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December 2002
TN girls regain gold after a decade
Friday, December 27, 2002
CHENNAI DEC. 26. Winning a gold is always sweet, but when it comes almost after a decade, the joy one experiences is difficult to explain unless one has been involved in it. The Tamil Nadu girls' team joy knew no bounds when it pulled off a 3-2 victory over defending Bengal in the final of the BSNL junior National and inter-State table tennis championship at the Nehru Indoor Stadium on Thursday. Defending champion Petroleum Sports Promotion Board Academy denied a double for Tamil Nadu when it overcome the host 3-1 in the boys' final. The architect of the Tamil Nadu win was M. Aparna. The India No. 4 won both her matches, which later proved to be crucial. Down 1-2, it was Aparna who gave the team the lifeline. She attacked with gusto, never allowing Mousami Paul the leeway to go for her shots. Aparna infused the much-need spirit and energy to the team which seemed like losing its way. S. Sangeetha drew inspiration and motivation from her team-mate's win. However, in the fifth and deciding contest against Sayantika Kundu, things were not looking rosy at all for Sangeetha, ranked No. 3 in India. But Sayantika, who led 5-2, 6-4, made two unforced errors at 10-all and this gave the host victory. Tamil Nadu officials, who were restless throughout the final, rushed towards the winners to convey their appreciation. The win brought home memories of the days when N. Arul Selvi, B. Bhuvaneswari and M.S. Mythili dominated the junior events. For the record, the Tamil Nadu girls' team had won gold in 1988, `89, `90 and '91 National junior championships. Three-times National champion, V. Chandrasekhar, who was watching the proceedings, was happy as all the girls, who played in the final, were from his academy Medimix Chandra Academy. The fourth girl K. Shamini is from YMIA-Mylapore Club. Tamil Nadu boys went down fighting to PSPBA 3-1. Rajath Kamal gave Tamil Nadu a winning start with a 12-10, 11-13, 11-7, 11-9 win over Devesh Karia. But top-seeded Arunava Ganguly won two of his matches to deny the host a double. M. Subash lost to Zubin Kumar in the reverse singles and in the fourth match, though Rajath played well within himself to trouble the India No. 1, Arunava proved why he is cut above the rest, as he kept hitting smashes that were on target. For the Tamil Nadu boys, it was an improvement from the bronze they had won last year. Mr. P.W.C. Davidar, Member Secretary, SDAT, gave away the prizes to the girls team.
Kollywood goes to Bollywood
Friday, December 27, 2002
Usually, Hindi films borrow their stories from Hollywood. But, these days, copying Tamil films is not the exclusive rights of Telugu films alone. Hindi films are very much in the competition too. Surprising indeed! 2002 was a nightmare year for Bollywood. Almost 98% of its films flopped miserably. As a remedy, they have decided to switch to Tamil as their source of ideas. 'Alaipaayuthey' was a love story that stormed the box office in 1999. now, it has been remade in Hindi as 'Saathiya'. Manirathinam's student Safth Ali is the film's director in its Hindi version. Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukherjee have played the lead roles in the film. Vikram starrer 'Kashi' and 'Sethu' are all set to speak Hindi soon. 'Dhil's remake is ready to hit the theaters too. The film is called 'Dum' and it stars Vivek Oberoi. The film is expected to be released on the 10th of January. Director Surya is busy remaking 'Khushi' in more than a handful of languages. Since when did 'Khushi' (happiness) need a language? The Hindi version of 'Khushi' has Fardeen Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the lead. It is expected next month. Bollywood is pinning all its hope on this film. If all these were not enough, the biggest hit of Tamil, 'Gemini', is also getting ready in Hindi. Like 'Saathiya' and 'Dum', the hero is going to be Vivek Oberoi in this film too. Next to join this list are films like 'Run', 'Thulluvatho Ilamai', and 'Azagi'. Talks are on for these films. In the past, it was only Telugu and Kannada films that were interested in remaking Tamil films. Now, Hindi films have joined in too. This has created a new spirit in the Tamil cine industry.
Bad times for AR Rehman!
Friday, December 27, 2002
Like a breeze, AR Rehman made his entry into Tamil cinema. Now, he is the refuge for World music. The musical play 'Bollywood Dreams' had made AR Rehman a music composer of International standing. But, he is still overjoyed to compose music for Indian films. With an exception to 'Thaal', all his Hindi compositions were for historical films. Now, 'Saathiya' should give him a break. "The same emotions that existed while making 'Alaipaayuthey' resurfaced while doing its remake in Hindi called 'Saathiya'. That's why I have used to same songs in Hindi too. We had to change two songs because they didn't fit the Hindi atmosphere. "More than 70% of the songs that I had composed in the past two years haven't been released yet. There are 9 films in Hindi and 2 in Tamil that I composed music for. They haven't been made available to the public yet. When people are crazy about my music, such an incident is very depressing. "But, I do know the Indian movie scenario. Like Deepa Mahta's 'Water', there are many compositions of mine that are awaiting release. Everybody wants them to be released. "
Ajith's New Year Resolutions: 'Only two films a year. Rest of the time dedicated to the racing tracks'
Friday, December 27, 2002
The success of 'Villain' has made a new man out of Ajith. Instead of getting carried away by success and making rash decisions, he is taking his time to make a list of New Year resolutions. Here are some- Only two films a year from now on. No more sensitive romantic roles like those in 'Raja' and Poovellam Un Vaasam'. Learn from the mistakes of 'Citizen'. No more bragging about the role in the magazines. No political involvement in any case. Not to have 'Yes' men around. Especially those who are ready to nod their heads for everything. To concentrate on the race circuit. To participate in the international motorbike race events and get some good name for India. These are his resolutions for the coming New Year. Since Ajith had been saying this to his close friends and magazines alike, you could expect that he intends to stick to them.
Kadhal Virus
Friday, December 27, 2002
Kadhir has spun yet another convincing saga around the sweet pangs and pains of untold, unconditional and sacrificial love. The movie has a clear screenplay which is not confusing inspite of its flashback and the twist of events in the story. Richard and Sridevi Vijaykumar make their debut in this film with Abbas. All three of them have portrayed nothing more or nothing less of what was expected of them. They form the corners of the love triangle. Usually Kadhir keeps the suspense and tempo of his films going by keeping the audience guessing as to who will win the heroine or if the hero would finally get to propose his untold love. But in this film he has worked backwards on his usual formula neatly. You can't miss being smitten by the love virus of this season - a joint venture of Kadhir and A.R.Rahman. Richard, brother of Shalini plays the role of a famous director in the movie. The film reels back into a flashback from a press interview of Richard on the success of his film. Mesmerized by the power of love Richard is an aspiring director who sees Sridevi on the pieces of a shattered mirror and falls in love with her at the first sight. He loses her in the crowd but happens to meet her again in Kodaikanal in a friends place. To his relief he also discovers that Sridevi is his friend's sister. When he finally musters the courage to propose to Sridevi she gets engaged to Raghuvaran. On the day of the marriage Richard saves Sridevi from a fire accident. Realizing the intensity and depth Richard's love for Sridevi Raghuvaran backs out saying they both deserve each other. Sridevi falls in love with Richard. Meanwhile Richard leaves town to become a director. They lose contact with each other with circumstances as hurdles. On the first day shoot of his film Sridevi comes in with her marriage invitation. When Richard's car breaks down once he goes to Abbas' place who is striving to become an actor. There he sees Sridevi married to Abbas and both of them going through difficult times. He advises Abbas who is actually wealthy, to go back to his father's business and wealth for Sridevi's sake. He also discourages the director who was about to book Abbas for his film. A dejected Abbas tries to commit suicide by drinking poison. An enraged Sridevi mistakes Richard's intentions and blames him for taking revenge on Abbas as she did not marry Richard. A hurt Richard goes out of his way to produce a film by himself and casts Abbas as the hero of the film. Abbas becomes a famous and rich actor but Sridevi continues to misunderstand Richard's intention. The film ends with an unexpected climax depicting the power of love and sacrifice being proved once again.
Virumbugiren
Friday, December 27, 2002
It is 'Five Star' film director Susi Ganesan's first film and one has to give all the five stars due to the director for the efforts in his debut work. Adding light and glow to the director's crowning glory is the performance of Prashanth and Sneha. After Tamizh this is yet another mature and down to earth performance of Prashanth that would win him more fans. He has reflected the right proportion of emotions when it comes to portraying the responsibility as a son or love as Sneha's lover. Prashanth, plays the role of Sivan, a talented fashion designer who takes the responsibility of his family on his shoulders when his father dies in service as a fireman. So he takes up his Dad's job. He is deputed to a village where there are constant inexplicable fires due to local disputes. There he falls in love with a girl Thavamani from the village, played by Sneha. She is galore in glory, grace, performance and appearance in the film. There is no sign or evidence that it was her first film. Few of the unacceptable elements in the film are the villagers prejudice against Prashanth and the directors attempt to push too many songs into the film. Nasser as usual performs is up to the expectations and demands of his role. The director has made up to the usual romantic scenes with an unusual climax. Music - Deva's non-contribution to the film goes unnoticed as other aspects of the movie vie with each other to steal the limelight. Virumbugiren a film that was completely worth the wait, a very long wait.
Two students found hanging in school
Thursday, December 26, 2002
Madurai, Dec 25 - Two students of a higher secondary school in Nagapattinam district, who were reportedly in love with each other, were found hanging in a classroom yesterday. Police said the students, both aged 17, had taken the extreme step, frustrated over objections from their parents to their love affair. The school watchman, who found the bodies, reported the matter to the police.
PMK welcomes PM's statement on Hindutva
Thursday, December 26, 2002
Chennai, Dec 25 - Pattali Makkal Katchi, one of the constituents of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, on Wednesday welcomed Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's reported statement that Hindutva cannot be an election issue and can only be "a way of life". "By making such an assertion, he has put an end to criticism from various quarters," PMK founder-leader, Dr S Ramadoss, said here. Ramadoss said this assertion of Vajpayee was a fitting Christmas day message to the people. He had proved himself as a secular leader of the country, he said. He also welcomed the resolution passed at the National Executive that said there was "no change" in the NDA agenda.
DMK gearing for another show of strength
Thursday, December 26, 2002
Chennai, Dec 25 - The DMK is testing its strength at the local level and also gauging the extent of anti-AIADMK sentiment with a Statewide agitation on December 27. ``Earlier, the agitation was held at district headquarters. Now it is being conducted in taluk headquarters,'' the DMK president, M. Karunanidhi, said when he was asked about the difference between the October 21 protest and the one planned now. The DMK youth wing chief and Mr. Karunanidhi's son, M. K. Stalin, described the earlier agitation, in which he courted arrest, as the first phase of the party protest, aimed at forcing the Government to withdraw ``anti-people policies'', including an across-the-board hike in the prices of commodities and services, the increase in the issue price of rice in the public distribution system, the anti-conversion law and bus privatisation. The focus of the December 27 agitation will be on the anti-conversion law for, the DMK feels that it is time that the party asserted its anti-Hindutva identity and established its position as one which cared for minorities and oppressed classes.
Kharge clarifies on Nagappa's tragic end
Thursday, December 26, 2002
Bangalore, Dec 24. (PTI): Facing a sharp attack from the opposition on the Nagappa issue, Karnataka Home Minister Mallikarjun Kharge today said no one coming forward to be an emissary and forest bandit Veerappan's insistence on Tamil activist Kolathur Mani had come in the way of finding a negotiated end to the 106-day hostage crisis. Making a statement in the Legislative Council, he said in the earlier cases of abduction involving the bandit, many had come forward to play the role of an emissary and he too had accepted them. In the Nagappa case, however, the situation was different. He said the Government had made all efforts to secure the safe release of Nagappa and held all-party meetings thrice and discussions with the Tamil Nadu and Central Governments. Kharge said Mani could not be sent as he was in judicial custody and pointed out that he had secured bail in four of the six cases. But, in the meantime, Nagappa was killed, he said. He said the family members of Nagappa, his well-wishers and various organisations had insisted that the Special Task Force operations should not be carried out and accordingly, it was suspended since September 8. JD(U) members, M P Prakash, B S Horatti and Basavaraj Bommai attacked the Government, blaming it for not being able to secure the release of Nagappa and demanded a CBI probe into his killing.
Tamil actor V K Ramasamy passes away
Thursday, December 26, 2002
Chennai, Dec 24. (UNI): Veteran Tamil film actor V K Ramasamy died here today following a prolonged illness. He was 79. He is survived by his wife, four sons and three daughters. Ramasamy, who began his career as a stage artiste along with the doyen of Tamil Cinema Sivaji Ganesan in the early 1940s, had acted in more than 500 films, including Sivaji's maiden venture 'Parasakthi'. As a teenager, he joined the Ponnusamy Pillai drama troupe and later associated himself with 'Kalaivanar' N S Krishnan's drama troupe. His performance in 'Naam Iruvar', a stage play, set the tone for his entry into the film industry. The play was made as a film by AVM productions in 1947 and it turned out to be the first film for Ramasamy. Having earned the distinction of starring with five generations, Ramasamy won the Tamil Nadu Government's 'Kalaimamani' award in 1970. He had acted with Tamil movie icons like the late MGR and Sivaji Ganesan, as well as the next generation superstars Kamal Haasan and Rajnikant.
Vidhya wins national snooker title
Thursday, December 26, 2002
JAMMU: Tamil Nadu's Vidhya Pillai kept her cool in the crucial stages to prevail over last year's runners-up Uma Devi of Karnakata 3-2 to clinch the crown in the 11th Ladies National Snooker Championship here on Tuesday. Vidhya made amends for her defeat in the league stage of the tournament with a hard-fought 56-34 64-53 34-64 41-50 82-43 victory over her spirited opponent. In a keenly fought encounter, which lasted for about five and a half hours, Vidhya raced to a 2-0 lead and looked all set to take the title in straight frames. Vidhya and the Ladies Billiards champion Anuja Thakur of Maharashtra were presented with the winners' trophy at a function after the match.
TN Governor, Jayalalithaa greet Vajpayee
Thursday, December 26, 2002
Tamil Nadu Governor P S Ramamohan Rao and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday greeted Prime Minister A B Vajpayee on his 79th birthday. In his greetings, the Governor said, "On behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu and on my own behalf, I extend to you best wishes for a long life dedicated, as before, to the building of this nation." Jayalalithaa said in her greeting: "I would like to convey my warm felicitations to you and wish you many more returns of the day." "I pray that the Almighty may grant you many more years of good health and peace to serve our country with renewed strength and vigour," she said. DMK chief and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi also greeted the Prime Minister, saying, "I wish your service to the nation, polity and society and to the Indian literature continues for years to come."
Jaya asks Kerala CM to desist from constructing dam across Bhavani
Thursday, December 26, 2002
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa urged the Kerala Government to reconsider its proposal to construct a dam across river Bhavani, a tributary of river Cauvery, saying it was improper to launch a scheme without the consent of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT). In a letter to her Kerala counterpart A K Antony , she raised a question as to whether any diversion of water outside the Cauvery basin, which itself is a deficit basin, was permissible when the issue was before the CWDT. Any new scheme for use of water in the Cauvery basin by any one of the riparian states had to be undertaken only with the consent of the basin states. The drought prone areas of Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu was fully dependent on water from river Bhavani for drinking and irrigation purposes and any new scheme, particularly the one which envisages trans-basin diversion, should await the final award of the CWDT, Ms Jayalalithaa said. Hence, she requested the Kerala Government to reconsider the matter and desist from taking further action on the construction of the proposed weir. Ms Jayalalithaa had received several representations from the farmers in the Bhavani valley downstream expressing apprehension that if the scheme was taken up by Kerala, they would be badly affected and practically no water will flow down below the Kerala border.
Jayalalithaa's plea to Naidu for water
Thursday, December 26, 2002
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, with her Andhra Pradesh counterpart, Chandrababu Naidu in Hyderabad on Wednesday. HYDERABAD DEC. 25. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, today urged her Andhra Pradesh counterpart, N. Chandrababu Naidu, to take steps to release Krishna water to meet the drinking water needs of Chennai in the summer. Expeditious completion of the works on the Krishna water project to facilitate water supply to Chennai figured prominently during the luncheon meeting between the two. Mr. Naidu and his wife, Bhuvaneswari, invited Ms. Jayalalithaa, to their Jubilee Hills residence for lunch. No member of the Naidu Cabinet or official was present at the exclusive engagement. Informed sources said that when the two met at the National Development Council meet in New Delhi last week, Ms. Jayalalithaa expressed the desire to discuss the drinking water issue with Mr. Naidu, leading to today's talks. Ms. Jayalalithaa arrived here on Tuesday night for a week-long stay. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister referred to the precarious water situation in Chennai in the wake of failure of the north-east monsoon. There was just enough water to meet the needs of Chennai until March. Against this backdrop, she stressed the need to speed up the pending works of the Krishna water project. Ms. Jayalalithaa specifically sought early completion of evacuation and rehabilitation of 11 villages located in the waterspread area of Somasila reservoir, shifting of district roads running in the foreshore of the Kandaleru dam and excavation in the Chennamukkapalli canal linking the Telugu Ganga canal with the Pennar. Also, lining works of the flood flow canal and the Kandaleru-Poondi canal needed to be speeded up. She sought Mr. Naidu's help and support in releasing adequate quantity of water to Chennai from April 2003, as the available quantity was sufficient only up to March. Responding to the plea, Mr. Naidu assured the Ms. Jayalalithaa that the pending works would be expedited to ensure `regular supply of assured quantity' of water to Chennai as envisaged in the project agreement, according to a press release issued by the Tamil Nadu Government. The 100-minute meeting between the two is understood to have centred around the drinking water issue and little else. When reporters met Mr. Naidu at a Christmas function later, he explained that he only invited Ms. Jayalalithaa for lunch and that no political significance be attached to it. Political observers believe that with Ms. Jayalalithaa getting closer to the BJP leadership lately and Mr. Naidu eager to maintain a safe distance from it after the Gujarat poll, there could not have been much common ground for them to cover.
Floral tributes paid to Vazhapadi Ramamoorthy
Sunday, December 22, 2002
PTI CHENNAI: Floral tributes were paid by senior Congress leaders on Saturday to their departed party colleague and former Union minister, Vazhapadi Ramamoorthy, with All India Secretaries Ramesh Chennithala and Naresh Rawal, taking the lead. Unveiling a portrait of Ramamoorthy and paying rich tributes, Chennithala and Rawal exhorted partymen to strengthen the secular forces to fight the communal and divisive forces in the country. All India Congress Secretary, G K Vasan, Tamil Nadu Congress President, S Balakrishnan and Working President, E V K S Elangovan, joined others in paying the floral tributes. Ramamoorthy, who floated his own outfit, Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress, and subsequently merged it with the Congress, died following a heart attack here on October 27.
Karunanidhi question Jaya
Sunday, December 22, 2002
Chennai, Dec 22 - DMK president M Karunanidhi said Jayalalithaa is contradicting herself by declaring in the same breath, that she is following the foot-steps of Periyar and Anna as well as claiming to be the sole protector of Hinduism. He quoted some of the questions raised by DMK founder C.N. Annadurai in his book Aryan Illusion”: Will anyone call himself a Hindu after carefully scrutinising various modes of worship, the social stratification and the ways of life as portrayed by Hinduism. He also pointed out how Annadurai wondered whether anyone will become a Hindu after realising that it denigrates and ill-treats him. In this context, Karunanidhi observed that Jayalalithaa has the temerity to say that she enacted the anti-conversion law following Anna’s path. Karunanidhi drew attention to a saying by Periyar in his book Quotable quotes of Periyar”. Periyar had said if the Hindu way of orthodoxy is preserved and comes to rule, then Brahmin supremacy alone will reign and others will become untouchables.
Reported decision to close the Alanganallur Cooperative Sugar Mill
Sunday, December 22, 2002
Madurai, Dec 22 - The reported decision to close the Alanganallur Cooperative Sugar Mill in Madurai district has caused wide concern. Cane growers suspect that moves are on to sell the mill to private hands. Its closure would affect many thousands of farmers spread over three Tamil Nadu districts. Cane farmers in Madurai, Dindigul and Virudhunagar districts supply their sugarcane to the National Cooperative Sugar Mill in Mettupatti near Alanganallur. Recently, the mill reduced its cane crushing capacity by 50 per cent. There are reports that the mill is to be sold to private hands as it is running at a loss. Farmers are worried. They say the mill has to pay them more than a crore of rupees for cane already supplied. And if it closed, where would they take their cane for crushing? Para dub: As a prelude to the sale of the sugar mill, they stopped procuring cane from farmers. Then they stopped crushing cane. If asked, they said no cane was available for crushing. Government officials say if the sugar mill does not function the loss could be pegged to 8 crore rupees. If it runs, the loss would be 12 crore rupees. No bank loans are available for working capital requirements….. The farmers seem to be faced with a no-win situation.
Tamil Nadu police murder verdict
Sunday, December 22, 2002
A court in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has found eight Muslims guilty of the murder of a policeman five years ago - a case that triggered sectarian riots. The eight will be sentenced later. A ninth person also judged to be guilty has already died. The policeman -- a Hindu -- was killed while trying to stop three Muslim youths for a traffic infringement in the city of Coimbatore. Nineteen people died in the rioting that followed.
Tamil Nadu phones go eight-digit
Sunday, December 22, 2002
Chennai, Dec 22 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Sunday switched over to eight-digit telephone numbers, with virtually all numbers getting a '2' at the start. This will, however, not apply to numbers in Kanyakumari district. And emergency numbers beginning with '1' will remain the same. The change, as part of a nationwide programme, was effected from midnight Saturday.
Five new services from BPL Mobile
Sunday, December 22, 2002
Coimbatore, Dec 21: Based on customer feedback, one of the leading cellular operators in this part, BPL Mobile, would be rolling out its five new products and services during next week. With focus laid on making more use of existing technology, the company would introduce vernacular version in voicemail service, R A Venkitachalam, COO, (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) told reporters here today. Another service would be ‘Mioffice’, by which subscribers can receive through SMS services like e-mail notification service sending/receiving mails and group messaging. Transmission could be done from a mobile phone and the subscriber can send message to a group-by-group name and member name, he said. Yet another innovation from the company would be ‘Bill-alert’, a service for all postpaid subscribers. Subscribers would receive instant bill alert through SMS and with this facility, one could control the bill to a large extent, Venkitachalam said. On the lines of an earlier service launched in the long-distance, Hello Chennai and Hello World, the company is launching Hello India, specifically for the huge non-Tamil population with relatives in another state in India, he said. For prepaid subscribers, BPL Mobile has developed an exclusive alert service, ‘Mobile-alert’, he said, adding that by this, the subscriber will receive notification of missed calls through SMS when either the mobile phone has been switched off or the subscribers has been out of the coverage area. (Agencies)
Update on Kamal and Simran
Saturday, December 21, 2002
The romance between Kamal and Simran is growing stronger by the day. Kamal visited Kumbakonam where Simran was shooting for Arasu with Sarath Kumar. Late night the lovebirds left by car to Trichy and checked into two separate rooms in a hotel. The hotel staff was told by the couple not to disclose to anyone about their stay. They did not go out of the hotel and left early morning back to Kumbakonam. Kamal did not even visit his brother Chandra Haasan who lives nearby. Meanwhile Sarath Kumar speaking to the press in Kumbakonam said that Kamal was not right in saying that artistes should not talk about public matters like linking of rivers. "Do we know only to cry and laugh when the director tells us? Don't we have any brains and individuality?" asked Sarath. He wanted Vijayakanth to reveal who are the black sheep in the filmdom. Such traitors should be driven out said Sarath. He was reacting to the Captain's speech in Salem about the 'drohis (traitors)' to Tamil cause in the film industry.
320 Persons affected with AIDS in Villupuram: Minister
Thursday, December 19, 2002
320 Persons affected with AIDS in Villupuram: Minister VILLUPURAM: Food and Co-operation Minister P Mohan informed that as many as 320 persons got AIDS in Villupuram District at Ulundurpet near here. Participating in the World AIDS awakening day at Ulundurpet on Sunday, he said that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa geared up health department to control the AIDS fullest extent. He said that many medical camps are being organised throughout the Tamil Nadu for prevention of diseases and added that people need awakening about AIDS to eradicate the same. He said if one person live on the principle of living with his wife then only this dreaded AIDS can be avoided. He said Chief Minister has taken action to prevent AIDS for the new born child born to AIDS affected mother through mother and ward welfare scheme. He said the action will be taken to aircondition the mortuary in Ulundurpet. Presiding over the function District Collector a Mohammed Aslam has said that in India 32,191 got AIDS and 45 per cent of them are in Tamil Nadu. He pointed out that AIDS are more prevalent in Chennai and Villupuram district ranks 6th in that respect. Joint Director (welfare works) C Jayaraman, Ulundurpet town panchayat chairman S Durai, Assistant director (Health) S Maniarasu and assistant director (Leprosy) A Abdul Jamesh spoke. Ulundurpet Government doctor K Pichamuthu proposed a vote of thanks.
Three sentenced for dowry death
Thursday, December 19, 2002
Madurai, Dec 19 - A fast track court here yesterday sentenced the husband, mother-in-law and father-in-law of a woman to seven years rigorous imprisonment for harassing her to bring more dowry, which led to her suicide. Police said the girl was married in September this year and 10.5 sovereigns of jewels and Rs 10,000 were given as dowry. But she came back to her parents’ house 20 days later and told her father that her husband was demanding Rs 20,000 for settling marriage loans. The girl’s father arranged for Rs 17,000 and gave it to his son-in-law. However, on October 27, he was informed that she had committed suicide by hanging herself. He filed a case and the police arrested the three.
Nip it in the bud, says Karunanidhi
Thursday, December 19, 2002
Nip it in the bud, says Karunanidhi Chennai, Dec 18 - The DMK president, M. Karunanidhi, today said the recent demands of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, including punishing anti-Hindutva forces, should be "nipped in the bud.'' The VHP secretary-general, Praveen Togadia, had stated that Muslims in this country should only be granted the rights that the Hindus enjoyed in Pakistan, and that anyone opposing Hindutva should be punished. These should be opposed word for word, Mr. Karunanidhi said. India was a secular democratic republic while a dictator ran Pakistan. Also, VHP sentiments ran counter to the assurances given by the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, that India would never be a Hindu nation. On the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, greeting the caretaker Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, he reminded people that it was Ms. Jayalalithaa who, had in April, demanded Mr. Modi's resignation. She had also stated that the central BJP leadership should pressure him to resign, Mr. Karunanidhi said.
Law College principal asked to reserve 11 seats
Thursday, December 19, 2002
Law College principal asked to reserve 11 seats CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Director of Legal Studies and the principal of Dr Ambedkar Government Law college in the city to reserve 11 seats for 11 candidates, who could not write the entrance examination due to belated receipt of hall-tickets. ``Having regard to the facts and circumstances of the case and the balance of convenience, we direct the respondents to reserve 11 seats for the 11 writ petitioners who are before us,'' the First Bench comprising Chief Justice B Subhashan Reddy and Justice C Nagappan observed on Tuesday. For the rest of the seats, the selection process could be continued for admission, the Bench said and made it clear that the selection process exercise should be subject to the result of the proceedings pending before the Supreme Court and the consequential orders to be passed by this court. The Bench was passing interim orders on a batch of writ petitions from the candidates who had received the hall-ticket for the entrance examination for the five-year BL degree course, scheduled for October 13 last, on various dates beyond October 13.
Air Sahara offers online bidding for tickets
Thursday, December 19, 2002
Air Sahara offers online bidding for tickets CHENNAI: Air Sahara has become the first domestic airliner in the city to introduce online bidding for air tickets for its Chennai - New Delhi flight. Passengers can now place electronic bids for their tickets under the `Steal a Seat Flexi-Auction' scheme for a much lower price than the normal economy fare. Under a special price offer, tickets can be bought for Rs 3900 as against Rs 8750. Auctions start at as low as Re 1 if one bids 25 days in advance but the bid amount (buying price) increases to Rs 5000 from the nineteenth day (in advance) onwards. However, the Re 1 minimum bid amount is only applicable for auctions held 25 days in advance. From the twenty-fourth day (in advance) onwards, the minimum bid amount is Rs 3500 and from the nineteenth day onwards, it is Rs 3900. Refunds are also offered for cancellations made 21 days before the journey. If a cancellation is made 21 days ahead, the passenger loses Rs 100 but from the twenty-first day till one hour before departure, cancellations will be 50 per cent of the fare. The auctions work this way. Passengers log on to www.airsahara.net and enter the bidding section and quote a bid. A passenger can bid only once and the highest bid wins the day's ticket. Auctions are held everyday and close at 10 p.m. The day's winner is announced at 11.30 a.m. The results are intimated by e-mil. Payments are by credit card. The auction is at present available only for the Chennai - New Delhi flight which departs at 3.45 p.m. daily. Auctions are also available at other sectors like Bangalore, New Delhi, Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna, Pune and Varanasi. Apart from online auction, passengers can also opt for direct bidding at the airlines office or by calling (044)7110202. Meanwhile, Indian Airlines will also go in for online auction of air tickets soon in all its national flights. The facility will be launched within the next few days, IA sources said.
Mega-tourism event to rock Chennai
Thursday, December 19, 2002
CHENNAI: Chennai is all set to usher in Chennai Fest 2002, the first ever tourism show in the state with a city as its theme. Starting Friday, for 10 days, it will be all fun and masti at some of the city’s tourism hotspots as the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) along with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has lined up a tableaux of business, leisure and entertainment activities to showcase the state as a favourable destination for foreign and domestic tourists. ‘‘The idea is to project Tamil Nadu as a viable destination for private and public sector participation in tourism development,’’ C P Singh, state Commissioner of Tourism, told mediapersons on Wednesday. The festival aims at promoting not only tourism but also retailing and allied sectors to create awareness of heritage and tradition, he added. The events kick off with a two-day conference-cum-exposition on Friday which will be inaugurated by B Jagmohan, Union Minister of Tourism and Culture and A Miller, state tourism minister. One of the main agendas of the conference will be to explore the idea of forming a southern tourism grid by taking help from tourism authorities of the four southern states. This will be followed by sessions in which tour operators, hospitality representatives, service providers, trade and industrial chambers will participate. The ten-day schedule also includes shopping bonanzas, food festivals, sports activities, daily sight-seeing tours, heritage-related activities, a sound and light show, treasure hunts, music concerts, quiz competitions and to top it all, the fabled Mamallapuram dance fest. Also on the cards is a unique concept called ‘Enjoy East Coast Road’ in which 21 organisations along the East Coast Road (ECR) will come together to promote area-specific tourism. One lakh brochures showing the tourism potential of the region will be distributed to the public, apart from 200 banners that will be put up along the 50 km stretch to herald the fest. A cycle rally along ECR will also be organised. Some of the participants include Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation, Dakshina Chithra, Basera resorts, Food Village, VGP Golden Beach Resort, VGP Universal Kingdom, Dolphin city, Crocodile Bank, Cholamandal artists village and Fisherman’s Cove. The CII was committed to the preservation of the region’s heritage and environment, Manoj Virmani, member, CII, told presspersons, adding that the aim was to project Tamil Nadu as the country’s cultural capital. The strategy to be adopted would include creating awareness, infrastructure and marketing facilities. TTDC is also in the process of identifying certain areas of tourism and developing them holistically, said Singh, adding, that an effort to repackage the state’s tourism potential is also in the offing. Meanwhile, the 29th All India Tourist and Industrial Fair will be inaugurated at Island Grounds, Chennai on December 29 and this year’s theme would be ‘Tourism-A vehicle of sustainable growth and development’, Singh said.
All set for 8-digit phone numbers
Thursday, December 19, 2002
All set for 8-digit phone numbers CHENNAI: From midnight on Sunday (December 22), the city will shift to eight-digit phone numbers, with Chennai Telephones prefixing 2 to the area code. All work towards the smooth transition from seven-digit numbers, including software re-programming and advertisement blitz, have started, Chief General Manager of Chennai Telephones S S Iyer told reporters on Wednesday. ‘‘We are all set for the transfer and do not anticipate any problem. All the exchanges we have are re-programmable and our software experts have been at the task of writing the code for the eight-digit exchanges.’’ The changeover became necessary after private players started offering basic telephony services. ‘‘The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had designated each service provider a number to prefix before their phone numbers so that each of them will have a larger base to choose from,’’ he said. With Chennai set to join the bandwagon, all of Tamil Nadu will have shifted to 8 and 12-digit numbers (satellite towns). However, in a couple of other metros, the shift has been beset with teething trouble. The E-10B exchanges commonly used in the country were not able to handle the increase in phone numbers. Detractors had said once carrier access codes come into being (after the private players started offering STD and ISD services), the consumer would have to dial numbers almost 21-digit long. Something that E-10B exchanges would not be able to handle. However, Chennai CGM S S Iyer said this problem is not likely to hit Chennai in some time to come. ‘‘As yet only 10 to 15 per cent of the exchanges are E10B in the city and the rest of the exchanges will be able to handle the increase in number.’’ He also said that Chennai Telephones was in the process of de-loading all the E10B exchanges. ‘‘This project will be completed in a year’s time, around the same time the Carrier Access Codes are expected to come into being. Therefore there will be no problem on that account,’’ Iyer told this website’s newspaper. In addition, both the eight and seven-digit number will co-exist for some time in some of the exchanges, especially those which start with ‘2’, he said. Some of the consumers like banking services which offer phone-banking facilities have also sought an extension of the old number for some time till all their consumers are alerted about the changes, he said. Chennai Telephones has already started publicising the changeover and starting on December 21, a media blitzkrieg will be launched with advertisements inserted in all dailies to keep the public posted. Also, Interactive Voice Response System will be in place so that a consumer unfamiliar with the changeover will be informed to prefix 2 to the phone number dialled, he added. With respect to the expansion of Wireless in Local Loop (WLL) services, he said Chennai Telephones will expand its 15-base transmission stations to 36 BTS shortly. As of December 16, the activation of the WLL services, called Tarang, has already started. ‘‘We hope to garner a customer base of 1.3 lakh at the end of the first year of operation. Any further expansion will depend on the demand we have for the services,’’ Iyer said.
ADGP watched businessmen beat up two Kumari cops
Thursday, December 19, 2002
ADGP watched businessmen beat up two Kumari cops KANYAKUMARI: It was a typical scene from any Indian film. A whole bunch of boisterous VIPs kicked and thrashed two policemen, while two Chennai-based dignitaries and an Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) watched the `proceedings' without any interruption. While five businessmen were arrested and immediately let out on bail in connection with the ruckus, top police officials and politicians are now trying to shield the VIPs and hush up the incident, which occurred at a hotel here on Saturday last. Highly-placed sources said the select group of 70 VIPs included several businessmen, the two Chennai-based dignitaries, a customs official and the ADGP. There were about 25 women, many of them in their early twenties, gyrating to the tune of an orchestra. The women had reportedly been brought from Chennai to entertain the VIPs. The hotel, which is reportedly connected to a senior politician, does not have a bar or the licence for the orchestra. Yet, liquor flowed free at the hotel that night. The two Kumari policemen, Ramesh Prabhu and head constable P Jesudass, made the grievous mistake of trying to break the party. They had gone to investigate a complaint of indecent and loud merrymaking. Angered by this, the crowd of party-poopers descended upon the duo and beat them up. The dignitaries and the ADGP reportedly enjoyed the proceedings. While the two policemen ended up in the Government hospital (where they were refused admission but treated as outpatients), the VIPs continued with their revelry till the wee hours of Sunday. A police team led by a DSP then went to the spot and reportedly held talks with the ADGP. At about 4 a.m., the team secured five businessmen and took them to the police station, but released them immediately on bail. The ADGP and the dignitaries left the hotel on Sunday morning. Sources said the High Court, on Monday, told a Nagercoil court to immediately send the FIR copy of this case.
Nothing wrong in dreaming: Jaya
Thursday, December 19, 2002
Nothing wrong in dreaming: Jaya CHENNAI: Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday virtually endorsed the views expressed by various speakers at the general council meeting of the party that she should enter national politics. Giving her green signal to the opinions, she quipped during her concluding remarks: ``It depended on the opportunities.'' Recalling the speech made by President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam during his recent visit to Chennai wherein he had stated that only dreams and thoughts would make a person to attain his objectives in life, Jayalalithaa said: ``There is nothing wrong in dreaming'' (of the AIADMK indulging in national politics). She added that ``opportunities will not come on their own, but have to be grabbed.'' The AIADMK's entry into the national scene also depended on the party and its cadres.
`DMK too granted post-facto exemption to colleges'
Thursday, December 19, 2002
`DMK too granted post-facto exemption to colleges' CHENNAI: Of the 66 educational institutions which were granted post-facto exemption under Sec 37-B of the Tamil Nadu Land Reforms (Fixation of Ceiling on Land) Act, 45 had obtained the exemption during the DMK regime, former Educational Minister M Thambidurai has submitted in his counter-affidavit filed in the Madras High Court on Wednesday. Only the remaining 21 institutions were granted the exemption during the present government, Thambidurai, who was removed from the Cabinet recently reportedly on allegations arising out of this issue, said in the counter filed in response to a writ petition from G R Swaminadhan. The petition challenged an order of the Tamil Nadu government granting exemption to Adhiyaman Educational and Research Institution in Hosur, Dharmapuri district, founded by Thambidurai. Of all the 66 institutions, which had obtained the exemption, the petitioner had chosen to challenge the exemption order relating to his college alone, Thambidurai contended. It showed that the petition was filed with an ulterior motive and for political gain, he pointed out. The allegation that he misused his power as Education Minister was mala fide and baseless. He did not have any role to play in the order of exemption passed in favour of Adhiyaman college, as the education ministry did not have any role in the issue. Only the revenue department had the power to grant exemption. The allegations were highly defamatory in character, Thambidurai said adding that he would take steps to proceed against the petitioner for making false and malicious statements. According to Thambidurai, the trust had established Adhiyaman engineering college, MGR Arts and Science college, a polytechnic and a school in Hosur. As per the norms and guidelines prevalent at the time of establishment of the institutions around 1986, there should be a minimum area of 215 acres and he had to necessarily comply with the same. He was not aware that he had to obtain prior permission under Sec 37-B of the Act for acquisition of land, Thambidurai said adding that in fact on a proper interpretation of Sec 37-B, prior permission was not required. This section, also providing for granting exemption, was invoked against his college only in June 2001, Thambidurai said and sought to dismiss the writ petition.
Hear IPS officers' objections, Centre told
Thursday, December 19, 2002
Hear IPS officers' objections, Centre told Chennai, Dec. 17. (PTI): Disposing of petitions by three IPS officers serving in Tamil Nadu whose transfer was sought by the Centre last year on the Karunanidhi arrest issue, the Central Administrative Tribunal today directed that the Centre issue notices to them and hear their objections, if any, before passing final orders. The CAT bench, comprising Vice-Chairman Justice S S Subramani and Administrative Member S Manikavasagam, said "the applicants must be issued notice before any final order is passed and their objections, if any, also be heard." The Bench was passing orders on applications by former City Police chief K Muthukaruppan, a Joint Commissioner of Police S George and a Deputy Commissioner of Police Christopher Nelson, who were directly or indirectly involved in the midnight arrest of former Chief Minister Karunanidhi in connection with the multi-crore "Fly-Overs Scam" on June 30 last year. The Bench accepted the argument by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) that the impugned order was not final but only a communication from the Centre to the Tamil Nadu Government. Hence the question as to whether the procedure under Rule 6 of IPS Cadre Rules 1954 and various instructions were followed or not were not to be considered at this stage, the ASG had told the tribunal. On July 27, 2001, the Centre had sent a communication to the State Government seeking the services of the three officers on deputation to the Central Government.
S Africa's first Tamil film on screen soon
Thursday, December 19, 2002
DURBAN: Audience across Africa, Asia, and North America will get an opportunity to watch the first-ever Tamil movie made in South Africa when it is released next month. 'Naalai', to be released in South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, Canada and Tamil Nadu next month, is about a South African supermodel who has established herself as a high-flying designer in India and who is not afraid to speak her mind, Karasi Pillay, one of the producers of the movie, said at a Tamil Unity Cultural festival here on Sunday. The festival was held to highlight concerns within the Tamil community on the lack of South Indian content in South African radio and television. The film is produced by Dees Pillay, and his daughters Piraloshini, 26, and Karasi, 24, of Durban. The sister duo have studied at the Film and TV Arts Academy in Chennai. The film was shot in Tamil Nadu, Durban and Sun City, Karasi, who played the lead female role, said. "It has taken five years of hard work and anxiety to realise our dream," she said adding the film to be released on the main circuit by the national distributors Ster-Kineko. Another Pillay sibling Kevin has choreographed the dance sequences, penned the lyrics for the soundtrack and even played a part in the film.
SC dismisses Swamy's petition
Thursday, December 19, 2002
SC dismisses Swamy's petition New Delhi Dec. 18. The Supreme Court today dismissed a petition filed by the Janata Party president, Subramanian Swamy, seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against the former Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, Hari Bhaskar, on the allegation that he had tampered with the records relating to coal imports some years ago. A Bench comprising Justice N. Santosh Hegde and Justice B. P. Singh, dismissing the petition by Mr. Swamy, said there was no material on record to prove that Mr. Bhaskar had tampered with the court records. So it would not be safe to infer anything in that regard. PTI
Former minister Rajendran passes away
Monday, December 16, 2002
CHENNAI: Former AIADMK minister in the M G Ramachandran Cabinet S N Rajendran died in a private hospital Saturday after a brief illness, family sources said. He was 67. He is survived by wife, three sons and a daughter. Rajendran was elected to the state Assembly from Tuticorin constituency during Assembly elections in 1980 and 1984.
Son kills parents, commits suicide in Erode
Monday, December 16, 2002
COIMBATORE: In a fit of anger over a share of the family land, a 45-year-old man fatally hacked his parents and later committed suicide at Erode on Saturday night. Police said Sunday that land dispute appeared to be the motive behind the murder and dejection behind the suicide. According to police, the man, angry over not getting his share of family land, hacked his 75-year-old father, who was sleeping outside, with a sickle, near Kodumudi, 30 km from Erode. He also hacked his mother, who came out of the house. He then consumed poisonous tablets and ended his life, police said.
Jaya congratulates Modi
Monday, December 16, 2002
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Sunday congratulated Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his party's victory in the Assembly elections and his own victory in his Maninagar constituency. She told Modi that "despite the difficulties and obstacles created by the extremely hostile media and a hostile Election Commission of India", she was very happy that Modi had overcome all the difficulties and achieved such a splendid victory, an official release said. "The will of the people of Gujarat had prevailed", she told Modi while speaking to him on telephone and wished him all the best
Cong to keep distance from AIADMK, DMK
Monday, December 16, 2002
Cong to keep distance from AIADMK, DMK PTI[ SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2002 07:37:06 PM ] CHENNAI: The Congress in Tamil Nadu will maintain equidistance from the ruling AIADMK and the main Opposition DMK. A political resolution adopted at the party's newly constituted jumbo-sized executive said only a front of secular parties could save the state from the 'communal danger'. All the regional parties were vying with each other to support the BJP, it said. The ruling AIADMK had more or less become the cat's paw of the RSS while the DMK, MDMK and the PMK, which claimed to be Dravidian parties were constituents of the NDA, headed by the BJP at the Centre, the resolution said. Under these circumstances, only an alternative front could save the state, it said adding that the partymen should work towards that goal. Briefing reporters on the deliberations of the meeting, AICC Secretary Ramesh Chennithala said the Congress would go it alone at the present juncture and concentrate on strengthening the party at the grassroot level. The entire state would be divided into 20 regions and TNCC office-bearers would be given charge of specific regions. The party, in collaboration with the Left parties, would organise agitations against the anti-people policies of the Tamil Nadu government, he said.
Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu in tennis semis
Monday, December 16, 2002
Title holders Maharashtra, and formidable Delhi and Tamil Nadu carved out contrasting victories against their opponents to romp into the semifinals of men's tennis team events of the 32nd National Games here today. Maharashtra breezed past Chandigarh 2-0 and Tamil Nadu brushed aside a feeble challenge from Uttar Pradesh by an identical margin at the SAAP tennis complex here. Second seeded Delhi, who won the silver in the last edition of the Games at Punjab, had to stretch themselves to the full before pipping Karnataka 2-1 to settle for a pre-summit clash with Andhra Pradesh. For Maharashtra, in-form Ajay Ramaswami, who won the individual singles crown at Punjab, overcame a spirited second set fightback from Tushar Liberhan to chalk out a 6-1 7-5 win, before Nitin Kirtane settled the issue with a fluent 6-2 6-1 victory against Akash Sharma. Tamil Nadu won their campaign in style, as Vinod Sridhar rode on powerful serves to outwit Kamalesh Shukla 6-2 6-2 while Vijay Kannan had little difficulty in getting past Bhuvan Chaturvedi 6-1 6-2. Title aspirants Andhra Pradesh, however, met with some resistance against Bengal, before setting up a 2-0 win to move to the last four stage of the competition. Vasudev Reddy of the host state overcame a second set reverse to prevail over Vinod Seva 6-1 2-6 6-4 while Punna Vishal got the better of Harshit Sharma 6-4 4-6 7-6. Arjun Gautham put Karnataka ahead with a hard-earned 6-4 3-6 6-4 win over Shivang Mishra, before Davis cupper Vishal Uppal drew level defeating C D Ajay 7-6 (7/3) 6-0. The Karnataka player matched his fancied opponent in the first set which went into the tie-breaker which Uppal won, but then lost his way in the second set to hand a win to Uppal on a platter. But the Delhi's doubles pair of Uppal and Ashutosh Singh proved too strong for Karnataka's C D Ajay and S K Shivshankar registering a 6-3 6-4 victory.
Nagappa death: BJP wants CBI probe
Monday, December 16, 2002
The BJP today demanded a CBI probe into the death of former Karnataka minister H Nagappa as it had inter-state ramifications”. In a statement here, BJP Tamil Nadu unit general secretary H Raja said contradictory reports over the entire episode were pouring in. Reports had also said the diary maintained by late Nagappa was found near the place where his body was found. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were indulging in a war of letters over Nagappa’s death, which, he said, was most unfortunate”. Only a CBI probe would solve many mysteries behind the death, he added. Instead of blaming each other, both states should leave the matter to CBI and concentrate on capturing forest brigand Veerappan, with Central assistance.He welcomed the Centre’s announcement that it would extend all help to catch Veerappan.
Karunanidhi concerned over 'war of letters'
Monday, December 16, 2002
Karunanidhi concerned over 'war of letters' Chennai, Dec. 14. (PTI): DMK President M Karunanidhi, today expressed concern over the 'war of letters' between the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Governments on the former Karnataka Minister H Nagappa's killing and said it was 'unnecessary'. In a statement here, he said if only the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, found out the source of a report in a Tamil eveninger that forest brigand Veerappan fled after leaving Nagappa after Tamil Nadu STF's attack on him, the controversy would not have arosen. "Did the Tamil Nadu Police plant the story or was it a wrong information of the concerned eveninger?", he wondered. He said even on Cauvery issue, if both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had adopted the correct stand, it could have been settled, and added that the differences between both the States had led to 'hatred and enmity' between the people of both States. While Tamil Nadu's action of showing 'disrespect' to the Cauvery River Water Authority was 'unacceptable', the 'adamant' attitude of Karnataka that not even a drop of water would be released was condemnable, he said. The actions of both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Governments had led to the killing of Nagappa, he said adding that even after the gory end to the Nagappa kidnap episode, both States did not seem to adopt a 'friendly approach'.
TN Governor, Jaya receive Kalam
Monday, December 16, 2002
Chennai, Dec 14: A red carpet welcome was accorded to President A P J Abdul Kalam when he arrived here this morning from Hyderabad on his maiden visit to the City after taking over as President. He was received at the Meenambakkam airport by Tamil Nadu Governor P S Ramamohan Rao, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and other top civil and police officials. He also inspected a guard of honour at the airport. Later, he drove straight to the City to fulfill various hectic engagements, including the inauguration of the silver jubilee celebrations of the Anna University. (Our Correspondent)
Small coins, big problem
Sunday, December 15, 2002
Small coins, big problem COIMBATORE: Small denomination coins have become a big problem for the public as they find it hard to use them as legal tender. Coins like 5, 10 and 20 paise are not being accepted anywhere even in banks or buses. ``It is quite strange these coins have been suddenly made `obsolete and unacceptable' even though they continue to be legal tender'', said Kathirmathiyon, Secretary, Coimbatore Consumer Cause. When every one refuses to accept these coins of small denominations the poor man does not know what to do with these coins and as such it is obvious that a large number of coins are held by the people. Even temples have been holding a sizeable number of coins. The irony is that earlier people had been facing lots of hardships and were even being harassed in buses for not bringing the exact change for tickets. When the problem of non-availability of coins became acute and people raised a lot of noise on the issue, the Reserve Bank of India made available adequate quantity of coins through nationalised banks but even then the problem did not subside. It is amusing to know that even beggars consider such coins as `invalid' and refuse to accept them. Kathirmathiyon said his association had written a letter to the Reserve Bank of India seeking its immediate intervention and asking it to direct the nationalised banks to accept these coins of small denominations. The association also appealed to the public to make specific complaints in case the banks refused to accept the small coins. He said the apex bank can organise `coin melas' for exchange of small coins on the lines of the one held for exchanging cut notes.
Lorry on fire plays havoc
Sunday, December 15, 2002
MADURAI: In a ghastly incident, a lorry, laden with match boxes, which caught fire after colliding with a tractor, set ablaze three autorickshaws, two roadside hotels, a tea shop and a fertiliser godown at Vadipatti, about 30 km from here on Saturday. Police said three persons, including the lorry driver, were injured in the accident. According to police, the diesel tank of the lorry burst in a collision igniting the match boxes. The fire spread instantly, forcing the lorry driver to jump out. Later, the lorry ran helter-skelter setting ablaze three autorickshaws, two roadside hotels and a tea shop before demolishing a fertliser godown and then came to a halt. Fire service personnel from Madurai rushed to the spot and put out the fire after two hours. The injured have been admitted to the Government Rajaji Hospital here. The lorry was proceeding to Maharashtra from Kovilpatti when the mishap occurred.
Aravind's glaucoma centre in Nellai
Sunday, December 15, 2002
TIRUNELVELI: The Aravind Zeiss Centre of Excellence in Glaucoma is to be inaugurated here on Sunday. Glaucoma is said to be emerging as the second most common cause of irreversible blindness in the world. Recent surveys have put its prevalence in India to be about 2.5 per cent in those aged over 40 years. A vast number of people remain undiagnosed due to inadequate access to eye care services and lack of awareness. Glaucoma cannot be cured, only controlled. While briefing reporters here on Saturday, Chairman Dr G Venkataswamy and Director Dr P Namperumalsamy of Aravind Eye Care System, Dr R Ramakrishnan, Chief Medical Officer, Tirunelveli, and Rajamani, Sales Manager, Carl Zeiss, claimed that the Tirunelveli centre of excellence would be number one in the country in terms of facilities available and early diagnosis. A sum of Rs 2 crore has been spent for this centre. The Aravind Eye Care System with its network of eye hospital and the institute for community ophthalmology in collaboration with Carl Zeiss (a German company) India aims at imparting the requisite skills and knowledge to the ophthalmologists in combating glaucoma blindness. As the first CME by the centre, a glaucoma update programme is being held at the Aravind Hospital, here on Saturday and Sunday, to provide the postgraduates and practising ophthalmologists the recent concepts in glaucoma diagnosis and management. Those who participated on Saturday include Dr L Vijaya, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, Dr B Sridhar Rao, Kumaran Hospital, Chennai, Dr SS Pandav, PGIMER, Chandigarh, Dr Velayutham, Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, Chennai, Dr Murali Ariga, Sundaram Medical Foundation, Chennai, and Dr Wido Budde, Germany. Tirunelveli Corporation Commissioner Harmander Singh is to inaugurate the centre on Saturday.
Koodal Express to be extended to Nellai
Sunday, December 15, 2002
PORAYAR: The Koodal Express running between Chennai and Madurai at present with 12 coaches will be extended up to Tirunelveli from December 23 with an additional six coaches, said A K Moorthy, Union Minister of State for Railways while inaugurating the 66th Computerised Passenger Reservation Centre in Tamil Nadu at Sirkali on Saturday. Mayiladuthurai MP Mani Shankar Aiyar presided over the function. While speaking to the reporters, Moorthy said that the ongoing BG conversion work between Thanjavur and Kumbakonam would be completed before the 2004 Mahamaham festival. He added that the Railways was exploring the possibility of running Jan Shatabdi Express between Chennai and Madurai. Following the tremendous response to the introduction of the cradle facility in the Nilgiris Express as a pilot scheme, efforts are underway to extend the scheme at an all-India level, said the Minister. Moorthy added that he was taking efforts to get additional grants for Tamil Nadu during the present financial year. Out of the 79 railway over-bridges planned to be constructed in the state this year, work was in progress at 62 places, said the Minister who added that the remaining projects would be undertaken after receiving the 50 per cent contribution from the state government. Efforts are also underway to restore the train service between Tiruchi and Tirupathi which remained suspended due to BG conversion work, the Minister said. The service would be restored partially between Tiruchi and Katpadi soon, he said. Expressing satisfaction over the progress of line doubling work between Madurai and Kodai Road, Moorthy said that more trains would start plying between Chennai and various places in southern districts once the work was completed. The Minister was non-committal when asked about restarting of train service between Tranquebar and Mayiladuthurai. For the benefit of pilgrims, the Sethu Express will halt at Vaitheeswarankoil from January 1, 2003, he said. Mani Shankar Aiyar was all praise for Moorthy for his accomplishments as Railway Minister in a very short span of time. Aiyar described Moorthy as the most active Railway Minister he had seen in his eight-year tenure as a Parliamentarian. Aiyar's comment on the Minister surprised many at the function as Moorthy and Aiyar belong to rival political parties. N S Kasturirangan, Divisional Railway Manager, Tiruchi welcomed the gathering. Chandra Mohan, Sirkali MLA, Kanivanan, Sirkali Municipal Chairman and others spoke. S Anantharaman, Divisional Commercial Manager, Tiruchi proposed a vote of thanks.
Sunday, December 15, 2002
PORAYAR: The Koodal Express running between Chennai and Madurai at present with 12 coaches will be extended up to Tirunelveli from December 23 with an additional six coaches, said A K Moorthy, Union Minister of State for Railways while inaugurating the 66th Computerised Passenger Reservation Centre in Tamil Nadu at Sirkali on Saturday. Mayiladuthurai MP Mani Shankar Aiyar presided over the function. While speaking to the reporters, Moorthy said that the ongoing BG conversion work between Thanjavur and Kumbakonam would be completed before the 2004 Mahamaham festival. He added that the Railways was exploring the possibility of running Jan Shatabdi Express between Chennai and Madurai. Following the tremendous response to the introduction of the cradle facility in the Nilgiris Express as a pilot scheme, efforts are underway to extend the scheme at an all-India level, said the Minister. Moorthy added that he was taking efforts to get additional grants for Tamil Nadu during the present financial year. Out of the 79 railway over-bridges planned to be constructed in the state this year, work was in progress at 62 places, said the Minister who added that the remaining projects would be undertaken after receiving the 50 per cent contribution from the state government. Efforts are also underway to restore the train service between Tiruchi and Tirupathi which remained suspended due to BG conversion work, the Minister said. The service would be restored partially between Tiruchi and Katpadi soon, he said. Expressing satisfaction over the progress of line doubling work between Madurai and Kodai Road, Moorthy said that more trains would start plying between Chennai and various places in southern districts once the work was completed. The Minister was non-committal when asked about restarting of train service between Tranquebar and Mayiladuthurai. For the benefit of pilgrims, the Sethu Express will halt at Vaitheeswarankoil from January 1, 2003, he said. Mani Shankar Aiyar was all praise for Moorthy for his accomplishments as Railway Minister in a very short span of time. Aiyar described Moorthy as the most active Railway Minister he had seen in his eight-year tenure as a Parliamentarian. Aiyar's comment on the Minister surprised many at the function as Moorthy and Aiyar belong to rival political parties. N S Kasturirangan, Divisional Railway Manager, Tiruchi welcomed the gathering. Chandra Mohan, Sirkali MLA, Kanivanan, Sirkali Municipal Chairman and others spoke. S Anantharaman, Divisional Commercial Manager, Tiruchi proposed a vote of thanks.
Passengers escape miraculously as STC bus goes up in flames
Sunday, December 15, 2002
TIRUNELVELI: Eighteen passengers in a TNSTC bus had a miraculous escape when the vehicle went up in flames, when its diesel tank burst, near Savalaperi in Thoothukudi district on Saturday morning around 6.30. The bus was proceeding from Madurai to Tirunvelveli. The driver, Victor Johnson of Melaseval, brought the bus to a grinding halt as soon as the fire broke out, and the passengers jumped out to safety through the exit and windows. Fire tenders from Kovilpatti rushed to the spot but by the time they could reach the spot, the bus had gutted. Kayathar police have registered a case. `NOT IMPORTANT FOR THE POLICE': While this incident may have had disastrous consequences, police seemed to be nonchalant. When this website's newspaper contacted Thoothukudi special branch, a policeman dismissed the mishap saying that it was matter of no importance for them (obviously because there was no loss of lives). When pressed for details, he replied that they were busy and hung up the phone. Interestingly, this attitude continues at a time when the Chief Minister, J.Jayalaithaa, during the exclusive session for police officers on the second day of the Collectors and SPs conference in Chennai, had called for a change in police personnel's approach at the station level. If this is how police behave callously to the press, just imagine how they would be dealing with the hoi polloi.
From Kalam to Asha via net
Sunday, December 15, 2002
THUCKALAY: Indeed thinking is progress as seen especially in the revolutionary changes taking place in the field of information technology. This was once again in evidence when President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam from Chennai sat in a video conferencing session with engineering student Asha at Kumarakoil in Kanyakumari district on Saturday. Dr Kalam, who was in Chennai to take part in the silver jubilee celebrations of Anna University, hooked up with the students of Nurul Islam Engineering College, Kumarakoil, and put them the pointed question, ``What have you to say on the dictum, `Thinking is progress'?'' And pat came the answer from Asha, a final year student. She said, ``Only our capacity for ratiocination has made our progress in science possible. And that is also why I am able to talk to you now. You have done immense service for the country through your thinking. It ill befits me to tell you about thinking.'' The students were elated to talk to the President via the net. College correspondent Majid Khan, principal Krishnamurthy, directors Srinivasan and Padmanabhan, manager Janardhanan and others participated.
Live telecast of Anna varsity function at KEC
Sunday, December 15, 2002
PERUNDURAI: The silver jubilee function of the Anna University in Chennai was telecasted live in the Kongu Engineering College (KEC) here on Saturday using the videoconference technology. The telecast was received in small screen and shown to students in the big screen. KEC is one of the five colleges in the State to receive the live telecast on Saturday. The college has the facility of ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Network) provided by BSNL. Videoconference facility was made possible with the launch of ‘Knowledge Connectivity’ with engineering colleges by the President of India Dr A P J Abdul Kalam at the Anna University.
Rheumatism found more common among senior citizens
Sunday, December 15, 2002
COIMBATORE: There is an immense scope for the medical fraternity to specialise in the field of rheumatology, said Dr T K Ganesan while inaugurating the `Rheumatology Update 2002' organised by the Kovai Medical Center and Hospital here on Saturday. Dr Ganesan said though many revolutionary advances had been witnessed in medical technology to tackle various kinds of diseases over the years, rheumatism continued to be a major health problem. He was emphatic that rheumatism could be prevented by improving the sanitary conditions and providing safe drinking water to the people. Advances made in immuno-chemistry, development of imaging techniques and MRI scan could be applied in the field of rheumatology for managing cases of rheumatism. Stating that cases of disability and disfigurement were found more among senior citizens, Dr Ganesan warned the people against the use of steroids from quacks for treating patients suffering from rheumatic diseases. Calling upon doctors to specialise in the replacement of knee and other joints that got affected by rheumatic attack, Dr Ganesan said replacement of joints would ensure a patient's quality of life. Dr Nalla G Palaniswami, Chiarman & MD, Kovai Medical Centre & Hospital, who presided over the update programme, said about one million people had been suffering from rheumatic-related diseases but then the medical world had not recognised rehumatology as an area for specialisation by doctors. Emphasising on the preventive aspects of rheumatism, Dr Palaniswami said many drugs are used in the treatment of rheumatic attacks. Prevention being the best way, he said cases of rheumatic attacks could be treated without drugs if such cases were detected at an early stage.
Translate thoughts into action, Kalam tells students
Sunday, December 15, 2002
CHENNAI: President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam on Saturday appealed to the students to give more importance to thinking, which was unique for human beings, to translate their dreams into action which, in turn, would lead to great achievements and transformation of society. He wanted to transform India into a knowledge society and thus make it a developed one by 2020. Knowledge society could be brought about by bringing about societal transformation and wealth generation. Kalam, who is here on a two-day visit, launched the Anna University's `Knowledge Connectivity' with the 240 affiliated engineering colleges, while participating at the University's silver jubilee celebrations. The Anna University, Chennai, is the world's largest technological university. Agriculture, food processing, space, material science and infotainment had been identified as vehicles of wealth creation, he said adding that societal transformation should be brought about by empowering people and e-governance with transparency. Referring to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's vow to make TN number one in every aspect in the country, he said only when all the states developed fully, the country as a whole could become a developed nation. He asked the students to dream of higher achievements and then plan to realise their dreams. If children were empowered by their parents, they became good citizens. If women were empowered, the entire society got transformed, enabling the country to become a developed one by 2012. Governor P S Rama Mohan Rao, who unveiled a statue of Dr R M Alagappa Chettiar, founder of Alagappa Chettiar College of Technology (a part of Anna University), Chennai, recalled his association with Chennai since his college days. On the telemedicine facility launched at the University jointly with the Apollo Hospitals, he said this was a proof enough how India's problems could be solved only by a collaborative understanding between the public and the private sector. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who launched the telemedicine facility, referred to the setting up of 25 telemedicine consulting centres in engineering colleges, and appealed to all the other engineering colleges in TN to extend their cooperation to the university so that such facilities could be established in their premises in a time-bound manner. If this happened then each of the 240 engineering colleges with telemedicine connectivity would then have functional community health centres within its fold, she added. Anna University Vice-Chancellor E Balagurusamy, referring to the quality of technical education provided by the university, claimed out of the country's three lakh engineering students who passed out every year, 75,000 were from Tamil Nadu. Similarly, one third of the world's total engineering graduates (9 lakh) passed out from India alone every year, he added.
Kalam turns into a teacher, videoconferences with students
Sunday, December 15, 2002
CHENNAI: Though you can call President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam a visionary or a space scientist or a technocrat, what he seems to like most is the role of a teacher. Participating in the silver jubilee celebrations of the Anna University on Saturday morning during his maiden visit to Chennai after becoming the President, Kalam, who is known for giving least importance to formalities, conventions or protocol, virtually turned the Vivekananda Auditorium into a classroom interacting with the students during the teleconference programme even as Governor P S Ramamohan Rao and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa looked on amused. After launching the University's 'Knowledge Connectivity' programme with engineering colleges, he posed several questions on thinking and knowledge to some students of engineering colleges in Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari. When they failed to answer properly, he did not chide them. Instead, he gave the answers himself and took pains to explain them. He also wished the students success in their career. Even as he was carrying on with his teacher's role in the video conferencing, the programme compere, who thought he had ended his speech, tried to move on to the next on the agenda. But Kalam did not want to leave the floor. He took the mike to say that he had some more points to make and continued with his interaction to great jubilation among the students. Unlike some of his predecessors, who mostly read out prepared texts, Kalam's speech was extempore. Interestingly, even as he was speaking he asked the organisers to play an audio cassette containing a Malayalam song, which was the translation of his poem on mentally challenged children. He enjoyed the music when the song was being played. Similarly when three women students of the university sang the National Anthem before and after the programme, Kalam joined them in singing it, but, of course, in a lower tone
MDMK to launch signature campaign condemning detention of Vaiko
Sunday, December 15, 2002
CHENNAI: The MDMK will launch a two-week long signature campaign from December 26 condemning the ``unjust'' detention of Vaiko under POTA, party presidium chairman L Ganesan said on Saturday. Addressing a news conference here, Ganesan said that one crore signature would be obtained from the public and the same would be handed over to the President and the Prime Minister in the third week of January. ``It will not merely a political agitation, but will be a mass movement,'' he said. Asked why the party was not demanding the release of Vaiko, Ganesan replied: ``We do not want to embarass the Vajpayee government.'' Answering to a question, Ganesan said Vaiko, had never supported the POTA brought by the BJP, but only voted for it to uphold `coalition dharma.' ``Vaiko had warned of adverse impact of certain provisions in the POTA in the NDA meetings and only based on that a provision which affected the rights of journalists was removed from the Act,'' he said and claimed Vaiko had also discussed his views with Prime Minister Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani. On the state government's decision to privatise the transport sector, he said it was against the promise of AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa in 1998 that her party, if voted for power, would make the transport workers as government employees. Quried whether the MDMK which was raising its voice for a seperate Tamil Eelam all along, was supporting the change in the LTTE's stand asking for a federal state from demanding for a seperate Tamil Eelam, Ganesan said, ``The situation has changed now. When the LTTE itself feels that demanding a federal state was right, there was no other way for us except to support it.''
Rs 68 lakh worth welfare projects launched
Sunday, December 15, 2002
CHENNAI: Local Administration Minister M C Sampath on Saturday inaugurated welfare projects to the tune of Rs 68 lakhs at Tondairpet zone in R K Nagar constituency. The projects would be developed under the R K Nagar MLA P K Sekar Babu's Constituency Development Fund. Proposals included, road works in three spots, six noon meal centres, repair works in storm water drain, construction of public conveniences (PC) at two sites, and ten PCs specially for women. The Local Administration Minister also handed over rest room allotment orders for dhobis at dhobhikhana. Deputy Mayor Karate R Thiagarajan was also present on the occasion.
Combination of Biology and Computer Science stressed
Sunday, December 15, 2002
CHENNAI: Our education needs a basic change, which should allow students to take up both biology and computers at the same time, said Ajit P Yoganathan, Associate Chair and Regents' Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering of Georgia Tech and Emory University, here recently. At a lecture organised by the United States Information Services, the professor said no longer can Biology, Physics or Computer Science be considered as separate subjects. With Bioinformatics making waves in the field of medicine, the new jobs in the health sector want the candidates to have an understanding of both biology and computer technology. Traditional barriers forcing a student to opt for either biology or computer science should be done away with, averred Yoganathan. He stressed the need for colleges to introduce courses combining both these subjects. The huge amount of data that bioinformatics helps generate has led to the mapping of genome. It has also cut down the time used for pharmacological research, said Yoganathan. Bioinformatics, as of now, is in a nascent stage but soon the medical field and patient care will undergo a revolution of sorts with the help of electronic medical records, said Yoganathan. This will help doctors in quick and accurate diagnosis, he added.
Best teacher award for mentally-ill girl
Sunday, December 15, 2002
CHENNAI: Fameeda Khadri, an aerobics and drawing teacher, at Murthuzaviya Special School for Mentally-Retarded and Hearing-Impaired Children has received the National Award for Role Model 2002 from the President of India A P J Abdul Kalam. Fahmeeda is a mentally-retarded girl but has quite a few awards to her credit. In December 2001, she won the National Award for the Best Employee. Khadri was also presented with the best teacher award at the same time by the state government. An accomplished dancer, an athlete and a poster designer, Khadri has won appreciation and prizes in each of her interests both in India and abroad, a release from Murthuzaviya Special School said.
Include music in school curriculam: Kalam
Sunday, December 15, 2002
Include music in school curriculam: Kalam CHENNAI: President APJ Abdul Kalam on Saturday called for the inclusion of music in the curriculum for school children. ``Music helps one realise God and plays a vital role in the development of human personality by removing egocentric qualities,'' he said while inaugurating the inaugural function of the 60th music festival of the Tamil Isai Sangam held at Raja Annamalai Mandram in the City. Regretting that modern life was not providing a space for music, he said Carnatic music had always held India in high esteem in the eyes of the world and had attracted many foreigners here. ``Music has the history of arousing national feelings during the freedom movement and the songs of revolutionary Tamil poet Subramania Bharathiyar played a great role at the time,'' he said and quoted the poem ``Viduthalai, Viduthalai, Viduthalai.'' He said his interest in music started at a very young age when he used to listen to his parents render the Holy Kuran. ``Carnatic and Tamil music along with the chanting of Kuran brought light into my life,'' he said. He said the Thiagaraja Aradhana festival, which he attended along with his friends some 50 years ago, was a revelation to him. ``I listened to Balamuralikrishna singing Yentaro Mahanu Bahvulu (a Pancharatna Keerthana) and my friends explained the meaning and the occassion in which St.Thiagaraja composed the song,'' he said. There was no looking back thereafter and he became passionately devoted to Carnatic music. Incidentally it was the very same Balamuralikrishna who received the Isai Perarignar award of the Tamil Isai Sangam from Abdul Kalam. Earlier, the President distributed awards to the students who had won in various musical competitions. Tamil Isai Sangam president P R Gokulakrishnan welcomed. Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice A R Lakshmanan offered felicitations. Honorary secretary A C Muthiah proposed a vote of thanks.
Five held for credit card fraud
Sunday, December 15, 2002
CHENNAI: Five youths, who allegedly cheated several banks, including ICICI, of several lakhs of rupees by buying goods using fake credit cards, were arrested by the Central Crime Branch on Friday. Police said on a tip-off, the CCB men kept a watch at Parsn Complex in Nungambakkam, where they noticed five youths arriving in a car. They were caught and questioned and it came to light that they, along with shop-keepers in Bangalore, were producing fake bills of purchases using the fake credit cards. The gang shared the amount realised from banks on the bills with the shop-keepers. The money thus obtained was used for buying a car and other electronic goods, police said. The five were identified as Chandru, 35, of Tiruchi, a Lankan national residing at Nanganallur, Satyaseelan, 36, P M Charles Mariyano, 26, of Shenoy Nagar, Tirumalai, 25, of Government Estate and Subramanian of Madhya Pradesh.
Congress wants to lead third front in TN
Sunday, December 15, 2002
Congress wants to lead third front in TN CHENNAI: With the home-coming of the various offshoots and total reorganisation of the party leadership at all levels, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee is now seeking to project itself as the leader of an alternative front in Tamil Nadu. The mammoth administrative committee meeting to be held on December 15 for the first time after the appointment of new office-bearers is expected to pass a resolution to that effect. TNCC president S Balakrishnan told this website’s newspaper that the meeting would approve of a proposal for the introduction of a membership card and would also discuss the strategy for a membership campaign to be launched on December 28. Resolutions against the anti-conversion act, privatisation of transport sector and the move to cancel free-power supply would also be passed at the meeting. Asked whether he was happy with the appointment of the office-bearers, he said that there was no room for complaints since all the senior leaders of the party were consulted before the appointments were finalised. He expressed the hope that factionalism would now come to an end in the TNCC since the leaders had realised that a unified Congress alone could fill the present vacuum in Tamil Nadu politics. ‘‘Since my appointment I have been meeting all the senior leaders of the party and they have assured me of their fullest co-operation,’’ he said. He dismissed as baseless the allegation that the shadow-boxing between AICC secretary G K Vasan and TNCC working president EVKS Elangovan was spoiling the unity of the party. ‘‘As far as I am concerned, I have a perfect understanding with Elangovan and we are working in tandem. Vasan has his hands full with organisational work in Bihar and other states. Then where comes the question of the leaders fighting with each other?’’ he asked. Balakrishnan said though the Congress had great leaders like Kamaraj and Moopanar in Tamil Nadu, it was weakened after the demise of such leaders. ‘‘Now Sonia Gandhi has emerged as a leader acceptable to all sections in the country. We would go all out to strengthen ourselves by cashing in on her pre-eminence,’’ he said. Pointing out that Congress was still continuing as a part of CPI, CPM and INL combination in the State, he said his party would contest the Sathankulam Assembly by-election. ‘‘The vacancy was created by the demise of erstwhile TMC MLA Mani Nadar (who later joined Dr Kumaradoss group). We will never support the AIADMK which has unleashed anti-people programmes,’’ he said. Earlier Balakrishnan along with Elangovan and party MP B S Gnanadesikan discussed the arrangements to be made for the meeting which will be attended by AICC secretary Ramesh Chennithala and Mani Shankar Iyer.
Corruption taint fear makes Jayalalithaa crack whip again
Sunday, December 15, 2002
IANS CHENNAI: It's once bitten twice shy for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa. With memories of being booted out of office for alleged graft in the 1996 elections still fresh in her mind, even a murmur of the word "corruption" prompts Jayalalitha to drop ministers and bureaucrats these days. The latest victim of the AIADMK chief's mortal fear of a fresh corruption taint is senior party leader and education minister M. Thambidurai. It was announced late Friday that Thambidurai, a former federal minister, had been relieved of his official and party posts. Thambidurai was a co-accused in two corruption cases along with Jayalalithaa after the AIADMK lost power in 1996. The courts absolved him and his family of all charges after five years of legal battles. Thambidurai's removal came after a Madras High Court direction Wednesday to explain a government order giving 66 privately run engineering colleges permission to acquire more land. Thambidurai's family has been running one of these colleges under a trust since the 1980s. Sacked along with Thambidurai was another high-profile AIADMK leader and former MP Thalavai Sundaram, the minister for revenue whose department would be the one to formalise the acquisition of extra land by the colleges. There was no indication from the chief minister's office that changes were in the offing. Friday night's announcement came as a shock even to AIADMK leaders, many of who read it in Saturday morning newspapers. To stem any whiff of corruption, 23 ministers have been changed in just 19 months of AIADMK rule. There have been four chief secretaries to this government, the last one taking office last week. A woman minister was dropped because there were complaints to the AIADMK that her brother was misusing her power. And a director general of police was sacked following rumours that he had been indulging in malpractice. Just one minister resigned voluntarily "to avoid any embarrassment to the Jayalalithaa government" after being caught on film three months ago watching a controversial ritual involving children being buried alive for a minute. Ask those in the AIADMK who have so far escaped the axe, and "no comment" is the response. Among the survivors is O. Paneerselvam, the man Jayalalithaa had trusted to be chief minister for the few months she was out of power until her election to the assembly in February this year. At that time it had surprised many that C. Ponnaiyan, the senior-most member of her cabinet and an ally since the days of her mentor M.G. Ramachandran, was not made the caretaker chief minister. The chief minister apparently felt that Ponnaiyan harboured ambitions. Now, Paneerselvam has once again been chosen to take care of the education portfolio that Thambidurai has been stripped of.
Missile Man turns Music Man
Sunday, December 15, 2002
CHENNAI: When in Chennai, President APJ Abdul Kalam is at his best. The man, who is known for his impatience with all the formalities, on Saturday took the audience by surprise when he sang a few stanzas from a song composed by himself. The elite of the City had turned up to listen to his inaugural address at the 60th music festival of Tamil Isai Sangam in the City. But after completing his formal address, the President announced that his friend Chellamurthy would render a lyrics composed by him. Taking the entire hall by surprise, the President started singing along with him, which sent the crowd into raptures. Titled as the "Song of the Youth" , it was set in raag Kambhodi. The President did not stop there. Though it was not part of his schedule, Kalam sat along with the audience to listen to the concert of Seerkazhi Sivachidambaram. The crowd again gave a rapturuous welcome when Sivachidambaram, the son of late Seerkazhi Govindarajan sang Kalam's song. Earlier, after the students of music college, run by Tamil Isai Sangam, rendered the National Anthem in Nagaswaram, the President rushed to them and congratulated them. He happily posed for photographs along with the students. He presented Isai Perarignar award to noted vocalist M Balamuralikrishna. The President also pointed out that he was in the habit of having a morning walk in the Rashtrapati Bhavan for nearly an hour every day, when the water fountains, chirping of birds and dancing of peacocks provided music to his ears. During his childhood, carnatic music and the chanting of 'Koran' had given shape to his life, he said. Kalam also recalled ,how a song rendered in Telugu, 50 years ago by Balamurali Krishna in a music festival in Tiruvaiyaru gave him the necessary impetus in life. The patriotic songs rendered by Tamil savants like Subramania Bharati kindled the patriotic spirit in him, he said.
CM unveils Balayogi statue, announces more funds for Yanam
Sunday, December 15, 2002
CM unveils Balayogi statue, announces more funds for Yanam PONDICHERRY: Pondicherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy, while paying glowing tributes to former Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi on Saturday recalled the services of the latter to the development of Yanam region. He was unveiling the statue of Balayogi at Yanam. The Chief Minister, who was on a three-day visit to Yanam, told reporters that additional funds would be allocated in the budget for the development of Yanam. Through PAPSCO and Amuthasurabi, liquor retail outlets would be introduced in Yanam. Rangasamy laid the foundation for a bridge linking Yanam across river Coringa. He also laid the foundation for three overhead tanks at Kursampeta, Francethippa and Guirempeta, Anganwadi centre at the new bus stand and various community halls. He also distributed free bicycles to Adi-Dravida students. Rangasamy also held discussions with officials pertaining to the development of the region. Earlier, the Chief Minister was given a warm reception on his visit to the region by Regional Administrator Gautham Reddy. Rangasamy was accompanied by MLA Neela Gangadharan, Local MLA Malladi Krishna Rao and Collector A Anbarasu. Lok Sabha MP M O H Farook also participated in various government functions.
Madurai prisoner dies of AIDS
Saturday, December 14, 2002
Madurai, Dec 13: A prisoner attached to the central prison here and afflicted with AIDS, died at the Government Rajaji Hospital today. Police said the 29-year-old prisoner was involved in many criminal cases and had been ill for the past two months. He tested HIV positive during a recent medical examination and was admitted to the hospital. (Agencies)
President Kalam leaves for Chennai
Saturday, December 14, 2002
PTI HYDERABAD: President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam left here on Saturday morning for Chennai after a hectic schedule on Saturday. The President was seen off at the airport by Governor Dr C Rangarajan, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, his cabinet colleagues, civil and military officials. Kalam, who arrived in Hyderabad for a ceremonial reception on Saturday afternoon, inaugurated the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development Institute and 32nd National Games 2002. Later he attended the 30th anniversary of International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and addressed the scientists at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).
BSNL post-paid cellular service launched
Saturday, December 14, 2002
BSNL post-paid cellular service launched TIRUCHENGODE: Namakkal DGM of BSNL Mohan launched the post-paid cellular service at the premises of the telephone exchange here on Friday. He handed over the first sim card of the service to Dr KS Rangasamy in the presence of former MLA TP Arumugam. Speaking to mediapersons, Mohan said BSNL is making all the efforts to render maximum service to the subscribers. He added that the two schemes under this system viz Mayuri and Swarna are aimed at providing cost effective service to all classes of people. Persons who apply for post-paid service on/before Dec 31 are exempted from paying registration charge and activation fee. If they opt for Swarna scheme, all India roaming facility and incoming calls are made free. For the two systems in the service, outgoing calls are charged moderately. DEs Maruthayapillai, Kumaravel, Kumarasamy and Ganesan, SDOs Annamalai, Kumaresan, Manoharan, Chinnusamy and Muthusamy, JEs Vani and Arumugam attended.
Jaya sacks Thambidurai, Thalavai Sundaram
Saturday, December 14, 2002
CHENNAI: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Friday night dropped Education Minister M Thambidurai and Revenue Minister N Thalavai Sundaram from the Cabinet. A notification issued by Raj Bhavan said the portfolios held by Thambidurai _ Education, Tamil Development and Refugees _ had been allocated to Health Minister S Semmalai. The Revenue, Stationary and Printing portfolios held by Thalavai Sundaram have been allocated to PWD Minister O Pannerselvam. While no reason has been cited for the removal of the ministers, party problems as also some allegations are believed to have led to their downfall. With this the number of ministers in the council has come down to 25. Thambidurai was a high-profile minister and also had a stint as the Union Law Minister when the AIADMK was part of the NDA. Though he is associated with some educational institutions that have come under a cloud, one of them even attracting judicial attention for violation of the land reforms law, his removal comes as a bit of a surprise considering the fact that he has never spoken out of turn and maintained unswerving loyalty to his leader. Thalavai Sundaram, a lawyer-turned-politician, had served a term in the Rajya Sabha and was one of the AIADMK storm-troopers in the High Court during the days when Jayalalithaa was facing a plethora of court cases under the Karunanidhi regime. Interestingly, the Adhiyaman College episode (involving Thambidurai and which attracted court notice) in a way could be said to have cost Sundaram his job. He held the portfolio of Revenue that has a role in granting land ceiling exemptions.
Misusing park for religious purposes alleged
Saturday, December 14, 2002
UDAGAMANDALAM: Nilgiris district unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad has warned that it will launch an agitation if the Udhagamandalam Municipal administration fails to withdraw the permission given to a private company to maintain a park on Commercial Road in the tourist town. In a memorandum sent to the municipal administration, B. K. Kumaran, one of the office-bearers of the VHP, charged that the company has been misusing the park for propagating Christianity for the past several years. He charged that the company has now prominently displayed a board informing ‘‘ Santa comes to town’’ in the park. Apart from this, the park has been decorated like a mini-church, he said. He said that the public are angry with the company misusing the public place for religious activities in the name of beautifying the town.
STF on high alert around brigand’s native village
Saturday, December 14, 2002
SALEM: As search operations by the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu STF have been intensified, forest brigand Veerappan and his gang are expected to take shelter in or around his native villages Gopinatham and Chengapadi. TN STF IG T Rajenderan visited the Thanda border camp and held a meeting with the force. Following this meeting, the force went on a large-scale vigil in the border areas covering Thanda, Bodhamalai, Kathripatti etc. The Karnataka STF on the other hand has stepped up its operations at M M Hills area. When the STF on both sides press close, it is anticipated that the brigand would take shelter in and around his native village. The intelligence wing has further stepped up the vigil in villages bordering Pallar, Govindapadi, Chengapaddi and Gopinatham. Hamlets in the forest area are also being kept under close watch. These areas are surcharged as massive movement of STF is witnessed on Friday. At Govindapaddi and neighbouring villages the STF has almost imposed an informal 144 order. Movement of people after 6.00 pm is under scrutiny. All visitors and new faces are being frisked. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said that a large battalion of paramilitary troops have arrived at M M Hills.
Rs 25 lakh demand as deposit by polytechnic stayed
Saturday, December 14, 2002
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has stayed all further proceedings pursuant to an order dated Nov. 1, 2002 of the Director of Technical Education (DTE) insisting upon payment of an endowment deposit of Rs. 25 lakh from Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Charitable and Educational Trust in Perambalur. Justice K P Sivasubramaniam granted the stay while admitting a writ petition from the Trust challenging the order insisting payment of endowment deposit. According to the Trust, on the basis of the recommendation made by the Tamil Nadu government in Dec. 1997, the AICTE granted approval to establish Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Polytechnic at Aranarai village in Perambalur district during 1998-99. By a communication dated Sept. 2, 1998, the DTE informed the petitioner to pay an affiliation fee of Rs. one lakh. The second condition said that an endowment should be created to the polytechnic in the manner as prescribed by the AICTE, New Delhi/State government. The petitioner made the endowment deposit of Rs. 25 lakh with the AICTE. Therefore, it did not deposit the endowment fee of Rs. 25 lakh with the State government. However, the DTE on Nov. 1, 2002, issued letters to all the polytechnics to remit the endowment deposit of Rs. 25 lakh on or before Dec. 10, 2002.
CRPF team to strengthen Veerappan hunt
Saturday, December 14, 2002
Mysore, Dec. 13. (PTI): A company of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has arrived here on their way to M M Hills to further strengthen the intensified hunt for forest brigand Veerappan following the death of JD(U) leader H Nagappa in his custody. Equipped with "Insas", a powerful weapon used in guerilla operations, the company would coordinate the joint operations by the Special Task Forces of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, official sources here said. The Karnataka Government had requested the Centre to lend its support in the operations to hunt down Veerappan, which were suspended after the kidnap of Nagappa by the bandit. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu STFs are already carrying out stepped up operations to flush out Veerappan.
Tamil actress Rajakantam passes away
Saturday, December 14, 2002
PTI CHENNAI: Prominent Tamil actress of yesteryears, C T Rajakantam, died at her residence here on Thursday following a brief illness, family sources said. Rajakantam, 86, is survived by her only daughter. She has acted in over 200 films in her film career spanning five decades and also featured in a couple of TV serials recently. Rajakantam, who had acted with veterans like Sivaji Ganesan and M G Ramachandran in the early 40's, is a recipient of Tamil Nadu government's 'Kalaimaamani Award'.
Tamil Nadu lift P Subbaiah Pillai Trophy
Saturday, December 14, 2002
Registering a win over Andhra Pradesh in their Ranji one-day tie at Bangalore, Tamil Nadu topped the points table for the South Zone, consequently lifting the Subbaiah Pillai Trophy and qualifying for the Wills Trophy 2003-04. Tamil Nadu topped with 19 points (played five, won four, lost one), while Karnataka and Hyderabad followed with 18 and 13 points respectively. Goa, in spite of registering two bonus-point wins, could only manage 10 points, while Kerala was fifth with eight. Andhra Pradesh, with no wins from their five games, brought up the tail. At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, Andhra Pradesh's woes continued as Tamil Nadu cantered to a seven-wicket win in just 34 overs, chasing down their target of 244 with minimum effort. Batting first after losing the toss, Andhra Pradesh actually faired well with the bat; Y Venugopal Rao made a sterling 107 off 122 balls (8x4, 2x6), and his partnership of 205 for the third wicket with Fayaz Ahmed (94, 129b, 9x4) was the defining stand of the innings. But every other batsman, however, made a single-digit figure, and that meant that from 220 for three in 44.3 overs, with Venugopal Rao just out, Andhra could only manage 243 for eight in their 50 overs. L Balaji ended with five for 36 off 10 overs for Tamil Nadu. Skipper and opener S Suresh fell early for Tamil Nadu, but Sadagoppan Ramesh, displaying the first signs of form in this tournament, made 89 off just 87 balls (14x4) before he was run out. He collaborated with S Sriram in a stand of 132 for the third wicket, and once he was out, Sriram went on to complete an unbeaten 110 off 84 balls (15x4) to see his side home. Karnataka scrape home by one wicket against Goa At the Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wodayar Sports Centre in Bangalore, Goa put up a brave defence of their relatively meagre total of 206, and Karnataka had to squeeze to a one-wicket win to pick up their four points. Goa, asked to bat, were saved from humiliation primarily due to SB Jakati's knock of 77 off 90 balls (11x4). MD Phadke also made 44, and once Jakati departed the crease, the batting crumbled to 206 all out in 47.3 overs. Karnataka started well, with Barrington Rowland making 53 at the top of the order. But a shaky middle and late order gave Goa hope, and it was only thanks to C Raghu's unbeaten 27 (34b, 3x4, 2x6) that Karnataka slid home in 42.2 overs.
Karnataka has not implicated TN in Nagappa death: Srinivasalu
Saturday, December 14, 2002
PTI CHENNAI: Security Advisor to Karnataka government T Srinivasalu on Friday said the state had not implicated Tamil Nadu in the death of JD(U) leader H Nagappa. "Our investigation has not implicated anybody for Nagappa's death. The investigation is still on", he told reporters here, after he and Karnataka police chief, T Madiyal had a meeting with Tamil Nadu DGP, B P Nailwal, to finalise the strategy to nab the elusive outlaw Veerappan. To another question, he said investigation was also on to establish who was responsible for the bullet wound found on Nagappa's body. Srinivasalu said Karnataka STF found only the body of Nagappa and none else. His remark assumes significance in the backdrop of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's statement that the state police had recovered the body of a Karnataka STF personnel. The officials were meeting, amidst allegations of non-cooperation between the two states, to discuss the strategy and equipment to be used in the resumed operations between their respective special task forces to nab the brigand. The joint operations were stopped at the request of Karnataka government to facilitate it to negotiate the release of Nagappa, who was abducted by Veerappan on August 25 last. The former minister's body was recovered in Chengadi forest area of Karnatka's Chamarajnagar district on Dec 8. Nailwal and Madiyal declined to divulge the stragegy arrived at the meeting saying "we cannot talk about it now as it has to be kept a secret at this juncture".
United India gives cheque for Rs 15 lakh to CM
Saturday, December 14, 2002
CHENNAI: Chairman and Managing Director of United India Insurance Corporation, V Jagannathan, today gave a cheque for Rs 15 lakh to Tamil nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, towards the Public Relief fund. An official press release said here on Friday that the Chief Minister thanked Jagannathan for his gesture. Jayalalithaa gave a cheque for Rs.1,72,900 to a girl student to pursue her medical education. The amount was sanctioned to Kalaivani, hailing from Koovathur village in Kancheepuram district, from MGR Trust, according to an AIADMK party press release. The Tamil nadu basket ball team, which won the championship in Jalandur in October last, called on Jayalalithaa to seek her blessings, according to an official press release.
Veerappan would not have killed Nagappa: Mani
Saturday, December 14, 2002
MYSORE: Jailed Tamil activist Kolathur Mani, whom forest brigand Veerappan had demanded as an emissary to end the Nagappa hostage crisis, said the bandit would not have killed the JD(U) leader. "If Nagappa had been alive, it would have been a gain to Veerappan", Mani said without elaborating. When asked about allegations linking his name with the killing of Nagappa, he ridiculed it and said he wondered how anyone could talk about it when he was languishing in jail. He termed Nagappa's killing as "most unfortunate and beyond one's comprehension". The court adjourned to December 23 next hearing of the case filed against him for allegedly supplying arms and explosives to the brigand. Veerappan had repeatedly been insisting on Mani being sent as the emissary to negotiate the release of Nagappa. Mani had secured bail in three cases from the Karnataka High Court and had to obtain similar relief in two others in the Mysore court which, however, has rejected the bail applications. Karnataka Government had also expressed its willingness to send Mani as the emissary to find a negotiated end to the Nagappa hostage crisis.
Comupter goods worth Rs 24 lakh seized
Saturday, December 14, 2002
CHENNAI: In all 4,500 computer mother boards and some Pentium IV processors, valued at Rs 24 lakh, were seized at the Chennai airport on Thursday by sleuths of the Directorate of Revenue Intellegence (DRI). The seizures were made following specific information that costly smuggled computer parts, under the guise of cheap goods like audio boards worth Rs 35 each, were being sent from here to Delhi and other places in the name of fictitious firms, the DRI said in a press note on Friday. Following the tip-of, a team of DRI officers had rushed to the airport and located the consignment, booked through a courier service. After a thorough scanning, 10 suspected packages were identified and examined leading to the seizures. While one of the package was booked in the name of a fictitious firm, the other packages were booked in the name of two persons, who had disowned the consignment, the press note said and added that further investigation was on.
'Hindu names to be changed into Tamil'
Saturday, December 14, 2002
'Hindu names to be changed into Tamil' Madurai, Dec. 13. (PTI): DPI Leader Thirumavalavan, today said his party had set itself a target of changing Hindu names of all Dalits into Tamil ones as the latter were 'secular' and not based on caste, religion or community. In this context, he urged the Tamil Nadu Government to issue the gazette notification free of cost. He told newsmen here he had launched the name change movement only to protect the ancient language and re-establish Tamil history and culture. The DPI leader said he was opposed to the Anti-Conversion Bill because it affected the right of the Dalits to convert. His party would organise tours to create awareness among Dalits about the 'demerits' of the Bill and Ambedkar's views about the right to convert, he said. He opined that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, could withdraw the Bill, though the Governor had given his consent. On the Kanchi Acharya's opposition to those against the Bill,Thirumalavan said he had nothing personal against him. The Acharya should visit villages where Dalits were being illtreated and convince Hindus not to discriminiate against them. He also regretted that no action had been taken by the police on his complaint to the DGP against five Dalits, who had been murdered or missing in various districts. On the Nagappa issue, he said both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had failed to co-ordinate and protect him. He said the party's central committee would decide about contesting or supporting any party.
TN, Karnataka work on strategy to nab Veerappan
Saturday, December 14, 2002
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments finally seem to be working towards a coordinated effort to nab forest brigand Veerapppan. Senior government and police officials of the two states and the Centre put their heads together to chalk out strategies to nab Veerappan on Friday. Talking to mediapersons here, security advisor to the Karnataka government T Srinivasulu, who arrived along with Karnataka DGP T Madyal, denied media reports that another body had been recovered from the site where Nagappa’s body was found. He also denied that the body of one Alexander, an alleged informer to Veerappan, was recovered near the spot where Nagappa’s body had been found in the Chengadi forest. Commenting on Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s letter to her Karnataka counterpart S M Krishna, in which she has denied the Tamil Nadu’s STF role in Nagappa’s death, Srinivasulu said Karnataka had not implicated anyone. ‘‘We have not implicated anyone. The investigations are on and only when it is completed we will know the exact circumstances that led to the killing of Nagappa,’’ Madyal said, after the meeting. Incidentally, Union home secretary N Gopalsamy, who also arrived in Chennai on Friday in connection with a police force modernisation programme, is said to have held discussions with top Tamil Nadu officials on a strategy to nab Veerappan. According to sources, the talks focused on the equipment and other support that the Centre could provide the STF. There was also a suggestion that an elite group among the STF could be given specialised training in jungle warfare to track down Veerappan. The talks between Madiyal and his Tamil Nadu counterpart B P Nailwal and other senior government officials, including chief secretary Lakshmi Pranesh, home secretary Munir Hoda and Chennai police commissioner K Vijayakumar, who once headed the STF, is said to have focused on the strategies to catch Veerappan.
Wow 'Dhool'!
Saturday, December 14, 2002
The 'Dhil' team is repeating itself again with Vikram- director Charan- music director Vidhyasagar uniting to make 'Dhool'. Tamil cinema hasn't heard a voice like that before. 'Ini whistle parakkum thaanae yen paerandi Madurai Veeran thaanae' A voice with the frequency and amplitude that you heard in tea-stalls before is now going on screen. The voice belongs to 60 year old 'Paravai' Muniamma who sings the 'Madurai veeranthaanae' song in the film. Mark our words- pretty soon, this song is going to be the rage like 'O podu' was. The upbeat songs of 'Dhool' reflect music director Vidhyasagar's inclination towards folk tunes. When the ears hear songs and phrases like 'Kovilpatti murukkae', 'Thillalangu langu', and 'Yei indhaa', feet start dancing by themselves. We feel sorry for the theatres that are going to screen the film. The audience is going to go in a collective trance when they play this song. The theatre owners have to protect the theatre's white screens and its cushioned seats in order to send the next set of a |
