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Thursday, Jul 15, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

New Agriculture Commissioner

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JULy 14. Jagmohan Singh Raju, former Director (Tea Promotion) of Tea Board, London, has been appointed as the State Agriculture Commissioner.

P. Baskaradoss, Agriculture Secretary, is till now holding the post additionally, according to an official release.

Harmander Singh, formerly Additional Secretary in the Environment and Forests department, has been appointed as the Tiruchi Corporation Commissioner vice Anandrao Vishnu Patil, already transferred.

R. Vijayakumar, Executive Director, Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation, has been made the Special Commissioner, Land Administration.

Bodies of infants exhumed

By Our Staff Reporter

Dharmapuri July 14. Bodies of two female infants were exhumed and post-mortem held on the suspicion of infanticide here yesterday. According to the police Kandammal (30) of Nayakankottai was delivered of a girl child a few days ago.

Claiming that the child died of illness, Kandammal along with her husband Rajendiran (35), buried it. But based on a complaint lodged by the Village Administrative Officer, the body was exhumed and post-mortem held on the spot. At Panchapalli, Shanthi (28) and her husband Maanickam (37) reportedly buried their new-born a few days ago.

New-born handed over

A new-born girl was handed over to the Cradle Baby Centre in the Dharmapuri General Hospital yesterday. According to hospital sources, Shakunthala (30), wife of Vediappan (35) of Kaveripattinam gave birth to a girl a few days ago and it was handed over to the centre as they had two daughters already.

Goods transporters hold dharna

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI JULY 14. Members of the Chennai Goods Transport Association today organised a silent dharna in protest against the Union Budget announcement of a 10 per cent service tax on the road transport sector.

The secretary, R. Sridharan, said in a press release said the levy was ``highly unwarranted.''

It came at a time when the transporters were reeling under ``very low freight rates.''

The continuous increase in diesel prices, the insurance premium, the cost of spare parts, road tax and toll and non-availability of working capital were some of their problems.

The road transporters were brought under the service tax net despite their contribution to the government, collecting excise duty and road and permit taxes.

Demanding withdrawal of the levy, the association said: ``If not, we will have no option but to resort to taking further steps to protect the transport industry from collapse.''

Water release

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JULY 14. The Government today ordered release of water from the Krishnagiri reservoir (storage of 1437 million cubic feet) in Krishnagiri district and from the Kodumudiyaru reservoir (storage 78 mcft) in Tirunelveli district for ``kar cultivation."

In Krishnagiri district, 9,012 acres would be benefited and in Tirunelveli district, 1,934 acres.

The Chief Minister ordered the release following requests from farmers, according to an official release.

Ooty student wins contest

By Our Special Correspondent

KOZHIKODE JULY 14. Peter Prescott of the Hebron School, Udhagamandalam, has won the first Yeti Dom Moraes Prize for poetry.

The prize was instituted by Young Yeti, an imprint of the Kozhikode-based English publishing house, Yeti Books. Manasi Subramanian of the PS Senior Secondary School, Chennai, and Anusha Hargopal of the Narayana Junior College, Hyderabad, were selected for the second and third prizes.

The winners were selected in a national-level competition organised by Yeti Books in May by a jury headed by poet Jayantha Mahapatra.

More than 2,000 students from various parts of the country participated in the contest, Thachom Poyil Rajeevan, Honorary Editor, Yeti Books, said today.

Tributes to Mani Krishnaswami

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JULY 14. Tributes were paid to Mani Krishnaswami, Carnatic musician, on her second death anniversary here today. Speakers at the function said she was held in great esteem as a torchbearer of the Musiri style of music.

S.S. Badrinath, founder of Sankara Nethralaya, recalled the association between the hospital and Mani Krishnaswami's family. He released a compact disc on the Carnatic musician.

M.S.Swaminathan, Chairman, M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation, in a message said ``in celebrating Mani Krishnaswami's life and music, we should all imbibe the spirit of perfection, harmony and attention to the minutest detail of the unique features of every raga which pervaded her devotion to this great art''.

Raman panel term extended

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JULY 14. The State Government has extended the term of the Raman Commission of Enquiry investigating the facts and circumstances under which the police opened fire resulting in the death of Venkatesan Pannaiyar of Tuticorin in the city, by six months. Pannaiyar was shot dead in September 2003.

Two arrested

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin July 14. The Tuticorin central police today seized 550 litres of adulterated petrol and arrested two persons.

The police said a shop on Anna Nagar main road was raided and 20 litres of adulterated petrol were seized. K. John Ebenezer (39) of Toovipuram was arrested.

Based on the information provided by him, the police seized another 530 litres of adulterated petrol from a godown at Toovipuram and arrested Kasi Mustafa (32), an agent to sell the spurious fuel.

CDs seized

By Our Staff Reporter

Tirunelveli July 14. The Thisayanvilai police today seized 400 pirated CDs of new Tamil movies and 60 obscene movies.

The police said a team confiscated four television sets, a videocassette recorder and three video CD players at Thisayanvilai.

The owner of the shop, S. Chiththirai Vel (39) has been arrested.

Soldier cremated

By Our Staff Reporter

KODAIKANAL JULY 14. The body of an army man Shahul Hameed was laid to rest at Kodaikanal with full police honours today.

The Collector, S. Murugaia, the SP, M. Kandasamy, and military officials paid floral tributes to him. Later, the body was taken in a procession to the burial ground from his house in the town.

Mr. Hameed was killed in an encounter with extremists in the Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir on July 9.

He is survived by his wife Asia Banu, two daughters, Rameela Parveen and Dislshad Parveen, and son Ajis.

Power cut

By Our Staff Reporter

THENI JULY 14. There will be no power supply in the following areas, served by the Vaigai dam sub-station, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. tomorrow: Jeyamangalam, Kullapuram, Vaigaipudhur, Marudhalpatti, A. Vadipatti, Erumalainaickenpatti, Mudalakkampatti, Sindhuvampatti, Bomminaickenpatti and nearby areas.

`Maambazha Sangam' festival

By Our Staff Reporter

Tirunelveli July 14. Hundreds of beggars from all over the State thronged Palayamkottai today for the 224th festival of `Maambazha Sangam', during which CSI Christians here offered money and grains to the poor.

A procession was taken out.

House looted

By Our Staff Reportert

KARUR JULY 14. Unidentified armed dacoits gained entry into a house at T. Sellandipalayam near here early last morning and decamped with cash and gold jewellery totally worth over Rs.1.60 lakhs.

The police said that five armed dacoits gained entry into the house of S. Dhanapackiam at T. Sellandipalayam in the early hours and threatened her and a relative who were there. They took away 54.5 sovereigns of gold jewellery and cash totally valued at Rs. 1.60 lakhs. According to the complaint, at least five youths were involved in the crime.

The Karur Superintendent of Police, S. Davidson Devasirvatham, visited the place and ordered formation of a special squad to nab the culprits.

The Pasupathipalayam police have registered a case and are investigating.

Power shutdown

By Our Special Correspondent

ARIYALUR JULY 14. There will be no power supply in the following areas from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow owing to the maintenance work to be carried at the Ariyalur sub-station, according to a release issued by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board here today: Ariyalur, Keelapalur, Mathur, Sendurai, Kallankurichi, Thungapuram, V. Kalathur, Valikandapuram and Labbaikudikadu.

Track maintenance work

By Our Special Correspondent

TIRUCHI JULY 14. The train No. 805 Vriddhachalam-Tiruchi passenger will be terminated at Srirangam Railway Station on Thursday and Friday owing to the track maintenance work undertaken at the Tiruchi Town Station on these days, according to a release issued by the Public Relations Officer, Tiruchi Division of the Southern Railway, C. K. Sivaraj.

2 killed as jeep, van collide

By Our Staff Reporter

KARUR JULY 14. Two women were killed and 12 others injured in a jeep-van collision near Kulithalai in the wee hours of today.

The police said M. Kamatchi (40) of Kumarapalayam and P. Palaniammal (45) of Padiripatti, part of a marriage party, were travelling in the jeep, which collided with the van carrying another marriage party at Desiyamangalam on the Kulithalai-Manaparai road.

While Kamatchi died on the spot, Palaniammal died on the way to hospital. Twelve others travelling in both the vehicles, including the drivers, were injured. They have been admitted to hospitals in Kulithalai and Tiruchi.

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