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Peacock attacks train engine driver

MADURAI: Panneerselvam, driver of the Madurai-Tenkasi passenger was injured as a peacock attacked him, when the train hit the bird between Tirupparamkundram and Tirumangalam railway stations on Thursday morning. Railway sources said the bird which entered the engine after the windscreen broke fell on Mr. Panneerselvam. It attacked him and caused bleeding injuries.

Howev er, the peacock was not injured. After the driver received first aid at Tirumangalam, the train proceeded to Virudhunagar, where he was taken to the railway hospital. — Staff Reporter

Stanley reservoir's record

METTUR: The level at the Stanley reservoir stood at the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 120 feet for 30 days at a stretch after a gap of five years. In 2001, it held the FRL for 31 days continuously.

Sources in the Public Works Department said on Thursday the dam had recorded the FRL for 45 days during this irrigation year thrice.

The reservoir registered its first surplus on August 30 and continued till September 9. The second time it remained for six days from September 15. Again from October 18 the FRL continued till Thursday. This had not occurred in the reservoir's seven-decade old history. The dam had surplussed 35 times so far. — Special Correspondent

Kuwait Airways offices

to issue visas

CHENNAI: Kuwait Airways offices in New Delhi and Mumbai will now issue visas. According to Shyam Prasad Kallat, manager - passenger sales, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, visas for tourism, business and official purposes will be issued at the Kuwait Airways offices in addition to the Embassy. The application forms have to be submitted at the airline offices with passport photocopies (original required at the time of submission) and the processing fees. However, work visas will only be issued by the Kuwait Embassy. For further queries call 044-24315162/63/64 or e-mail: maa@kuwaitairways.com — Special Correspondent

Change in number of Airtel fixed-line phones

CHENNAI: Effective November 19, Airtel Broadband and Telephone Services will adopt a new number series for its fixed line services. With this, the first digit will change from 5 to 4. The change will come into effect in Chennai, Vellore and Hosur in Tamil Nadu, besides Pondicherry. For the convenience of its customers, Airtel will continue to connect all calls received on the old number till February 28, 2006. Airtel is also launching a new short code for customer care — 121, a press release said. — Special Correspondent

Social security numbers

CHENNAI: The second phase of allotting national social security numbers for provident fund subscribers will begin soon. In the first phase about three lakh subscribers were covered and cards had been issued to them. According to an official release, in the second phase, the same drill will be adopted except that there would not be any camp in the respective establishments for capturing the photos of PF members. Establishments can download application from the web site - www.epfochennai.tn.nic.in. or get them from the respective PF offices. The completed application forms should be sent to the respective offices of EPOs by the establishments. The enforcement officers of the respective offices will approach the establishments along with duly completed application forms for getting one passport size colour photograph of the members and the signature of the member and his employer. — Special Correspondent

Jail term in dowry case

TIRUNELVELI: A youth and his mother were sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment in a dowry case. A. Kanmani alias Maheshwari (23) of Kadayalurutti married M. Arunachalam (34) of Sernthamaram on March 26, 1995. Her parents gave Rs. 35,000 and 35 sovereigns of jewels as dowry. Arunachalam, a temporary teacher, and his mother M. Kalanjiyam (55) tortured her to bring a bike and Rs. 1 lakh.

She was beaten up. On June 26, 1995, she committed suicide. The Sernthamaram police registered a case against the duo. The Mahila Court judge, Murugan, awarded 10 years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 5,000 on each one of them.— Staff Reporter

Two held for murder

Tuticorin: The police arrested Ritammal and Rajendran on the charge of murdering Ananthappan (65) here in the wee hours of Thursday.

They said Ritammal and Rajendran, wife and son of the deceased respectively, killed Rajendran at their house situated at Anna Nagar with stick and rope due to family dispute. The accused were caught while they were trying to bury the body secretly. — Staff Reporter

Constable arrested

Nagercoil: The vigilance and anti-corruption wing on Thursday arrested a constable for demanding and accepting bribe. According to sources, Sosai Michel (34) of Thuckalay police station demanded Rs. 350 from Yaser (23) of Chettiyarvilai near Thiruvithancode to issue a passport verification certificate. A team led by Ranjan Roy, Inspector, caught Sosai Michel while accepting the bribe. — Staff Reporter

Biscuit bandits strike again

Nagercoil: A passenger was relieved of Rs. 3,000 in Mumbai-Kanyakumari Express on Wednesday.

According to sources, Mohamed Raffik (20) of Ottakkal in Kerala was working in a hotel at Kundakkal in Andhra Pradesh. As the son of his hotel owner met with an accident in Kerala, the owner gave money to Raffik and sent him to Kerala. While the Mumbai-Kanyakumari Express was about to cross Andhra Pradesh border, a man gave him biscuits. Raffik fainted soon after eating them. He was supposed to alight from the train at Palakkad but the police found him in an unconscious condition and rushed him to a hospital. — Staff Reporter

B.E. examinations

TIRUNELVELI: The November 2005 examinations for B.E. students of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (full-time, part-time and arrear) will commence on November 23 on MSU campus, Abhishekapatti, says the Controller of Examinations (in-charge), N. Arunachalam. — Staff Reporter

Good response to bandh in Karaikal

KARAIKAL: All shops and business establishments remained closed on Thursday in Karaikal district in the Union Territory of Pondicherry following the bandh called by the DMK, CPI, CPM and DPI, demanding that the Government give flood relief amount to the affected families. The protestors also urged the Government to construct a permanent road bridge across the Arasalar river connecting both ends of the town.

The people faced hardship as most of the buses from Nagapattinam to Karaikal region did not ply. However, two-wheelers and four-wheelers were seen on the roads in Karaikal.

Farm workers stage demonstration

KARUR: Members, including a large number of women, of the All-India Agricultural Workers' Union staged a demonstration in front of the taluk office here on Thursday demanding, among other things, implementation of the statutory wage fixation, unconditional distribution of free house site pattas, implementation of the food-for-work jobs manually and directly avoiding contracts, return of the membership fee with due interest contributed by the more than 7.32-lakh farm labourers who became members of the Agricultural Workers' Welfare Board and formation of a committee to oversee the implementation of the Farmers' Protection Scheme.

The Karur union president of the union, K. Anbarasan, led the demonstration, in which the district secretary of the union, P.K. Murugesan, participated.

Social welfare benefits distributed

KARUR: The Collector, A. Karthik, distributed welfare measures worth over Rs.13.66 lakhs to 48 beneficiaries under various schemes through the Social Welfare Department here. Under the Girl Child Protection Scheme 41 couples were given Rs.30,400 each for the welfare of their girl children totalling Rs.12.46 lakhs, while five couples were given Rs.20,000 each under the inter-caste marriage assistance scheme. Another beneficiary was sanctioned Rs.10,000 under the Dr. Dharmambal Ammaiyar Memorial Widow Remarriage Assistance scheme.

The Collector gave away the benefits at a function held here recently, in which the Karur MLA, T.N. Sivasubramanian, the District Revenue Officer, M. Mathivanan, the Project Officer of the District Rural Development Agency, K. Rajamani, and the Social Welfare Officer, Pushpam, participated.

Meeting to identify beneficiaries for loans

PUDUKOTTAI: A meeting to identify the beneficiaries of the `land purchase scheme,' sponsored by the Tamil Nadu Adi Dravida Housing and Development Corporation, was convened here on Thursday. The Collector, P. Sonai, who presided over the meeting, explained the eligibility norms for the programme. Loans would be sanctioned to women members belonging to the SC/ST communities to purchase agricultural land, for its development, provision of irrigational facilities or set up livestock units. Thirty-five beneficiaries were selected under the programme this fiscal. The Collector said loans to the tune of Rs.53.47 lakhs would be sanctioned to them. The District Revenue Officer, K. Gopalakrishnan, the Project Officer of the District Rural Development Agency, M. Madasamy, and the District Manager of the Corporation, Shanmugavalli, were present.

— Staff Reporter

Cattle killed

ERODE: A burning cigarette resulted in the death of a buffalo, three goats and two chicken on Wednesday. According to the Fire and Rescue Service Personnel a fire broke out in a cattle pound at Kaikolapalayam, near Vallipurathanpalayam, a suburb of Erode. Huge quantity of haystack kept in the pound caught fire killing the animals.

Charred to death

ERODE: A powerloom worker was charred to death on Thursday. According to the police Sekar (45), working in a powerloom factory at Pallipalayam, was killed when his dhoti caught fire from a stove in the kitchen in his house on Wednesday. Though he was admitted to the Erode Government Headquarters Hospital he succumbed to injury.

Youth falls into drain

ERODE: A youth who fell into a drain on Nachiappa road on Wednesday died in a hospital on Thursday. The police said that Perumal (25) of Coimbatore came to Erode in search of employment when he met with the accident. Somebody noticed him and removed him from the drain with the help of others.

Perumal was admitted to Erode Government Headquarters Hospital, where he died.

Memorandum

ERODE: The residents of Malligainagar, near Choolai, on Thursday presented a memorandum to the District Collector, D. Karthikeyan, saying that a burial ground functioning in the area did not have proper facilities and was posing threat to health.

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