Latest news with #Sivasankar
New Indian Express
25-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
3,200 new staff to be hired in August to boost TNSTC services: Transport Minister SS Sivasankar
CUDDALORE: Tamil Nadu Transport Minister SS Sivasankar on Thursday said that 3,200 new employees would be appointed to the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) in August as part of efforts to restructure the department and improve services. Speaking to reporters outside the Cuddalore court, Minister Sivasankar said, 'The government does not have Rs 3,000 crore readily-available to settle pending dues. However, the Chief Minister is addressing past issues step-by-step. So far, 4,800 new buses have been brought into service and 680 employees have been recruited. In August, another 3,200 will be appointed. Through these measures, the transport department is being restructured, and pending dues are also being gradually cleared.' He said that steps are being taken to replace old buses and clear long-pending retirement benefits. 'The union government has not provided any funds for the state transport department. Only the Tamil Nadu government is allocating resources,' he added. The minister noted that due to increased demand during festivals, private buses are being operated on a contract basis. 'Earlier, around one lakh passengers booked tickets each month. Now it has increased to two lakh. Unreserved passenger numbers have also gone up. To avoid disruption in district-level services, private buses are being deployed under contract. This model does not result in losses but brings profit to the government,' he said. Minister Sivasankar had appeared in court in connection with a case registered against him and 36 others in 2015. The case relates to a protest held on February 4, 2015, in Neivasal near the Cuddalore - Ariyalur border, during his tenure as Kunnam MLA, against sand mining.
India.com
04-06-2025
- Health
- India.com
Govt Buses To Get 360-Degree Cameras, Driver Monitoring Systems In THIS State
Chennai: In a major initiative to enhance passenger safety and improve operational efficiency, the Tamil Nadu government has floated tenders worth Rs 17 crore to install advanced surveillance and driver monitoring systems in buses operated by State Transport Undertakings (STUs). The project is being executed through the Institute of Road Transport (IRT). The move follows an announcement made by Transport and Electricity Minister S.S. Sivasankar during the debate on the Transport Department's demand for grants in the Assembly. According to tender notifications issued by the IRT, the government plans to equip 4,000 buses with 360-degree surveillance camera systems at an estimated cost of Rs 15 crore. In addition, a pilot project worth Rs 2 crore will introduce Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) in 500 buses. Each bus under the camera project will be fitted with four high-definition wide-angle cameras, providing a full panoramic view that helps eliminate blind spots. Priced at Rs 37,500 per unit, these cameras will come with features such as wide dynamic range (WDR), auto white balance, digital noise reduction, and infrared capability for low-light conditions. The systems will also support encrypted data transmission and comply with established data protection norms. Minister Sivasankar had earlier informed the Assembly that the 360-degree surveillance systems will aid in detecting pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles that are often missed by conventional mirrors, especially in congested urban areas. The real-time footage will also serve as valuable legal evidence in the event of road accidents. The Driver Monitoring System (DMS) units, each costing Rs 40,000, will employ artificial intelligence and infrared sensors to monitor drivers for signs of fatigue, distraction, or drowsiness. These systems will track eye movements, head position, and posture, and provide real-time alerts to allow for immediate corrective action. Additionally, each DMS unit will record behavioural data to support post-trip analysis and help plan training interventions for drivers. The current rollout on 500 buses is a pilot phase, with the potential for a wider implementation depending on its effectiveness and feedback from transport authorities. This initiative marks a significant technological upgrade for Tamil Nadu's public transport system and is expected to improve both passenger safety and driver accountability across the fleet.
Hans India
04-06-2025
- Health
- Hans India
TN to install 360-degree cameras, driver monitoring systems in govt buses
In a major initiative to enhance passenger safety and improve operational efficiency, the Tamil Nadu government has floated tenders worth Rs 17 crore to install advanced surveillance and driver monitoring systems in buses operated by State Transport Undertakings (STUs). The project is being executed through the Institute of Road Transport (IRT). The move follows an announcement made by Transport and Electricity Minister S.S. Sivasankar during the debate on the Transport Department's demand for grants in the Assembly. According to tender notifications issued by the IRT, the government plans to equip 4,000 buses with 360-degree surveillance camera systems at an estimated cost of Rs 15 crore. In addition, a pilot project worth Rs 2 crore will introduce Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) in 500 buses. Each bus under the camera project will be fitted with four high-definition wide-angle cameras, providing a full panoramic view that helps eliminate blind spots. Priced at Rs 37,500 per unit, these cameras will come with features such as wide dynamic range (WDR), auto white balance, digital noise reduction, and infrared capability for low-light conditions. The systems will also support encrypted data transmission and comply with established data protection norms. Minister Sivasankar had earlier informed the Assembly that the 360-degree surveillance systems will aid in detecting pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles that are often missed by conventional mirrors, especially in congested urban areas. The real-time footage will also serve as valuable legal evidence in the event of road accidents. The Driver Monitoring System (DMS) units, each costing Rs 40,000, will employ artificial intelligence and infrared sensors to monitor drivers for signs of fatigue, distraction, or drowsiness. These systems will track eye movements, head position, and posture, and provide real-time alerts to allow for immediate corrective action. Additionally, each DMS unit will record behavioural data to support post-trip analysis and help plan training interventions for drivers. The current rollout on 500 buses is a pilot phase, with the potential for a wider implementation depending on its effectiveness and feedback from transport authorities. This initiative marks a significant technological upgrade for Tamil Nadu's public transport system and is expected to improve both passenger safety and driver accountability across the fleet.
The Hindu
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Art Deco and its connect to insurance companies of Madras
It was on May 6 that I wrote about the Art Deco style completing a century across the world. I was not quite prepared for the flood of emails, comments, and calls that followed, recalling one or the other of the splendid examples of that architectural style we had in this city. I am taking up one of the threads which began with an observation of mine in that article, namely that many insurance company promoters seemed to have preferred Art Deco for their offices and headquarters. Sivasankar Chander sends me an email reminding me of the United India Building on South Esplanade, which now houses the offices of LIC. Long before his name became permanently linked with the iconic LIC Building on Mount Road, though he tragically did not live to see its completion, Chidambaram Chettyar (yes, that is how he spelt it) had conceptualised and built another building, this one an Art Deco icon. 'Favourite builder' The United India Building, facing the Law College, came up on what was then known as the South Esplanade and now simply the Esplanade. The architect was not Ballardie, Thompson & Mathew as Sivasankar writes, but Kaval Lal Mehta, who was 'favourite builder', as S. Muthiah writes in his book Unfinished Journey: The Story of M Ct M Chidambaram Chettyar. The building, when completed, was truly Art Deco and happily remains one, though I wish something could be done about its poorly maintained interiors. A landmark Sivasankar writes of how the Art Deco designed offices for insurance seemed to have inspired the residences of those involved in the business. Certainly, second residence in the city, Bedford Villa in San Thome, is all Art Deco. And, as Sivasankar says, so was the residence of S.T. Sadasivan, a man who played key roles in insurance and banking. That house, which was for long a landmark on Brihadambal Street (who was she?) at Nungambakkam, has been replaced by a high-rise, he says. But he has sent two photos, one of its exterior, and the other, more importantly, of its interior, which was also faithful to the Art Deco style. Sadasivan began his career in Central Bank of India, and when began the Indian Overseas Bank, was hand-picked to be its General Manager. He was a director on the board of United India Fire and General Insurance Company when began it in 1938, the older United India Life having started in 1922 and been taken over in 1924 by father Sir Muthiah Chettiar. Sadasivan wound up his career by joining the then Birla-run United Commercial Bank. It covered all Going back to the house on Brihadambal Street, the pictures make it clear that Art Deco was not just a façade when it came to India. Interiors too were faithful to the style, and this extended to furniture design in a big way. Why, even silverware had elements of it. But, even then, modernism was making inroads, it having replaced Art Deco, which had a good run for two decades at best. When dreamt big and conceptualised his United India Building on Mount Road in 1953, he turned to Brown & Moulin, an architect's firm from the U.K. When it was completed in 1959 in modernist style, the world had changed. had died in 1954 in an air crash in Singapore, aged 46. Insurance was nationalised in 1956 and so it was as LIC Building that the structure came to be known. (V. Sriram is a writer and historian.)
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Art Deco again, and its connect to insurance companies of Madras
It was on May 6 that I wrote about the Art Deco style completing a century across the world. I was not quite prepared for the flood of emails, comments, and calls that followed, recalling one or the other of the splendid examples of that architectural style we had in this city. I am taking up one of the threads which began with an observation of mine in that article, namely that many insurance company promoters seemed to have preferred Art Deco for their offices and headquarters. Sivasankar Chander sends me an email reminding me of the United India Building on South Esplanade, which now houses the offices of LIC. Long before his name became permanently linked with the iconic LIC Building on Mount Road, though he tragically did not live to see its completion, Chidambaram Chettyar (yes, that is how he spelt it) had conceptualised and built another building, this one an Art Deco icon. 'Favourite builder' The United India Building, facing the Law College, came up on what was then known as the South Esplanade and now simply the Esplanade. The architect was not Ballardie, Thompson & Mathew as Sivasankar writes, but Kaval Lal Mehta, who was 'favourite builder', as S. Muthiah writes in his book Unfinished Journey: The Story of M Ct M Chidambaram Chettyar. The building, when completed, was truly Art Deco and happily remains one, though I wish something could be done about its poorly maintained interiors. A landmark Sivasankar writes of how the Art Deco designed offices for insurance seemed to have inspired the residences of those involved in the business. Certainly, second residence in the city, Bedford Villa in San Thome, is all Art Deco. And, as Sivasankar says, so was the residence of S.T. Sadasivan, a man who played key roles in insurance and banking. That house, which was for long a landmark on Brihadambal Street (who was she?) at Nungambakkam, has been replaced by a high-rise, he says. But he has sent two photos, one of its exterior, and the other, more importantly, of its interior, which was also faithful to the Art Deco style. Sadasivan began his career in Central Bank of India, and when began the Indian Overseas Bank, was hand-picked to be its General Manager. He was a director on the board of United India Fire and General Insurance Company when began it in 1938, the older United India Life having started in 1922 and been taken over in 1924 by father Sir Muthiah Chettiar. Sadasivan wound up his career by joining the then Birla-run United Commercial Bank. It covered all Going back to the house on Brihadambal Street, the pictures make it clear that Art Deco was not just a façade when it came to India. Interiors too were faithful to the style, and this extended to furniture design in a big way. Why, even silverware had elements of it. But, even then, modernism was making inroads, it having replaced Art Deco, which had a good run for two decades at best. When dreamt big and conceptualised his United India Building on Mount Road in 1953, he turned to Brown & Moulin, an architect's firm from the U.K. When it was completed in 1959 in modernist style, the world had changed. had died in 1954 in an air crash in Singapore, aged 46. Insurance was nationalised in 1956 and so it was as LIC Building that the structure came to be known. (V. Sriram is a writer and historian.)
