The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 30, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

By Our Staff Reporter

Pondy, Karaikal death toll 508

PONDICHERRY DEC. 29. The death toll in Sunday's tsunami in Pondicherry and Karaikal regions has crossed the 500 mark. While 408 persons died in Karaikal region, 100 persons fell victim in Pondicherry, according to official sources.

MPs, MLAs to donate salary

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI DEC. 29. The Chief Minister and All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary, Jayalalithaa, today announced that all her party MPs and MLAs would donate a month's salary to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund.

Also, 100 doctors from the medical party wing will stay in the worst-affected areas for a week and provide free treatment. They would visit all villages in Nagapattinam, Kanyakumari and Cuddalore, she said.

AIDWA guidelines

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, DEC. 29. The AIDWA has issued guidelines to its units in the tsunami-hit districts on the type of support they should concentrate on providing. It has suggested that an information centre should be set up to pass on the needs of the people to the Government and to convey its response to the people.

If the relief works are not carried out properly, the AIDWA said the units should send a telegram the Home Secretary. They should collect blankets, utensils, rice, dhal, milk powder, soap, paste and medicines from the people and directly hand them over to the affected in the nearest camp in Pondicherry, Nagapattinam, Kanyakumari and Cuddalore.

Contributions in Chennai can be sent to AIDWA, 13, Mosque Street, Chepauk, Chennai - 600 005.

Escape tsunami

CHENNAI DEC. 29. Over 4,000 fisherfolk from around 20 villages in Chidambaram escaped the Tsunami as they were among the one lakh persons who gathered at the Nataraja temple to participate in the Arudra Darshanam festival.

V. Shivakumar, a native of Chidambaram in Malaikatti Street, said the villagers were participating in pulling the chariot of the presiding deity amid the famous Deva Talam.It is an annual tradition for the villagers from Killai, Pichavaram, Kavarapattu and other places surrounding Chidambaram to gather at the temple during this festival. "The villagers inside were not even aware of the quake," Mr. Shivakumar said. Black granite which was used to construct the temple has the capacity to absorb geological vibrations and hence stood the test of time.

Cylinder burst causes flutter

NAGAPATTINAM DEC. 29. A gas cylinder burst in a hut caused flutter in the Keechankuppam coastal area here today. Fire service personnel said that during cremation of the bodies of some tsunami victims a spark fell on a hut which caught fire and in the impact the LPG cylinder burst. No one was injured.

Five die in van-lorry smash

MADURAI DEC. 29. Five persons were killed and six injured in a collision between a van and a bran-laden lorry on the Madurai-Dindigul National Highway at Samayanallur near here in the early hours today. The victims were members of two families returning home here after prayers at the Palani Dandayudhapani temple, the police said.

Of the 11 passengers in the van, R. Poongothai (48), R. Dilip Kumar (20), K. Selvam (43), K. Mahamayiammal (65) and S. Saravana Kumar (14) of Managiri died on the spot. The injured were admitted to a private hospital in Madurai where the condition of the van driver, M. Prabhu (21), was said to be critical.

Police raid dargha, man held

RAMANATHAPURAM DEC. 29. In a pre-dawn operation today, the police raided a dargha at Kattupally in Valinokkam, 45 km from here, and arrested a self-styled president of the dargha, S. Syed Mohamed Aslim, belonging to Malapuram district in Kerala on charges of attempt to murder and cheating.

The raid was conducted on complaints preferred by one Purkhanudheen of Valinokkam and also the people. The complainants said Syed Mohamed Aslim had been cheating the public, particularly women, in the name of heeling mental disorders and giving treatment for infertility.

The police also seized two aruvals, pattakathi, seven cellphones, a binocular, bluefilm compact discs, television and a passport.

The Superintendent of Police, Ashok Kumar Dass, said the police were keeping a close watch on his activities for more than a year. They would enquire over the alleged misbehaviour with women who went to him for infertility problems and mental disorders.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu