The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 31, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

By Our Staff Reporter

Trust offers to adopt children

MADIKERI (KARNATAKA) DEC. 30. The Sadguru Sai Trust based at T. Shettigeri in Kodagu district of offered to adopt 15 children who have either been orphaned or have otherwise suffered in the tsunami disaster in Tamil Nadu.

The president, Kolera Zaru Ganapathi, said the trust would initially adopt 15 children studying in classes from VI. The Sadguru Sai Shankar school has 17 orphaned students in the same class and age group. The adopted children could be admitted to the residential school on the trust premises.

Tamil-speaking children could join the Government Tamil School nearby and be accommodated in the residential school.

Mr. Ganapathi said the 17 students already there were picked from Kodagu, Karwar, Dharwad and other places of the State. They were being provided free education and accommodation.

Airlines' relief operations

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI DEC. 30. Indian Airlines has operated 26 relief flights to Port Blair from Kolkata and Chennai, evacuating 2,940 persons from the tsunami-hit island.

According to an IA release, as the demand for evacuation has dropped, IA plans to operate three services to Port Blair — two from Kolkata and one from Chennai. Medicines, food packets and drinking water have also been airlifted free of cost.

Jet Airways has evacuated 1,300 persons from the Andaman and Nicobar islands, operating 15 Boeing-737 services from Port Blair to Chennai and Kolkata since Sunday last.

Airbus-320 "line pilots" have decided to operate flights in the event of shortage of manpower arising out of the deployment of Alliance Air Boeing fleet for evacuation, without claiming flying allowance.

`No disruption in flights'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI DEC. 30. SriLankan Airlines, the official carrier of the island nation, has claimed that there has been no disruption or changes to its flight schedules to any destinations from India.

"No flight has been cancelled or rescheduled. The Bandaranaike International airport is open and operating normally and not affected by the tsunami disaster. All connecting point service hotels have resumed normal services and are open to accommodate transit passengers," a release from the airline said.

The airline, in its travel advisory, requests all tourists arriving in Sri Lanka to ensure that they have confirmed hotel reservations and check with their ground operators both in their country and Sri Lanka that transport is available to their destination.

SriLankan Airlines passengers who have lost their tickets, can be transported without tickets, provided they hold a confirmed reservation by signing a form of indemnity, the release added.

HC advocates' contribution

CHENNAI DEC. 30. The Madras High Court Advocates Association today despatched a busload of relief materials to tsunami-hit villages around Sirkazhi in Cuddalore district.

The consignment, worth over Rs. 6 lakhs and comprising food materials, new clothes, blankets, utensils and biscuits, was flagged off by the MHAA president, S. Prabakaran, on the court premises. A team of advocates and aid workers accompanied the relief materials to ensure orderly distribution to the victims.

The association will contribute another Rs. 1 lakh to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund.

Special trains

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI DEC. 30. To clear extra rush of passengers the following special trains will be operated: Train 0621 Chennai Central-Bangalore special will leave Central at 10.30 p.m. on January 2 and reach Bangalore at 6 a.m. the next day. The composition of the train will be one AC two-tier, eight sleeper class, four general second class and two luggage cum brake van coaches.

Train 0621A Tuticorin-Chennai Egmore Special will leave Tuticorin at 8.30 p.m. on January 1 and arrive here at 9.30 a.m. the next day. The composition of the train will be one AC two tier, one AC three tier, eight sleeper class, two general second class and two luggage cum brake van coaches.

Reservation has already started, according to a railway release.

Disqualification notified

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI DEC. 30. The State Government has notified an Election Commission directive, disqualifying 25 candidates who contested the recent Lok Sabha polls.

The "candidates have not furnished any reason or explanation" for failing to lodge accounts of their campaign expenditure, the Commission said and ordered that they be disqualified from being chosen and contesting for either House of Parliament or the Legislative Assembly for three years from the date of the notification.

Two constables suspended

VELLORE DEC. 30. Two armed police constables have been placed under suspension following the escape of a Goondas Act detenu when he was being brought to the central prison here on Tuesday evening.

It is stated Dharmaraj alias Dharma (32) of Panapakkam sprinkled chilli powder in the eyes of the escort constables Sivakumar and Priyakumari and escaped from a bus stop here, on the way back to the prison from a Tiruttani court.

Dharmaraj was involved in 15 cases of theft and burglary in Vellore and Tiruvallur districts.

Film chamber president

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI DEC. 30. C. Sudarsana Srinivasan has been elected president of the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce for 2004-05.

Jewels, cash stolen

TIRUNELVELI DEC. 30. The Melapalayam police are looking for some unidentified persons, who burgled cash and valuables from a house on South Bypass Road here recently.

Police said the culprits gained entry into the house of Thomas Mathew, when the inmates had gone to Tiruvalla in Kerala for Christmas celebrations. The burglars took Rs. 30,000 in cash, five sovereigns of gold ornaments, six wristwatches, an audio system and CDs, totally worth Rs. 50,000.

Sniffer dogs and fingerprint experts were pressed into service.

CPM team visits villages

NAGERCOIL DEC. 30. A high-level team led by the Lok Sabha chairman, Varkala Radhakrishan, of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) visited the tsunami-affected villages and distributed food, clothes and medicines to the affected fishermen on Wednesday.

Members of Parliament, A.Vijaya Raghavan and A.V. Bellarmine; the former speaker of Kerala, Vijaya Kumar; Thirvananthapuram district panchayat vice-chairman, Anavur Nagappan; the MLA, Hemachandran; accompanied the team.

Unidentified

bodies found

TUTICORIN DEC. 30. Two unidentified bodies of men were found at Tiruchendur on Tuesday evening.

Police said one looked to be that of a 60-year-old, and the other of about 55 years.

The Tiruchendur Temple police have launched an investigation to trace the identity of the deceased.

One held for assault

TUTICORIN DEC. 30. A 47-year-old man was arrested today on a charge of assaulting one Madasamy at Kovilpatti on Wednesday.

Police said Subbaraj and Madasamy entered into a wordy duel, which resulted in the assault.

Ration cards distributed

PERAMBALUR DEC. 30 .Those whose applications for family cards have been rejected, can submit appeal petitions to the revenue officials concerned, the Collector, D. Vivekanandan, said.

Inaugurating the distribution of new family cards here today, he said 78,500 applications were received from six taluks, of which 34,700 applications had been rejected after scrutiny. However, steps had been taken to entertain appeal petitions, he said urging the eligible heads of family to submit their petitions immediately to the Taluk Supply Officer or the District Supply Officer or the Collector.

He said all steps had been taken for proper distribution of fresh cards.

Mass contact programme

PERAMBALUR DEC. 30 . The Collector, D. Vivekanandan, said a road facility linking Kandarathertham and Tirumazhapadi would be provided shortly.

Presiding over the mass contact day programme at Kandaratheertham near Ariyalur, he assured the villagers that the local tank would be desilted and deepened. Lands would be acquired for construction of a health sub-centre.

He distributed old age pension orders to six persons, agricultural kits and seeds worth Rs.1 lakh to four farmers.

Mettur level

Tiruchi Dec.30 . The water level at the Mettur reservoir stood at 84.25 feet today. The inflow was 800 cusecs and the discharge 6000 cusecs.

300 rice bags seized

Krishnagiri Dec.30. A total of 300 rice bags meant for supply in public distribution outlets, which was being smuggled in a lorry from Pollachi to Karnataka, were seized at Hosur yesterday. According to the police, a team was conducting vehicle checks on the Hosur-Bagalur Road when they intercepted a lorry laden with rice bags. On inspection, it was found that the rice was being smuggled for polishing and subsequent selling in the open market.

On instructions, the rice bags were seized along with the lorry.

Two persons were arrested in this connection.

The Hudco police are investigating.

Life imprisonment

By Our Special Correspondent

SALEM DEC. 30. The First District Additional Sessions Judge, D. Krishnaraja, today sentenced one person to life imprisonment for murdering a woman in a brawl.

According to the prosecution Ayyappan (23) of Sooramangalam in Salem picked up a wordy brawl with his neighbour Annapoorani (27) on July 12, last year over sharing the tape water.

In a fit of anger, he killed Annapoorani with a boulder.

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