The Word Edition 9 Page 1_Layout 1 3/26/2018 9:30 AM Page 1 Volume No 18 Issue No 9 March 23, 2018 LAB JOURNAL OF THE ASIAN COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM Senior citizens Scrap vehicles A medley of decline bus passes create nuisance artistry Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Protests over rath yatra rock TN Protest against Stalin and over 300 others arrested as yatra culminates in Rameswaram police station ASHWIN MANIKANDAN aimed at mobilizing support to build Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Build community hall: residents Chennai: Several leaders of the Earlier, Section 144 CRpC – Opposition, including DMK’s Wor - unlawful assembly of people – was BHAGYASRI land to the fishermen.” king President M K Stalin, were ar - imposed in Tirunelveli District and CHAUDHURY The government is ready to give rested on Tuesday for protesting more than 1500 police personnel the fishermen alternative land to against AIADMK Government’s deployed, in anticipation of possi - Chennai: Residents of Nochikup - build their community hall. decision to allow the Vishwa Hindu ble communal violence or disrup - pam, a fishermen’s colony on the “However, they don’t want to Parishad (VHP) backed ‘Ram tion of public order due to the Rath Marina, want to build a community use the land being given to them,” Rajya Rath Yatra’ enter Tamil Yatra. According to police reports, hall on land that does not belong to said Raja , “They need an alterna - Nadu. over 300 people have been arrested them, according to officials at the tive space nearby, and the space The Opposition, led by Stalin, across Tamil Nadu for violating D5 Marina Police Station. being given to them is not conve - created a furore in the State As - ban orders. The residents have been objec - niently close. There is no problem sembly after their calls to ban the Speaking to The Word, DMK ting to the Marina police station co - in actuality.” Yatra was dismissed by Tamil Nadu Spokesperson TKS Elangovan said ming up on over 9,000 sq ft of land After their hall was taken over Chief Minister E. Palaniswami. that his party was against the Yatra traditionally belonging to their vil - by an Amma Unavagam, the then “A government cannot be selec - because they deemed it as an attack lage. The station building had utili - MLA Haridoss D., promised the tive in its approach towards a parti - on the secular fabric of Tamil zed around 1,500 sq ft when it was fishermen a new one, but nothing cular religion and ban its Nadu. there earlier. The building has been has been done since. The residents activities,“ the Chief Minister said. “They (BJP) have trouble-ma - demolished for reconstruction and said that the hall was a necessity Unhappy with the response, the kers in all the states. This Yatra is the station is currently functioning since they had nowhere else to con - opposition then staged a walk-out only meant to antagonize the Mus - from a temporary structure on Ka - duct functions at nominal rates from the Assembly and demonstra - lim population in Tamil Nadu. The maraj Salai. .“We objected to the police sta - ted by blocking the road outside the ruling party should never have al - The fishermen said they could tion coming up in our village in the Secretariat, before police interve - lowed it, but instead, they further not part with the additional land first place. Since it has moved el - ned and arrested the protesters. Ac - imposed 144 in parts of Tamil since they required it for building a sewhere now, it might as well be lo - cording to eye-witness accounts, Nadu. I think they are afraid of BJP Protestors agitate against the VHP backed rath yatra at Anna Salai on Tuesday community hall. cated in that place permanently,” 100 to 150 people were detained by and are in power only because of ASHWIN MANIKANDAN “The station is not being built on pointed out Maran, a resident. the police. the BJP,” Elangovan said. fishermen’s land. The land does not The Nochikuppam residents The Ram Rajya Rath Yatra was Meanwhile, protests were held in Nambi Narayan, Editor of BJP among the people. Tamil Nadu and ding police support for the peace - belong to them. It is a housing cor - have planned to submit petitions to flagged off from Ayodhya on Fe - Chennai, Ambur, Vellore, Tirunel - Tamil Nadu’s official magazine Lord Ram have a historical con - ful passing of the Yatra through the poration area, so the land belongs the Chief Minister's special cell, bruary 13 by Sri Rama Dasa Uni - veli and some other places in the ‘Orey Naadu,’ responded to the nection,” he said. state. to the government,” said Inspector the slum clearance board and also versal Society, a religious body state by members of parties inclu - protests by saying that “Ram Rajya BJP National Secretary H Raja The procession traversed N. Raja from the Marina police sta - to the Mylapore MLA R. Natraj de - based in Thiruvananthapuram, Ke - ding DMK, VCK (Viduthalai Chi - was the ultimate vision of Gandhi said, “The DMK will lose on Hindu through Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and tion,. manding that a community hall, a rala, and travelled through five sta - ruthaigal Katchi), and some as well.” votes because of its stand against Madurai districts before culmina - “This temporary police station play area for children and a library, tes before entering Tamil Nadu on Muslim outfits to demonstrate their “The goal of the Yatra is to esta - the Yatra.” He further lauded the ting at Rameswaram on Wednes - has been here for ten years or so. be built for them..They have objec - March 20. The procession was opposition to the Rath-Yatra. blish a Ram Rajya and have peace AIADMK government for provi - day. The government sanctioned this ted to officials measuring the site. Teachers to boycott paper evaluation They want Plus One evaluation postponed to first week of July “We are ready to complete the to bear summer in a school with no EISHA NAIR Plus-Two papers by April end be - desk, fan, toilet, and no separate fa - cause we know they have to apply cility for ladies,” says Thasthahir. The Tamil Nadu Post Graduate for higher studies and entrance Also, the payment per paper has Teachers Association (TNPGTA) exams. It’s our responsibility to stayed at Rs. 15 for seven years will boycott the evaluation of Plus- give them their mark sheets on now, which is supposed to increase New Tamil film releases stopped as strike continues. One exam papers, according to the time. But Plus-One students are every two years, according to Su - DEBDUTTA MITRA association’s state president, KPO going to be with us,” says Suresh. resh. Suresh. SK Gulam Thasthahir, TNPGTA The association welcomed the The Plus-One public exam headquarters secretary, said “The government’s decision to hold pu - which began on March 7 this year, government introduced a no-deten - blic examinations for 11th stan - with around nine lakh students ap - tion policy for higher secondary dard. Re-releases bring pearing for it, is being conducted classes this year. So every Plus- “Many matriculation schools for the first time ever in Tamil One student will go to the higher (schools following their own curri - Nadu. class. If they fail, they can re-write culum until 10th and then State poor crowd “March is full of exams. Totally, that exam the next year.” Board syllabus for 11th and 12th 18 lakh students are writing 11th The other demands by the standards) and private schools, es - DEBDUTTA MITRA Meanwhile, some theatres are and 12th. The language teachers TNPGTA include increasing the pecially in the Namakkal, Salem playing movies from other langua - have to correct two sets of papers student-teacher ratio which it says and Erode districts believe in har - TNPGTA Secy SK Gulam Thasthahir says that Class 11 Chennai: Cinema owners are ges dubbed in Tamil such as Baa - per student …so that’s 36 lakh pa - is skewed in government schools vesting students. They don’t teach exams will give fair chances to all students. EISHA NAIR unhappy with the fall in the ticket hubali and No. 1. The owners pers. We have to start checking across the state. “The Teacher’s Re - the 11th standard syllabus. Now it sales with the ongoing tussle over explained that they were doing so from April 4 and finish by May 20, cruitment Board (TRB) has started will force them to give students the fee charge for digital prints of that their share from distributor’s in the peak summer, leaving us recruiting more teachers in the past equal opportunities,” says Thastha - the students for 600 marks in 11th pressure. At least earlier we had a movies. profit was more. with only two weeks of vacation,” three-four years but vacancies still hir. standard and 1,200 marks only in break between 10th and 12th,” says The entire South Indian film in - “For movies with big heroes, says Suresh. remain. There has been no appoint - However, the shift to public 12th standard. Now they are tested R Indumathi, studying Commerce dustry went on a strike against the distributors take away 70 percent of TNPGTA has submitted a peti - ments of clerical staff either so exams for Plus One has been for 1,200 marks in 11th and have to at Chennai Girls Higher Secondary Virtual Print Free (VPF) charged by the profit and theatre owners get the tion to the School Education De - many teachers are doing clerical abrupt. “No new books have been write the same answer for double School.“It’s difficult to manage Digital Service Providers (DSP) remaining 30 percent.