Latest News For 'Chennai'
March 31st, 2007
Chennai: Chennai would soon have new traffic arrangements in place, including introduction of one-way system to tackle the burgeoning road traffic, Union IT and Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran said.
“The first relief would come at the Velachery-Halda junction,” he said after inaugurating a joint venture company here on Friday.
He added that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has formed a high-level multi-disciplinary group for traffic management of Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore, which would coordinate with Indian and international experts.
Dayanidhi said traffic management had to be done in short-term, medium-term and long-term basis. The short-term plan would be one-way roads, flyovers in the medium-term and ring roads in the long-term.
Source: Chennaionline.com
January 24th, 2007
CHENNAI: Violating the stop line on roads may soon become costlier for motorists. The simple violation that draws a Rs.50 as fine, will now be deemed as a dangerous driving practice and the traffic police can levy a hefty Rs.1,000 as fine.
The proposal to increase the fine is awaiting a formal go-ahead from the government, city police officials say. While random vehicle checks are conducted at all signal points during lean hours, the police are now forced to be more stringent with erring drivers, says Sunil Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Chennai police.
The normal fine is Rs.50 for signal jumping, but the compounding fee for signal jumping, if done in a dangerous manner would be Rs.1,000, he said on Tuesday, adding all signal violations could now be deemed as dangerous driving.
Though all major automatic signals are manned by policemen, many motorists especially State-owned bus drivers ignored signals. This led to accidents, which often turned fatal or left victims with permanent disabilities.
This is what goaded the police to impose the new fine system, he said. Change in timings In another change, all the automatic signals in the city will start working an hour earlier in the morning and go on working for one hour extra in the night, due to increase in vehicles and the changes in traffic patterns. The signals would be switched on at 5 a.m. instead of 6 a.m., and would remain operational till 11 p.m. instead of 10 p.m., said Mr Kumar.
The timings had been programmed to ensure that vehicles would not have to wait at signals longer during the lean hours, he added.
Road safety enthusiasts say the police move will be welcome if the enforcement is done strictly and in unbiased manner so that all types of vehicles are booked for offences.
More than the imposition of fines, the police should step up vigilance particularly using its newly acquired Hyundai cars or the existing surveillance cameras. These cameras were installed nearly six years ago at key junctions, but do not seem to be a deterrent to violators.
Only if the police are seen to be using these cameras to book traffic offenders and also regularly disclose details of the outcomes of this vigilance would offenders feel deterred, safety activists say.
Source: The Hindu (Chennai-epaper)
December 28th, 2006
Pattukottai: Eight persons were killed and 23 others injured when a State Transport Corporation bus going from Nagapattinam to Thondi fell into the Nasuviniyar river at Anaikadu, eight km from Pattukottai, in Thanjavur district, in the early hours on Wednesday.
The bus hit the bridge’s wall and fell into the flowing river. Weeds in the river, mud, flowing water and darkness made things worse for the passengers.
Seven died on the spot while one died on the way to Thanjavur Medical College Hospital.
While the driver, Ilango, escaped with minor injuries, the conductor, P. Pakkirisamy (40), was killed on the spot.
Driver surrenders
Ilango, who surrendered at the Pattukottai police station, said he felt the front wheel slipping into a pit on the side of the bridge and before he could turn it, the bus hit the wall and fell into the river.
The driver came out of the bus and reached the bridge. He informed a person, who came on a two-wheeler, about the accident.
The person passed on the message to the police, hospital and fire service on his cell phone.
Police and fire service personnel arrived at the spot and carried out rescue operations.
The dead and the injured were shifted to Pattukottai Government Hospital. Eight seriously injured were moved to Thanjavur Medical College Hospital.
According to an injured passenger, when the accident happened, the conductor was talking to the driver and those who died were in back seats.
The dead were identified as Rengammal, wife of Rasapakkiyam of Thamarankottai; Seerangam (50) of Rasiyankadu; Ramachandran (50) of Samanthanpettai Nadutheru, Nagapattinam; Jayabal of Muthupettai; Sellaiyan (62) of Munumangollai Mannankadu; Pakkirisamy, bus conductor, Rice Mill Street of Paravachery; Karuppaiyan of Thambikottai and Pavunammal of Akkaraipettai.
C. Vijayarajkumar, Thanjavur Collector, Anand Kumar Somani, Superintendent of Police, Thanjavur, and M. Ayyasamy, District Fire Officer, visited the spot.
Fire service personnel led by M. Mohammed Haneef, station officer, Pattukottai, rescued fifteen persons.
Source: The Hindu(Chennai-epaper)
December 26th, 2006
TAMBARAM: Four persons were injured, one of them critically, when they were hit by a police vehicle driven by a 21-year-old Friends of Police volunteer in St. Thomas Mount in the early hours on Monday. The injured had just completed their Christmas mass and were returning home.
Santhi, 43, Mahesh, 15, Carmel, 34 and Reshma, 7, were among a large number of devotees who took part in the Christmas mass at Wesley’s Church and were on their way home. A Toyota Qualis patrol vehicle belonging to the All-Women Police Station of St. Thomas Mount ran amok after its driver lost control and hit a section of them. The four were injured and admitted at a private hospital in Porur, police said, adding one of them was critical. The accident took place at the intersection of Butt Road and Church Road.
Thamizhvanan, 21, who was driving the vehicle, is reported to have abandoned the vehicle and fled from the spot.
St. Thomas Mount police, later, arrested him and booked cases under Sections 279 (rash driving) and 337 (causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code. Police said the vehicle was coming down the slope and the youth is reported to have lost control after noticing the crowd.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that the youth had pressed the accelerator pedal instead of applying brakes, according to police, who said that the youth was a FoP volunteer attached to the Nandambakkam police station.
The women Inspector of the police station was also present in the vehicle when the accident took place. The usual driver was on duty all day on Sunday and was relieved only in the evening. As the Inspector from this police station was on night rounds duty, the FoP volunteer’s services were required. There were frayed tempers at the scene of accident, but agitated devotees were pacified after senior officers intervened.
The police said the acute shortage of police drivers forced personnel to engage private drivers or volunteers from Friends of Police. They said while sanctioning vehicles, be it for officers, police stations or other wings, the State Government also had to allot two drivers per vehicle.
But only one driver from the armed reserve police was allotted and the personnel had to manage by roping in a driver from the local police stations. However, making use of the services of private drivers and volunteers was not permitted, police said. They made it clear that only police drivers could drive regular or patrol vehicles.
Source:The Hindu(Chennai-epaper)
December 4th, 2006
Theni, Dec 4: More than 500 members belonging to various political parties, including PMK, JD(S), DPI and Tamizhar Desiya Iyakkam, were arrested today for blocking the road traffic at Cumbum Mettu on the Kerala border demanding raising of the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam to 142 feet.
Police said those arrested included P Nedumaran, leader of Tamizh Desiya Iyakkam, JD(S) leader John Moses and Farmers Association president Meenakshisundaram.
Meanwhile, a Coimbatore, report said about 150 persons, belonging to various political parties and social organisations were arrested when they attempted to stage picketing at K G Chavadi on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border condemning the attitude of Kerala on the dam issue.
The workers, belonging to Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK), PMK, DPI, Tamizhar Desiya Iyakkam and some other organisations, raised slogans condemning the Kerala government for its failure to abide by the Supreme Court verdict, police said.
The agitators, led by PDK general secretary K Ramakrishnan, were removed and arrested at K G Chavadi, when they were proceeding to squat on the highway and block the traffic.
Saying that there was no traffic disruption due to the picketing, police said that even Tamil Nadu buses plied as usual to Palakkad and other destinations in Kerala. (Agencies)
Source:http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp
Previous Posts
