Adani News

Tag: Tamil Nadu

  • Tamil Nadu: BJP leader arrested for tweeting against ‘public peace’

    Tamil Nadu: BJP leader arrested for tweeting against ‘public peace’

    Chennai(IANS) | The Tamil Nadu Police on Wednesday arrested BJP’s industrial cell state vice-president S. Selvakumar was arrested. According to the police, the posts were shared between April 6 and 11. R.K. Suresh Kumar had complained against Selvakumar on Tuesday. He has been booked under section 505(1)(b) of the Indian Penal Code (with intent to cause fear in the public or any section of the public so as to cause any person to commit an offense against the State or against the public tranquillity) may be induced) and was arrested under section 66 (computer-related offences) of the IT Act.

    Selvakumar to Inspector P.A. Arrested by a team of police officers led by Arun. BJP state president K. Annamalai condemned the arrest of Selvakumar and said that the DMK government was trying to suppress the voices of those who were raising their voice against the wrongdoings of the government.

    –IANS

  • #GoBackFascistModi trends on Twitter as PM set to visit Telangana, TN

    #GoBackFascistModi trends on Twitter as PM set to visit Telangana, TN

    Hyderabad: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Hyderabad followed by a visit to Tamil Nadu in order to launch infrastructure projects along with a public meeting in Secunderabad organised by the state BJP, #GoBackFascistModi trended on Twitter on Saturday.

    These tweets mostly emanated from Tamil Nadu where a tussle is underway between the BJP led centre and the DMK led state government just like the tussle between the BRS and the BJP in Telangana.

    As per the itinerary, Modi will reach Begumpet Airport at 11.30 a.m. and then head to Secunderabad Railway Station to flag off the Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express. The new train is expected to reduce travel time between the two cities by almost three and a half hours and will be particularly beneficial for pilgrims.

    After the flag-off ceremony, the Prime Minister will attend a public meeting at Parade Grounds, where he will lay the foundation stone for new blocks at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bibinagar. He will also lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Secunderabad Railway Station, which is being taken up at a cost of Rs 720 crore. The revamped station will have world-class amenities and an aesthetically designed iconic building. It will feature a double-level spacious roof plaza with all passenger amenities in one place, as well as multimodal connectivity for seamless transfer of passengers from rail to other modes of transport.

    Furthermore, the Prime Minister will flag off 13 new Multi-Modal Transport Service (MMTS) services in the suburban section of Hyderabad-Secunderabad twin city region, providing commuters with a fast, convenient, and comfortable travel option. He will also dedicate to the nation the doubling and electrification of the Secunderabad-Mahabubnagar project, stretching over 85 km, completed at a cost of nearly Rs 1,410 crore. The project will provide seamless connectivity and assist in enhancing the average speed of trains.

  • Tamil Nadu fisheries minister’s announcements get mixed response

    Tamil Nadu fisheries minister’s announcements get mixed response

    THOOTHUKUDI: The fishing community has expressed mixed feelings about the announcements made by fisheries and fishermen welfare minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan during the demand for grants debate in the state assembly on Wednesday. While they welcomed the license period extension for fishing vessels, no mention of the fishing ban period compensation has left them a disappointed lot.

    Extension of fishing vessels’ license period to three years, the hike of compensation for natural death for fishers from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000, the hike of daily relief amount to families of missing fishermen from Rs 250 to Rs 350, and proposal to construct groynes, fishing harbours, boat jetties, fish auction centres and mending centres at various places across the TN coastline, were announcements that elated the community.

    Further, the fishermen headed by traditional village committee president Edison Fernando in Thoothukudi district’s Punnakayal hamlet expressed deep gratitude to Chief Minister MK Stalin and Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan for allocating Rs 10 crore for various infrastructure projects in their village. The minister had announced a fishnet mending centre, internal development works, roads, and drinking water facility for Punnakayal hamlet located at the mouth of the Thamirabarani River.

    Speaking to media persons, National Fishermen Union president Anton Gomez said though they welcomed most of the announcements, it was disappointing to learn that the demand for grants debate made no mention of fishing ban period compensation, pension and houses for the welfare of fishermen. The DMK, which had promised to hike the fishing ban relief to Rs 8,000 in the poll manifesto, has only hiked it to Rs 6,000 from Rs 5,000 last year, he said.

    On the grant of 75% subsidy on safety gear (life jacket) for 40,000 fishermen, Gomez said the scheme coverage should be extended to at least the 4.3 lakh fishermen officially documented in the records maintained by societies. “The actual fishermen strength in the state might even be over 10 lakh. It is also disappointing that construction of groynes was not announced for Koothankuli, Kootapuli and Thomaiyarpuram fishing hamlets in Tirunelveli district, which has been vulnerable to severe sea erosion,” he added.

    Gomez also alleged that the construction of groynes in Tirunelveli district was getting delayed by years only because the project was transferred from the fisheries department to the public works department. “This happened owing to the interference of Radhapuram MLA and assembly speaker M Appavu. The fishermen are also aggrieved that the fisheries minister did not give clarity on issues related to the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), a recent draft notification of which missed mention of over 400 fishing hamlets along the Coromandel Coast,” he said.

    The government must also reconsider the number of funds allocated for the construction of groyne alongside a boat jetty at Iraimanthurai, Mela Kadiyapattinam and Annainagar beaches in Kanniyakumari district, said Neithal Makkal Iyakkam district president Kurumpanai Berlin. He also raised the demand for `350 relief per fisher during the fishing ban period and the stationing of ambulances in the coastal areas. Meanwhile, the fisher community has also urged the government to increase the quantity of subsidised kerosene provided for outboard engines and double the provision of tax-free diesel.

  • Tamil Nadu BJP cadre murder death case might be handed over to NIA

    Tamil Nadu BJP cadre murder death case might be handed over to NIA

    PUDUCHERRY: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has recommended the Ministry of Home Affairs to hand over the murder case of BJP functionary Senthil Kumar (42), who was hacked to death at Villianur on March 27. The matter is pending approval with the MHA.

    According to highly placed sources, two teams from NIA have visited Puducherry twice since the murder and collected details about the case. “First, a team led by an Inspector arrived, followed by a team led by a Sub-Inspector. We have shared the FIR with them, among other details gathered during the investigation, including those related to the explosives. They have now recommended it to the MHA. A response will take about two weeks,” said the source.

    Party sources said Kumar was a close aide of the union territory’s Home Minister A Namassivayam. He was earlier with the Congress but followed Namassivayam on the latter’s way out to join the saffron party. Subsequently, he became the BJP’s block president in the Mangalam constituency.

    Kumar was attacked last month when he was waiting near a bakery. A group of motorcycle-borne assailants hurled two country-made bombs and hacked him to death before fleeing the spot. In a turn of events, all seven accused surrendered to the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Trichy the next day. Police are interrogating three other persons in connection with the case.

    Kumar was also into real estate in addition to other businesses. “Real estate-related rivalry could be the motive behind the murder, but the case has a murky background,” said a police official. Meanwhile, former CM V Narayanasamy demanded a CBI probe on Tuesday. There are reports of nexus between some police personnel and the accused, suggesting the investigation by local police may not be a fair one, he said. There have been allegations from certain quarters that Senthil Kumar’s stature was growing in the constituency, which could have translated into an MLA. Hence, he was “eliminated” for political gains by someone who is eyeing Mangalam constituency for the next Assembly elections, he said.

    Raising the issue in the Assembly, Leader of Opposition R Siva said that police failed to act despite Kumar having lodged complaints earlier claiming threat to life. “The murder of a ruling party functionary in public is an indication of the prevailing law and order situation in the union territory,” he said.

  • “No Contamination Found”: Tamil Nadu Official As US Flags Indian Eye Drop

    “No Contamination Found”: Tamil Nadu Official As US Flags Indian Eye Drop

    Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s drug regulator has said it found “no contamination” in samples of eye drops manufactured by Chennai-based Global Pharma, which has hit headlines after a US watchdog linked cases of infections, blindness and even deaths to the eye drops.

    The director of the Tamil Nadu Drugs Control PV Vijayalakshmi has said no contamination was found in samples from unopened eye drops manufactured by the Chennai plant. “Samples from several batches, including the one under question, were analysed. We found no contamination. The raw materials too were found as per standards,” the drug regulator’s director said.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the top medical watchdog in the US, has linked the eyedrops to the likelihood of a highly drug-resistant bacteria gaining a foothold in the US.

    Three deaths, eight cases of blindness and dozens of infections have been traced to eyedrops made by Global Pharma Healthcare under the brand name EzriCare Artificial Tears, The New York Times reported, citing the CDC.

    Infectious disease specialists said this drug-resistant bacteria strain had not been previously detected in the US and was particularly difficult to treat with the antibiotics currently available, the newspaper reported.

  • Tamil Nadu 1,300 acres of temple lands recovered in two years

    Tamil Nadu 1,300 acres of temple lands recovered in two years

    TIRUPPUR: The Hindu Religious and Endowments (HR&CE) department has retrieved over 1,300 acres of temple lands in the district from encroachers in the past two years. The department’s efforts, however, are slowed down by a lack of adequate staff, political interference and litigations.

    According to details shared by HR&CE department, there are 1,142 temples under its administration in Tiruppur. Officials managed to recover 715.08 acres belonging to 38 temples from 220 encroachers between May 2021- March 2022. Between April 2022 and January 2023, a total of 593 acres belonging to 30 temples were recovered from 181 encroachers.

    Hindu outfits charged HR & CE department officials with not taking proactive steps to reclaim properties from encroachers. State secretary of Hindu Munnani JS Kishore Kumar said, “They initiated action to recover land belonging to temples with higher income in the past two years. They are not concentrating on temples that have an income of less than `1 crore. Such temples have vast tracts of farm and pasture lands in rural segments. As less attention is given to these temples, people with political influence encroach on them.”

    Shiv Sena (youth wing) president A Thirumurugan Dinesh said, “Officials avoid taking recovery action on temples whose trustees are close to the ruling party. They choose temples, not on the basis of wealth and property.”

    An official from HR&CE department in Tiruppur said, “We have one assistant commissioner and 17 executive officers for the whole district which has 1,142 temples. Despite such poor strength, we have checked all records. Besides, influential persons with political power, litigation is hampering the recovery process.

    For example, a leading private dairy is sitting on over 150 acres belonging to Velayuthasamy temple in Sivamalai. We have filed a case against them. The civil dispute has been pending in Tiruppur District Court for more than 15 years. Many such cases are proving to be a hurdle for officials in recovering lands from encroachers.”

  • Teachers trace irregular students for Class 10 Board exams in Tamil Nadu

    Teachers trace irregular students for Class 10 Board exams in Tamil Nadu

    COIMBATORE: With over 50,000 Class 12 students skipping the Tamil paper of the board exams, the school education is taking steps to avert a similar situation during Class X exams, which begin on April 6.
    Based on directions from the department, teachers across the state are tracing Class 10 students who have been irregular in attending classes.

    According to official sources, student details are maintained at the EMIS portal. So, headmasters cannot remove the long absentee students’ names without issuing Transfer Certificates. Even if students are long absentees, hall ticket for board exam is generated automatically for them. This is how officials came to know that a large number of Class 12 students who were long absent and got hall tickets did not write the exam.

    “After learning a lesson from this, officers have started to trace students through graduate teachers to avert a repeat of the embarrassment,’ sources added. S Sivasubbiah, headmaster of the government high school at Kannarpalayam in Karamadai, told TNIE, “Educational officers directed all headmasters to ensure that all students attend the Class 10 board exams.

    Out of 45 Class 10 students in our school, only two boys didn’t come to school from the middle of the academic year. I approached them and advised them to come to school, but they didn’t do so. After the officers’ order, I met the two students at their home again last week and found out they were working as coolies along with their parents.

    The parents refused to send them to school as they wanted the boys to work for earning more for the family. When I warned them that I would contact the childline and legal action would be taken against them, the boys started coming to school regularly. ” He said both the students wrote a practical exam on Monday.

    T Arulanandham, science teacher in a government-aided school at Saibaba colony told TNIE, “Seven students did not come to school right from the beginning of academic year. I was able to trace one of the seven, and he is coming to school now. We couldn’t trace the others due to various reasons, including migrating to other places.”

    Education development committee coordinator K Leninbarathi told TNIE, “Since the pandemic situation, many students quit studies due to various reasons, including poverty. The department should identify the problems and provide psychological counselling to the students.”

    When asked about it, a top officer from district school education department told TNIE that the teachers have managed to trace 150 long absentees of Class 10 from Coimbatore and they have been preparing for the exams.

    The Directorate of Government Examination on Tuesday night has extended date for Science practical examinations till March 31 considering the long absentees students. The practical examination date was scheduled from March 20 to 28.

    When asked about this, Karur Chief Educational Officer N Geetha told TNIE,” As per the top officers direction, works for tracing Class 10 students who are long absentees is underway across the state. Due to the efforts of the teachers, some of the students attended the Class 10 practical exams.”

  • Kanchipuram firecracker factory blast: 2 more injured killed, toll rises to 11

    Kanchipuram firecracker factory blast: 2 more injured killed, toll rises to 11

    Chennai (IANS) | Two more people were killed and injured in a blast at a firecracker factory in Tamil Nadu’s Kancheepuram, which suffered over 80 per cent burns. With this, the death toll in this accident has increased to 11. An official gave this information on Sunday. The deceased have been identified as 50-year-old Gajendran and 35-year-old Jagdish. Both were undergoing treatment at the government hospital. The blast took place on March 22 at a firecracker unit at Vallathottam in Kanchipuram.

    After the incident, the factory owner Narendran surrendered to the police. He is currently in judicial custody. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased. At the same time, an amount of Rs 50 thousand will be given to the injured.

    At least 23 people are undergoing treatment in various hospitals after the accident.

    –IANS

  • Congress MLAs to protest in Tamil Nadu Assembly for 24 hours

    Congress MLAs to protest in Tamil Nadu Assembly for 24 hours

    Chennai (IANS) | Tamil Nadu Congress MLAs will stage a dharna in the Assembly on Monday to condemn the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Parliament. The protest will continue for 24 hours and will end on Tuesday morning. The Congress party will also bring a special resolution in the assembly to protest against the murder of democracy.

    This was announced by Congress Legislature Party leader Selvaperithungai while interacting with media persons on Sunday. He said that while attending the ongoing budget session in the House, the legislators would wear black dress.

    He said, to show the unity of the opposition, we will stay in the House and protest with placards of ‘Stand with Rahul Gandhi’.

    Meanwhile, Congress workers observed a hunger strike in front of the memorial of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur.

    The workers raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded the central government to withdraw the case against Rahul Gandhi.

    –IANS

  • Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister inaugurates multiple projects in Coimbatore

    Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister inaugurates multiple projects in Coimbatore

    COIMBATORE: TN Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise V Senthil Balaji inaugurated several projects completed by Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) worth Rs 4.75 crore in Coimbatore on Saturday. The minister also laid the foundation stone for new projects worth Rs 28.03 crore, which include paving of new roads. He inaugurated the new bus shelter near the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH).

    CCMC Mayor Kalpana Anandakumar, Commissioner M Prathap, Deputy Commissioner Dr M Sharmila, Deputy R Vetriselvan, and other officials were also present.Addressing the media, Balaji said, “Works worth Rs 32.78 crore have begun at 13 places in the city. So far, road works worth Rs 223 crore are ongoing and 70% of the works have been completed.”

    “Around 50% of the ongoing road works in the Edayarpalayam-Thadagam areas have been completed and the officials have been advised to complete the remaining works quickly. The Chief Minister has announced new projects for the CCMC, especially the Metro rail project and Rs 9,000 crore has been allotted for it. The work will begin after the DPR is approved.”

    “Semmozhi Poonga is an excellent project and the Chief Minister has allocated funds for updating the project, which was pending for many years. Another outstanding project is the ‘Ezhilmigu Kovai’. Currently, the Semmozhi Park works are being carried out in only one portion of the central jail campus. The rest of the work will take place after the prison is relocated,” he added.