The Hindu : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 01, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

AIADMK meeting put off

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JAN. 31. The All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has postponed by a day its general body and executive body meeting. It will be held at 5 p.m. on February 4 at Kolapakkam, venue for general secretary's interaction with grass roots workers.

Special buses for Thai Poosam

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JAN. 31. The State Express Transport Corporation is operating special buses to Palani from Chennai and Tirunelveli for ``Thai Poosam'' on February 5. Reservation is available, says a corporation release.

Rs. 300 crores for road repairs

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JAN. 31. The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, has sanctioned Rs. 300 crores for maintenance and repairs to 5,850 km of rural roads in village panchayats and panchayat unions.

Of the 86,850 km of rural roads, 11,171 km is in need of repair.

The 5,850 km has been selected on a priority basis, says a press release.

Legal services building

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI JAN. 31. The Chief Justice of India, V.N. Khare, will inaugurate a Rs. 1.85-crore Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority building on the High Court premises on February 8.

The Supreme Court judges, S. Rajendra Babu, R.C. Lahoti, Ruma Pal, K.G. Balakrishnan and AR. Lakshmanan, are scheduled to participate in the inaugural function, says a release from the Member-Secretary of the Authority, Akbar Ali.

The foundation for the building, which will be the headquarters for the State body, was laid on March 12, 2002.

The building was officially handed over to the Registry on January 20 this year.

The complex has provided for lok adalat halls, a meeting hall and a lounge for the litigant-public.

Teresa award presented

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI JAN. 31. The Chief Vigilance Commissioner, P.Shankar, today called for a system to recognise private companies, which do not resort to unfair practices for securing government contracts.

Most corruption cases, handled by the Central Vigilance Commission, related to irregularities in purchases and award of tenders by public sector companies to private companies. Corporates should recognise their role in minimising corruption in the Government and the public sector by adhering to rules.

Mr.Shankar was delivering the Mother Teresa Memorial Oration at the Loyola Institute of Business Administration here, after presenting the Mother Teresa Corporate Citizen Award - 2003 to Polaris Software Lab and a commendation award to Larsen and Toubro.

"Is it possible to identify a company as one that does not resort to unfair practices to secure contracts? Can this aspect be included in the criteria for selection of the best corporate citizen awardee," he asked. The commissioner also asked private companies to adopt a concept `Integrity pact', by which participants in a tender would agree to a transparent process and to nominate an outside agency to oversee the process. "Everyone stands to gain if there is openness and fairness in Government contracts."

Arun Jain, Chief Executive Officer of Polaris, received the Corporate Citizen Award, and K.V.Rangaswamy, Executive Vice-President (Operations), Larsen and Toubro, the commendation award.

Presenting a report of the award committee, V.R.Lakshminarayanan, former Director-General of Police, Tamil Nadu, said the committee was insistent that the winner should be one committed to adding value to shareholders, quality, customer satisfaction, harmonious industrial relations, welfare of workers and gender equity, while also serving the disadvantaged and should be environmentally-conscious.

Besides Mr.Lakshminarayanan, Michael Pinto, Secretary, Shipping Corporation; M.V.Murugappa, Chairman, Carborundum Universal; Nalini Chidambaram, Advocate, Madras High Court, and V.Chandrasekharan, Management Consultant, were on the jury.

President's medal winners

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JAN. 31. A.S. Rajan, Deputy Inspector-General of Police and Deputy Director, Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau, Chennai, has been awarded the President's police medal for meritorious service on the occasion of Republic Day.

Jose Varghese, Superintendent, Central Excise and Customs, Chennai; S. Sankaravadivelu, Deputy Commissioner of Central Excise Chennai-II, and R. Rajasekhar, Appraising Officer, Chennai Custom House, have been awarded the Presidential award of Appreciation Certificates for specially distinguished record of service.

Works inspected

By Our Staff Reporter

NAGERCOIL JAN.31. The Kanyakumari Collector, Rajesh Lakhoni, inspected various development works apace on an outlay of Rs.26.36 lakhs in the district on Friday.

The works including, laying concrete roads, building retention walls, constructing nutritious meal centre, black topping roads, were spread over the Aloor, Villukury, Vilavoor and Kodanallur town panchayats.

Physiotherapy camp

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI JAN.31 . The JK Mass Foundation, a Madurai-based NGO, will organise a two-day free physiotherapy camp on February 2 and 3, for the benefit of the devotees going on padayatra to Palani, at Ayyanar Koil Grounds in Thanichiyam on the Madurai-Dindigul national highway.

Avi Prakash Sinha, SP, Madurai, would be the chief guest at the camp.

Power shutdown

By Our Staff Reporter

THENI JAN.31. There will be power shutdown in the following areas between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesday owing to maintenance work at the Vannathiparai sub-station: Goodalur, Angoorpalayam, Kullappagoundenpatti, Karunakkamuthampatti, Surulipatti, Narayanathevanpatti, Lower Camp, Upper Manalar, Lower Manalar and nearby areas.

Madurai-Delhi train hailed

By Our Special Correspondent

TIRUCHI JAN. 31 . The Tamil Nadu Consumer Rights Council has welcomed the introduction of the Madurai-New Delhi train and also 17 other trains connecting the country's capital with various other centres.

In a statement here yesterday, the state president of the Council, N. Jamaludheen, also welcomed the introduction of Tatkal reservation scheme for all express trains.

Online registration centre

By Our Staff Reporter

NAGAPATTINAM JAN. 31 . The Anna University has recognised E. G. S. Pillay Engineering College, Nagapattinam, as the local co-ordinating and on-line registration centre for the Tamil Nadu Professional Course Entrance Examinations 2004, for Nagapattinam district.

On-line registration for the TNPCEE, which is scheduled for April 24 and 25, will tentatively begin at the College from February 9 and the principal, M. Chandrasekaran, has been appointed local co-ordinator to conduct the examination, according to a college press release.

Meanwhile, the Collector, M.Veera Shanmugha Moni, has said necessary steps would be initiated for operating special buses for the examinations from different parts of the district.

Lok Adalat

By Our Staff Reporter

Thanjavur Jan. 31. A total of 169 cases amounting to Rs.27.30 lakhs were settled at the Lok Adalat conducted by Indian Overseas Bank under the instructions of Principal District Judge K.Ramakrishnan in the court premises here on Thursday.

A sum of Rs. 2.56 lakhs was recovered on the spot.

The overdue borrowers of Thanjavur main branch (rural credit development division), North Main Street branch, Nilagirivattam branch, Budalur branch, Sengipatti branch, Kandiyur branch and Kalyanapuram branch participated in the Lok Adalat.

Mr. Sarguna Pandiyan, Senior Regional Manager, said IOB declared 12 percent interim dividend to shareholders and reported 21 per cent increase in net profit in the third quarter ended December 31, 2003. In view of Mahamaham festival, the IOB plans to install Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) at their Kumbakonam-Kamaraj Road branch.

Mettur level

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI Jan. 31. The level in the Mettur reservoir stood at 30.70 feet today. The inflow was 208 cusecs and discharge nil.

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