The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Briefly

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Wednesday, Feb 09, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

Cases against six autos

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE FEB. 8. Police have registered cases against six auto rickshaws for carrying children more than the permissible limit to schools. The officials also said they would take action against those share-autos if they took more than five passengers.

The public were warned against using the LPG on their vehicles.

Target reached

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE FEB. 8 . The district achieved last year the small savings target of Rs 150 crores with the services of the agents, said the Collector, D. Karhtikeyan today. He was distributing the prizes for the best small savings agents.

The Collector said that there were 2500 agents in the Postal Department, but only 20 per cent of them were actively involved in canvassing. He said last year a sum of over Rs one crore was granted as incentive.

The Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, P. Nallathambi said Rs 135 crores had been collected so far in the financial year as small savings against the target of Rs 180 crores. The Superintendent of Post Offices, Tirupur Ms Chitra, the Personal Assistant to Collector, Small Savings Bhoopathy and others spoke.

Demonstration

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE FEB. 8. Calling upon the Civil Supplies Corporation to procure all the paddy the farmers brought to the Direct Paddy Procurement Centre, the Tamilaga Vivasayeegal Sangam members, led by its President, E.R. Kumarasamy conducted a demonstration today before the Sivagiri Centre. The farmers also presented a memorandum to the officials, urging them not to encourage traders by procuring the paddy brought to the centre.

Rescued

By Our Staff Reporter

Dharmapuri Feb. 8. Six child labourers found working in hotels and automobile workshops were rescued in a raid near here on Monday. According to official sources, a team conducted raids in eight units and rescued them. They will be admitted to special schools. Action has been initiated against these units.

Workshop

By Our Staff Reporter

NAGAPATTINAM FEB.8. The workshop conducted today by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, on stress management was a boon to the district officials, the Collector, J. Radhakrishnan, said here today.

Inaugurating the workshop, he said that the workshop was timely since the officials were burdened with the tsunami relief and rehabilitation works.

P. T. Sivakumar, D. Nagaraja, Kiran Rao, and C. R. Chandrasekar from NIMHANS spoke.

Ranvir Prasad, Additional Collector (relief), Nagapattinam, also spoke.

Mass contact programme

By Our Staff Reporter

Thanjavur Feb.8 . A mass contact programme will be held at Narasingampettai in Thiruvidaimaruthur taluk on Wednesday, says a press release issued here by the Collector, M.Veera Shanmugha Moni.

The Collector will preside over the meeting. Those who want to get patta transfer, birth or death certificates, old age pension, road facility and drinking water facility can give their petitions to Tahsildar of Thiruvidaimarurthur, the collector said.

Training for women SHGs

By Our Staff Reporter

NAGAPATTINAM FEB.8.

Women self-help groups in the district today underwent training on health and sanitation methods.

The training programme was organised by the District Rural Development Agency and the UNICEF to create an awareness of health and sanitation among tsunami-affected families accommodated in temporary shelters in 73 villages on the need to use toilets and on how to use water judiciously.

The Collector, J. Radhakrishnan, inaugurated the programme. He said that the women SHG at Akkaraipettai near Nagapattinam came forward to make uniforms for school children.

He said the SHGs and agricultural workers would be given work under the food-for-work programme and in construction activities.

Mettur level

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI FEB.8 . The water level at the Mettur reservoir stood at 55.29 feet today. The inflow was 150 cusecs but there was no discharge.

Found dead

By Our Staff Reporter

DINDIGUL FEB. 8. The Nilakottai union councillor, Pon. Anbazhagan, of Muthalingapuram, was found dead on his farm today.

The police said unidentified persons had tied a live electric wire to jasmine plants. While plucking flowers, Mr. Anbazhagan was struck by high voltage current and he died on the spot. His wife, Vijayalakshmi, and farm assistant Santhanam were injured when they tried to save him.

Computerisation tardy

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI FEB. 8. Computerisation of revenue branches and section offices of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board is tardy, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board Workers' Progressive Union has complained.

Of about 2,400 section offices and 165 revenue branches which deal with the public directly, only a small number has been covered under the computerisation project, the general secretary, S. Rathinasabapathy, said. This has affected the public making their payment easily.

Mr. Rathinasabapathy, in his letter to the Power Minister, R. Viswanathan, demanded that the talks with unions for wage revision be held immediately. Referring to the Chief Minister's advice in this regard while announcing the interim relief, the union leader pointed out that when the EB's proposals were sought at the last wage revision negotiations in October 2004, the management conveyed to the unions that the proposals would be submitted in 15 days. Till date, no efforts were taken. He also said hundreds of employees in the accounts wing had not been given promotion for over three years.

Tax exemption for cement

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI FEB. 8. The State Government has given exemption to the Tamil Nadu Cement Corporation in respect of tax payable on its sale of cement, asbestos cement sheets, flat or corrugated cement articles, asbestos articles, and asbestos cement articles for tsunami relief works.

An order issued by the Commercial Taxes Department said the tax exemption would be applicable in the districts of Tiruvallur, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari. It came into force yesterday. The claims for exemption should be certified by the Collector or authorised officer and addressed to the Corporation. A pro-forma was prescribed in the government notification.

Murder accused held under NSA

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUNELVELI FEB. 8. Three accused in the Aladi Aruna murder case have been arrested under the National Security Act.

The "kingpin" behind the December 31 murder, M. Veldurai of Marudhppapuram, and his associates, D. Azhagar alias Valarntha Azhagar of Tirupur and S. Balamurugan of Mehalingapuram near Tirunelveli Junction are facing "heinous crime cases," police sources said.

Only a couple of days ago was another accused, S. Arumugam of Sivalaarkulam, arrested under the Goondas Act.

Bail denied: Page 5

Former DMK legislator arrested

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI FEB. 8. The former DMK MLA of Thottiyam, Kannaiyan, was arrested by the district police today in connection with a civil dispute case. He was produced before the Judicial Magistrate Court at Musiri and later lodged in Central Prisons, Tiruchi.

Police sources here said a real estate businessman, Kuppusamy, purchased land from Kannaiyan at Balasumudhram near Thottiyam one and half years ago. Though the settlement was over, Kannaiyan reportedly demanded extra amount from Kuppusamy.

The sources said Kannaiyan allegedly threatened labourers engaged by Kuppusamy and damaged the boundary stones and board kept on` the land belonging to the latter. A case was registered in the Thottiyam police station last month and after investigations the former MLA was arrested. Kannaiyan was also the former district secretary of the DMK.

Special trains

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI FEB. 8. Southern Railway will operate special trains to clear the extra rush of passengers.

Train 0635 Chennai Central-Thiruvananthapuram special will leave Central at 9.15 pm on February 11 and reach Thiruvanathapuram at 4.30 pm the next day. In the return direction train 0636 will leave Thiruvananthapuram at 7.30 pm on February 14 and arrive at Central at 12.30 pm the next day.

The train will stop at Arakkonam, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Salem, Erode, Palghat, Ottapalam, Trissur, Alwaye, Ernakulam Town, Kottayam, Chenganacherry, Tiruvalla, Chengannur, Mavelikara, Kayankulam, Quilon and Varkala.

Train 0842 Chennai Central-Howrah special will leave Central at 10 am on February 12 and reach Howrah at 3.25 pm the next day. The special will stop at Vijayawada, Rajamundry, Vishakapatnam, Berhampur, Khurda Road, Cuttack and Khargpur.

Train 0624 Coimbatore-Chennai Central special will leave Coimbatore at 11.45 pm on February 13 and arrive at Central at 8.15 am the next day. It will have stoppages at Tirupur, Erode, Salem, Jolarpettai, Katpadi, Arakkonam and Perambur.

Reservation will begin on February 9, says a Southern Railway release.

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