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THE TIMES OF INDIA ePAPER THE TIMES OF INDIA, CHENNAI * MONDAY, MAY 19, 2014 3 TIMES CITY Chennai: Individuals and groups in the city, relieved that the government had made it mandatory for autorickshaws to ply by the meter but con- cerned that auto drivers have largely flouted the rules, have come up with various innova- tive ideas to make them fall in line and make commuting by autos a less stressful affair. The latest is Fairauto, an online forum which will com- pile a directory of auto drivers who charge by the meter and help guide commuters to them. The forum’s website (http://fairauto.in/) requests people to help crowdsource contact details of no-nonsense, reasonable auto drivers who follow the rules, and put their phone numbers online. People can use the database to contact drivers and book a ride. “It is a win-win proposition for both drivers and commu- ters,” said Jawahar Ramasamy, the founder of the forum. The forum launched its website a few weeks ago, but little public- ity has not allowed it to hit its stride as yet. “It is difficult to get people to come back and contribute to the site. And it is even more dif- ficult to get auto drivers who follow the meter,” Ramasamy said. “Most drivers ask for Rs 10 or more in excess of the meter fare.” The website also allows us- ers to remove the number of au- to drivers who do not follow the meter. SMSauto.in follows a simi- lar principle. The operator col- lects phone numbers of auto drivers who charge by the me- ter and pass them on to commu- ters based on their location. Meterpodu.in, a similar ef- fort at crowdsourcing, was launched by two techies before the state revised the fares. It of- fered an average fare between two points based on the amount customers paid on the route. With government announcing new fares, the site has been re- vamped. “Our site will lose its rele- vance once a strict fare system is put in place. But that has not been the case as yet,” said K S Anantha Narayan, one of the two founders of the website. Other initiatives by individ- uals include Auto Raja, Makkal Auto and Namma Auto. After the government announced the revised autorickshaw fares last August, the state transport authority took several mea- sures to implement the system. However, with few auto drivers willing to comply it took strict measures to rein in errant auto drivers, cancelling their per- mits and seizing their vehicles. However, the government’s promise to introduce GPS-en- abled meters with printers for receipts, which was supposed to be implemented by March, has been delayed. Users Upload Phone Nos To Book Ride By Meter In City Fair auto drivers? Guide to easy commute goes online THE FARE DEAL Fairauto, an online forum, will compile a directory of auto drivers who charge by the meter. Here’s how it works: Note down the cellphone number of auto driver who plies by the meter Upload his number on fairauto.in and the area he operates in The website will create a directory and other commuters can call the driver and book a journey OTHERS ON THE ROAD Auto Raja | It runs a call centre for autos, primarily focused in south Chennai Makkal Auto | Their autos have tablets that act as meters and offer entertainment SMSauto |The firm has a database of phone numbers of auto drivers who use the meter TIMES NEWS NETWORK Chennai: In a concerted drive against anti-social elements in the city, police in a ‘storming operation’ on Saturday night took action against 376 people as a precautionary measure. A police officer said the ‘storming operation’ was conducted across the city on the orders of police commissioner J K Tripathy. As part of the operation, more patrol teams were formed and they arrested three people under Section 109 and 110 of CrPC, and caught 117 people for drunken driving. The officer said several small teams had been formed for inspections of lodges and vehicle checks during the storming operation, the release added. TNN Police take action against 376 in night-long operation Chennai: At least one uniden- tified assailant murdered a 50- year-old woman while she was sleeping on the terrace of her house along with her grand- children on Saturday night. Police identified the vic- tim as Vasanthi, a staff of the civil supplies department, and ruled out theft as reason for murder as her jewellery was intact. Police have de- tained a man, who was Vasan- thi’s colleague and used to fre- quent her house. They are investigating whether the murder could have resulted from personal enmity. Vasanthi had inherited the government job after her hus- band Arumugam had died a couple of years ago. A week ago, her daughter Ambika and her two children had ar- rived for the summer vaca- tion. Ambika left a couple of days ago but the children stayed behind. Vasanthi always slept on the terrace as the house did not have proper ventilation. On Saturday, she was sleeping with the children on the ter- race when the children awoke to sounds of a struggle around 1am. They found Vasanthi in a pool of blood, struggling for life. Police said her throat had been slit. “We suspect the murder was motivated by personal en- mity as the valuables in the house were intact,” an investi- gating officer said. “We have collected clues from the scene of crime,” the officer said. The Guduvanchery police have registered a case and are investigating. Gang slits throat of woman in her sleep TIMES NEWS NETWORK Chennai: A 44-year-old man on a motorbike died when an- other biker, who was drunk, hit him from behind near Kottur- puram on Sunday evening. Police said Elangovan, 44, of Kotturpuram, was a driver for a home appliance firm. He was on his way home when the accident took place on Gandhi Mandapam Road. Police said Rajesh, the other biker was driving under the influence of alcohol and tried to overtake Elangovan but hit him, throw- ing him to the ground. Elangovan who sustained serious injuries to the head, died on the spot. Rajesh, who also lost balance and fell, escap- ed with minor injuries. Passersby and traffic po- licemen came to the aid of Elangovan and rushed him to a private hospital nearby where he was declared brought dead. A few others on the road caught hold of Rajesh, who tried to escape. “Rajesh did not show any indication that he wanted to take a right turn,” said Vinoth, a commuter. Police sources said Rajesh who was drunk was speeding and driving rashly. A medical test confirmed that he was un- der the influence of alcohol. The Adyar traffic police pro- duced him in a magistrate court. He has been remanded in judicial custody. 44-year-old man dies after drunk rider hits motorbike Rajesh was speeding and hit Elangovan’s motorbike while trying to overtake him on Gandhi Mandapam Road A Prathap TIMES NEWS NETWORK Chennai: Parimala Nan- dakumar, AIADMK coun- cillor of ward 164, has been unanimously elected as the new chairperson for Alan- dur zone of the Chennai Corporation on Sunday. The election was neces- sitated after the current chairman V N P Venkatra- man (AIADMK) was elect- ed as the Alandur MLA. DMK did not field any candidates as they don’t have any majority. Of the 200 member cor- poration council, AIADMK has a thumping majority with 168 mem- bers. Councillor of Ward 164 is zone chief TIMES NEWS NETWORK Chennai: Police arrested a man for the murder of his wife’s lover near Chengalpet on Saturday night. Police said Jothiramalin- gam, 45, a ganja peddler, was married to Parimala, 35. The couple had two children. Pa- rimala developed a relation- ship with a butcher, Ramesh Kumar, who lived in the neighbourhood. When he learned about the affair, Jothiramalingam warned his wife to sever ties with Ramesh, but she re- fused to listen to him. Enraged by this, Jothira- malingam conspired to kill Ramesh. He took Ramesh to a playground nearby and made him consume liquor. Once Ramesh was drunk, he hacked him to death with a cleaver. The murder came to light when a few children came to the play in the area and found his body among the bushes. Based on a complaint, the Chengalpet Taluk police reg- istered a murder case and ar- rested Jothiramalingam. Police arrest man for murder of wife’s lover Jothiramalingam warned his wife to sever ties with the man, but she refused. Enraged over this he plotted Ramesh’s murder TIMES NEWS NETWORK Chennai: The city experi- enced its lowest maximum temperature in the preceding week on Sunday, with the Met office recording 35.8°C in Nungambakkam and 36.5°C in Meenambakkam. But high humidity levels still left resi- dents sweating, especially in the afternoon, The Met office recorded a maximum of 36.6°C in Nun- gambakkam on Saturday which was almost a five de- gree dip from the 41.6°C re- corded the previous day. High humidity and lack of sea breeze forced residents to stay home through the day. Humidity in the city ho- vered around 70% on Sunday. According to Mahesh Pala- wat, chief meteorologist, weather forecasting agency Skymet, 50 is the magic num- ber for humidity. “During the day, when rel- ative humidity increases be- yond 50% and the temper- ature is above 30°C, people can feel very uncomfortable,” he said. “Moist winds blowing in from the Bay of Bengal low- ered temperatures but hu- midity remained high. This is why Chennaiites are feeling uncomfortable despite a fall in temperature,” says Pala- wat. There was light cloud cover before noon on Sunday. “Even though the mercu- ry levels are in the mid-30s, ot will be scorching. This may continue for a few more days,” he adds. Despite isolat- ed rainfall in a few areas, dry weather prevailed in most of the state. Hosur in Krishnagi- ri, Sankarapuram in Villupu- ram, and Omalur in Salem re- corded the maximum rainfall of 2cm each. Mercury drops to lowest in a week, city still on slow burn TIMES NEWS NETWORK DOG DAYS in °C DATE MAX MIN May 14 40.1 28.5 May 15 38.6 29.4 May 16 41.6 29.7 May 17 36.6 29 May 18 35.8 28.7 Chennai: The Corporation of Chennai will issue ‘Certifi- cate of Oral Polio Vaccination for International Travellers’ after administering Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV). The vaccine is valid for a period of one year from the date of vaccination. The district family welfare department of the civic body is designated as a polio vaccination centre where OPV will be provided to everyone travelling to these countries, irre- spective of their age and previous vaccination status. The re- cent outbreak of polio virus in polio free countries namely Somalia, Kenya, Syria, Cameroon and Ethiopia has aggra- vated the risk of the virus being communicated to India. TNN Civic body to administer polic vaccine to travellers
Transcript of THE TIMES OF INDIA ePAPERepaperbeta.timesofindia.com/NasData/PUBLICATIONS/... · THE TIMES OF INDIA...
THE TIM
ES OF IN
DIA eP
APER
THE TIMES OF INDIA, CHENNAI *MONDAY, MAY 19, 2014 3TIMES CITY
Chennai: Individuals andgroups in the city, relieved thatthe government had made itmandatory for autorickshawsto ply by the meter but con-cerned that auto drivers havelargely flouted the rules, havecome up with various innova-tive ideas to make them fall inline and make commuting byautos a less stressful affair.
The latest is Fairauto, anonline forum which will com-pile a directory of auto driverswho charge by the meter andhelp guide commuters to them.
The forum’s website(http://fairauto.in/) requestspeople to help crowdsourcecontact details of no-nonsense,reasonable auto drivers whofollow the rules, and put their
phone numbers online. Peoplecan use the database to contactdrivers and book a ride.
“It is a win-win propositionfor both drivers and commu-ters,” said Jawahar Ramasamy,the founder of the forum. Theforum launched its website afew weeks ago, but little public-ity has not allowed it to hit itsstride as yet.
“It is difficult to get peopleto come back and contribute tothe site. And it is even more dif-ficult to get auto drivers who
follow the meter,” Ramasamysaid. “Most drivers ask for Rs 10or more in excess of the meterfare.”
The website also allows us-ers to remove the number of au-to drivers who do not follow themeter.
SMSauto.in follows a simi-lar principle. The operator col-lects phone numbers of autodrivers who charge by the me-ter and pass them on to commu-ters based on their location.
Meterpodu.in, a similar ef-
fort at crowdsourcing, waslaunched by two techies beforethe state revised the fares. It of-fered an average fare betweentwo points based on the amountcustomers paid on the route.With government announcingnew fares, the site has been re-vamped.
“Our site will lose its rele-vance once a strict fare systemis put in place. But that has notbeen the case as yet,” said K SAnantha Narayan, one of thetwo founders of the website.
Other initiatives by individ-uals include Auto Raja, MakkalAuto and Namma Auto. Afterthe government announcedthe revised autorickshaw fareslast August, the state transportauthority took several mea-sures to implement the system.However, with few auto driverswilling to comply it took strictmeasures to rein in errant autodrivers, cancelling their per-mits and seizing their vehicles.
However, the government’spromise to introduce GPS-en-abled meters with printers forreceipts, which was supposedto be implemented by March,has been delayed.
Users UploadPhone Nos ToBook Ride ByMeter In City
Fair auto drivers? Guide toeasy commute goes online
THE FARE DEALFairauto, an online forum, will compile a directory of auto drivers who charge by the meter. Here’s how it works:
Note down the cellphone number of auto driver who plies by the meter
Upload his number on fairauto.in and the area he operates in
The website will create a directory and other commuters can call the driver and book a journey
OTHERS ON THE ROADAuto Raja | It runs a call centre for autos, primarily focused in
south ChennaiMakkal Auto | Their autos have tablets that act as meters and offer entertainment
SMSauto |The firm has a database of phone numbers of auto drivers who use the meter
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai: In a concerted drive against anti-social elements inthe city, police in a ‘storming operation’ on Saturday night tookaction against 376 people as a precautionary measure. A policeofficer said the ‘storming operation’ was conducted across thecity on the orders of police commissioner J K Tripathy. As part ofthe operation, more patrol teams were formed and they arrestedthree people under Section 109 and 110 of CrPC, and caught 117people for drunken driving. The officer said several small teamshad been formed for inspections of lodges and vehicle checksduring the storming operation, the release added. TNN
Police take action against 376 in night-long operation
Chennai:At least one uniden-tified assailant murdered a 50-year-old woman while she wassleeping on the terrace of herhouse along with her grand-children on Saturday night.
Police identified the vic-tim as Vasanthi, a staff of thecivil supplies department,and ruled out theft as reasonfor murder as her jewellerywas intact. Police have de-tained a man, who was Vasan-thi’s colleague and used to fre-quent her house. They areinvestigating whether themurder could have resultedfrom personal enmity.
Vasanthi had inherited thegovernment job after her hus-band Arumugam had died acouple of years ago. A weekago, her daughter Ambikaand her two children had ar-rived for the summer vaca-tion. Ambika left a couple ofdays ago but the childrenstayed behind.
Vasanthi always slept onthe terrace as the house didnot have proper ventilation.On Saturday, she was sleepingwith the children on the ter-race when the children awoketo sounds of a struggle around1am.
They found Vasanthi in apool of blood, struggling forlife. Police said her throat hadbeen slit.
“We suspect the murderwas motivated by personal en-mity as the valuables in thehouse were intact,” an investi-gating officer said. “We havecollected clues from the sceneof crime,” the officer said.
The Guduvanchery policehave registered a case and areinvestigating.
Gang slitsthroat ofwoman in her sleep
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai: A 44-year-old manon a motorbike died when an-other biker, who was drunk, hithim from behind near Kottur-puram on Sunday evening.
Police said Elangovan, 44,of Kotturpuram, was a driverfor a home appliance firm. Hewas on his way home when theaccident took place on GandhiMandapam Road. Police saidRajesh, the other biker wasdriving under the influence ofalcohol and tried to overtakeElangovan but hit him, throw-ing him to the ground.
Elangovan who sustainedserious injuries to the head,died on the spot. Rajesh, whoalso lost balance and fell, escap-ed with minor injuries.
Passersby and traffic po-licemen came to the aid of
Elangovan and rushed him to aprivate hospital nearby wherehe was declared brought dead.
A few others on the roadcaught hold of Rajesh, whotried to escape. “Rajesh did notshow any indication that hewanted to take a right turn,”said Vinoth, a commuter.
Police sources said Rajeshwho was drunk was speedingand driving rashly. A medicaltest confirmed that he was un-der the influence of alcohol.The Adyar traffic police pro-duced him in a magistratecourt. He has been remandedin judicial custody.
44-year-old man dies afterdrunk rider hits motorbike
Rajesh was speeding and hit Elangovan’s motorbike while trying to overtake him on Gandhi Mandapam Road
A PrathapTIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai: Parimala Nan-dakumar, AIADMK coun-cillor of ward 164, has beenunanimously elected as thenew chairperson for Alan-dur zone of the ChennaiCorporation on Sunday.
The election was neces-sitated after the currentchairman V N P Venkatra-man (AIADMK) was elect-ed as the Alandur MLA.
DMK did not field anycandidates as they don’thave any majority.
Of the 200 member cor-poration council,AIADMK has a thumpingmajority with 168 mem-bers.
Councillor ofWard 164 iszone chief
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai: Police arrested aman for the murder of hiswife’s lover near Chengalpeton Saturday night.
Police said Jothiramalin-gam, 45, a ganja peddler, wasmarried to Parimala, 35. Thecouple had two children. Pa-rimala developed a relation-ship with a butcher, RameshKumar, who lived in theneighbourhood.
When he learned aboutthe affair, Jothiramalingamwarned his wife to sever tieswith Ramesh, but she re-fused to listen to him.
Enraged by this, Jothira-malingam conspired to killRamesh. He took Ramesh toa playground nearby and
made him consume liquor.Once Ramesh was drunk, hehacked him to death with acleaver.
The murder came to lightwhen a few children came tothe play in the area and foundhis body among the bushes.
Based on a complaint, theChengalpet Taluk police reg-istered a murder case and ar-rested Jothiramalingam.
Police arrest man formurder of wife’s lover
Jothiramalingamwarned his wife tosever ties with theman, but sherefused. Enragedover this he plottedRamesh’s murder
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai: The city experi-enced its lowest maximumtemperature in the precedingweek on Sunday, with the Metoffice recording 35.8°C inNungambakkam and 36.5°Cin Meenambakkam. But highhumidity levels still left resi-dents sweating, especially inthe afternoon,
The Met office recorded amaximum of 36.6°C in Nun-gambakkam on Saturdaywhich was almost a five de-gree dip from the 41.6°C re-corded the previous day. Highhumidity and lack of seabreeze forced residents tostay home through the day.
Humidity in the city ho-vered around 70% on Sunday.
According to Mahesh Pala-wat, chief meteorologist,weather forecasting agencySkymet, 50 is the magic num-ber for humidity.
“During the day, when rel-ative humidity increases be-yond 50% and the temper-ature is above 30°C, people
can feel very uncomfortable,”he said.
“Moist winds blowing infrom the Bay of Bengal low-ered temperatures but hu-midity remained high. This iswhy Chennaiites are feelinguncomfortable despite a fallin temperature,” says Pala-wat. There was light cloudcover before noon on Sunday.
“Even though the mercu-ry levels are in the mid-30s, otwill be scorching. This maycontinue for a few moredays,” he adds. Despite isolat-ed rainfall in a few areas, dryweather prevailed in most ofthe state. Hosur in Krishnagi-ri, Sankarapuram in Villupu-ram, and Omalur in Salem re-corded the maximum rainfallof 2cm each.
Mercury drops to lowest in aweek, city still on slow burn
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
DOG DAYS in °C
DATE MAX MIN
May 14 40.1 28.5May 15 38.6 29.4May 16 41.6 29.7May 17 36.6 29May 18 35.8 28.7
Chennai: The Corporation of Chennai will issue ‘Certifi-cate of Oral Polio Vaccination for International Travellers’after administering Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV). The vaccineis valid for a period of one year from the date of vaccination.
The district family welfare department of the civic bodyis designated as a polio vaccination centre where OPV willbe provided to everyone travelling to these countries, irre-spective of their age and previous vaccination status. The re-cent outbreak of polio virus in polio free countries namelySomalia, Kenya, Syria, Cameroon and Ethiopia has aggra-vated the risk of the virus being communicated to India. TNN
Civic body to administerpolic vaccine to travellers
Product: TOIChennaiBS PubDate: 19-05-2014 Zone: Chennai Edition: 2 Page: TOICHP3 User: susand1001 Time: 05-19-2014 02:09 Color: CMYK
