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Time of India
6 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Stalin: Fear of litigation prompts Ravi to give assent to bills; still 14 bills pending
Chennai: Chief minister M K Stalin on Tuesday said governor R N Ravi could have given assent to the two bills that reserved seats in local bodies for people with disabilities (PwD) for fear of litigation. The governor's office is still sitting on 14 bills, including the Kalaignar University Bill, which proposes establishing a university named after former chief minister M Karunanidhi, sources told TOI. Asked for his response to the governor giving assent to bills passed by the assembly in its last sitting, Stalin told reporters here, "That was expected. Not a big issue. It was passed by the legislature and sent. Maybe he gave assent because he was afraid that we would go to court. Nothing else." The Supreme Court had on April 8, set a timeline for governors and the President to decide on bills. Sources told TOI that governor Ravi had since then given assent to eight bills, including four appropriation bills. Among the bills awaiting assent are the Tamil Nadu Fiscal Responsibility (Amendment) Bill and the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill. These were passed by the legislature in Feb and Dec 2024, respectively. Other pending bills include one to protect economically weaker sections, especially farmers and women self-help groups, from coercive recovery of loans by microfinance institutions. A bill to amend the Goondas Act to punish dumping of biomedical waste in Tamil Nadu from neighbouring states is also pending. When asked about the pending bills in light of the Supreme Court's ruling on timelines, DMK MP P Wilson stated: "Anyone who has faith in the judicial system and believes in the Constitution and the rule of law must respect the Supreme Court's verdict, as it is final. If the governor chooses to defy the court's order, the law should take its own course. However, I want to know whether the Prime Minister is encouraging such defiance of the court's order. Can the President of India remain silent to such a contemptuous act? The governor should have been sacked when the Supreme Court indicted him for malafide actions."
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Oxygen supply stopped by sacked contract worker at Virudhunagar hospital
In a shocking incident, a contract worker of Virudhunagar Government Medical College Hospital stopped medical oxygen supply from the oxygen plant to the hospital in the early hours of Wednesday. However, an alert employee restored the oxygen supply within minutes, thus saving the lives of patients put on oxygen support. The contract worker, Saravanakumar, was angered over his contract company sacking him on May 19. He was working in the oxygen plan. He was arrested by Virudhunagar East Police based on a complaint lodged by Resident Medical Officer Ganesh. When Saravanakumar came to the hospital around 2.45 a.m. on Wednesday, a security personnel asked him why had he come to the hospital after his removal from service. He reportedly told him that he wanted to visit an inpatient. However, he did not get into any ward, but walked straight to the oxygen plant. The security personnel, who followed him, saw him doing some mischief at the plant. When he questioned him, Saravanakumar did not answer him and left the scene in a huff. When the hospital engineer was alerted, he found that the oxygen supply line valve was closed and immediately opened it. The nurses on duty reportedly found that oxygen supply was reduced for sometime and again went up. Saravanakumar was booked for criminal trespass and under the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act - 2008.
