The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 26, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

Stamp on S.S. Vasan

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI AUG. 25. The Department of Posts will release a commemorative postage stamp on ``S.S Vasan'' in the denomination of Rs.5. The stamp is being issued in honour of Vasan depicting a glimpse of the drum-dance from his film ``Chandralekha''.

A presentation ceremony will be held at the Anna Road Head Post Office at 9-30 a.m. on August 26 and the stamp album will be presented by Vatsala Raghu, Chief Postmaster-General, Tamil Nadu Circle, to B. Srinivasan, Joint Managing Director, Ananda Vikatan. Stamps, first-day covers, information sheets, will be available for sale at all philatelic bureau/counters from the date of issue, says a release from the Chief Postmaster-General.

Kalam to visit Kumbakonam

By Our Staff Reporter

Thanjavur Aug. 25. The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, will visit Kumbakonam on Thursday to meet the parents of the children who died in the July 16 school fire and those who underwent prolonged treatment.

According to official sources, Mr. Kalam is scheduled to arrive at 4.10 p.m. at the Tiruchi airport. He leaves by helicopter to Kumbakonam at 4.15 p.m. and arrives at the Government Arts College (Autonomous) Kumbakonam at 4.45 p.m.

He will interact with the parents of the deceased children and meets the injured children at the auditorium . He leaves Kumbakonam at 5.25 p.m. to Tiruchi and stays at the circuit house for the night.

On Friday, Mr. Kalam will participate in the plantinum jubilee celebrations of Annamalai University in the morning and is expected to visit Rameswaram later.

Business English course

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI AUG. 25. The State Government's Directorate of Technical Education and the British Council Division (BCD) of the British Deputy High Commission today entered into a memorandum of understanding for launching the Cambridge University's Business English Certificate (BEC) course in engineering colleges across Tamil Nadu.

The British Council will provide learning and teaching material including syllabus, course content and design, while the Directorate will select the colleges for the course and monitor how it is conducted, according to a government release. It is for the colleges to choose students and teachers for the course, which will be taught in three months.

S. K. Prabhakar, Director of Technical Education, and Eunice Crook, First Secretary (Cultural Affairs), BCD of the Deputy High Commission, signed the agreement in the presence of the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, and the British Deputy High Commissioner, Stuart Innes, in Chennai.

Figures for speech disabled

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI AUG. 25. The Census directorate has clarified that the total number of the speech disabled as per the 2001 census, is 1,24, 479; while 72, 636 were hearing impaired; 3,53, 798 were physically challenged and 1,27, 521 mentally disabled.

Bail for Kolathur Mani

By Our Special Correspondent

SALEM AUG. 25. The founder-leader of the Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, `Kolathur' T. S. Mani, who was arrested in an assault case, was enlarged on bail by the First Additional District judge, D. Krishnaraja, here today.

The judge asked him to produce two sureties of Rs. 10,000 each before the Judicial Magistrate I at Mettur and appear daily for three weeks in the Kolathur police station.

The police arrested Mr. Mani and three others for allegedly assaulting a businessman, Krishnan, and his son at Kolathur a few days ago.

They registered cases against him under Sections 109, 114, 147, 148, 341, 324, 452 and 307 of the IPC.

He was arrested on August 6 and remanded him to custody in the Salem Central Prison the same day.

Workers lay siege to office

By Our Staff Reporter

ARUPPUKOTTAI AUG.25. Over 100 persons, including women, today laid a siege to the Aruppukottai Panchayat Union Office, demanding the local body to employ them in a work being carried out under the `food-for-work' scheme.

While the protestors, carrying spades, complained that the contractor was using people from outside Sempatti to desilt the Pappankulam tank, the officials claimed that the villagers wanted to employ more than 100 persons everyday for the "small work."

An official said the total estimate was only Rs.50,000 out of which the cash portion was only Rs. 20,000 and not many could be employed.

Later, the officials pacified the villagers, promising to give employment to 30 persons every day.

Women picket road for water

By Our Staff Reporter

THENI AUG.25. A total of 200 women with empty pots today picketed the Theni-Periyakulam main road, demanding resumption of drinking water supply to four wards of the Periakulam municipality.

The agitators representing wards Nos. 27,28,29 and 30 said supply had been erratic for the past week. As traffic was disrupted for an hour, officials convinced the agitators to withdraw the stir. The officials assured to take steps to streamline the supply.

Local holidays

By Our Staff Reporter

Nagercoil Aug.25. The district administration has declared local holidays on August 28 and 31 in view of the Onam festival and the Sheik Peer Mohammed Sheriff Oliyullah anniversary celebrations at Thuckalay respectively.

Government offices and educational institutions will function on September 11 and October 9 respectively.

Match units closed

By Our Staff Reporter

SIVAKASI AUG.25. Over 180 match units, affiliated to the All India Chamber of Match Industries Association, in Virudhunagar district were today closed seeking withdrawal of the excise duty, hiked to 16 per cent, on matches.

The chamber also demanded action against the "unhealthy trade practices" of a private marketing company and protested the increase in prices of raw materials and petroleum products.

Power shutdown

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI AUG.25. There will be a power shutdown in the following areas of Sivaganga district on August 26 and 28 owing to maintenance work to be taken up by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board at its Kalayarkovil and Nelmudikarai sub-stations:

August 26, Thursday (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.): Kalayarkovil, Sarugani, Nattarasankottai, Maravamangalam and surrounding areas.

August 28, Saturday (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.): Tiruppuvanam, Nelmudikarai, Palayanoor, T. Pudur. Silaiman, Agaram and surrounding areas.

Water level

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI AUG.25. The level in the Periyar dam today stood at 121 feet with an inflow of 100 cusecs and a discharge of 1250 cusecs. The level in the Vaigai dam was 41.70 feet with an inflow of 953 cusecs and a discharge of 30 cusecs.

The combined Periyar credit stood at 3836 mcft. Tekkadi received 1 mm of rainfall.

Film festival

By Our Staff Reporter

PUDUKOTTAI AUG 25. The `children's film festival,' sponsored jointly by the Children's Film Society and the district administration, was inaugurated by the Collector, Jatindranath Swain, here on Tuesday.

Fifty films will be screened. Till August 27, `Adhisaya kottu' will be screened at the Brahadambal theatre, `Vetri padhai' at the Shanthi theatre, `Apoorva Aspathri' at the R.K.P.theatre, `Malli' at the Arun theatre, `Hallo' at the Ponnamaravathi Alankar theatre, `Achamillai' at the Ponnamaravathi Meena theatre and `Meendum varuven' at the M.N.S.K. Theatre at Arimalam. From August 30 to September 2, films would be screened at the theatres in Aranthangi and Keeranur.

The Chief Educational Officer, V.Rajarajeswari, was present.

Free eye camp

By Our Staff Reporter

Thanjavur Aug. 25 . Eye tests were conducted for 282 persons in the free camp jointly conducted by Lions Club of Thanjavur Lotus and Tiruvarur Vandampalayam Lions Eye Hospital here today.

According to Vasantha Govindarajan, chartered president of Thanjavur Lions Club of Lotus, 22 persons were selected for cataract operation and sent to Tiruvarur Vandampalayam Lions Eye Hospital. Spectacles were provided to 82 persons. R.Gurunathan, Principal of Karanthai Arts College, inaugurated the camp. S. Shanmughanathan, president of Lions Club of Thanjavur Lotus, and T.G.R.Vasantha Kumar, Lions district president, participated in the camp.

Demonstration

By Our Staff Reporter

KARUR AUG. 25. Members belonging to the National Federation of Postal Employees today staged a demonstration opposite the Head Post Office here demanding that the ceiling on bonus be scrapped. The divisional president of the federation, Solapillai, led them.

BJP cadres held

By Our Staff Reporter

KARUR AUG. 25. The Chintamanipatti police took into custody 16 cadres of the Bharathiya Janata Party when they attempted to burn an effigy of the Union Petroleum Minister, Mani Shankar Ayyar, opposite the Tharagampatti bus stand today. The BJP district president, Manoharan, led the agitation. They were let off in the evening.

Mettur level

By Our Staff Reporter

Tiruchi Aug.25. The water level at the Mettur reservoir stood at 89.41 feet today. The inflow was 12,850 cusecs and the discharge 12,026 cusecs.

Arrested

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE AUG. 25. The police arrested 45 BJP volunteers this evening in front of the Erode Municipal office, when they attempted to burn the Union Minister for Petroleum, Mani Shankar Iyer, in effigy.

The BJP National Executive member, Gopalakrishnan, who led the volunteers, was also arrested.

Road roko

By Our Staff Reporter

Dharmapuri Aug. 25. The villagers of Pallipatti and Pudupatti in Harur taluk on Tuesday blocked the Harur-Salem road demanding water. They claimed at present they had to travel far to fetch water and their repeated representations to the authorities concerned had failed to evoke any response.

Following the blockade, traffic was disrupted for nearly two hours on the road. However, on assurances from officials, the villagers withdrew their stir.

Killed

By Our Staff Reporter

Dharmapuri Aug. 25. The Palacode police have launched a search for a man who reportedly killed his father by smashing a stone on his head at Indur here today. The police said Chinnaraman (45) and his son Arul (25) were locked in a wordy duel when the latter in a fit of rage smashed a stone on Chinnaraman's head, killing him on the spot. Family dispute is said to be the reason behind the murder.

Padayatra By Our Special Correspondent

SALEM AUG. 26. Hundreds of members of Salem district Co-operative Society Employees' Union today began a five-day "padayatra" in the district to highlight the importance of co-operative movement, particularly in rural areas.

They pointed out that the co-operative movement in the State was facing a plethora of problems against the forces of globalisation. Political interference had eroded the movement further.

Hence, to restore people's faith in the sector and to make it vibrant, the padayatra was being undertaken. The members would cover nearly 65 centres. It would conclude at Omalur on August 27.

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