Tamil Nadu

Water crisis

Sources in the DMK, however, maintained that this was not the party's viewpoint on the city's water scarcity.

DMK treasurer Duraimurugan has opposed the Tamil Nadu government's move to bring water in wagons to Chennai from Jolarpettai in Vellore district. Speaking to the media hours after the announcement, Duraimurugan stated that the there will be protests in Vellore if the plan was carried out. On Friday, Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisami who acknowledged the water crisis in Chennai, stated that the government plans to bring 10 MLD of water to Chennai by railway wagons for the next six months. The CM said that Rs.65 crore had been allocated for the purpose in a meeting held at the secretariat. Jolarpettai is over 200 kilometres away from the state capital. In response to this declaration, Duraimurugan who is the Katpadi MLA said, "If people take this water, there will be protests in Vellore." Sources in the DMK, however, maintained that this was not the party's viewpoint on the city's water scarcity. "Duraimurugan has said this as a concerned MLA from Vellore district," says a DMK source. "This is not the party's view but his. However, we must focus on districts outside Chennai as well, once the situation in the city is handled," he adds. The opposition party further held protests in Chennai, demanding that the Tamil Nadu Municipal Administration and Water Supply Minister SP Velumani resign. Chennai Central MP Dayanidhi Maran who took part in the protests said that the AIADMK failed to expand on projects initiated by former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and alleged that this was the cause for the city's water crisis. On Friday, days after Minister SP Velumani denied reports of water scarcity and called the reports ‘manufactured’, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami accepted that there was widespread water scarcity in Tamil Nadu. The Chief Minister said that the government is taking all possible steps to address the water scarcity in the state. As far as Chennai is concerned, he said that senior officers have been put in-charge of each zone to identify gaps in supply and ensure that water is provided in those spots. Clarifying his stand on Kerala’s offer to provide 2 MLD drinking water to Tamil Nadu in wagons, Palaniswami said that Tamil Nadu welcomes the offer. Adding that what Kerala made was a one-time offer, he said that he will soon write to the Chief Minister of Kerala requesting his government to send more water to the state.

Body 2:

Water crisis

The circular issued by the school education department says that it's the duty of the school administration to take alternative measures to provide water.

Priyanka Thirumurthy

With an increasing number of private schools announcing holidays or shortened class duration due to the water crisis in Tamil Nadu, the state education department has cracked the whip. In a circular to authorised private schools, the government has warned strict action if schools use 'water scarcity' as a reason to stop classes, and demanded that they find alternative ways to acquire sufficient water supply. The circular points out that these schools were given permission to run after the guarantee that they will have the necessary drinking water, bathroom and other basic necessities."But now we have learnt through the media that some private schools are quoting lack of water to announce holiday for students. Acting in a manner that affects students' academics calls for stringent action," reads the circular. "It is the duty of the school administration to take necessary alternative measures for water in order to continue running the school. If schools fail to do this, strict action will be taken against them. The Education department and district Education officers must ensure that private schools function in their districts without holiday over water scarcity. " Over the last week, TNM has reported that schools were announcing holidays for a few days or conducting classes for only half a day due to water scarcity. With water tankers charging over 100% more than last year for transport of the essential resource, finances and availability of water have put a huge strain on educational institutes that have to provide water for at least eight hours a day. Responding to the circular, KR Nandhakumar, State Secretary, Tamil Nadu Matriculation, Higher Secondary,and CBSE Schools Association said that this is an attempt by the government to threaten the schools into silence."They are basically warning schools against coming out in the open with our problems. Schools are not getting a regular supply of water and they are making the issue very clear," he says. "But instead of offering a solution, the government is clearly threatening them." School Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan had made it clear in a press meet on Tuesday that the government is not responsible for supplying water to private schools. "There is not much for the government to comment on it," he told the media.

Body 2:

Crime

G Muthuvel, a journalist employed with Polimer News, was attacked on June 19 and sustained serious injuries to his head, chest and arm.

TNM Staff

Days after journalist G Muthuvel who is employed with Polimer News was attacked by weapon-wielding men, a Tamil Nadu based forum of journalists has written to the Press Council of India, seeking action against those accused. The forum, Centre of Media Persons for Change, has alleged that Muthuvel, who is a Dalit, was attacked as some dominant caste individuals were not happy with him working in the area as a reporter. In the letter, the forum has asked that the state government provides compensation for Muthuvel and security for journalists in Tamil Nadu. On June 19, as per reports, Muthuvel was attacked while he was in his office and sustained serious injuries to his head, chest and arm. Muthuvel was rushed to a hospital and is undergoing treatment. One person, identified as Shanmuganathan, has been arrested under Indian Penal Code Sections 452 (house trespass after preparation for assault), 294 (b) (using obscene language), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons) and 307 (attempt to murder) as well as the provisions of the SC/ST Act. However, according to a report in The Hindu, Muthuvel has alleged that Shanmuganathan acted at the behest of inspector Gajendran of Thattarmadam police station for negative reports against him. “A few days ago, Inspector Gajendran made derogatory comments about lawyers and as a result, lawyers staged a protest outside the Thattarmadam police station. Muthuvel had reached the police station to cover the protest. Gajendran had warned Muthuvel not to broadcast this news. Muthuvel told him that he was doing his job and not to obstruct his work,” the forum has written in their letter to the Secretary of the Press Council of India. On Wednesday, following a series of complaints against him, inspector Gajendran was transferred. “Shanmuganathan, who was helped by Gajendran in his criminal activities, was angered that Gajendran had been transferred and his nexus would be affected. Caste hatred only fanned the flames,” the letter alleges. The organisation has demanded that Gajendran be removed from service and that the inspector, Shanmuganathan, and the other assailants involved as well as other dominant caste individuals who were a party to the attack be arrested. “Muthuvel was an honest journalist who reported on illegal sand mining and other illegal activities fearlessly...The attack on Muthuvel is an assault on the freedom of the press, speech and expression. What is worse is that the attack was intermingled with caste hatred. We are firm that the culprits should not get away with this. Those arrested must be charged with attempt to murder and under the Prevention of Atrocities to SCs and STs Act,” the letter adds. The organisation has also demanded that the Tamil Nadu government provide adequate compensation to Muthuvel and also bring an Act to protect journalists while doing their duty.

Body 2:

Kollywood

Actor S Ve Shekher alleged that many outstation artistes will not be able to cast their votes due to a disorganised election process.

TNM Staff

Facebook/Rajinionlinefans

As drama surrounding the Nadigar Sangam elections came to an end after the Madras High Court gave its go-ahead for conducting the polls on Sunday, actor Rajinikanth has said that he will not be able to cast his vote. In a tweet on Saturday evening, Rajinikanth said that he was in Mumbai for a shoot and despite his efforts to receive the postal vote earlier, he received it only at 6.45 pm on Saturday. “I regret that I was unable to cast my vote because of this delay. It is strange and unfortunate. This should not have happened…,” he tweeted. pic.twitter.com/8YepBK8MSK — Rajinikanth (@rajinikanth) June 22, 2019 Following this, actor S VE Shekher took to Twitter to announce his decision to boycott the elections. Accusing the Nadigar Sangam of having a disorganised election process and arrangements, the veteran actor alleged that the condition of hundreds of outstation drama artistes is similar to Rajinikanth’s, as they will be unable to cast their votes. “As a protest for this kind of disorganized election process and arrangements, I am boycotting this nadigar sangam election,” he said. Dear RAJINI You are not the only person was unable to cast your VOTE , there are 100s of out station Drama artists are in the same condition. As a protest for this kind of disorganised Election Process & arrangements, I AM BOYCOTTING THIS NADIGAR SANGAM ELECTION. https://t.co/0STccWCCUQ— S.VE.SHEKHER (@SVESHEKHER) June 22, 2019 However, actor and candidate Kovai Sarala responded to the allegations of delay in sending postal votes and said that they were dispatched as per law immediately after the elections were announced. However, the delay in postal votes reaching the recipient is due to transit delay, she told reporters. The elections were initially cancelled after the District Registrar of Societies cast doubts over the electoral rolls prepared for the elections. However, the Madras High Court ordered a stay on the Registrar’s order and gave its green signal for the elections to be held at St. Ebas girls school in Mylapore. The court also ordered the Chennai police to provide security for the elections to be conducted smoothly. This time, Vishal’s Pandavar Ani will clash with the Swami Sankardas Ani led by veteran actor-director K Bhagyaraj.

Body 2:

Law

According to the guidelines, if pregnancy of a woman does not exceed 20 weeks, the doctors can terminate it.

IANS

In a judgement which can have far-reaching consequences, the Madras High Court has ruled that a rape victim should not be compelled to "knock doors of the court" for termination of her unwanted pregnancy and that the doctors should just follow the guidelines prescribed in the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act. According to the guidelines, if pregnancy of a woman does not exceed 20 weeks, the doctors can terminate it. In rape cases, however, a DNA test of the conceptus is mandatory before an abortion can be carried out. In case a woman wants her pregnancy to be terminated after it exceeds 20 weeks, she will need permission for which she will have to move a High Court, which will refer the matter to a medical board. Justice N. Anand Venkatesh of Madras High Court, while hearing a case, said that if a rape victim suffers an unwanted pregnancy and its duration has not exceeded 20 weeks, then the "victim need not be referred to the medical board and the termination of pregnancy can be done as per the provisions of Section 3 of the MTP Act, 1971"."The victim girl should not be unnecessarily made to knock the doors of this court," the judge ruled. Lashing at the government and doctors, the court said: "In cases of this nature, the doctors and the courts need to be more sensitive and should act fast since the victim girl is carrying a foetus, which keeps reminding her of the agony faced by her due to rape and every moment she suffers mental agony and depression due to the unwanted pregnancy that has been forced against her." The court said these guidelines must be strictly complied with by the police and medical practitioners in the state, and directed the government to issue a circular informing the functionaries concerned in connection with these guidelines."This situation should not happen again and the medical practitioners should be sensitized in this regard," the court observed. If the pregnancy has not breached the 20 weeks mark, then the length of the pregnancy is irrelevant, and instead the life of the pregnant woman shall be prioritized, the court said. The victim, in this case, was blackmailed into having sexual intercourse and had got pregnant. Eight weeks into the pregnancy, after being denied any relief from government hospital, she moved the court. The police informed the court that victim had requested assistance in terminating the pregnancy during the registration of the rape case. However, police apparently refused to help her, and then she pooled her resources to get admission in a private hospital, but was discharged without undergoing abortion. The victim then moved the High Court, which directed her to get admitted to a government hospital to get medically assessed for abortion. The victim had, on June 8, consulted a doctor at the government-run Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children and General Hospital here. The doctor found her eight weeks pregnant but instead of terminating the pregnancy, referred her to another government hospital. On June 12, the High Court gave strict instructions to admit her at a government hospital and carry out the necessary medical procedure. On June 17, the doctors aborted the pregnancy. On June 19, the matter came up for further hearing before the court, which remarked that the hospitals wrongly interpreted the provisions of the MTP Act, and made the victim run from pillar to post. As the victim's counsel requested the court to issue guidelines to ease the abortion process for rape victims, the court said that medical boards have already been constituted across the country to address request of similar nature.

Body 2:

Water Crisis

The scheme aims to divert extra water from the Mettur water supply project in Vellore.

TNM Staff

File Image/PTI

Due to the severe water crisis in Chennai, the city’s water supply board will start sourcing drinking water from Jolarpettai in two weeks, according to an announcement from Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. According to reports, this is the first time in 18 years that the capital city will bring water from other places in train wagons. Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) is reportedly reviewing ways to bring 10 MLD water to Chennai using a train with 50 wagons. This scheme is being deliberated after the CM announced that Rs 65 crore has been allocated to bring water from Jolarpettai by train. Following the announcement, senior officials of Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD), CMWSSB and Southern Railway surveyed water bodies in Jolarpettai on Saturday. Surplus water supplied to Vellore through the Mettur drinking water project will be diverted to Chennai according to the plan. The survey report will be submitted to the Secretariat in a day or two after which a decision would be taken, reported The Hindu. The 50-wagon train would have to make four trips to transport 10 MLD to Chennai since the capacity of the train is around 2.6 million litres. The water will be brought to Chennai, treated in Kilpauk and supplied to parts of northern and central Chennai till Triplicane. DMK’s Duraimurugan has, however, warned the Tamil Nadu government not to go ahead with the plan. Speaking at an event in Vellore, Duraimurugan said that if the government takes water from Vellore, then there would be massive protests in the district. SP Velumani, the Minister for Local Administration and Water Supply, in response, assured that taking 10 MLD of water from Vellore will not decrease the supply across the district in any way. It was last in 2001 that water was brought in wagons from Erode to Chennai to deal with water scarcity in the city.

Body 2:

Controversy

Ironically, Ramadoss was speaking at an event organised against hate politics in Chennai on Saturday – and his rant was full of abuses.

TNM Staff

What happens when the founder of a party whose members have been accused of political and caste based violence, gives a speech on ‘Growing Hate Politics’? On Saturday, PMK founder Ramadoss decided to use the stage to threaten journalists for asking him questions, quite proudly and loudly. In a video that is being widely shared, Ramadoss can be heard proclaiming that several years ago he had threatened to ‘cut down’ those who ask him questions about cutting trees for a protest. The event on ‘Hate politics’, which took place in Chennai on Saturday, was organised by Tamil Padaippaligal Periyakkam. Ramadoss was a special invitee to the event, and spoke about his efforts to plant trees. During his speech, he narrated an incident about how a journalist from the Kolkata-based newspaper Telegraph questioned him about PMK’s protests by felling trees. “I told him that I have answered this question a hundred times. You are asking about it repeatedly with a motive, which is to establish that Ramadoss is a tree-cutter. You want to ensure that even people who don’t know about this, get to know it now. So I told him – in future if there is any such protest, we will not cut trees. Instead, we will cut people like you who ask questions,” he said, to cheers from his audience. Continuing his rant while being seated on the dais, Ramadoss called journalists dogs and kammanati pasanga (a pejorative used for the son of a widowed woman), and indulged in some classic whataboutery about how no journalist has checked out the trees he has planted. “I have grown a small forest in the Foundation, you Chandalaas, Sagunis…,” he added, using casteist pejoratives. 101வது முறையாக கேட்கிறோம், மரம் வெட்டும் போராட்டம் நடத்தியது ஏன் ? இந்த கேள்வி கேட்டால் கேள்வி கேட்பவரை வெட்டுவீர்களோ ??@drramadoss pic.twitter.com/HVfYEP3D72 — Arvind Gunasekar (@arvindgunasekar) June 22, 2019 Ramadoss’s speech has invited sharp criticism from various forums of journalists. Bharathi Tamil, Joint Secretary of Chennai Press Club, issued a statement on behalf of media persons which stated that while there is no second opinion on media and journalists being subject to criticism, it is not right for a senior political leader to use vulgar words to insult journalists. Seeking Ramadoss’s apology for his words, Chennai Press Club stated that it was condemnable that he spewed hatred in an event which was organised against hate politics. “The rightful owners of democracy, the people, are watching such speeches,” the statement said. The Centre of Media Persons for Change also expressed their strong opposition to Ramadoss’s comments and called for his immediate arrest.

Body 2:

Kollywood

The run-up to this year’s election was mired in controversy as the Registrar of Societies had cancelled the elections citing irregularities in the electoral roll.

TNM Staff

After raking up many controversies, the elections for the South Indian Film Artistes’ Association (SIFAA), popularly known as Nadigar Sangam, ended at 5 pm on Sunday. The election to the film actors’ union saw 1,604 votes polled by closing time. The election was held at St Eba’s girls school in Mylapore from 7 am to 5 pm amidst heavy police protection as ordered by the Madras High Court. Two factions from within the union were contesting in the elections. While the incumbent office-bearers led by actor Nasser formed the Pandavar ani, the other faction, named Swami Sankaradas ani, was led by veteran actor-director Bhagyaraj. As of 5 pm on Sunday, 1,604 votes were polled out of a total of 3,171 votes in the union. The run-up to this year’s election was mired in controversy as the Registrar of Societies had cancelled the elections citing irregularities in the electoral roll. However, the Madras High Court ordered a stay on the Registrar’s order and gave a go-ahead for the elections. On Saturday evening, the court also fixed St Eba’s Girls School as the location for polling and ordered Chennai police to provide adequate security for the smooth conduct of the polls. Actor ‘Mic’ Mohan’s vote polled as bogus Actor Mohan, who came to vote in the elections, was in for a surprise as he found out that his vote had already been cast by someone else. Shocked by this, Mohan reportedly approached the electoral officer, retired Justice Padmanabhan with all his documents and informed him of the issue. However, though the electoral officer allowed Mohan to cast his vote, his vote was allegedly not put inside the ballot box. Outstation artistes complain of not being allowed to vote A few actors from out of Chennai who had travelled a long way to reach in time for the polling complained that they were not allowed to vote for various reasons. While a group of three drama artistes from Dharmapuri were allegedly not allowed to vote since they had postal ballots, a senior woman actor was not allowed to vote despite her possessing valid documents. The election which happens once in three years took place previously in 2015 in the same location. Actor Nasser won that election and took charge as the President of the union. Actor Vishal became the General Secretary and actor Karthi was posted as the Treasurer of the union. The counting of votes polled today will be done on a date which will be informed later by the electoral officer.

Body 2:

Citizenship

The Madras HC said that the conditions where the 65 Tamils who fled Sri Lanka after the 1983 riots were housed, are 'hellish'.

IANS

The Madras High Court has passionately argued for grant of citizenship to 65 Tamils who fled Sri Lanka after the 1983 riots, saying the conditions in the Tamil Nadu camp in which they are housed are "hellish". The Tamils crossed the narrow strip of sea dividing Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu way back with a view to make India their permanent home but the Centre has refused to give them citizenship all these years. They have been engaged in a legal battle for more than two decades. Although the Indian government has promised not to deport them, it has not acceded to their demand for Indian citizenship. Last week, the Madras High Court passed an order on their plea urging the Centre to take a sympathetic view on the plight of the petitioners and relax the norms for them to acquire Indian citizenship. The refugees do get monthly cash doles, ration, essential commodities, accommodation, dress materials, utensils and free education. On the issue of citizenship, the Tamil Nadu government contends that they arrived through an illegal route and so their refugee status cannot be converted into citizenship. The Centre has a similar view. The petitioners claim they are descendants of indentured labourers who settled down in Sri Lanka's tea estates during the colonial era, they are Tamil speaking and their forefathers hailed from Tamil Nadu. Justice G.R. Swaminathan observed: "An illegal migrant cannot claim such a relaxation if he had merged with society surreptitiously. That is not the case here. The writ petitioners have been housed in camps set up by the government." The court drew the Centre's attention on the circumstances which forced the petitioners to seek asylum in India and consider their case on humanitarian grounds. "A person who is running for his life cannot obviously be expected to wait for a visa. Therefore, viewing the petitioners' case through the prism of the technical requirements of law does not appear to be a humanitarian approach," observed the court. The refugees contended before the court that the Centre had already given an undertaking that they would not be compulsorily sent back to Sri Lanka. Observing the peculiar situation of the petitioners, the court said: "They have come away from Sri Lanka but they have not been absorbed here..."The camp conditions are hellish. One must read Pathinathan who is associated with the literary magazine 'Kalachuvadu' in this regard. Even if one's heart is made of stone, it would still melt under the searing heat of reality. "When IPS officers are made in-charge of Mandapam camp, it is called as punishment posting." The court expressed its willingness to help the petitioners but consciously refrained from crossing the judicial boundary. "This is because citizenship falls within the exclusive executive domain of the central government. My heart may bleed for the petitioners but I have to be mindful of the Lakshman Rekha that limits the bounds of judicial powers. Going beyond will be encroachment", the judge observed. The court drew attention to Article 21 of the Constitution."The petitioners have been in camps for close to 35 years. Keeping them under surveillance and severely restricted conditions and in a state of statelessness for such a long period certainly offends their right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India." Tens of thousands of Tamils fled Sri Lanka, mainly by boats, in the wake of the 1983 anti-Tamil riots which triggered a militancy that lasted for a quarter century before being crushed in May 2009. While scores of refugees eventually went on to settle in Western countries, many found roots in Tamil Nadu, making refugee camps set up by the government their home. Yet many others found shelter with friends and relatives in Tamil Nadu. The mass sentiments in favour of the refugees after they fled Sri Lanka diminished once the Tamil Tigers took on the Indian Army in the island nation and following the 1991 assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by a Tamil suicide bomber near Chennai.

Body 2:

Power cut

TANGEDCO announced that power will be restored before the scheduled time if the maintenance works are completed early.

TNM Staff

Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) has announced power cuts in parts of Chennai on Tuesday, June 25. Power will be shut down from 9 am to 4 pm for maintenance work. However, if the works are completed before 4 pm, the power supply will be resumed by TANGEDCO. Flower Bazaar Rattan Bazaar, NSC Bose Road, Frazer Bridge Road, Evening Bazaar, Devaraj Mudali Street, Mint Street, Nainiappa Naicken Street, Genguram Street, Raghu Naickulu Street, Pethu Naicken Street, EVR Salai. Park Town Ponnappa Chetty Street, Kesava Iyer Street, Ravana Iyer Street, Vengu Chetty Street, EK Agraharam Street, Anthony Street, Paramasivam Street, Rasappa Chetty Street, Perara Street, Edapalayam, Wall Tax Road. Sowcarpet Central Godown Street, Narayana Mudali Street and lane, Govindappa Naicken Street, Kasi Chetty Street and lane, Starten Muthaiyan Street. Esplanade NSC Bose Road, Umberston Street, Annapillai Street, Union Bank (HT), Mallayappa Street, Anderson Street, Bunder Street, Badriyan Street, Stringer Street, Narayanappa Road Broadway Bus Street and Kandappa Chetty Street, Chinnathambi Street, MMC Mens Hostel, BSNL Office. Mangadu Mangadu town panchayat full area, Raghunathapuram full area, Kollumanivakkam full area, Sivanthangal full area, Chikkarayapuram full area, Pattur full area, Bathirimedu, Then Colony, Srinivasa Nagar, Nellithopu, Mahalakshimi Nagar, Chakra Nagar, Sadhik Nagar, Sakthi Nagar, KK Nagar, Melma Nagar. Perungalathur Sathyamoorthy Road, Thiruvallur Street, Srinivasa Raghavan Street, Sakthi Nagar, Vishnu Nagar, Amudham Nagar, Kasthuribai Street, Thirupur Kumaran Street., Valmiki Street, Perumal Sannadhi Street, Kalaimagal Street., New Perungalathur. Shanti Colony Anna Nagar – AA to AM Blocks, 3rd to 15th Main Road, 7th Main Road, TNHB Quarters and Old Y Block, Anna Nagar East— part of A Block, Shenoy Nagar area— 1st to 3rd Main Road, 3rd to 8th Cross Street, Gandhi Street, Beri Beri Road, Kamarajar Street, Periya Koodal, Bharathi Puram, West Club Road, West Park Road, Kathiravan Colony, Gajalakshmi Colony, Aminjikarai— Thiruveethi Amman Koil Street, Manjakollai Street, PP Garden, MM Colony, Periyar Colony, Pullah Avenue, NSK Nagar—PH Road, 11th to 23rd Street, NSK Nagar, Kannappan Street, Part of NM Road.

Body 2:

Protest

The protests scheduled for Monday seek a solution for the city’s water problem.

TNM Staff

Even as Chennai struggles to cope with a massive water crisis, DMK President MK Stalin will be leading a protest against the AIADMK government on Monday demanding a solution to the city's water problem. In a statement from the party on Saturday, cadres and leaders were urged to participate in the protest in large numbers. On Saturday too, the DMK had held protests at district headquarters across the state to press the state government for necessary action to mitigate the people's suffering. Meanwhile, DMK Treasurer and senior leader Duraimurugan threatened to launch a protest against the supply of water to Chennai from Jolarpettai in Vellore by train. Party sources told TNM, however, that this was the Katpadi MLA’s individual view. Taking on the DMK, Minister for Municipal Administration SP Velumani said transport of water from Jolarpettai would not reduce supply in Vellore district. On Friday, Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami had announced that 10 million litres a day (MLD) water would be transported from Jolarpettai in the Vellore district to Chennai by train at a cost of Rs 65 crore. Following the announcement, senior officials of Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD), CMWSSB and Southern Railway surveyed water bodies in Jolarpettai on Saturday. Surplus water supplied to Vellore through the Mettur drinking water project will be diverted to Chennai according to the plan. The 50-wagon train would have to make four trips to transport 10 MLD to Chennai since the capacity of the train is around 2.6 million litres. The water will be brought to Chennai, treated in Kilpauk and supplied to parts of northern and central Chennai till Triplicane. While the Cholavaram (full capacity 1,081 mcft), Redhills (full capacity 3,300 mcft) and Chembarambakkam (3,645 mcft) lakes that supplied water to Chennai had gone dry, only 20 mcft water was left in the Poondi reservoir (full capacity of 3,231 mcft), according to the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board. (With IANS input)

Body 2:

Politics

The Tamil Nadu Assembly convenes, on June 28, over a month after the Lok Sabha Election and bye-polls to 22 Assembly seats.

TNM Staff

Over a month after the 22-seat bye-elections in the state, the Tamil Nadu Assembly is all set to convene on Friday. The Assembly session, which will witness the presence of 232 members— the highest in nearly two years— would last for a little over a month till July 30. The motion of no confidence, moved by the DMK against Speaker P Dhanapal, will be taken up on July 1. Bye-elections to 18 vacant MLA seats were held along with the Lok Sabha polls on April 18 while polls to four others were held on May 19. The results for both, announced on May 23, saw the AIADMK survive the challenge to its power. The AIADMK won 9 seats, taking its tally in Assembly up to 123 MLAs, well past the halfway mark of 118. Meanwhile, the DMK won 13 seats, taking its individual tally up to 101. Along with its allies— the Congress and IUML— the DMK has 108 seats in the House. AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran is the sole independent MLA in the House. On April 26, over a week after Tamil Nadu went to polls, Tamil Nadu Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam and AIADMK Whip S Rajendran had met with Speaker P Dhanapal, seeking to disqualify three AIADMK lawmakers— Aranthangi MLA Rathinasabapathy, Virudhachalam MLA Kalaiselvan and Kallakurichi MLA Prabhu. The Whip had said that he had gathered documentary evidence of the 'anti-party' activities that the MLAs had indulged in. The MLAs have been vocal in their support of RK Nagar MLA TTV Dhinakaran. Following the complaint, the Speaker sought an explanation from the three ruling party MLAs over their alleged 'anti-party' activities. This prompted the DMK to petition the Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, seeking to bring a motion of no-confidence against Speaker P Dhanapal. It was thought that if the three MLAs were disqualified, it would help the ruling AIADMK in the event of a trust vote in the Assembly, as it would have reduced the strength of the House. However, with 22-seat bye-polls now complete and the results comfortably favouring the AIADMK, it remains to be seen if the motion holds water. Incidentally in May, the Supreme Court ordered an interim stay on the disqualification notice issued to the three AIADMK MLAs by the Speaker. The Assembly has not returned to its full strength of 234 elected members since 2017. The state would face two more bye-polls in coming months: to the Vikravandi Assembly constituency whose DMK MLA K Radhamani passed away earlier this month as well as the Nanguneri Assembly constituency which was recently vacated by newly-elected Congress MP H Vasanthakumar. Elections to the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency, which were countermanded in May this year, are also due.

Body 2:

Controversy

Self proclaimed 'protectors of the Hindu culture' demanded that Sudha Ragunathan not be allowed to perform in sabhas and temples any longer.

Priyanka Thirumurthy

A storm of bigotry, communalism and hatred has been unleashed on social media over this weekend against popular Carnatic music singer Sudha Ragunathan. This, after a wedding invitation for her daughter's marriage to a foreign national became widely circulated on Twitter. Self proclaimed 'protectors of the Hindu culture' alleged that the bride, Malavika, was converting to Christianity and demanded that Sudha Ragunathan not be allowed to perform in sabhas and temples any longer. The vile comments against the family began on June 19 and continues unabated across social media platforms. The skin colour of the groom Michael Murphy, who is of African descent, further prompted racist jibes. Rumours are also being spread that Sudha and her entire family have converted to Christianity. The attacks were not dissimilar to those faced by singers including Nityashree Mahadevan and OS Arun in August 2018, for recording and performing songs in praise of Jesus in Carnatic ragas. Finally the Cat jumped on the wall. Famous Carnatic singer Sudha Ragunathan daughter's marriage reception card. Sure wedding may solamaniosed in a church. Hope In feature all the music Shabas dump her for season, churchs may offer chance for Kachery. @shakkuiyer @ShefVaidya pic.twitter.com/E9hBy6qyZH— Nandagopal.K.M. (@nandaji1958) June 23, 2019 This is the photograph of Sudha Raghunathan's future son-in-law. He is a nigger. His name is Michael Murphy pic.twitter.com/n2WdGNedUX— Govinda Ravi (@RaviSKI1) June 23, 2019 சுதா ரகுநாதன், ஓ.எஸ்.அருண், நித்யஶ்ரீ மகாதேவன் இவர்கள் ஏற்கனவே மதம் மாறிட்டதா கேள்விபட்ட விஷயம்தானே !. இனி அவங்களப் பத்தி பேசிப் பிரயோஜனம் இல்ல. இனி இருக்குற பொண்களைப் பாதுகாக்குறது பத்தி பேசினாத் தேவலை. பிராமண சமூகத்துக்கு உடன் பாடில்லாத ஆனால் தற்போது/8 — Vasavi Narayanan (@VasaviNarayanan) June 24, 2019 (We already know that Sudha Raghunathan, OS Arun and Nithyashree Mahadevan have converted into a different religion. Why talk about them? Now we must talk about saving the girls that remain.) விரைவில் பால் தினகரனுடன் இனைந்து இயேசு அழைக்கிறார்.. ஜெபம்.... அல்லேலூயாவா மாறி சுதா ரகுநாதன்.... தூ தூ... pic.twitter.com/4ACzhdJsF6 — இந்துத்துவம் (@KrishnaN_KVVR) June 23, 2019 (Sudha Raghunathan will now join Paul Dhinakaran to sing songs on Jesus) The tweets suggest that by mere association - professional or personal to another religion, the performers have brought shame to their art. However several people have come out in support of Sudha Ragunathan and her family, rightly pointing out that marriage is an individual choice and not a matter of public discussion. The jingoism and communalism in the tweets was also criticised. Many brahims are upset at that daughter of Sudha Raghunathan marrying a christian. Little realising that they themselves have lost their rights to be brahmins after staying or going abroad crossing the seas. They can't even do an avani avittam without doing a parigaram.— Vasu (@vasudevan_k) June 24, 2019 #SudhaRaghunathan pic.twitter.com/Y7ZO3RRW3K — நரேன் Naren தமிழன்! (@NarenMahadevan) June 22, 2019 Speaking to TNM, performer and music academician Swarnamalya who has been acquainted with Sudha's family for decades now, says, " Social media has exposed the bigotry of the communities that are consuming these art forms. They seem to have no decorum, sense of propriety nor even a modicum of respect for the great artiste she is. As a public figure, one is used to handling such insanity and I'm sure Sudha Aunty will know better than to pay heed. But of course we as a society have so much to reflect on; our behaviour, intolerance and indecency." She further pointed out that this entire episode, while distasteful, sent out an important message. "The next time the Classical (Carnatic) world feels indignant and cries wolf when someone points out its deep set bigotry, we must all know better, about their true toxic nature and the depths they can sink to," she says. Attempts to contact singer Sudha Ragunathan on the controversy, were unfruitful.

Body 2:

Caste

Accusing the headmistress of using casteist slurs against students and of making them sweep the ground and clean toilets, parents approached the District Collector seeking appropriate action against her.

Megha Kaveri

The headmistress of a government primary school in Coimbatore has been accused of using casteist slurs and ill-treating the students. The parents of the students have given a petition to the District Collector requesting action against Jayanthi, the headmistress. According to the letter submitted to the District Collector, the incident happened on June 17 during lunch break in the school. Stating that the CP Kandasamy Nagar primary school was built 28 years ago in Kandasamy Nagar, Saravanampatti area in Coimbatore for the benefit of the families belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC) community in the area, the letter alleged, “On Monday during lunch break and after the school hours are over, the headmistress of the school has beaten and scolded girl students in a vulgar manner.” The complainant L Baby further stated that the headmistress allegedly scolded the students using casteist slurs. “When we parents and general public living in the locality went to the school on the following Wednesday to ask her why she attacked our children, she told us to complain to anybody and that she is not afraid,” reads the letter. Further alleging that the headmistress used obscene words to target a student who had puked after lunch at school, L Baby requested the District Collector to take appropriate action against Jayanthi. “Such teachers wherever they get posted, they will teach students only with a casteist mindset. Hence please do not give her any other posting either,” alleges the letter. Speaking to TNM about the issue, a relative of one of the students alleged that the headmistress made the students sweep the ground and clean toilets. “We all belong to the Arundhathiyar community. Our kids have been studying in this primary school and are all aged below 10 years. Jayanthi behaved rudely to them and also scolded them in casteist slurs. She also physically assaulted the students, and some of them have injuries on their hand,” the relative alleged. Adding that the parents tried to approach the police immediately after the incident, the relative alleged, “When we went to E3 police station in Saravanampatti, the police there said they needed proof of her speaking bad words and using casteist slurs. We gave them photos of her watching our kids sweep the ground. But they refused to register an FIR.” When TNM contacted the concerned police station for a response, a police officer denied the allegations of the parents about refusal to register an FIR. “Since this is a caste crime, the Assistant Commissioner is looking into it. We had told them to appear for questioning today since we suspect that there is political motive behind the allegations. In fact, the father of the child didn’t know about this when we conducted the first round of inquiries,” he said. Adding that he has been trying to contact the people to appear for questioning, the officer said that they were not responding to calls. “It is not that we are not registering an FIR. We are trying to find out if the allegations really happened,” he added.

Body 2:

Politics

The letter comes days after the Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Niyamita wrote to the union government seeking environmental clearance.

TNM Staff

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has written to the government of India, seeking rejection of Karnataka government's proposal regarding Mekedatu project. The letter written on Monday said that Tamil Nadu has been constantly urging the union government to reject the project proposal. “The proposed Mekedatu Project is not in conformity with the final order of the Tribunal and the judgment of the Supreme Court, since the project is not a designated reservoir for the release of water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu in terms of the final order of the Tribunal as modified by the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” read the letter. Accusing Karnataka of not having consulted with Tamil Nadu or any other states that share the Cauvery basin, the Chief Minister said that the matter concerning the legality of building the reservoir is pending before the apex court. Requesting the government of India to reject the proposal by the government of Karnataka to build Mekedatu reservoir, the letter further stated, “The Ministry of Jal Shakti may be directed to advise the Central Water Commission to reject outright and return the Detailed Project Report of the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project of Karnataka and also not to accord any clearance to the above project without obtaining the prior concurrence of the Government of Tamil Nadu and of other co-basin states.” The letter from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister comes days after the Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Niyamita, an undertaking of the government of Karnataka tasked with managing the Cauvery river and the affairs related to it, wrote to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change seeking grant of Terms of Reference (ToRs) for construction of Mekedatu reservoir across Cauvery. The project, which is expected to come up in the Ramanagara and Chamarajnagar districts of Karnataka, will help in providing drinking water to Bengaluru and its surrounding areas, claimed the letter. The Mekedatu project has been a matter of dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu since the day the project was mooted. Tamil Nadu’s claims that a new dam across Cauvery will adversely affect the livelihoods of many in the state has been rejected by Karnataka. In return, Tamil Nadu has approached the Supreme court with a petition to order a stay on the project.

Body 2:

Law

According to Justice N Anand Venkatesh, Ishari Ganesh tried to extract favours from him for adjourning the Nadigar Sangam elections through a mutual friend.

TNM Staff

Vels University

A Madras High Court judge has framed charges against producer Ishari Ganesh for having tried to influence him through a mutual friend in relation to Nadigar Sangam elections. According to reports in The Hindu, Ishari Ganesh, who contested for the post of the General Secretary of the South Indian Film Artistes Association against actor Vishal, tried to get Anantharaman, a mutual friend of Ganesh and justice N Anand Venkatesh, to talk to the judge and postpone the elections. According to a detailed order passed by Justice N Anand Venkatesh, he received a call around noon on Saturday that the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Vijaya Kamalesh Tahilramani has allowed Nadigar Sangam to move an urgent petition seeking direction to the Chennai police to provide security for the elections that were slotted to be held on Sunday. Justice Anand Venkatesh, who was in Vellore, immediately started his journey back to Chennai. When the Justice was nearing Chennai, he received a call from his friend Anantharaman who broached the topic of the Nadigar Sangam case. This prompted the judge to cut the call without responding. In his order, the judge stated that Anantharaman told him over the phone that he knew Ishari Ganesh, who is interested in this case, and he wanted the judge to adjourn the case by a couple of weeks so that the elections will not take place on Sunday. As the judge reached home to several media persons and policemen due to the popularity of the case, he spotted Anantharaman on his way to his house. Pressing again for the adjournment of the case by at least two weeks, Anantharaman allegedly told the Justice that Ishari Ganesh had done a lot of help for his organisation and hence he was obliged to return the favour. Justice Anand Venkatesh then said that he later learnt that the phone call he received from Anantharaman was made while Anantharaman was sitting inside his house. Justice Anand Venkatesh observed that this act was shocking that a party who is interested in case and who is also a candidate in the Nadigar Sangam elections approaches a judge seeking favours. The Justice has therefore ordered the registry to number suo motu criminal contempt petition against the two men and issue notices to them in this regard.

Body 2:

Controversy

The court directed the police to file a response petition with documentary evidence on the issue by the next hearing.

TNM Staff

Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court that heard the case filed against director Pa Ranjith on June 24 has now ordered Thanjavur Thiruppanandal police inspector to file a response with documentary evidence. Justice Barathidasan who heard the case adjourned the next hearing for July 8. Director Ranjith’s counsel had argued that while there has been no law and order situation since his speech, a case was filed six days later on June 11. Referring to freedom of speech, his counsel asked for the case to be rejected. Justice Barathidasan in return said that freedom of speech had its limits and asked for proof that Chozhan took away lands from Dalits. He further directed Thiruppanandhal police to file a response petition with documentary evidence by the next hearing. The case was booked against the Kaala director on June 11 by the Thiruppanandal police based on a complaint from Ka Bala, former Thanjavur district secretary of the Hindu Makkal Katchi. Ranjith had made a speech at an event organised by the Blue Tigers Party (Neela Puligal Iyakkam) to commemorate the death anniversary of Umar Farooq, its founder, at Thiruppanandal near Kumbakonam on June 5. Ranjith spoke about Tamil pride and how people kept claiming that all Tamil people were one while failing to address caste divisions and discrimination. In this context, he elaborated on how there was a battle in Tamil Nadu to claim Raja Raja Chozhan as their own by different caste groups, include the Paraiyars (a Dalit caste). However, Ranjith said that he had no interest in claiming ownership over Raja Raja Chozhan because his rule was a dark period for his people (the Dalits), contrary to popular belief. Ranjith filed an anticipatory bail plea on June 12, where he wrote that his speech was not intended to divide people. “As a chief guest at the event, I only spoke some of the truths about King Raja Raja Chozhan. How to remove casteism? How to create a casteless society? I spoke about all these, including the plight of landless people, especially those from the delta regions mentioned in Umar Farooq’s Senthamizh Naatu Cherigal,” his plea said. On June 14, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court heard arguments in connection to director Pa Ranjith’s anticipatory bail plea. The director's counsel argued during the hearing that the speech was based on research from published books and that it was not aimed at creating enmity between communities.

Body 2:

Weather

The mild showers will bring down the temperatures in the city by 2 to 3 degree Celsius.

TNM Staff

TheNewsminute/Manasa Rao

Chennai will continue to witness isolated rains as the Indian Meteorological Department has forecast similar spells for the next few days. According to reports, Chennai is likely to get mild showers in some areas over the next 48 hours, bringing down the maximum temperature in the city to 37 degree Celsius. IMD has also forecast isolated showers over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry till June 28. Parts of the Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur and Chennai region have recorded rain since June 23 with Tiruttani recording 39 mm of rain as on Monday morning. On Monday, Sholingur (Vellore district) received 4 cm of rain while RK Pet (Tiruvallur district) received 3 cm of rainfall. The city forecast for Chennai issued by the IMD on Tuesday states that the sky is likely to be cloudy and light rain will occur in some areas. Chennai recorded a maximum temperature of 37.1 degree Celsius and a minimum temperature of 28.7 degree Celsius on Monday. As per Tamil Nadu Weatherman, an independent weather blogger, the rains in Chennai began around midnight on Monday. “Western parts of Chennai getting rains, more importantly, Chemba (Chembarambakkam) got good spell including nearby Mangadu. Porur, Valasaravalkkam, Adambakkam all getting rains. Soon other parts of the city should join the Mid Night party,” he posted on his Facebook page. Madurai recorded the highest temperature on Monday, sizzling at 40.4 degree Celsius closely followed by Trichy at 40.3 degree Celsius. Valparai near Pollachi recorded the lowest temperature in the state with 22 degree Celsius on Monday. Experts have stated that rains will continue for a couple of days after which dry weather will prevail over the southern peninsula.

Body 2:

Sports

Since 1997, coach Thangaraj has been teaching football to scores of kids in Vyasarpadi.

Adrian David

Vyasarpadi, a locality in Chennai densely populated with slums, has become synonymous with football. While the rest of India is going crazy over cricket, this sport has become the heart and soul for the children of this area. Each street has witnessed the emergence of its own little Messi, Ronaldo and Beckham. From district-level to nation-level football tournaments, most of them have kept the flag flying high. On a regular day in the locality, one is sure to spot swarms of children practising football in Mullai Nagar after their school hours. The seed was sown in the late 90s. Thangaraj, a football coach, founded the organisation SC-STEDS (Slum Children Sports, Talent, and Education Development Society) along with his friends in 1997. His aim was to educate the children through football. So, what propelled him to take the step forward? “I grew up in a thatched hut in this slum. Since my childhood, I was inclined towards football and my passion helped me become a football coach,” says Thangaraj. His organisation is home to an international-standard football turf. From humble beginnings, the number of children from slums and low-income neighbourhoods coming to learn football has greatly increased over the decade. “It was a challenge for me to bring such children to play. We have rescued many child labourers and given them a new hope through football,” he says. Once the children gradually found an interest in the sport, Thangaraj and his team instilled the need for education in their minds and proceed to enrol them in schools. Being debt-ridden blue-collar workers, most of their parents were reluctant at first to stop their children from working. However, they would oblige once he explained how their lives would improve once their children landed lucrative jobs after completing their education. His vision has seen successes in the long run. In part through Thangaraj efforts, Class 10 passing percentage of students went from single digits in 2000 to 99% in 2018. Moreover, the number of neighbourhood girls coming forward to learn football is increasing day by day. “Girls are empowered when they play football. It liberates their minds from the patriarchal nature of the society,” he explains. Seeing his painstaking efforts, many benefactors and NGOs such as CRY (Child Rights and You) had come forward to lend a helping hand. Affectionately called Thangaraj master, he is a favourite among the children. Many of his students bear testimony to his success. Among them is Surya, a final-year Economics student and a district-level football player. “When I was eight, I was aimlessly playing goli on the streets. Thangaraj master used to constantly pester me to go to school. After I agreed, he enrolled me in a school and encouraged me to play football,” he says. “It’s almost been a decade now. After seeing me, many in my neighbourhood have been encouraged to take up the sport. I myself have brought 10 people to STEDS.” “I owe my success to Thangaraj master and his team”, says Gokul Prasath, another district-level player, “When I was small, he promised to buy me a ball and brought me to the ground. If I had not discovered football, I would have taken the wrong path.” The game has garnered a dedicated fan following in Vyasarpadi over the years. During major football tournaments, particularly the World Cup, the residents go gaga and celebrate it like a festival. Cakes are cut and banners are put up on the streets. Last year, the World Cup series was projected on a huge LED screen in the turf for the children. The extent of its popularity is such that many residents have named their children after famous footballers. The youngest football player in STEDS is a little boy named Maradona.

Body 2:

Water crisis

It has been two weeks since some corporation schools in the city received any water from the government.

Anjana Shekar

Priyanka Thirumurthy

Private schools across Chennai have been warned by the state government against cutting short classes or declaring holidays due to water scarcity. The state has insisted that private schools must determine alternate solutions to the existing water crisis independently and ensure continuous of supply of water for drinking and bathroom in schools. Education Minister P Sengottaiyan even pointed out that his department’s responsibility is only to ensure that government schools have adequate water. But a ground check by TNM revealed that some schools in the city run by the corporation are largely suffering from lack of adequate water supply. And with government denial over the mounting problem in their educational institutions, staff are forced to dig into their own pockets. “Every day I buy water cans for teachers with my own money,” a senior teacher tells TNM, at a corporation school in Triplicane. “Ours is a 12,000 litre sump and water from Metro pipes come once every 15 days but the supply has become highly irregular now. After a long wait we got the tanker here last week but they left after giving us very little water, probably 2,000 litres.” There are 165 students in the school and they have been instructed to bring spoons and their own tiffin boxes to avoid washing hands and plates in the premises. The school’s borewells are running dry and with sporadic water supply, students and teachers are under immense stress. But without the government’s permission, they cannot cut down the duration of classes or send children home. “Every day, during our prayer session, we remind students not to waste water,” the teacher says. And this government school is not isolated in its struggle to continue providing hygienic drinking water to staff and students. In North Chennai’s Korukkupettai, 35-year-old Anbazhagan, a watchman, rides into the Government Primary and High school with a water can on his bike on a Saturday. “This is for the teachers,” he says. “For the students we still have water for one more day in our sump and after that I don’t know what we’re going to do,” he adds, worried. The school has one sump with a capacity of 6,000 litres and one saltwater borewell that hasn’t run dry yet. The sump supplies drinking water for a strength of less than 500 students studying in the school. “The salt water from the borewell is used for toilets but drinking water is a major problem here,” laments the watchman. While the school should get its drinking water supplied once every week, the last time they received water was on June 4. When TNM contacted PK Ilamaran, president of the Tamil Nadu Teachers Association, to report the water shortage in schools visited, he denied the findings. “There is no water problem at all,” he declares. “We are getting water two times a week. And we get 6,000 litres of water each time. Even I work in North Chennai,” he adds. Ilamaran says that all 281 schools under the Chennai corporation and seven schools run by the state government receive sufficient water supply. But his claims are far from the reality in a Government Primary and High School on CB Road, Washermanpet. “It has been two weeks since water tanker last came and school has been functioning without drinking water since then,” says the school's watchman hurriedly, before shuffling away. “It has been difficult. We are managing for now but hopefully it comes next week,” he adds. The school has also cleaned its sump in anticipation.

Body 2:

DMK's Duraimuragan says protests will break out in Vellore if water is given to Chennai

TN govt warns of action against private schools that close over water scarcity

TN forum of journalists writes to Press Council of India over attack on colleague

Rajinikanth not to vote in Nadigar Sangam polls as postal ballot reaches late

Rape victims shouldn't be forced to move court for abortion: Madras HC

Chennai water crisis: Drinking water sourced from Jolarpettai to reach city in 2 weeks

PMK founder Ramadoss’s hate mongering rant against journalists slammed

TN Nadigar Sangam election ends with 51% turnout

Madras HC to Centre: End trauma of 65 Sri Lankan Tamils, grant citizenship

Anna Nagar, Sowcarpet and other areas in Chennai to face 7-hr power cut on Tuesday

Chennai water crisis: DMK to stage protest against Tamil Nadu govt

DMK’s no-confidence motion against TN Speaker to come up on July 1

Carnatic singer Sudha Ragunathan faces bigotry as daughter set to marry foreigner

Headmistress in Coimbatore govt school accused of casteism, parents seek action

TN CM urges PM Modi to reject Mekedatu proposal

Nadigar Sangam polls: Producer Ishari Ganesh faces charges for trying to influence judge

Raja Raja Chozhan row: Madras HC adjourns case against Pa Ranjith to July 8

Chennai to receive isolated rains till Friday: Met Dept

How football changed the lives of slum-dwelling children in Chennai

Ground check: Yes, Chennai corporation schools suffer from water shortage