Chennai: Following the announcement of Pongal bonus for state government employees and teachers in the state, chief minister Jayalalithaa on Friday announced a special bonus to the staff of public sector units and statutory boards in the state.
According to a state government release, Group A and Group B employees working in Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) firms and statutory bodies in the supervisory cadre will be getting Rs 1,000 as bonus for Pongal.
As for Group C and D employees of these organisations, an ad hoc bonus equivalent to 30 days emoluments that were calculated as on March 31 2013, up to Rs 3,000 will be paid for the year 2012-13. Pensioners including family pensioners of statutory boards and state transport undertakings will be paid a bonus of Rs 500 each, a release said.
“The state government has been giving Deepavali bonus to employees of PSUs under the Payment of Bonus Disbursement Act 1965. As a continuation of the scheme, the state government disburses Pongal special bonus to its staff,” the chief minister said in a release.
Earlier, the state government had announced a bonus of Rs 3,000 for Group C and Group D staff and teachers. For Group A and Group B staff of the state government, anganwadi workers, villages assistants and other temporary staff who have put in 240 days of work during the past year, a bonus of Rs 1,000 was announced.
Next: Bus stand collections see big rise
Bus stand collections see big rise
Chennai: The sale of tickets at the Koyambedu bus stand saw a significant rise with the first day’s collection being earmarked at Rs 1 crore, this being a nearly 167 per cent rise in collections compared to last year’s collections on the first day at Rs 37.41 lakh. Transport Minister V. Senthil Balaji inaugurated 25 special booking counters to cater to the Pongal crowd.
About 6,514 special buses are being commandeered into service during the Pongal week. Six hundred departed on Friday and 1,325 are scheduled to do so on Saturday.
A special announcement counter and police bandobust have been put in place. Sources say that minister Balaji and other senior officers have been physically present to monitor smooth operations at the bus stand.
The area near the bus stand is already seeing traffic jams. Traffic police officials say, “We have doubled the number of officers near the bus stand to look into traffic issue”
Next: Celebrate Bhogi without pollution, says Met Dept
Celebrate Bhogi without pollution, says Met Dept
Chennai: ‘Dispensing the old with a belief to welcome something new’ may encourage people to burn wastes at early morning hours on Bhogi day, but pilots hope Chennaiites would be prudent enough to celebrate the festival that falls on Monday with minimum pollution.
The city airport witnessed disruption of flights for about three hours last year due to heavy smog on Bhogi day. Weathermen trust people would stop polluting atmosphere further.
Met officials say if the public can be sensitised on ill effects of pollution then Chennai airport will not face a similar problem this year. “In 2006 and 2009, the TNPCB and police department issued bit notice, conducted street plays and made announcements to dissuade public from burning materials like tyres, tubes, mats and other old materials,” the officials said.
Aerodrome Met Office director-in-charge Dr R. Suresh said, a minimum visibility level of 550 metres is required for flight operation. When visibility level was 800 metres, the flight operations will be smooth without any diversions or hold-ups. If people burn things near airport in the wee hours, then smoke would settle as thick fog, thereby reducing visibility levels to even 50 metres, he said.
