In limbo: So far, nearly 1,700 acres of land has been acquired in various villages for the project. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Tamil Nadu government has given in-principle approval for three extension projects — Chennai airport to Kilambakkam,  Koyambedu to Pattabiram, and  Poonamallee to Sunguvarchathiram — and recommended them to the Union government for approval and financial assistance. 
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO

Imphal:

The Manipur government has decided to again operate inter-district public vehicles under tight security from Imphal to hill districts from Wednesday amid a lull in ethnic violence in the state, according to an official order.

This will be the administration’s second attempt to resume public transport service in 19 months in the state which has been witnessing clashes between the valley-dominant Meitei community and the Kuki tribes dominant in Churachandpur and some other hill areas.

“The state government has reviewed the law and order situation in the state with the availability of security forces, response system and feasibility inputs from different agencies and has decided to resume traffic of public vehicles with adequate security deployment,” Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi said in an order.

Public vehicles will be operated from Imphal to Senapati via Kangpokpi, and from Imphal to Churachandpur via Bishnupur from Wednesday.

While Senapati is a Naga-dominated area, Kangpokpi and Churachandpur are Kuki-dominated areas. Imphal and Bishnupur are Meitei-dominated areas.

The “movement will be restricted to fixed hours only and general public desirous of joining the route are informed to contact respective offices of the Deputy Commissioners,” the order said.

“This initiative taken up by the state government is aimed at alleviating grievances faced by the general public in the state,” it said.

The state government appealed to the people to cooperate with the administration to this initiative and not to resort to violence.

“Anybody without exemption, if involved in acts which disturb movement of vehicles, will be sternly dealt with and prosecuted as per relevant laws of the land,” the order read.

Manipur has remained gripped by recurring bouts of violence since ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kukis erupted in May last year. At least 258 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless since then.

Public bus services between Imphal valley and hill districts also stopped at that time.

In December last year, the government made an attempt to run state transport buses to connect Imphal to Senapati via Kangpokpi, and Imphal to Churachandpur via Bishnupur. However, the initiative did not succeed. Almost empty buses ran between Imphal and Churachandpur while Imphal to Kangpokpi vehicles had to return due to barricades put up on the road by protesters.

The careless work habits of commuters who use public transport risk huge data breaches, according to a new survey. The multinational cybersecurity and anti-virus provider firm, Kaspersky, recently conducted an investigation that brought shocking habits from UK commuters that may put work security at risk. As many as 2.2 million UK users travel to work by public transport, and most of them have some kind of activity that may unwittingly hit the mailboxes of their employees with malicious emails, putting organisations at the most critical privacy risk of leaks.

Citing the report by the cybersecurity firm The Metro News reported that, 66 percent of commuters admitted to writing work emails while waiting for public transport; however, 29 percent state that they freely write very important documents, seemingly oblivious to what is going on around them. This poses a risk for sensitive information to end up in the wrong hands.

In addition, 35% reported that they had heard confidential business information over cell phone conversations on public transportation; 24% specifically named identifiable business names and work locations. To the ears of some cyberthief, it may all sound like a cherished platitude: “loose lips sink ships,” because commuters unwittingly share valuable information with people sitting nearby-some of whom might just be cyberthieves.

Kaspersky advised travellers to be vigilant and guard themselves by concealing the most sensitive visual information, such as work badges, personal IDs, email signatures, and workplace locations, while travelling on public transport. As these risks of data breach cases are increasing day by day, an awareness about private life and security during daily commutes becomes a priority for everyone.

David Emm, Principal Security Researcher, Kaspersky explains: “Many of us are unwittingly leaving valuable personal breadcrumbs for others to follow during their daily travel to work, including business names, contact details and other sensitive information.”

“If you’re handling strategic information during your commute, the impact of a leak could be massive – and potentially easily traceable to those privy to it. Whether it’s a financial deal, legal case, or patient data, exposing such details in public could lead to significant consequences for both the business and the individual responsible.”