State Legal Aid still unequipped to deal with undertrials

BHAVINI MISHRA

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority (TNSLSA) used to provide free legal aid to people who have not been granted bail but now it has stopped because of problems with the police, says C. Vijayalakshmi, panel advocate for the TNSLSA.

More than 50% of the prisoners in Tamil Nadu are undertrials, according to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau for the year 2016. Section 436-A of CrPC says that undertrial prisoners, who suffered detention “during the period of investigation, inquiry or trial” for one-half of their maximum imprisonment, should be released by the court on personal bond with or without sureties.

According to Article 39(a), a person who is economically backward (salary less than 1 lakh an annum), differently abled, women, children and people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled tribes should be provided free legal aid by the State. There are three wings in the legal services authority. The first is the District Legal services authority which overlooks cases in the district; the TNSLSA overlooks cases in Chennai and around the State and the High Court overlooks cases that are under the jurisdiction of the Madras High Court. “People find out about legal aid from newspapers, magazines and local news channels,” Justice Thiru T. Sundaramoorthy, TNSLSA says.

The reasons for the undertrials languishing in jails are lack of free legal aid, over burdened judiciary and incompetent police, according to Vijayalakshmi. She says that while the TNSLSA provides counseling to people on all kinds of matters, they provide legal assistance for only family matters now. “We don’t assist in criminal matters because the police are uncooperative and don’t like us there. We’ve had few run in with the police over the years. The police machinery is this state is corrupted.”

Talking about a recent case she filed for a woman who was forced into prostitution, Vijayalakshmi says that the police did not even mention the correct sections in the FIR. “The police station where she had to go and sign for the bail granted to her was not even mentioned. If we hadn’t intervened her bail would have been denied.”

Buckingham Canal: Complaints go unheard

MANJIRI CHITRE

Chennai's largest Canal has been in an extreme poor condition for years causing foul smell and diseases. — The Buckingham Canal at Indira Nagar | Manjiri Chitre

CHENNAI: The city’s largest Canal, the Buckingham Canal, has been in an extreme poor condition for years. Residents of Indira Nagar have complained about the foul smell, and mosquito breeding, which has led to an increase in diseases.

The Buckingham Canal connects three rivers that cut across Chennai. These are the Kosathalaiyar River in the North, Cooum River in the Central Zone, and Adyar River in the South. The canal was primarily constructed as a navigation channel, although is mainly used for managing flood water, and ensuring tidal balance.

During the 2015 floods, the Buckingham Canal’s water had overflowed and destroyed houses nearby. “When the canal had overflowed during the floods, our entire house was destroyed with the filthy water from the canal,” said Suvarna P, who lives opposite to the Canal. She added that the street was stinking.

Residents opposite the canal have complained about the foul smell and mosquito breeding to the Corporation. However, there has been no response, they said.

Behind the Indira Nagar Railway Station is controlled by the Railway authorities, except for the Canal. The authorities have refused to look into the matter. “We are not concerned with the Canal as it does not come under our jurisdiction. The State Government is responsible for the cleaning. Although, it has remained dirty for a long time,” said a Senior Railway Official, who wished to remain anonymous.

A Senior Corporation Officer who does not wish to be disclosed said, “We are only responsible for the de-silting of the canal. Otherwise, the Public Works Departments (PWD) is responsible for looking after the Canal.” The PWD officials were unavailable for a comment.

Minority status no longer at risk for small institutions

Patrician College in Adyar, Chennai, does not get enough applications to maintain the 50 per cent minority quota | CHIYA AHUJA

CHIYA AHUJA & HARSHITA MISHRA/ February 2, 2019

CHENNAI: The quashing of the 2018 State Government order that had mandated minority educational institutions to reserve 50 per cent of their seats may not have a major impact on bigger colleges, but for less popular institutions it is a huge relief. The State order had placed minority schools and colleges under risk of losing their minority status if they did not comply with it.

“Suppose we receive 2000 applications in a year, more than 1000 are from minority students. We never faced a problem of fewer minority students as it is a big college,” says M.F. Valan, Coordinator of the Office of Communications, Loyola College. B. Com is the most sought-after course in the premier college that attracts over 6000 applicants every year. However, for less popular courses like Applied History and French, it becomes difficult to maintain the 50 per cent threshold. “Unaided courses are a little expensive and not many people opt for it. If economically backward minorities ask for it, we give them means-cum-merit scholarships,” says Dr. F. Andrews, Principal, Loyola College.

In 2018, the Tamil Nadu government made it mandatory for minority institutions to reserve at least 50 per cent of their seats for the concerned minority, failing which they risked losing their minority status. A petition filed by the Institute of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary contested this order, arguing that Tamil Nadu has only 6.1 per cent Christian population and hence the order forced these institutions to follow an ‘impractical’ rule to retain their minority status. The order was stayed by the High Court in September 2018.

For second grade institutions, the order has come as a much-awaited relief. “How do we fill the 50per cent mandate when we do not even get sufficient applications. It is not practical,” says Dr. A. Joseph Durai, Principal of Patrician College of Arts and Science, a Christian minority college. Catholic representation in the college is only 15 per cent, even after admitting every application, the principal adds. With only 3100 seats, Electronic Media and Journalism courses have still have vacancies at the end of the academic year, which makes it difficult to meet the quota requirement.

While Loyola College has a number of self-aided scholarships to support economically backward students and religious minorities, Patrician College of Arts and Science is only able to provide government scholarships for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Citing the 2018 order unconstitutional, Justice T Raja said yesterday that the State Government did not have the power to pass such orders under the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act, 2004.
The National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act, 2004, defines “Minority Educational Institution ” as ‘a college or an educational institution established and administered by a minority or minorities.’ and does not mention the number of minority seats reserved under any institution.

Renovated IMH shop sells vegetables cultivated by patients

Home grown: Vegetables on sale at the Industrial Therapy Centre outlet at IMH, Chennai on Monday. — **Home grown vegetables being sold at Industrial Therapy Centre outlet**
| **The Hindu**

DEEPIKA AGRAWAL

CHENNAI: Patients at the Industrial Therapy Centre of the Institute (ITC) of Mental Health cultivate and sell vegetables at a new outlet located in the centre of the outpatient building in the hospital premises. It faces the Medavakkam Tank Road. For 18 months after Cyclone Vardah, the shop operated out of a room in the outpatient wing, a hospital worker said.

Dr. Venkatesh, a senior doctor at the IHM said, “Once the patients recover from their illness, they are put into rehabilitation activities. Patients who are able to work in the gardening section are made to practice cultivation of vegetables.” He said that a gardener has been appointed to train the patients. He guides them with harvesting and planting the vegetables.

The main vegetables grown here are brinjals, lady’s fingers, varieties of snake gourds and bananas. After harvesting, these vegetables are sent to the ITC shop where they are sold with the items from other sections. Notebooks, gunny bags, handicrafts and cardboard files are among the earliest items sold at the outlet.

“The other sections of the ITC include a bakery unit where the patients make breads. The breads are sold both at ITC shop and to other hospitals. A special ITC unit for female patients trains them to make bangles and small toys,” said Dr. Venkatesh.

He said that special tokens are given to the patients working in these ITC units so they can get food, water and other essentials. The tokens are substitutes for money and can be used in the IMH canteen or other ITC shops. “The tokens have special discounts. Patients can get things for half the price. A Dosa worth Rs 15 can be purchased for Rs 7 using the token, Dr. Venkatesh said.

The ITC shops are run by the hospital staff from the social work department. Trained patients can also run the shops. “The stock is purchased by people from within the hospital as well as outsiders. Whoever crosses the outpatient building can see the shop. In fact, the day before yesterday, a man from Madipakkam, around 8 kms away from the hospital, came to purchase the vegetables from our shop,” Dr. Venkatesh said.

CMRL introduces shuttle services to connect IT parks

JAYAKUMAR MADALA

CHENNAI: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) on Wednesday launched “Office Ride”, a shuttle service between the Alandur Metro railway station to different Information Technology (IT) parks around the vicinity to facilitate corporate employees.

The shuttle service, which intends to improve the last mile connectivity of metro services, will connect Ascendas IT Park, Global Info City, SIPCOT, ELCOT and RMZ Business Park to the Alandur metro station. Services are planned between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“The service can be availed by booking through mobile application, Office Ride. Once the seat is booked through it, the vehicle is allotted based on the number of bookings”, said, Pandian, Public Relations Officer, CMRL.

He added, “The shuttle buses will have air conditioning and Wi-Fi facilities. The users will be charged approximately Rs.50 per ride. They need not pay cash and can remit digital payments – internet banking, digital wallets, debit and credit cards”.

Although inaugurated, the services are yet to be open to the public.

Pon Abinaya (25), an employee at a private company at Ascendas IT Park said, “Every day I catch a share auto to reach my office, instead a punctual and regular service could reduce the burden of looking for a means to reach my office”.

A CMRL release added that the shuttle service will be expanded to various other metro stations based on crowd-sourced route suggestions.

The Office ride shuttle services are launched in collaboration with Ford Motor Company and are the second of this kind, after the introduction of CMRL Feeder Service, which was introduced last August to connect various neighbourhoods around metro stations.

EOM

CRIME DAIRIES: PHONE SNATCHING TO SUICIDE

DEEKSHA SHYAM SUNDAR

CHENNAI: While Adyar, one of the city’s more posh localities, mostly witnesses mobile phone and chain snatching incidents, Kotturpuram, with 22 educational institutions under its ambit, has witnessed a spike in suicides among college students, say local police officials.

Assistant Commissioner D A Raveendran, at the Adyar Police Station, says that people in this locality, where real estate prices are anything between 7,400 – 20,600 per square feet, tend to have expensive phones, which they’re careless about. Hence, it is easy to snatch them even in broad daylight. He adds that incidents of chain-snatching are also commonly reported.

Quite recently, the Adyar police arrested a man named Ajith Kumar in connection with five incidents of phone-snatching in just three days. Upon investigation, as many as 15 phones were recovered from him, says ACP Raveendran.

However, in Kotturpuram Police Station, under the jurisdiction of which there are seven colleges/universities, including the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Anna University, reports of student suicides have risen, says Police Constable Vazhivittan.

In fact, he says that two suicide cases were reported in IIT Madras this month alone, one of which was just past Monday.

He blames the negative effects of film-viewing for the increase of petty crimes and disturbances by youngsters, particularly final year college students and some uneducated people of similar ages around Kotturpuram.

“Movies show that if you beat people up on the streets, if you’re rowdy, or if you beat up a policeman, you’re a hero.”

To combat this problem, the police hold seminars and awareness programmes in schools and colleges. Especially children in the NSS (National Service Scheme) and NCC (National Cadet Corps) are involved in a programme where they interact with traffic policemen and help in managing traffic for a day. “This teaches them to be law-abiding citizens since they see the amount of work that goes into law enforcement.”