The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Briefly

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Saturday, Jul 24, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

By Our Special Correspondent

Optical fibre cable

CHENNAI July 23. Optical fibre cable to a length of 43,000 km has been laid in Tamil Nadu till June 30 this year.

In the current financial year it was proposed to lay the cable for about 1,900 km out of which cable had been laid for 221 km, the Union Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, Shakeel Ahmad, said in the Rajya Sabha today.

In the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for Railways, R. Velu, said the Ministry had sanctioned five new road over bridges in Tamil Nadu at a cost of Rs. 2.90 crores for the current year.

These bridges were in addition to 41 road over bridges, which were in various stages of progress. For Pondicherry three bridges had been sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 1.30 crore, the Minister said.

Bombs seized, 3 held

By Our Staff Reporter

Pondicherry July 23 . The Pondicherry Special Task Force (STF) yesterday recovered four hand-made bombs and long knives and arrested three persons at Manjolai near here.

The Senior Superintendent of Police (Law and Order), Sunil Garg, told newsmen here today that the STF personnel, on a tip-off, were watching the movements of the motorcycle-borne R. Sivabalan, S. Shankar, both from Nonkuppam, and C. Vinayakam of Pudhukuppam, a neighbouring village in Tamil Nadu, and intercepted them.

Cases were registered under the Arms Act, the Pondicherry Police Act and the Explosive Substances Act.

The STF was started recently in Pondicherry to assist the district police in investigating heinous crimes and arrest notorious criminals.

Vacancies filled

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI JULY 23. The Madras High Court Registry today filled up all top-level vacancies in the Tamil Nadu State Judicial Academy, including the director post.

The Member-Secretary of the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority (TNSLSA), G.M. Akbar Ali, has been appointed Director. The Karur district judge, G. Chockalingam, has been transferred and posted as Additional Director while the First Class Additional District Munsif at Kallakurichi, A.D. Mariacleide, has been made the Assistant Director.

Services terminated

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI JULY 23. The State Government today terminated the services of 11 Government advocates, including four special pleaders. It also appointed three new advocates and elevated an additional Government Pleader to the rank of Special Government Pleader.

Those relieved of their duties are T. Sridharan, S. Sathyamurthy, K. Muralidharan, R. Rajasekaran and S. Sivashanmugam, advocates; M.C. Swamy, P. Chandrasekaran, S.T.S. Murthy and V.R. Rajasekaran, Special Government Pleaders; and M.S. Palanisamy and Thenmozhi, Additional Government Pleaders.

The newly appointed Additional Government Pleaders are P. Chandrasekaran, V. Karthikeyan and S. Senthilnathan.

Two others — R. Rathnavel and Suresh Vishwanath — have been appointed Government advocates.

The Additional Government Pleader, S. Venkatesh, has been designated as the Special Government Pleader in charge of coordination.

Easwaramurthy acquitted

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE JULY 23. The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Erode, J. Jayaram this evening acquitted the former AIADMK Khadi Minister P. Easwaramurthy and three others in a wealth case. The magistrate said that charges against them were not proved.

The prosecution case was that on September 15, 1997, the Vigilance and Anti Corruption wing police registered a case against Mr. Easwaramurthy, his wife Sujatha, sister Tamilarasi, father Perumal and another relative Sadhasivam stating that he as Khadi Minister in the Jayalalithaa regime earned Rs. 32 lakhs, disproportionate to known sources of his income, started a cotton mill and purchased two cars.

The police chargesheeted the five on August 9, 1999. Perumal died even as the case was being processed.

3 killed in road accident

By Our Staff Reporter

Tirunelveli July 23. Three persons, including two women, were killed and 26 others injured when a State Transport Corporation bus dashed against a private bus at Rastha near Maanur on the Tirunelveli-Sankarankovil stretch this morning.

The police said the TNSTC bus, proceeding from Tirunelveli to Srivilliputhur, dashed against the private bus, going to Tirunelveli.

The driver of the government vehicle, N. Ayyasamy (51) of Pettai, M. Petchiyammal (30) of Muththammaalpuram under Thevarkulam police station limits and an unidentified 30-year old woman on the spot.

Nine persons travelling in the government bus and 17 passengers of the private bus, including the driver, Murugesan, suffered injuries.

The condition of Mr. Murugesan is said to be "critical".

New track

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI JULY 23. A new track has been laid in the Tiruchi town station main building platform thus elevating it as a crossing station. The Southern Railway General Manager V. Anand, who was on a day's visit to Tiruchi opened the new track.

With this, trains could be received in the platform situated in the main building thereby benefiting the railway passengers.

Power shutdown

ARIYALUR JULY 23 . There will be no power supply in T. Palur, Jayamkondam, Andimadam, Meensurutti, Udayarpalayam areas from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 24 due to maintenance work on the Jayamkondam sub-station, according to a TNEB press release issued here today.

Mettur level

By Our Staff Reporter

Tiruchi July 23 . Water level at the Mettur reservoir stood at 75.05 feet today. The inflow was 1,840 cusecs and the discharge Nil.

Youth murdered

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin July 23 . The Srivaikuntam police are looking for a seven-member gang, which murdered a youth in a hotel last night owing to personal enmity.

The police said N. Subramanian (31) of Velloor under the Srivaikuntam police station limits was attacked by the gang when he was sitting in a hotel at Srivaikuntam.

The body was sent to the Srivaikuntam Government Hospital for post-mortem.

The police suspect that the enmity between two families of Velloor might have led to the murder of Subramanian and a hunt is on to nab J. Durairaj of Velloor and six others.

Road roko

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin July 23 . As many as 314 persons were arrested when they staged a road roko at Puthukudi junction near Srivaikuntam today, demanding release of water from the Srivaikuntam dam to save the standing crop.

The protestors, led by Communist Party of India (Marxist) functionaries, raised slogans against the officials, "who refused to release adequate water from the reservoir" to save plantain and betel on several hundreds of acres.

The agitators were released in the evening.

House burgled

By Our Staff Reporter

NAGERCOIL July 23 . The police are on the look-out for some unidentified persons, who burgled the house of a businessman.

According to the police, Palavesam of Kunjanvilai under Suchindrum police limits went to Courtallam along with his family members on Thursday. Some unidentified persons gained entry into his house through backyard and decamped with eight sovereigns of gold ornaments and other household articles worth Rs.40,000. The theft came to light when Palavesam opened his house this morning.

Bomb threat

By Our Staff Reporter

Dharmapuri July 23. An anonymous phone call stating that a bomb was planted at the Palayampudur Government Girls Higher Secondary School turned out to be hoax.

The Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad with the help of a sniffer dog found the call to be hoax, which had caused anxious moments for the police and public here today.

Lorries seized

By Our Staff Reporter

Dharmapuri July 23. Revenue officials seized four lorries transporting illegally quarried sand at Palacode here on Thursday.

According to sources, vehicles were checked at Periyampatti and Naganampatti on instructions from the Collector, Ashish Vachhani.

Subsequently, the lorries were seized.

Seminar

RASIPURAM JULY 23. The importance of non-formal education was stressed in the seminar on "Non-formal Education and its value" organised by the Rotary Club of Rasipuram on Thursday.

N. P. Ramaswamy said that non-formal education was nothing but an organised activity that was intended to serve the learning clientele. He also suggested that concentrated language encounter should be promoted among those who missed schemes such as Literary Mission Adult education of both State and Central Governments.

Grievances day

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE JULY 23. The monthly agriculturists grievances day would be held on July 30 at the District Development Council meeting hall, Collectorate, at 10 a.m. The Collector, D. Karthikeyan, urged the farmers and farmers' associations to represent their grievances.

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