The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Briefly

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Tuesday, Jan 18, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

Rs. 9.68 lakhs for tsunami relief

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JAN. 17. The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, today received cheques for a total of Rs. 9. 68 lakhs from 81 persons towards the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund for relief and rehabilitation in the tsunami-hit areas.

Among those who called on the Chief Minister at the Secretariat and handed over the cheques were the Ministers, O. Paneerselvam, Thalavai Sundaram, Anitha R.Radhakrishnan, K.P.Anbalagan, S.M. Veluchamy and Inbathamizhan, legislators, the film personalities, Anjalidevi, Ilayaraja, Kamal Hassan and Vivek, officials, industrialists and traders.

Those who presented cheques for Rs.25 lakhs and above were Mr.Anita Radhakrishnan (Rs.3 crores), Mr. Anbalagan (Rs.2.20 crores), Mr.Thalavai Sundaram (Rs.94.30 lakhs) and Ranjit Narasimhan, Chief Operating Officer, HCL (Rs.1crore).

Relief materials flagged off

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JAN. 17 . The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president, G.K. Vasan, today flagged off relief materials, collected by the party, to various tsunami-hit districts in the State.

Mr. Vasan said the TNCC (I) and the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee despatched 5,000 bags, each containing relief materials worth Rs. 550. Another 20,000 bags would be moved to the affected districts shortly.

The district units in Tamil Nadu distributed relief materials. The party would give relief materials worth Rs. 25 lakhs.

The Congress, B.S. Gnanadesikan, has urged the Chief Minister to ban adoption of orphaned children in the affected areas. In a memorandum, he wanted that the Collectors be made guardians of the orphans. After natural calamities in Gujarat and Orissa, the State Governments banned adoption by individuals. The Government should ensure that the substantial cash allotted to the orphaned children for their upkeep was utilised for their welfare.

Students' gesture

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JAN. 17. Students of a school in a city suburb joined hands with their teachers and non-teaching staff in mobilising funds for the tsunami victims.

The students of Bharat Dass Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Perungudi, mopped up Rs. 40,000 and sent a cheque to The Hindu Relief Fund.

Woman, 3 children found dead

By Our Special Correspondent

ATTUR JAN. 17 . A woman and her three children were found dead in a well near here today.

The police said Uma (25), wife of Rengarajan, along with her daughter, Sangeetha (7), and sons, Poovarasan (6) and Muthaiyan (3), were found dead in a well in the nearby field at Mulluvadi.

Bravery award

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JAN. 17. When the National Bravery awards are given out later this month, a couple from Karur in Tamil Nadu will walk up to the dais and receive the Bapu Gayadhani Award. While their hearts will swell with pride, tears will also swell in their eyes as they take the award their son N. Kandakumar, should rightfully have.

Nayenachalam and Pappathy will also remember their son's brave act in rescuing two children from a van trapped at a railway crossing with a train rushing towards them.

The 12-year-old was in the school van when the driver manouvered it onto the tracks, right in the way of a train at the level-crossing at Emoor. Catching site of the train, he ran away, abandoning the van with the children inside. Kandakumar, the eldest in the van saved two children and died while trying to save another.

The boy was studying in standard VII in the Andavar Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Thanthonimalai, Karur district. He had been receiving training in karate and other martial arts.

Kalaignar awards for three

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI JAN. 17. The Murasoli Trust has announced the conferring of the Kalaignar awards on three persons who had contributed to the development and propagation of Tamil literature and culture. Ganapathi Sthapathiyar, Kovi.Manisekharan and K. Sornam, will be given Rs. 1 lakh each and a memento on January 28 at a function here, a release said.

BSNL mobile subscriber base

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI JAN. 17. The mobile phone subscriber base of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited's Tamil Nadu Telecom Circle has crossed eight lakhs.

The total cellular connection of the Circle, which provides telecom services throughout the State except in Chennai, as of today is 8,00,156, said a release. While the number of pre-paid connections is 5,99,894, there are 2,00,262 post-paid connections

Farmer run over

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUNELVELI JAN.17. A farmer was run over by the Kollam-Tirunelveli passenger train near Tenkasi on Sunday evening.

The police said Devaraj (63), a farmer of Sundarapandiapuram, was trying to cross the track on his way back home after meeting his friend when the train ran over him, killing him on the spot.

Two arrested

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin Jan.17. The police today arrested Muniasamy (35) and Murugalakshmi (30) on charges of assaulting Pushpavalli (30) on Sunday.

According to the police, the duo assaulted Pushpavalli at Kadambur near here after a wordy quarrel with her.

The complainant was admitted to the Khayatar Government Hospital.

Man assaulted

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin Jan.17. Jeyam (45) was admitted to the Kovilpatty Government Hospital after he had been assaulted by a five-member gang at Soorangudi near here on Sunday.

The police said Murugesan, Mariappan, Balamurugan, Vasantha and Thangapandi assaulted Jeyam with sticks and inflicted injuries on him owing to enmity.

Traders down shutters

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin Jan.17. Members of the Pudukottai Merchant Association today downed the shutters of their shops, protesting authorities' decision to shift the sub-registrar office from Pudukottai to Tuticorin.

The police said 87 shops in Pudukottai remained closed for the day.

House burgled

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin Jan.17. The police are on the lookout for some unidentified persons who allegedly broke open a house and decamped with valuables and cash here recently.

According to the complainant, Pappathi (30), 6.5 sovereign gold chain and Rs.24,000 in cash were missing from her house at Keela Shanmugapuram falling under the Tuticorin south police station limits.

Schools reopened

By Our Staff Reporter

Nagercoil Jan.17. All 58 schools were reopened today after tsunami-affected fishermen have been shifted to temporary shelters in different parts of the coastal areas of the district.

The students observed two-minute silence to pay homage to those who were killed in the tsunami.

The district administration made arrangements for distributing note and textbooks, duplicate certificates, bus passes, uniforms etc.

Power cut

By Our Staff Reporter

Tirunelveli JAN.17. There will be no power supply in the following areas between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. tomorrow

in view of maintenance work to be carried out in the Old Pettai sub-station: Gandhi Nagar, Old Pettai, Tirunelveli Town, Pettai, Vaagaikulam, Pettai Industrial Estate and Thiruppanikarisalkulam.

Arrested

By Our Staff Reporter

PERAMBALUR JAN. 17. G. Shankar (27) of Periya Thathoor village near Andimadam was detained under the National Security Act today in connection with the alleged murder of Arivazhagan, a former activist of the banned Tamil Nadu Liberation Army, on December 11 last year.

With this, the number of persons detained under the Act in the case has risen to nine.

The Collector, D. Vivekanandan, issued orders based on the recommendation of the Superintendent of Police, P. Parasuraman.

Shankar is lodged in the Central Prison, Tiruchi.

Woman detained

By Our Staff Reporter

PERAMBALUR JAN. 17. A 25-year-old woman, Sendamarai of Nagampandal village near Andimadam, was detained under the Bootleggers Act on charges of habitual prohibition offences.

Another person, Kumar alias Ravikumar of Muthuservamadam village near Meensuritti, was detained under the Goondas Act. He was allegedly involved in a number of theft cases and housebreaking offences, sources said.

The Collector, D. Vivekanandan, issued the orders in both cases today based on recommendations by the Superintendent of Police, P. Parasuraman.

Sendamarai and Kumar were lodged in the Central Prison, Tiruchi.

MGR statues garlanded

By Our Staff Reporter

PUDUKOTTAI JAN. 17. Cadres of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and members of social organisations garlanded the statue of the late Chief Minister, M.G. Ramachandran, in various places in the district on his 88th birth anniversary today.

Police sources here said that statues of the late leader were garlanded at Pudukottai, Aranthangi and Keeranur.

Mettur level

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI JAN. 17. The level in the Mettur dam stood at 66.52 feet today. The inflow was 202 cusecs and the discharge 9050 cusecs.

Toll goes up

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE JAN.17. The death toll in the head on collision at Varadhanallur village on Sunday has gone up to five. According to police, the van carrying Ayyappa devotees from Karnataka met with an accident near Varadhanallur village, Bhavani taluk, Erode district.

Four persons died yesterday.

One person who was admitted to a hospital died this morning.

Nine others are undergoing treatment at the Government Headquarters Hospital.

Free pattas

By Our Staff Reporter

Namakkal Jan. 17. The State Government has revised the target of free house site pattas to the members of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe in Namakkal district to 500 for the current year, according to the Collector, V.M. Xavier Chrisso Nayakam.

Mr. Nayakam said that with the original target of 300 exceeding, the Government had sanctioned an additional 200 pattas to be distributed to eligible beneficiaries in the district before March end.

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