The Hindu : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 08, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

Charge sheet given to Gopal

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE JAN. 7. The Sathyamangalam judicial magistrate, Devanathan, today presented copies of a 249-page charge sheet in the police informer Rajamani murder case to R.R. Gopal, editor, Nakkheeran, and three Tamil Nadu Liberation Army (TNLA) activists. According to the police, the brigand, Veerappan, and his associates murdered Rajamani inside the Sathyamangalam forest area in 1998. The Sathyamangalam police registered cases against Veerappan and five associates.

In 2001, the police included Mr. Gopal and the TNLA activists, Muthukumar, Manikandan and Sathyamurthy, in the case and they were arrested.

10-year RI for rape

By Our Staff Reporter

Coimbatore Jan. 7. The principal district sessions judge, A. Rathnavelu, today convicted and sentenced Easwaran alias Suzhiyan (25) of Velliampalayam near Avanashi to 10-year rigorous imprisonment on the charge of having raped a Dalit girl, Karunaiammal (18). According to the prosecution, the accused raped the girl in the village on September 2, 2000. He was arrested under Sections 3 (1) (ii) of the SC/ST Act (outraging the modesty of a woman from the listed community) and under IPC 376 (rape and molestation).

TASMAC staff suspended

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE JAN. 7. Four employees of a TASMAC (Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation)-run IMFL (Indian-Made Foreign Liquor) shop in the Perundurai new bus stand area were placed under suspension for allegedly adulterating the liquor. During an inspection last evening, officials found that seals of some of the IMFL bottles had been tampered with. On enquiry, the supervisor, Subramani, and the salesmen, Manokaran, Shanmugasundaram and Ravichandran, admitted that they had mixed water in the liquor. On this, the TASMAC regional manager, Shankar, placed them under suspension.

133 new road works

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JAN. 7. To improve infrastructure in rural areas, the State Government will undertake 133 new road development works and construct nine new bridges. While road development will be undertaken for a length of 337 km in villages in 28 districts, the bridges will be constructed in Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Theni, Dindigul, and Ramanathapuram districts at a total cost of Rs. 57.96 crores. These works will be executed with 80 per cent loan assistance from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The rest will be met by the State Government. These works are in addition to 142 road works to a length of 377.65 km and 11 bridges costing Rs. 64.30 crores, which are in various stages of progress.

Transport unions plan protest

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI JAN. 7. State transport employees' unions will stage joint rallies and demonstrations on January 27 urging the management to ``eschew vindictive attitude'' towards employees and to hold wage revision talks.

This resolution was adopted at a meeting of representatives from all major unions here yesterday.

The meeting described as ``irresponsible'' the transport corporations' stand that wage negotiations could not be held with employees because some unions had filed petitions in court. According to a joint statement issued here, the managing directors of the corporations advanced such an argument to a delegation of union representatives invited for talks. If the State Government failed to concede their demands in full, the unions would hold a protest rally in Tiruchi.

31 artistes selected

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI Jan. 7. The Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Manram has selected 31 young artistes under the promotion of young talents in music scheme for the current year. Apart from giving honoraria, the Government helps the artistes to perform four programmes in a year in major sabhas. Eight vocalists, four violinists, five percussion artistes, six nagaswaram vidwans and eight Bharatnatyam artistes were selected this year, says an official release.

Date extended

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI Jan. 7. Aspire Learning Company, which conducts a State-level B.E/MBBS model test, has announced that the last date for issue of forms for the test has been extended up to January 13. The test gives the students a hands-on experience on handling the professional course entrance examinations. The test will help the students ascertain speed, accuracy, efficiency, and would help them assess where they stand in terms of levels of preparation.

For applications, students can contact 044 28342296/28341086, says a release from the company.

A relief undertaking

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI Jan.7. The State government has declared the Tamil Nadu Textile Corporation Ltd (TNTC), Coimbatore, as a "relief undertaking" under Sec. 3 of the Tamil Nadu Relief Undertakings (Special Provisions) Act, 1969, for one year with effect from January 6. In consequence, the undertaking will be exempt from Chapter VB (special provisions relating to layoff, retrenchment and lockout in undertakings with 100 and more employees) and Sec. 33C (recovery of money due from employer) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1949. Also, all contracts, assurances of property, agreements, assignments, standing orders or other instruments in force, to which the TNTC is a party or which may be applicable to it immediately before January 6, shall be suspended in operation, and all rights, privileges, obligations and liabilities accruing or arising thereunder before the date shall be suspended with immediate effect.

The grant of the relief undertaking status to the corporation is intended to enable its continued operation, says a gazette notification issued by the Handlooms, Handicrafts, Textiles and Khadi Department of the State government.

Ganja seized, two held

By Our Staff Reporter

DINGIDUL JAN.7 . The Narcotics Intelligence Bureau today seized dry ganja worth Rs.2 lakhs and arrested two persons on the charges of smuggling ganja during a surprise raid on the Moolachatram-Sempatti main road near here today. A car used for smuggling was also seized.

When the NIB team attempted to intercept a car on the Sempatti road, the car did not stop. The team chased the car and found three bags ganja smuggled from Thodukki hills in Kerala. The arrested were P. Paraman of Valliparai and car-owner, M. Sivasamy (35) of Usilampatti. However, two accomplices escaped.

A case has been registered. The two arrested were produced before Judicial Magistrate Court-I which remanded them to 15 days judicial custody.

Panchayat member held in assault case

By Our Staff Reporter

DINGIDUL JAN.7 . The Dharmathupatti panchayat second ward member, Kamaraj (32), was arrested today on the charges of assaulting an anganwadi organiser in the village.

The anganwadi organiser, Azhagammal (45), lodged a complaint with the police, stating that the accused had assaulted her with footwear for entering the ward without informing him. She was searching a suitable site to set up an anganwadi in the second ward to distribute nutritious food to children there.

A case under PCR Act was registered against him. Later, he was produced before the court which remanded him to 15 days' judicial custody.

Hosteliers take ill

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUNEVELI JAN.7 . As many as 21 inmates of a hostel at Vijaya Achchampaadu near here took ill late last night after they had their supper in the hostel.

Sources said all 22 inmates of the hostel, attached to a middle school being run by a private management, had their supper last night. Hours later, 21 students, all in the age group of 10 to 14, complained of severe vomiting and giddiness and were taken to the Government Hospital at Nanguneri.

While 17 students were treated as outpatients, the remaining four were referred to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital and their condition is said to be "stable".

Road roko

By Our Staff Reporter

SRIVILLIPUTTUR JAN. 7 . Traffic on the Krishnankoil-Watrap road was disrupted for more than an hour as hundreds of villagers belonging to a particular community staged a road roko today, demanding pathway to have access to an `oorani' near S. Ramachandrapuram.

The protestors wanted a passage to reach the water body through an agricultural field, around which the farm owner is said to have put up a fence, denying the villagers access to the `oorani'. The villagers also flayed the district administration for not looking into the issue despite repeated pleas.

The Srivilliputtur Tahsildar, Suthanthiram, and the Deputy Superintendent of Police, R. Palpandi, pacified the agitators.

Power shutdown

By Our Staff Reporter

THENI JAN.7 . There will be no power supply between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on

Friday in the following areas owing to maintenance work at Kadamalaigundu sub-station: Kadamalaigundu, Athangaraipatti, Paluthu, Kumananthozhu, Duraichamipuram, Kombaithozhu, Gandamanur, Varushanadu, Mayiladumparai, Arugeveli and nearby areas.

Passport applications

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI JAN. 7. The Regional Passport Office has issued 2,17,182 fresh passports during 2003, the Passport Officer, A.Pandurangan, said.

The office, which ranks next only to the Mumbai Regional Passport Office in terms of the number of passports issued annually, received 2,49,225 applications seeking passports during the year.

During December alone, it had received as many as 28,053 applications due to a heavy rush triggered by rumours of an impending rise in the application fee. The office issued 23,465 passports during the month.

Local holiday for Thanjavur

By Our Staff Reporter

Thanjavur Jan. 7 . A local holiday has been declared for Thanjavur district on January 12 in view of the aradhana of saint composer Sri Thyagaraja at Thiruviyaru.

Government offices and educational institutions will remain closed while treasury and sub-treasuries will work with skeletal staff, the Collector, S. Kosalaraman, said in a press release.

In lieu of this, January 24 will be a working day, he added.

AIR gesture to music lovers

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI JAN.7. Various CDs and cassettes containing the masterpieces of great musicians of yesteryears such as Musiri Subramania Ayyar, Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, M.D. Ramanathan, Pannalal Gosh, Pandit Omkaranath Thakur, Azeez Ahmed Warsi and Pandit D.V. Baluskar, among others, brought out by the All India Radio (AIR) would be on sale at the Tyagaraja Aradhana celebrations at Tiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district to be held between January 8 and 13.

The CDs and cassettes would be available at the special stall of the Tiruchi AIR, to be set up at the venue of the aradhana celebrations, according to a press release from the AIR.

`Sugathara Pongal'

By Our Staff Reporter

Nagapattinam Jan.7. This year, `Sugathara Pongal' will be celebrated in this district from January 12 to 17, the Collector, M.Veera Shanmugha Moni, said.

Mass cleaning of rural habitations, setting up of biodegradable garbage pits, cleaning of overhead water tanks and reactivation of street light facilities would be taken up by the respective village panchayats.

Competition in drawing `kolam' for women, drawing and quiz competitions for students and creating an awareness among rural masses of the advantages of clean environment by the Education department would be organised simultaneously, he said in a press release.

BSNL reduces phone tariff

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI JAN.7. The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has reduced tariff for ISD calls to Saudi Arabia as a special offer during the Haj pilgrimage period, according to the General Manager, BSNL, Tiruchi, S.Ramalingam.

The revised tariff would be a flat Rs.18 per minute, both during peak and off-peak hours. It would be effective till March 10, he said in a press release.

Water release

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI Jan. 7. The State Government has ordered the release of 36 cusecs of water from Sithamallai Reservoir in Udayarpalayam division of the Perambalur district for 30 days from today to benefit 3,080 acres of land.

Mettur level

By Our Staff Reporter

Tiruchi Jan.7. Water level at the Mettur reservoir stood at 29.98 feet today. The inflow was 208 cusecs and discharge nil.

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