TN This Week: CM Stalin Seeks Rs 7,033 Crore Interim Flood Relief from Centre

Could a plot to kill leaders of RSS and its affiliate organisations be considered a terrorist act under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act? This question has been posed by a Division Bench of Justices S S Sundar and Sunder Mohan of the Madras High Court while granting bail to a man, Asif Musthaheen, against whom a case was registered under the UAPA by the Erode police in western Tamil Nadu.

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Friday dismissed a PIL seeking a CBI enquiry into the arrest of Ankit Tiwari, the Enforcement Directorate Officer arrested by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption for allegedly collecting Rs 20 Lakh bribe from a government doctor threatening to reopen a case against him.

Matchbox manufacturers’ association in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu held a protest on Friday, raising many issues. They urged the central government to reduce the 12% GST levied on matches to 5% and increase the incentive for the export of small matches. They also asked the state government to provide subsidised electricity and raw materials to the industry.

The Tamil Nadu government has increased the procurement prices of milk for Aavin by Rs 3 per litre; cow milk will be procured for Rs 38, and buffalo milk for Rs 47 from December 18. It will benefit close to four lakh dairy farmers, said the Tamil Nadu Co-operative Milk Producers' Federation (TNCMPF).

All India Road Transport Workers’ Federation staged an attention-grabbing demonstration on Tuesday urging the state government to withdraw the 100% increase in life tax imposed on public transportation motor vehicles. Read more

NewsClick brings you a round-up of the developments from Tamil Nadu in the past week.

GOVERNOR-GOVERNMENT TUSSLE IN SC

The Tamil Nadu government filed an amendment application in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, seeking to declare state Governor RN Ravi’s decision to reserve some Bills for consideration as unconstitutional, illegal, arbitrary, and unreasonable.

On Thursday, when the Supreme Court reiterated its suggestion asking Chief Minister M K Stalin and Governor R N Ravi to have an open dialogue over the impasse in clearing bills, the governor extended an invitation to the CM to discuss all ‘outstanding issues.’

Observing the rising frequency of governor-government tussles, particularly in opposition-led states, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said a “channel of communication” between them must be maintained for resolving deadlocks over pending bills, and the Business of governance must go on.

POST-MICHAUNG EFFORTS

The Tamil Nadu government is expediting efforts to address the oil spill in Chennai’s Ennore Creek in an effort to meet the December 17 deadline set by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The agencies that are responsible for clearing the oil spill – Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TPCB) – have deployed 75 boats with 300 personnel to intensify mitigation efforts. The oil spill was due to the recent floods in and around Chennai. Read more

Chief minister M K Stalin has sought Rs 7,033 crore as interim flood relief from the Centre and an additional 12,659 crore as long-term flood relief for Chennai and adjoining districts affected by cyclone Michaung. He has also requested Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to provide a moratorium on loan repayment for small businesses, particularly those affected by Cyclone Michaung.

The six-member inter-ministerial central team on Tuesday praised the Tamil Nadu government for “doing enormous amounts of work in preparing to face Cyclone Michaung and in the response. The casualties have been extremely minimal. We appreciate that the government has responded extremely well.”

The Tamil Nadu government has earmarked Rs 1.90 crore for a cleanup drive in schools across four districts. Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, and Tiruvallur will benefit from this allocation, aimed at restoring educational facilities affected by heavy rain during the first week of December.