The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Assembly pays homage

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 23, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Assembly pays homage

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JULY 22. The Tamil Nadu Assembly today paid homage to the 93 children, who lost their lives in the July 16 fire at a private school at Kumbakonam, adopting a condolence resolution and observing a two-minute silence.

The resolution, read out by the Speaker, K. Kalimuthu, highlighted various steps taken by the Government such as rushing relief to the victims and their kin, appointment of a judicial inquiry and preventive measures as per the orders issued by the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa.

Opposition criticism

The Opposition, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the Congress and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), later dubbed the resolution a move to "eulogise Ms. Jayalalithaa."

As the House met at 11 a.m., the Speaker, K. Kalimuthu, made obituary references to the passing away of seven former members: C. Venkatakrishna Rao, who represented Kakinada in the Assembly in 1952-53, S. Pattabiraman (Tiruvallur), K.A. Wahab (Ranipet), A. Adhiyaman (Sedapatti), K.P. Nachimuthu (Mettur), M. Aranganathan (Triplicane, Chennai) and V.S. Manickasundaram (Erode).

The MLAs paid homage to their memory, observing a two-minute silence.

House adjourned

Shortly after that, Mr. Kalimuthu read out a three-page resolution expressing shock at the gruesome fire in Sri Krishna School at Kumbakonam. After passing the resolution, the House was adjourned for tomorrow.

The resolution referred to the measures taken by the Government close on the heels of the accident. The Chief Minister visited the town the same day, inspected the spot and offered her consolations and sympathy to the parents of the victims, it recalled.

Her announcement of cash relief to the kin of the deceased and the injured and steps to ensure the best medical treatment to the injured, rush needy children to speciality hospitals, close down the ill-fated school and transfer the surviving students to other schools were mentioned in the resolution.

It also spoke about the measures initiated on a war-footing such as instructions to the district administration to replace thatched structures with non-flammable roofs by July 30, warning school authorities of stern action if they failed to comply with the direction, adopting a condolence resolution at a Cabinet meeting and a host of follow-up steps announced by the Chief Minister.

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