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Friday, Apr 08, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

Action against college coming

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI APRIL 7. Action will be taken against Deendayal Engineering College in Tiruvallur district, the Education Minister, C.Ve. Shanmugam, told the Assembly today.

Responding to the remarks of the Bharatiya Janata Party member, H. Raja, on the hardship suffered by students, during the discussion on demands for grants to the department, Mr. Shanmugam gave an account of the problems concerning the college. After an investigation by Anna University into the complaints against the institution, the All-India Council for Technical Education withdrew its recognition. "The college subsequently approached the High Court, and it is now functioning on the basis of provisional recognition."

Reacting to Mr Raja's plea for the transfer of students to other colleges, Mr. Shanmugam said that when the authorities came to know that 38 out of 39 students were given zero and one student just one mark in the internal examination, the university sought an explanation from the principal. But there was no response.

"The matter will be considered by the university's syndicate."

Warrants against Varatharajulu

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI APRIL 7 . An economic offences court here has issued 12 warrants against the key accused in the Indian Bank scam, Muthuraja Varatharajulu, in connection with 12 complaints filed by the Enforcement Directorate. He has been ordered produced in the Economic Offences Court-II, Egmore, on May 4.

The prisoner on transit warrants were issued yesterday by the EO-II judge, Perumal, after ED counsel N. Chandrasekaran submitted that the warrants were pending for the past three years and the accused was evading summons and warrants.

The prosecution case is that Mr. Varatharajulu did not repatriate Rs. 220 crores from foreign countries after exporting cashew kernels worth the sum. On May 4, he shall answer the charges levelled against him.

The Central Bureau of Investigation produced him before the Principal Judge for CBI Cases, T. Ravindran. He was remanded till April 20 in a third case relating to a complaint by the government-owned Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation that he caused a loss of Rs. 11 crores, procuring cashew kernels for export.

Hearing in the first bail plea of Mr. Varatharajulu was adjourned to April 13 by another Sessions Judge for CBI Cases, R. Dakshinamurthy.

Judge retires

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI APRIL 7 . Justice N.V. Balasubramanian of the Madras High Court attained superannuation today, bringing down the strength of judges in the court to 24, against the sanctioned strength of 42.

The Advocate-General, N.R. Chandran, delivering a farewell address, said Mr. Justice Balasubramanian was a "serious student of law". His judgments were "well-considered and delivered after much deliberations and industry."

Referring to the judge's visit to the Kapaleeswarar temple at Mylapore everyday, Mr. Chandran said the visits were "without any ostentation and devoid of paraphernalia."

Four killed in car-bus smash

By Our Staff Reporter

VIRUDHUNAGAR APRIL 7. Four persons travelling in a car were killed on the spot, when the vehicle collided with a bus on the Madurai-Tirunelveli national highway this morning.

The deceased, hailing from Neyveli, were proceeding to a hospital near Thiruvananthapuram, when the accident occurred near Pattampudur.

The victims were Tirumeni (55), his wife Kamaladevi (52), Palpandi and the car driver Premkumar (26).

Nearly 40 bus passengers sustained minor injuries. Seven of them were admitted to the government hospital here.

Nominations for bypoll

By Our Staff Reporter

USILAMPATTI (Madurai District) APRIL 7. The reserved panchayats of Pappapatti and Keeripatti in Madurai district today received three nomination papers each for the by-elections to be conducted for the post of president on April 19. However, no nomination was filed for the post in Nattarmangalam panchayat in Madurai and Kottakatchiyendal panchayat in Virudhunagar district.

The office of the Assistant Returning Officers in Usilampatti and Chellampatti saw last minute activities on the last date of filing of nominations today, as caste Hindus, along with "their candidates" belonging to the Dalit community, arrived.

Though the caste Hindus came to the two panchayat union offices much earlier in the day, they waited for the confirmation of filing of nomination by Dalit candidates backed by the Dalit Panthers of India.

Life sentence for four

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI APRIL 7. The Principal District and Sessions Judge, Nagapattinam, today sentenced four persons belonging to the Al-Umma (since banned) to life imprisonment in a case relating to the murder of the wife of a preacher nearlyeight years ago.

Sayeetha, wife of Alim George, a preacher of Nagore, was murdered in her house by a group on October 26, 1996. Mr. George was also assaulted.

Samsudeen (27), Sarbudeen (29), Amanullah (29) and Hakkim (25), all belonging to Coimbatore did not like the activities of the preacher, who preached equality of all religions.

Perambalur tops in rural works

By Our Staff Reporter

PERAMBALUR APRIL 7. Perambalur district has secured the first position in the state in the area of execution of rural developmental works during 2004-05.

Speaking at the executive committee of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) held here on Wednesday, the Collector said all works under various schemes of the DRDA have been completed.

The works, among other things, included construction of 1,070 houses under the `Indira Awaj Yojana' at an outlay of Rs. 3.64 crores and another 145 houses under the `Prime Minister's Gramodaya Yojana' at an estimate of Rs.49.39 lakhs, he said.

On the proposed works for the current year, the Collector said 172 modern anganwadis with toilet facility would be constructed.

Ten per cent of group houses would be allotted to the physically-challenged persons, according to the Collector.

The Project Officer, DRDA, L. Raja was among those who were present.

500 staff for economic census job

By Our Staff Reporter

PERAMBALUR APRIL 7. A total of 500 persons will be drafted for the economic census work to commence in May in Perambalur district.

Presiding over a meeting held here today, the Collector, D. Vivekanandan said that the assessors would undergo a training on the procedures for the entry of data and other details for ensuring accuracy.

About 250 staff from various government departments would co-ordinate the census.

As per the last economic census conducted in 1998, the district accounted for 3,085 commercial establishments in urban pockets and 27,700 units in rural areas, the Collector added.

Mettur level

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI APRIL 7. The water level in the Mettur dam stood at 51.72 feet today.

The inflow was 1539 cusecs and the discharge 100 cusecs.

Youth run over by tanker lorry

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin April 7. A 24-year-old youth was killed when the motorcycle he was riding dashed against a tanker lorry near Tuticorin airport during the wee hours of today.

Bharat Simon, an agent of a private bank, was returning home after visiting some clients at Mudivaithanenthal and Vagaikulam when the mishap occurred. Anandaraj (22) who was riding pillon was injured.

The lorry was said to be on the road with only one headlight on. The Pudukottai police later arrested the lorry driver, Arumugaganesan (24).

NAAC team to visit VOC college

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin April 7. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) team will visit VO Chidambaram College here on April 8 and 9, to assess the facilities in the institution.

The team members would assess various parameters such as curriculum designing, research and development facilities and curriculam transaction, besides from student support services available at the college.

Pope's death condoled

By Our Staff Reporter

Tuticorin April 6. The Tamil Nadu Bishops Council has condoled the demise of Pope John Paul II, on behalf of entire Catholics in the State.

In a release here, Rev. G. Charles Antony Fernando, coordinator of Diocesan Pastrol Commissions, said all Catholic schools will remain closed on April 8, the day the Pope's funeral takes place in Rome.

Christians take out march

By Our Staff Reporter

Nagercoil April 7. Christians took out a procession from St. Xavier's Church to Assisi Church as a mark of paying respect to the late Pope John Paul II on Wednesday.

The Collector, Sunil Paliwal, the Bishop of Kottar Diocese, Leon A Dharmaraj, the Superintendent of Police, Ramasubramani, among others participated.

AIADMK changes candidate

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE APRIL 7. The AIADMK headquarters has changed its candidate for the 36th ward and a new candidate, K. Ramasamy filed his nomination papers as AIADMK candidate today before the Returning officer-cum-Municipal Commissioner, Jayaraman. The Erode Town AIADMK Secretary, R. Manoharan attended the meeting.

Polio drops for children

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE APRIL 7. The Health Department and local bodies should devote their attention to tribal settlements and interior forest areas and provide polio drops to children below the age of five years on April 10 and again on May 15, said the Collector, D. Karthikeyan today.

He said it was proposed to administer polio drops to 2,58,283 children in the district, for which 1,567 centres were formed and over 6,000 medical and paramedical personnel were deployed.

The Collector said that during the last camp in the district, 2, 64,722 children were given the drops. In Erode Railway station, all the bus stands, private nursing homes, Primary Health Centres and other places such drops would be given to the children. For the hill areas of Thalawady, Kadambur and Burgur special arrangements had been made to transport polio drops.

Power cut in Salem

By Our Special Correspondent

SALEM APRIL 7. As Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) will undertake its maintenance works at its sub-stations in Mallur and Vembadithalam, there will be no power supply in the following areas on April 13 between 9 am and 4 pm.

Mallur sub station: Mallur, Panamarathupatti, Thirumanur, Parapatti, Ondiyur, Keeranaur Valasu, Keeranur and Komarapalayam.

Vembadithalam sub-station: Elampillai, Gandhi Nagar, Thappakuttai, Siddar Koil, Karungalpatti, Edanganasalai, K.K.Nagar, Vembadithalam, K.K.Palayam and Magudanchavadi.

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