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Regd. No., TN/CC(S) DN/223/15-17, RNI No: 33810 / 82VOL. XXXV NO. 297 � 8 PAGES � Rs. 4.00 CHENNAI ��WEDNESDAY 4.10.2017 (EVENING) � OTHER STATIONS THURSDAY 5.10.2017 (MORNING)

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CAN TEAM INDIASPRING A SURPRISE?

6 7In a fi rst-of-its-kind treatment, an

expert doctors team from Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital saved 10-year-old

boy Tharun from Nagapattinam who had...

BOY WHO SWALLOWED BATTERY SAVED IN CITY

For the Kasimedu fi shermen, fi rstcame the 61 days fi shing ban. Just as they

were ready to get the boats afl oat, came the horrendous oil spill. But the Goods...

FISHING INTROUBLED WATERS

Twenty four nations will chasethe 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup trophy when

the tournament kicks off on 6 October and the Indian Colts will look to register a...

A biopic on music maestro Ilayaraja withthe use of digital technology is all set to be

made jointly with multi-digital brand Arre and Mindshare. ‘The digital fi rst fi lm will be...

BIOPIC ON ILAYARAJAIN DIGITAL PLATFORM

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Chennaiites to teach Corpn school students� WhatsApp group, Google form play key role in mobilising volunteers

‘We are just bringing interested people who have time, skills and resource to the children - who are

slow learners, who need extra coaching, like an hour for maths coaching for 40 students’

NAOMI NChennai, Oct 4:

What do you do when you have am-ple time on hand and some talent? Go out and share it with others. This is what Volunteers for Teach (VTF) are doing.

The noble initiative by the group aims to take interested people to Cor-poration schools to teach. VTF is a programme run by ‘Voice of People’, which began ‘Reclaiming our Wards’, a project of women residents of zone 13 of Chennai Corporation.

The project, taking off this month, will serve schools, helping students with additional coaching and extra-curricular activities for free.

The programme will be implement-ed in a phased manner - for now they are starting with coaching at schools in zone 13.

Speaking to News Today, Charu Govindan, who is part of the support team, said, ‘Voice of People initia-tive aims create a manifesto for the candidates who wish to contest from our ward (zone 13). We had one-on-one interviews with people and online surveys. Schools here are one of our concerns. When a group member helped us meet former Deputy Com-missioner for Education K S Kan-dasamy in August, he welcomed the idea of citizens volunteering. After receiving the green light, we began a WhatsApp group which elicited

an overwhelming response. Two hundred people joined our group and many others signed up through our online Google form.’

On 28 August, 12 heads of Chen-nai Corporation schools, Education Offi cer and the Assistant Education offi cer and volunteers met with Kan-

dasamy at Chennai High School, Ka-maraj Avenue, Adyar. Unfortunately, he was transferred to Tiruvannamalai in a few days.

But before leaving, Kandasamy encouraged us to move forward. He held a meeting with the volunteers and extended full co-operation from the side of Corporation and put us on to assistant education offi cer (AEO) Govindasamy, Charu said.

When they set out with the idea, the main question which came up

was do Corporation schools not have adequate teachers?

‘The aim was not to show the schools in bad light, This should not be taken in a negative sense. We are just bringing interested people who have time, skills and resource to the children - who are slow learn-ers, who need extra coaching, like an hour for maths coaching for 40 students. The volunteers, can sign to teach music, art, yoga during a free period. They are free to take lessons

on morals, character-building and career-building which is available in private schools but unaffordable in these schools.’

This, Charu said, will be a sustained project. The need of each school varies, so it will not be a uniform pro-gramme and the volunteers will be posted to the nearest school.

The support team of VTF has listed 30 schools. The AEO sent out a circular to the schools notifying the team’s visit and the headmasters laid out the requirements of the school. Adyar, Taramani, Thiruvanmiyur, Ekkaduthangal, Guindy, Saidapet, R A Puram and Kotturpuram will be covered under the project. Charu says, ‘We have 10-12 volunteers for each school except for Saidapet, for which we are looking for volunteers.’

Crisis deepens inTamil cinema

� Peeved over double tax, theatres to be shut, producers say no releasesAbirami Ramanathan, said, ‘We will place a request to the government to

withdraw local tax. If needed, we will seek an appointment with the Chief

Minister in this regard’There will

be no new releases from

this week, says Vishal.

NT BureauChennai, Oct 4:

The State government’s deci-sion to impose additional 10 per cent entertainment tax over and above the GST on theatres has shocked the fi lm fraternity. While the Tamil Film Producers Council has announced that there will be no releases of new Tamil fi lms from Friday, the theatre-owners are in a huddle to discuss on shutting cinema halls in protest.

TFPC talks toughIn a statement, president of the

Producers Council Vishal said: ‘We will have a meeting soon to discuss the next course of action. No new Tamil fi lms will release this week as we feel the additional 10 per cent Local Body Entertainment Tax (LBET) above the Goods and Services Tax will disable the industry.’

Vishal said they were ready to go on indefi nite strike if the gov-ernment did not consider their re-quest. ‘Various stakeholders have already explained their situation to the government. Unfortunately, 10 per cent tax has been levied without regulating the ticket prices’.

‘This will only increase the losses for the producers and pave way to more confusion,’ he added.

Theatre-owners in confusionAn urgent meeting of Tamil-

nadu Theatre Owners Associa-tion was convened today in the city in which the issue of double

taxation was discussed in detail. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, president of the as-sociation, Abirami Ramanathan, said, ‘We will place a request to the government to withdraw local tax. If needed, we will seek an appointment with the Chief Minister in this regard’.

Though he was tight-lipped on whether cinema halls will be shut in protest, several theatre-owners in Madurai, Tiruchy and adjoining districts have announced that they would strike work until the order is

withdrawn.Multiplexes still shutThe Chennai multiplexes in-

cluding PVR and INOX, which are members of Multiplex Associ-ation of India (MAI), were shut for second day today. According to MAI, the double taxation defeats the purpose of the GST model and it is against the principle ‘One Nation... One Tax’.

Kamal discusses politics with fan club leaders

Kamal Haasan’s fans at his residence today.Photo: C SANTHOSH

NT BureauChennai, Oct 4:

After making his intentions to enter politics loud and clear, Kamal Haasan today held a meeting with leaders of his fans associations at his Alwarpet residence.

The actor much recently said, ‘I am defi nitely coming there I am speaking now from the bot-tom of my heart. These are my real words. If you think I should continue acting in movies, say it. If you think it’s time for me to be a part of the change and serve society, say it loudly. Now, my wish is to die in the service of my nation, and I’m totally prepared for it’.

The actor has been making political statements and taking a dig at the ruling party in the State. Much recently, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal called on him.

The actor said a few days

ago that he was thinking of launching a political party, out of compulsion and not choice. ‘Yes, I am thinking on those lines, not out of choice but compulsion. Which exist-ent polit ical party can pro-

vide me with a platform or an ideology that will match my re formatory goa ls in polit ics?’ he said.

Amidst such situation, his meeting with fans today as-sumes greater signifi cance.

Speaker makes shocking charges against 18 rebels

� ‘Disqualified MLAs plotted to topple govt’ � HC orders notice to Dhanapal on DMK plea

Natarajanundergoes liver, kidney transplant

V K Sasikala’s husband Natarajan today underwent liver and kidney transplant operation at a private hospital in the city. Dhinakaran confirmed this to reporters and said his uncle was fi ne. It may be noted that the organs were fl own from Tiruchi from one Karthi, who suffered brain death.

Ready to facesedition case: TTV

Speaking to reporters at Adyar here today, TTV Dhinakaran said that he has no idea who printed the pamphlets that were issued during the MGR Centenary celebrations in Salem, based on which sedition case has been fi led against him.

‘I will prove that the sedition charges on me are framed. I will not get anticipation bail in the case and will face it legally. I will also ensure that the real culprits are brought before the court,’ he said.

He also added that he is confi dent that the disqualifi cation of the 18 MLAs supporting him will be ruled out by the Court.

NT BureauChennai, Oct 4:

Tamilnadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal today informed the Madras High Court that the disqualifi ed MLAs were planning to topple the govern-ment and there is evidence to prove his claim.

In his reply to the petition fi led by the disqualifi ed MLAs at the High Court, the Speaker said that rebel AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran and his supporters Thanga Tamil-sevan and Vettrivel had openly told the media that they would topple the government.

‘The legislators were disqualifi ed well within the rights given to me by the Constitution,’ the Speaker said. Dhanapal’s advocate Aryama Sun-daram submitted a 500-page reply.

Advocate Abhishek Singhvi who appeared on behalf of the disqualifi ed MLAs said that the Speaker did not give enough time for the legislators to respond. ‘Our legislators wanted the change of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and were not against the government. When someone who voted against the government

(during the confi dence motion moved in the House in February this year) can become the Deputy Chief Minister, why was our legislators disqualified? The no confi dence letter given to the Governor was not against the govern-ment but against the Chief Minister. The legislators did not leave the party to use the anti defection law. The decision of the Speaker is biased,’ he argued.

In a related development, the High

Court today orderded notices to Dhanapal and Assembly Secre-

tary, directing them to reply in the case fi led by DMK to disqualify Deputy Chief Min-ister O Panneerselvam and his supporters who voted against Palaniswami-led government during the trust

vote held in February 2017. DMK whip R Chakrapani fi led

the petition which came up for hearing before Justice K Ravichan-dra Babu who ordered the Speaker

and the Secretary to respond and adjourned the case to 12 October.

Similarly, hearing of the petition fi led by DMK working president M K Stalin seeking the prevention of action on DMK MLAs by the Privilege Commit-tee, for bringing gutkha packets to the Assembly, has also been adjourned.

In the meantime, replying to a petition fi led to stop the inquiry com-mission from probing the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the government today said that it has the power to set up the commission and does not need the approval of the Assembly to do so.

FEELING AT HOME

‘The legislators were disqualifi ed well within the rights given to me by the Constitution,’ the

Speaker said. Dhanapal’s advocateAryama Sundaram submitted a 500-page reply