The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Briefly

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Friday, Apr 01, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

By Our Tamil Nadu Bureau

Unaccounted money seized

COIMBATORE MARCH 31. Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) personnel raided commercial tax offices on Tuesday and Wednesday and seized unaccounted money from 10 officials. The teams raided the commercial tax offices for the Podanur and Ganapathy circles here, the Lakshmi Nagar circle office and the central office at Tirupur. The sales tax collection inspectors could not account for the money in their possession.

The Deputy Commercial Tax Officers (DCTO) and the Assistant Commercial Tax Officer (ACTO) and the office assistants also had unaccounted money. The teams recovered Rs. 85,124 from four collection inspectors, four office assistants, a DCTO and a ACTO.

Taluk supply office raided

DVAC personnel raided the taluk supply office at Vedasandur today and seized Rs.6, 000 and incriminating documents.

12 children hurt in accident

By Our Staff Reporter

DHARMAPURI MARCH 31 . Twelve children were injured when a bus hit a school van at Hogenakkal, 45 km from here, today.

The police said the children were going school at Pennagaram from Hogenakkal.

The van driver, Raja, was negotiating a hairpin bend when a transport corporation bus rammed it. Naveen Prabhu (5) and Kasthuri (9), who sustained multiple fractures, were taken to a Salem hospital. The others were treated in the government hospital at Pennagaram.

17 child labourers rescued

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE MARCH 31 . The Department of Labour today rescued 17 child labourers in raids in and around Coimbatore and Pollachi.

A team raided 66 shops and establishments and 38 catering establishments.

5-year term for rape bid

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUNELVELI MARCH 31 . The Mahila Court here has sentenced a 62-year-old man to imprisonment for five years for attempting to rape a nine-year-old girl.

R. Sarguru of Thiruvengadam tried to rape the girl when she was going for tuition on March 18, 2001.

The judge also slapped a fine of Rs. 5,000 on him.

Report submitted

By Our Staff Reporter

DHARMAPURI MARCH 31 . Revenue Divisional Officer C. Prakasam, who held an enquiry into the encounter in which forest brigand Veerappan and his three associates were gunned down at Padi near here on October 18 last, submitted his report to District Magistrate and Collector Sudeep Jain today. Mr. Sudeep Jain said the report would be sent to the Government.

Gayoom leaves for Kerala

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MARCH 31 . The Maldives President, Abdul Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, was given a warm send off at the old Meenambakkam airport when he left for Thiruvananthapuram today after a two-day visit here.

Mr. Gayoom and his wife, Nasreena, were seen off by State Ministers O. Paneerselvam and D. Jayakumar, Chief Secretary Lakshmi Pranesh and Director General of Police A.X. Alexander.

Travel agents to intensify stir

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MARCH 31 . As part of the protest against the reduction of commission from 7 to 5 per cent, members of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) will suspend the sale of tickets for Air India and its subsidiary from April 1. The TAAI southern region chairman, N.R. Kumaraswamy, and N. Ramakrishnan, chairman, Tamil Nadu Chapter of the Travel Agents Federaation of India (TAFI), said the agents would make no bookings for AI flights. They would also boycott familiarisation trips, award ceremonies and other functions of the airlines.

Pepsico chief meets CM

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MARCH 31. Indira K. Nooyi, president and Chief Financial Officer, Pepsico, called on Chief Minister Jayalalithaa at the Secretariat here today.

Ms. Nooyi discussed with the Chief Minister Pepsico's plans in Tamil Nadu, including snack foods, breakfast foods and contract farming. Seaweed development could be taken up in a big way in Ramanathapuram district involving self-help groups.

The Chief Minister indicated her Government's support to the project. Finance Secretary N. Narayanan, Rajeev Bakshi, chairman, Pepscio India, and Abhiram Seth, executive director, Exports and External Affairs, Pepscio, were present.

Congress poll officers

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI MARCH 31 . The returning officer for Congress elections in Tamil Nadu, Akileshdass has appointed poll officers for all 35 party districts, says a release.

New chairman for TNEB

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MARCH 31. Hans Raj Verma, chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, has been made chairman of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. He replaces K. Skandan, for whom orders will be issued separately, says an order today.

Demonstration

By Our Staff Reporter

Salem March 31. The members of the All India Insurance Employees' Association (AIIEA) staged a demonstration in front of the divisional office of the Life Insurance Corporation of India here today.

The protest was organised as part of the AIIEA's nation-wide strike condemning the pending pay hike with the Government since 2002. The president of the Insurance Corporation Employees' Union, affiliated to AIIEA, P.Venkatesh, led the protest.

The functioning of the various branches of LIC in the district was affected.

Fire

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE MARch 31. A fire broke out in the hundi of the Bannariamman temple this morning and the Fire and Rescue Services personnel who were camping on the temple premises, poured water into the hundi and doused the fire.

According to the police, some devotees set afire camphor on the hundi, which accidentally fell into it through the holes. After dousing the fire, the temple authorities opened the hundi and found few currency notes partly burnt.

They said that Rs. 2,000 worth of currencies were damaged.

Farmer, son

get lifer

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUNELVELI MARC 31 .The Fast Track Court II Judge, Ramamurthy, today sentenced a farmer and his son to life imprisonment for murdering a youth.\

Vairavanathan of East Thoppuvilai under the Uvari police station limits and his son, Vellaiah, had a land dispute with Stephen of the same area. When Vairavanathan, Vellaiah, his relatives, Adityan, Kumar and Kathirvel were mending the fence on the disputed site on May 4, 2000, Stephen and his relatives Charles, Viji and Valan, all from Periyathaazhai, tried to prevent it.

In the clash that ensued, Charles was hacked to death.

While awarding life sentence to Vairavanathan and Vellaiah, the Judge acquitted all others.

Life term for youth

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUNELVELI MARC 31 . The First Additional Sessions Judge, Ayyappan, today sentenced a youth to life term in a murder case.

According to prosecution, P. Kumar (30) of Pallamadai under the Maanur police station limits hacked M. Akkinimaadan alias Durai Pandi (21) on April 4, 2004 when the latter picked a quarrel with the accused on playing cine songs in the village choultry.

The Judge sentenced Kumar to life imprisonment.

Arrested in assault case

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin March 31 . The police today arrested one Sankarabalakrishnan on the charges of assaulting his wife here recently.

According to the police, the accused assaulted his wife after she refused to oblige his demand for dowry.

Three more persons connected with the case are still at large, the police added.

Aged woman killed

By Our Staff Reporter

Nagercoil March 31 . The police are on the look-out for an unidentified person who killed an aged woman near Paraicode under Thuckalay police limit on Wednesday.

According to the police, Thanakam (44), a vegetable vendor of Paraicode, was returning to her house after selling vegetables, when a person stabbed her to death and decamped with three sovereigns of gold ornaments.

Further investigation is going on.

Panchayat poll schedule

By Our Staff Reporter

NAGAPATTINAM MARCH 31. Elections for seven panchayat presidents and 19 ward members in various panchayats in Nagapattinam district will be held on April 19, said J. Radhakrishnan, Collector, here today.

Filing of nominations began today and the last date for withdrawal is on April 11.

The panchayat presidents will be elected for the villages of Pudupalli and Vettaikaran Iruppu in Keezhaiyur block, Vadakarai in Keevalur block, Athur and Mannampandal in Mayiladuturai block, Mahadhanam in Nagapattinam block and Kothangi in Thalainayar block.

Free medical camp

By Our Staff Reporter

Thanjavur March 31 . A total of 625 tsunami-affected persons were treated at free siddha camps organised by the Health Department at Adaikathevan and Thiruvathevan in Sethubavachathiram Panchayat Union recently.

According to S. Rangarasan, District Siddha Medical Officer, 250 tsunami victims were treated at Adaikathevan camp and 375 at Thiruvathevan camp.

Ayurveda massage was done to 37 persons and drugs worth Rs. 5,000 were distributed. Ayurveda and Homoeopathy doctors rendered services at the camps.

Grievances heard

By Our Staff Reporter

PUDUKOTTAI MARCH 31 . The Collector, R. Thiagarajan, visited several coastal villages on Wednesday and heard the grievances of the fishermen.

A press release here said he visited R. Pudhupattinam, Mimisal, Kottaipattinam, Jagadapattinam, Ammapattinam, Manamelkudi and Krishnajipattinam. He also paid a visit to the fish landing centre at Jagadapattinam.

Telephone directory

By Our Staff Reporter

Thanjavur March 31 . Thanjavur Secondary Switching Area supplementary directory 2004 for main directory issue 2003 is being issued from March 30 to subscribers of this SSA covering exchanges at Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Thiruthuraipoondi, Mannargudi, Pattukottai, Papanasam and Orathanadu, says a press release issued here by K.V.V. Satyanarayana, General Manager, Bharath Sanchar Nigam Ltd, Thanjavur telecom district.

Subscribers should produce receipt of the last paid telephone bill to get the directory.

Mettur level

By Our Staff Reporter

Tiruchi March 31 . The water level at the Mettur reservoir stood at 52.04 feet today.

The inflow was 185 cusecs and the discharge 900 cusecs.

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