Tamil Nadu   

Briefly

NMR service hit

COIMBATORE: The morning service of the Nilgiris Mountain Rail from Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam was stopped after the pinion under the steam engine that connected it to the track came off between Kallar and Aderly stations at about 8.15 a.m. The pipe that conveyed water to the boiler in the engine was also damaged and the entire stock of water had drained.

Passengers had to alight from the train and make their way to the main road where they were put into buses to Udhagamandalam. An engine from Coonoor was sent to bring the damaged one to Mettupalayam.

On January 17, the train had derailed a km after Kallar. Passengers had a narrow escape as the derailment occurred just after the train had crossed a bridge. — Special Correspondent

Woman, daughter

die of burns

MADURAI: In a suspected act of self-immolation, a woman and her teenaged daughter died at S.S. Colony here on Sunday. Three other family members who rushed to their rescue suffered burns.

According to police sources, S. Raja Mohamed, a lorry driver of Ansari Nagar, heard the cries of his family members at around 4.30 a.m. He saw his wife Mohideen Bath (35) and daughter R. Yasmeen Banu (18) in blaze. Even as he managed to extinguish the fire, the duo who sustained 100 per cent burns died soon after admission in the Government Rajaji Hospital. Mr. Mohamed, his son and daughter were admitted with minor burns. Inspector C. Tholkappian said Mohideen Bath and her daughter might have committed suicide due to family problems. The possibility of a fire mishap was ruled out. — Staff Reporter

Material for making guns seized, 4 held

THENI: Four persons were arrested on the charge of making rifles illegally at Bodi on Saturday night. During a vehicle check, the police seized from Sethumani, Kanagaraj and Mariappan and Jai Ganesh wood for making rifles, 50 bullet cases and material used for making guns. — Staff Reporter

"Many benefits not restored in budget"

VELLORE: The Tamil Nadu High School and Higher Secondary School Graduate Teachers Association has expressed disappointment that the interim budget presented in the Assembly has not restored several of the concessions enjoyed by the 12 lakh Government servants and teachers, which were withdrawn earlier.

State president A. Mayavan, and office-bearers said the association welcomed the announcement on the merger of 50 per cent of the dearness allowance with the basic pay. However it was disappointed that the budget had not restored many of the benefits which were withdrawn by the Government. — Special Correspondent

Fill vacancies: unemployed teachers

VELLORE: The Tamil Nadu Unemployed Graduate and Postgraduate Teachers Association has urged the Government to immediately fill the nearly one lakh vacancies in all departments to provide jobs to the educated unemployed and to regularise the services of the 15,500 temporary employees. State president T. Muthu said while the association thanked Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for lifting the ban on recruitment, it wanted the Government to immediately issue appointment orders to the unemployed.

In another statement, the association requested the Teachers' Recruitment Board to issue a fresh list of candidates selected for filling up 3,177 more teacher posts from out of those who wrote the examination conducted by the Board in November last. — Special Correspondent

Two persons arrested

Tuticorin : Two persons were arrested for allegedly assaulting a police constable at Pudukottai near here on Saturday.

The police said Arulraj, who was going to serve a summon at Sawyerpuram, got stuck in a traffic jam, owing to laying of pipes under way at Pudukottai.

He asked workers, Satishkumar (29) and Sreenivasan (26), to clear the road quickly to facilitate smooth movement of the traffic. The workers assaulted the policeman.

The accused were remanded to custody, the police said.

PDS rice seized

Tuticorin : Revenue officials seized 9.46 tonnes of PDS rice from various parts of the district during week-long raids concluded on Sunday.

Speaking to mediapersons, R Selvaraj, Collector in-charge and District Revenue Officer, said of the total quantity seized, five tons of rice was found at a rice mill situated at R. Kailasapuram, 4.314 tonnes seized from a building situated at Mukkani and 150 kg from a lorry.

The seized rice was handed over to godowns run by the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation.

Dr. Selvaraj said 11 teams had been formed to check illegal transportation of PDS rice from the district.

Woman commits suicide

Nagercoil : A young woman committed suicide by hanging herself in her house on Saturday.

According to the police, Hani Merry alias Priscilla (22) married Soosai Antony of Kanyakumari three years ago. Meanwhile, Soosai Antony harassed her in a drunken mood. Unable to bear his torture, she took this extreme step.

The police have registered a case.

Passport centre opened

Nagercoil : The district administration has opened a passport centre within the premises of the Collectorate in order to facilitate submission of applications and hassle-free issuance of passports to applicants, said the Collector, Sunil Paliwal.

Applications received at this counter would be sent to the zonal passport office in Tiruchi after police verification. This would be a money saving exercise, as residents of the districts hitherto had to visit the zonal office for obtaining passports.

Aavin parlour for SHG

TIRUNELVELI : The Minister for Industries, Nainar Nagendran, inaugurated an Aavin parlour, to be run by Bharatha Matha Women's Self-Help Group, within the premises of Regional Transport Office here on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said the SHG members should use Rs.9,000-worth refrigerator to expand their business.

The Collector, Atul Anand, the Mayor, A. Jayarani, the Tirunelveli Corporation Commissioner, D. Chandrasekaran, the Project Officer, Women Development, Chellathambi, and others participated. — Staff Reporter

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