The Hindu : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 29, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

6 hurt in panther attack

By Our Staff Reporter

VELLORE FEB. 28. Six men including Padmanabhan, forest guard of Arcot range, suffered minor bruises after being attacked by a panther on a sugarcane field at Nayanthangal in Tiruvannamalai district this afternoon. The injured have been admitted to the government hospital at Cheyyar.

The sighting of the panther caused panic among farmers at and around the village, with the villagers remaining vigilant. Forest and police personnel were making efforts to drive the animal away into the forests.

The Conservator of Forests, Vellore, A. Samant Singhar, told The Hindu that the Vellore District Forest Officer, Ajay Singh Panwar, was camping in the village with teams from Vellore and Tiruvannamalai forest divisions. Efforts were being made to move a team from the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur, to the village to immobilise the panther through tranquiliser shots. The animal could have probably strayed from the forests in Andhra Pradesh or Tiruvannamalai district in search of water. It could cover a distance of about 40 km in a night, he said.

CD for adolescents released

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI FEB. 28. The Governor, P.S. Ramamohan Rao, today released a compact disc on life skills for adolescents. Called the Lions Quest Awareness, the CD will teach youngsters in the age group of 9-14 to deal with the pressures they face. D.P. Yadav, Deputy Commissioner (Education), Chennai Corporation, received the first copy. V. Yuvaraj, District Chairman, Lions Quest, participated.

Grow medicinal plants: Acharya

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI FEB. 28. Western countries have started realising the worth of herbal medicines and are getting many common herbs patented with a commercial motive, the Kanchi Acharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, said here today.

Inaugurating a separate federation for herbal industries, the Acharya attributed the problem to ignorance and complacence among the people here. He also called for more intensive scientific endeavour to bring out the full potential of the country's herbal wealth. Not denying the efficiency and importance of allopathy system, he said most of the Allopathic medicines had a herbal base.

Lamenting that clean environment was in short supply, the Acharya said every household must grow medicinal plants to give a fillip to the herbal medicine movement. He pointed out that even the Government had a woven herbal plantation scheme into its rural development project.

The former Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, K.V. Rajan, who is the co-chairman of a steering committee for forthcoming international conference and exhibition in New Delhi, said the meet would bring together members from the scientific community and industries, besides medical practitioners, in order to evolve the most optimal medicare scheme for the common man at an affordable cost.

Mr. Rajan recalled the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's suggestion to conference managers to scientifically validate traditional the Indian medical system. He also wanted the industry and scientific community to come out with an action plan to restore to traditional medicine its rightful global position. Meanwhile, Narendra Bhatt of the Zandu group has been chosen president of an adhoc committee of the Federation of Indian Herbal Industries, Mr. Rajan said. K. Bhanu would be the vice-president and P.S. Gopalakrishnan, honorary secretary-general.

`Formulate relief package'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI Feb. 28. The National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) has appealed to the Union Government to formulate and implement immediately a relief and rehabilitation package for poultry farmers who have been seriously affected by a poor offtake in north India following the `bird flu' scare. In a statement, Anuradha J. Desai, chairperson, said consumption of chicken in north India had dropped by 40-50 per cent and the farm gate price of broilers crashed to unprecedented levels of around Rs. 10 per kg of live weight, against the cost of production of Rs. 30. ``The situation in other parts of the country is equally distressing,'' she said.

7 held for ostracising family

By Our Staff Reporter

Dharmapuri FEB. 28. Seven persons have been arrested on charges of ostracising a family from the village for refusing to oblige a local village committee, which demanded their piece of land. According to the police, the committee approached Munusamy (55) of Mallupatti and insisted that his land be given for being used as a playground. When he refused to do so, the committee ostracised Munusamy and his family.

The police arrested Sundaresa Gounder (75), Sankar (67), Chinnapaiyan (68), Govindan (50), Ramachandiran (45), Sengodan (70) and Kaveriappan (59).

3 held for bid to smuggle diesel

By Our Staff Reporter

Ramanathapuram FEB. 28. The Navy today arrested three persons who allegedly attempted to smuggle diesel to Sri Lanka. A boat was also seized. According to sources, the Navy personnel found 30 litres of diesel in a country boat, fitted with an out-board engine, which was moving towards the Indo-Sri Lankan International Boundary line. During interrogation, Jesu Christian, Appathurai and Ibrahim of Rameswaram admitted that they tried to smuggle diesel to Sri Lanka. They were handed over to the Rameswaram town police.

Body found

By Our Staff Reporter

PERAMBALUR FEB. 28. The police today recovered the body of a cadre of the Veera Vanniyar Peravai, Venkatesan (35), with multiple cut injuries on the head and mouth, beside a tank at Agraharam Vilanthai near Andimadam today. Venkatesan of Periya Thathur near Andimadam was allegedly murdered by unidentified persons on Thursday night.

Woman drowned in sea

By Our Staff Reporter

Ramanathapuram FEB. 28. A mentally retarded woman was drowned in the sea off Rameswaram on Friday.

According to police sources, Lekshmi (50), who along with her husband Kalaiswamy of Dharapuram in Periyar district, was bathing in `Agni theertham' and when she sought to go deeper into the sea she was drowned.

13 panchaloha idols recovered

By Our Staff Reporter

SALEM FEB. 28. The police have arrested a 26-year-old man and recovered 13 panchaloha idols, which he reportedly stole from various temples in Salem district.

The value of the idols, said to belong to 10th and 11th centuries, runs to several lakhs. The seized articles included the idols of Poonkaliamman, Siva, Vishnu, Bama and Rukmani, Karia Ramar, Natarajar and Sivakami, two right-curved conches and gold and silver ornaments.

Two days ago, a special police team on suspicion interrogated Chinnapayan alias Nicholson (26) of Sitlingam in Dharmapuri district. He allegedly told the team that he had stolen the idols.

Adalat disposes of 100 cases

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI FEB. 28. A weekly prison adalat presided over by K. Ramanathan, XIII Metropolitan Magistrate here, disposed of a total of 100 cases in two sittings. While the first adalat on February 20 saw a disposal of 44 cases, the second on February 27 disposed of 56 more.

As many as 47 undertrials confessed to their petty crimes and were ordered to be released since they had already completed the sentence period, said counsel for prison adalats, V. Kannadasan. The Judicial Magistrate of Alandur, J. Chandran, who also conducted prison adalat for cases from Chengalpattu district, disposed of 35 cases in two sittings. A total of 18 undertrials benefited.

Kamakshi temple Brahmotsavam

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI FEB. 28. The `Brahmotsavam' at Sri Kamakshi Ambal temple at Kancheepuram began on February 25 with `Vinayaka Utsavam.' The celebrations will go on till March 8 on which date there will be `Vishwaroopa Darisinam.'

Held for stealing receipt book

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin FEB.28. V. Ramalingam (43), Thenthiruppaerai village assistant, was arrested on a charge of stealing a receipt book from the Village Administrative Office on February 24.

Based on a complaint lodged by the Village Administrative Officer, Murthy, the police arrested him.

10 bootleggers nabbed

By Our Staff Reporter

Ramanathapuram FEB.28. The Prohibition and Enforcement wing arrested 10 bootleggers and seized 700 litres of fermented wash and arrack from them recently.

According to the police, the team conducted raids at Vadugapatti, Vannarkulam and Veppankulam in Kamudhi taluk on the directions of the Superintendent of Police, Ashok Kumar Das.

Compensation ordered

By Our Staff Reporter

Ramanathapuram FEB.28. The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mani Pillai, has directed an insurance firm in Karur to pay compensation of Rs.3.9 lakhs to the kin of a road accident victim, on Friday.

According to prosecution, Nagendaran (34), a driver of Paramakudi, went to Tirupati with his car owner, Nandagobalan, last year. Nagendaran was killed when a lorry hit their car at Ulundurpet. A petition was filed in this regard.

Water level

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI FEB.28. The level in the Periyar dam stood at 108.70 feet with a discharge of 110 cusecs. The level in the Vaigai dam was 29.66 feet with a discharge of 30 cusecs. The combined Periyar credit was 1009 mcft.

Export revived at harbour

By Our Staff Reporter

NAGAPATTINAM FEB. 28 . Export activities at the Nagapattinam harbour was revived today after a gap of nearly two decades, with transhipment of cement bags from the harbour godowns to a cargo vessel using barges.

The vessel hired by a Nagapattinam-based clearing and forwarding agency reached the Nagapattinam coast last night, and the transhipment of cement bags began today. Enquiries reveal that the agency has accepted the responsibility of exporting 15,000 to 20,000 tonnes of cement from India to an individual importer in Sri Lanka every month. To begin with, a total of 2020 tonnes (nearly 1,01,000 bags) are to be exported.

Worker dies in mishap

By Our Staff Reporter

KARUR FEB. 28 . A contract labourer of the Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Paper Limited (TNPL) fell down and died while cleaning a bagasse flush tank today.

M. Subramnaian (37) of Karaipalayam was part of a group of contract labourers who were engaged in cleaning the tank, when the mishap occurred. After a post-mortem at the Karur Government Hospital, the body was handed over to his relatives.

Mettur level

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI FEB. 28 . The level in the Mettur dam stood at 25.36 feet today. The inflow was 81 cusecs, and there was no discharge.

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