The Hindu : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 31, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

Vajpayee to visit Kanyakumari

By Our Staff Reporter

NAGERCOIL JAN. 30. The Prime Minister, A. B. Vajpayee, is likely to visit Kanyakumari district on February 2 to launch the North-South and East-West Corridors project from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. Though the exact tour schedule is yet to be received, officials are readying separate venues here and Kanyakumari.

The Special Protection Group Inspector-General, Ramachandran, arrived at Kanyakumari this evening and held a detailed discussion with the Collector, Rajesh Lakhoni, the DIG of Tirunelveli Range, Pradeep V. Fillip, and the Superintendent of Police, A. Arun, on security aspects. He visited the helipad at Kanyakumari and surveyed the area where the Bhoomi puja (ground breaking ceremony) for the Corridors project will be held.

Meanwhile, the district administration and the police are readying the helipads at the Armed Reserve Police camp at Maravankudyiruppu here and also at Kanyakumari. Mr. Vajpayee would lay the foundation stone for the North-South and East-West Corridors project near the helipad on the government guesthouse premises in Kanyakumari and arrive at the AR Camp here by car to address the public and also lay the foundation stone for a Sports Sub-Centre.

The Corridors project connects Kashmir with Kanyakumari and Silchar (in Assam) with Porbandar (Gujarat) and spans a distance of about 7300 km.

Commissioner suspended

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin Jan. 30. The Tuticorin Municipality Commissioner, S. Ramasamy, was today placed under suspension, just 24 hours before he retires from service.

According to municipality sources, the municipality administration suffered a huge loss of over Rs. 1 crore in supplying drinking water to the public in lorries when R. Henry and Mr. Ramasamy were holding the positions of chairman and commissioner respectively.

After Danielraj assumed office as chairman, he handed over the case to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption wing. However, the documents relating to the case vanished suddenly from the municipal office and the case was registered again with the CB-CID.

3 die in fire accident

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI JAN. 30. Three persons, including a school-going boy, were charred to death in a fire accident at T. Andipatti near Vadipatti in Madurai district late last night. According to police sources, P. Krishnamoorthy (33), his wife, K. Pandiammal (25) and son, Vivekanandan (7), were fast asleep when their hut suddenly went up in flames. The trio succumbed to burns on the spot. Two goats were also killed. Based on a complaint lodged by the Village Administrative Officer (VAO), Chezhiyan, the Vadipatti police registered a case. The cause of fire is under investigation.

Tiruchi blaze toll up

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI JAN. 30. Yet another person succumbed to his burn injuries sustained in the marriage hall fire at Srirangam here taking the toll to 61. Rajendran (57) of Thanjavur died at a private hospital here today. Several more were being treated in the Government Hospital and various other private hospitals in the city following the fire that ravaged the marriage ceremonies on January 23.

6 fishermen return home

By Our Staff Reporter

Ramanathapuram Jan. 30. Six Rameswaram fishermen, who were released by a Sri Lanka court three months ago, returned home today.

According to sources, Murugavel, Ganesan, Jagadeesan, Kalidhas, Veluchamy, Arul Raj, Murugesan and Gunasekaran, who ventured into the sea on November 8 last, were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel on the charge of crossing the international boundary line.

Later a magistrate in Mannar district ordered the release of all of them except the boatmen, Murugesan and Gunasekaran.

The released fishermen were kept in a camp at Mirugana in Jaffna. Now they were brought back to Rameswaram via Chennai, thanks to the efforts taken by the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka.

Grant for raising teak trees

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JAN. 30. The State Government has sanctioned Rs. 21.40 crores for raising teak trees on about 40,125 acres on river banks.

According to an official release, the trees would be grown in the Thanjavur, Madurai, Tiruchi, Erode, Salem and Pollachi forest divisions. In the Thanjavur division alone, about 32,500 acres would be covered.

Growing of the teak trees would help to arrest soil erosion on the river banks, besides improving rain prospects.

Joint entrance examination

By Our Special Correspondent

Chennai Jan. 30. The chairman of the Joint Entrance Examination-2004 (undergraduate admissions committee), Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, N. Ramesh Babu, has clarified that the JEE 2004 screening test will be held on April 18 and the Main Examination on May 23.

Madurai-Nizamuddin train

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JAN. 30. The new train from Madurai to Nizamuddin (Delhi) (Sampark Kranti Express) announced by the Railway Minister, Nitish Kumar, in the interim budget today, will run via Tiruchi, Villupuram and Chennai Egmore. The new train to start with will be a weekly service and will stop at major junctions up to Egmore and have limited stoppages after crossing the State border.

Depending on the patronage, the frequency will be increased. The exact date of inauguration of the service will be announced later, according to Southern Railway officials.

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