The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Briefly

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Friday, Mar 04, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

`Revive welfare board'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MARCH 3 . The All-India Agricultural Workers Union today expressed its disappointment at the Tamil Nadu budget not mentioning anything about the Agricultural Workers' Welfare Board.

The general secretary, S. Thirunavukarasu, in a statement here, said the board remained dysfunctional after the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam came to power. Despite several agitations by farm workers, the Government took no steps to revive the board. The workers had no option except to launching an agitation.

VAT decision hailed

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MARCH 3 . The Tamilnadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peravai has welcomed the State Government's decision to postpone implementation of value-added tax (VAT) until a consensus is reached.

The president, T. Vellaiyan, in a statement here today, said VAT would lead to "corruption and price increase". Besides depriving the State of its rights, it would allow multinationals to enter the domestic market in a big way. He appealed to the Government not to implement VAT and withdraw the re-sale tax, introduced in 2002 as a precursor to VAT.

Donation for `Annadhanam'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MARCH 3 . The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, today donated her three months' salary of Rs.30, 000 to the Annadhanam scheme, implemented at three temples.

An official release said the Chief Minister had been donating her salary for the scheme since March 2002.

She gave Rs.10,000 each to the authorities of the Mundahakanniamman temple at Mylapore here, the Naganathaswamy temple at Tirunageswaram in Thanjavur district and the Rajagopalaswamy temple at Mannargudi in Tiruvarur district.

Building inaugurated

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MARCH 3 . The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, today inaugurated a building of the Tamil Development Office complex, constructed at a cost of Rs. 2 crores, on the Government Museum campus here.

An official release said the building was constructed as part of the seven-storey complex planned at a cost of Rs.6.27 crores to house the offices of the Department of Tamil Development and Culture.

She also dedicated to the people 136 high school and higher secondary school buildings constructed in 14 districts at a cost of Rs.40.10 crores with the assistance of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.

Students ill on consuming eggs

By Our Staff Reporter

VELLORE March 3. Hundred and sixty-three children, who developed symptoms of food poisoning after consuming eggs served with nutritious meals in the Panchayat Union Elementary School in Chitteri in Arakkonam taluk on Thursday, were taken to the government hospital in Arakkonam. Of them, 84 were admitted to the GH, Arakkonam, while the rest were treated as outpatients.

Tannery strike will continue

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MARCH 3. Leaders of six trade unions today said the tannery workers' strike for wage revision and disbursal of monthly salary would continue until their demands were conceded.

In a joint statement here, M. Shanmugam of the Labour Progressive Federation, A. Soundararajan of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, S.S. Thiagarajan of the All-India Trade Union Congress, Venkatesan of the All-India Central Council of Trade Unions, G. Kalan of the Indian Trade Union Congress and S. Duraisamy of the Marumlarchi Labour Federation, said over 1 lakh tannery workers in the State had been opposing the managements' stand that wage settlements be reached locally. They urged the State Government to intervene and find an amicable solution.

Electoral roll revision ordered

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MARCH 3. The Chief Electoral Officer, Naresh Gupta, today issued instructions for carrying out revision of electoral rolls in the tsunami-hit areas as some of the people there had been accommodated in temporary shelters, pending resettlement in permanent dwelling units.

According to an official release, since the affected people have moved out of their original place of residence, a separate section will be created for them in case of intensive revision so that they may be in a distinct group. Later, when they are shifted to permanent houses, transposition of entries can be easily effected if the area comes under the same Assembly constituency.

In case the persons have moved to a different Assembly constituency, then they will be registered in the new place during enumeration if the area is covered by intensive revision.

In the tsunami-hit areas, where summary revision has been taken up, during verification of door numbers, the persons will be listed in a separate section at the end of the relevant part as in the case of intensive revision provided they are in the same part and Assembly constituency. If it is in a different part, then a separate section will be formed in the part to which they have moved in temporary structures.

If the place to which they have moved in comes under a different Assembly segment, their names will be continued to be shown in the same part of the electoral rolls in the original place for deletion after draft publication. They could apply for inclusion in Form-6 after the publication of the draft roll in the new address to which they have shifted. Verification officials will provide the applications to them.

In respect of death due to tsunami, suo motu deletion will be taken up after draft publication on the basis of the death register or list maintained by the district administration for sanction of compensation.

Police station building opened

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin March 3 . The Superintendent of Police, Sandeep Rai Rathore, today inaugurated the newly built annex building for B-3 (Tuticorin South) police station here today.

The edifice was constructed at a cost of Rs 4.60 lakhs using the funds under the Modernisation of Police scheme.

Later, Mr Rathore opened a rest room for the All-Women Police Station, Tuticorin, built at a cost of Rs 8.10 lakh, at a function held in the town.

At the function, he handed over the order of appointment to Geeta Ramesh, who was selected as Deputy Area Commander of Home Guards.

Motorcyclist robbed

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin March 3 . The police are on the look-out for two unidentified persons, who robbed valuables from a motorcyclist at Meenakshipuram here last night.

According to the police, some unidentified men stopped the vehicle of Vignesh Kumar (32) and robbed valuables including his bike at knife-point.

The bike was later found abandoned at Puthugramam near here.

The police are investigating.

NABARD programme

By Our Staff Reporter

TUTICORIN MARCH. 3 . As part of its efforts to disseminate the latest agricultural practices to farmers, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) conducted a one-day farm sector programme, `Meet and Match', at Masarpatti near here on Monday.

R. Bharat Kumar, Assistant General Manager, NABARD, told The Hindu that the main objective of the programme was to provide a platform for the farmers in that area to have interactions with experts on the recent developments in rain-fed agriculture.

V. Rajaram, entomologist, Regional Research Station, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Aruppukottai, and Ravichandran, plant expert, Tamil Nadu Agricultural Univedrsity's Agriculture Research Station, Kovilpatti, explained to the farmers the techniques to adopt effective pest control measures, vermin composting and organic farming.

Electrocuted

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE MARCH.3 A calendaring mill worker was electrocuted this morning. According to police, one Lakshmanan, 48 of Ramanathapurampudur, a suburb of Erode, was working as Boiler Operator in a private textile-calendaring mill. While he was engaged in filling water in the boiler, he was electrocuted.

Son kills mother

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE MARCH.3. It was a case of matricide. According to police there was a long-standing property dispute between Chellammal, 77, wife of Nanjappa Gounder of Koodakarai Mayiladuthurai within Kadathur police limits and her son, Chellappan of the same area. Chellappan used to quarrel with his mother frequently and it was stated that yesterday in one such quarrel, he killed her with an aruval.

Tension in village

By Our Special Correspondent

SALEM MARCH 3. Tension prevailed in Amani Kondalampatti Nadukaradu village near here when a group of residents detained a team of officials from the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board and their vehicle for nearly an hour this morning for bringing the houses of a few beneficiaries under locks for not paying loan instalments. Police said the Slum Clearance Board had forwarded loans to the people of the village up to Rs.8,000. But a few, despite repeated reminders, had not paid the loan amount. Hence a team of officials today came to the village and brought a few houses under lock.

Irked a group of residents and members of the CPI detained the officials in protest.

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