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Tuesday, Jul 18, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Briefly

Chennai tourist dies at Courtallam falls

TIRUNELVELI: A tourist from Chennai died in the Main Falls at Courtallam on Monday after he was caught in floods.

Police said Kalaiyarasan (53) had come to Courtallam with his friends. As the Main Falls was receiving heavy flow due to incessant drizzle in the Western Ghats, police asked the tourists to take bath only at safer points. However, Kalaiyarasan reportedly went inside the falls and died due to suffocation after being caught in the floods, the police said.

Courtallam police have registered a case. — Staff Reporter

"Panchaloka" idol found

SALEM: A "panchaloka" idol was found in a gunny bag on a farmland at Ramanathapuram village near Vazhapadi here on Monday.

According to police sources, a farmer, while doing repair works in the fencing around his land on the banks of river Vashishta, found the bag. He immediately handed it over to the Tahsildhar.

The value and period to which the idol belonged are yet to be ascertained. — Special Correspondent

Whale washed ashore

Ramanathapuram: A whale was washed ashore at Kundhukal near Pampan on Monday.

S. Shengamoorthy, Wildlife Warden, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, who inspected the animal, said the whale was weighing around 20 tonnes. The exact cause of the death would be known only after the post-mortem, he said. — Staff Reporter

Ponmudi chairs PWD review meeting

CHENNAI: Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudi on Monday chaired the PWD review meeting ahead of July 22 budget. He has been given temporary charge of the portfolio since the PWD Minister Durai Murugan has been hospitalised, according to officials. — Special Correspondent

50 houses gutted in Kottucherry

KARAIKAL: About 50 houses in Annanagar at Kottucherry in Karaikal district in the Union Territory of Pondicherry were destroyed in a fire that broke out on Monday afternoon. Fire tenders from Karaikal put out the fire quickly. The total loss is estimated at Rs.50 lakh.

Sudhir Kumar, Karaikal District Collector, and other officials visited the spot and gave compensation amount of Rs. 6,000 per family affected by the fire. — Staff Reporter

Counselling for lecturer appointments

CHENNAI: Counselling for candidates selected through the Teachers Recruitment Board for appointment as lecturers in government engineering colleges, polytechnic colleges and special institutions, will be held at the Directorate of Technical Education on July 20 and 24.

While counselling for 66 candidates for appointment in government engineering colleges will be held at 10.30 a.m. on July 20, counselling for 123 candidates for appointment in government polytechnic colleges and special institutions will be held at 10.30 a.m. on July 24, a press release here said. — Special Correspondent

DYFI to support July 22 agitation

CHENNAI: The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) on Monday decided to support the agitation slated for July 22 for "redemption" of `Panchami' land in Sirudhavur village in Kancheepuram district.

In a statement here, S.K. Mahendran and S. Kannan, State president and secretary of the DYFI respectively, said landlords in different parts of the State had occupied Panchami land distributed to Dalits.

— Special Correspondent

16 houses gutted

DINDIGUL: Sixteen houses were gutted at Vellayampatti near Kasipalayam in Vedasandur taluk on Monday.

Three goats were killed. Household items and a sum of Rs.5,000 were also destroyed. Fire tenders from Vedasandur and Dindigul rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire.

Later, revenue officials gave away Rs.2,000, five kg of rice and one litre of kerosene to each affected family.

Grievance day

Ramanathapuram: The district agricultural grievance day meeting will be held at the Collectorate on July 21.

The Collector, K.S. Muthuswamy, said representatives from agriculturists' association and public could send their grievance relating to agriculture.

Sewing machines distributed

Ramanathapuram: The Collector, K.S. Muthuswamy, on Monday directed the officials concerned to take necessary action on 147 memorandums received at the grievance day meeting held at the Collectorate.

He distributed sewing machines to seven persons.

Water level

MADURAI: Water level in the Periyar dam on Monday stood at 123.8 feet, with an inflow of 2757 cusecs and a discharge of 1021 cusecs.

The Vaigai dam had water up to 43.41 feet.

It had an inflow and a discharge of 639 and 41 cusecs respectively. The combined Periyar-Vaigai credit stood at 4293 mcft. Periyar dam recorded 18 mm of rainfall in the region, followed by Thekkadi 5, Gudalur 2 and Shanmuga Nadhi 2.6.

Probe into rape case sought

PERAMBALUR: A rights activists organisation, `Evidence', Madurai, has urged the National Commission for Women to take up suo motu probe into the alleged rape of a 15-year old girl at Arumbavur near here recently. In a statement issued here on Monday, the Evidence said that the Commission should visit the village and recommend relief to the victim. The Government should pay a compensation of Rs Three lakh to the girl, it demanded.

Mettur level

TIRUCHI: The water level at the Mettur dam stood at 103.44 feet on Monday. The inflow was 15,492 cusecs and the outflow, 18,000 cusecs.

— Staff Reporter

Body recovered

ERODE: The Arachalure police on Monday recovered a body of a 20-year-old woman with burns on her face from the Lower Bhavani Project canal near Arachalure. The identity of the woman is not known.

In another incident, a woman was found dead at her house in Moolanure. According to the police, Mylathal (58), wife of Senniappa Gounder of Sanarpalayam was found dead charred at her house on Monday. The Moolanure police have recovered the body. - Staff Reporter

Awareness programme

ERODE: On behalf of the Blood Donors' Club of Sri Vasavi College, a blood donation awareness programme was conducted at the college. Chief surgeon of the Government Headquarters Hospital N. Sengottiyan inaugurated the programme. He explained the importance of blood donation, grouping and blood transfusion methods. - Staff Reporter

Bomb hoax

Tuticorin: A bomb threat to a temple caused panic here on Monday. Police received the threat call at 6.55 a.m. The anonymous caller told that a bomb was planted on the temple premises and it would explode any time.

A team led by Superintendent of Police John Nicholson carried out combing exercise. After an hour, the call was found to be a hoax.

Fishermen missing

Tuticorin: A 44-year-old fisherman was missing after he allegedly fell from a mechanised boat while fishing here on Monday.

Gjanasekaran went fishing with five others from the fishing harbour.

According to his companions, he fell from the boat accidentally and was missing since then.

Demonstration

Nagercoil: Construction workers staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate here on Monday urging the Government to ensure availability of cement, sand and rubbles at reasonable price.

Hemachandran, former MLA of Thiruvattar, Chellappan, district president, CITU, participated in the demonstration.

Road roko

Nagercoil: Residents of Thengamputhur resorted to road roko near Naynarputhur on Monday urging the authorities concerned to operate 36 B between Nagercoil and Manakudi as per the permitted route. According to sources, the bus service was being operated via NGO Colony, Naynaputhur, Melakrishnanputhur and Nagercoil from Manakudi. However the bus service was diverted in some other routes causing hardship to villagers.

New Dean for Fisheries College

Tuticorin: V. K. Ventaramani took over as Dean of the Fisheries College and Research Institute here on Monday.

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