedu- to 15-foot gap between the houses, responsible for sanctioning the new R. Rajendran, a house owner, for a month or two in between. ‘Social media the Nehru Nagar line was completed and the Park as a recreational space project. It also asked if an complained that he was being “The State Government had sent us two years ago, they promised to for the residents. I spent my assessment report was drawn to forced to pay the garbage collection orders to combine the garbage restore the park but instead of childhood playing in that Park, and check the potential damage that the fee for July to March 2018 again to collection fee and the property tax new news source’ doing that, they have now now it has turned into a site for project could have on air quality the Municipal Corporation, even in 2018, but due to some issues in MANJIRI CHITRE and various forms of undertaken a new project.” construction projects.” and groundwater table.