Kerala bus attacked near Hosur; Mullaperiyar row turns ugly

With the Mullaperiyar issue causing a considerable strain in the relation between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, one or two incidents of violence have been reported. The recent one being when a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus was attacked by unidentified men. Stones were pelted on the bus near the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border in Hosur. The police escorted the bus till Krishnagiri till it was deemed safe for travel.

The bus was coming from Kerala to Bangalore in the wee hours of Friday when the incident happened. The men started pelting stones when the bus was passing through Melumalai ghat section between Hosur and Soolagiri town in Krishnagiri. The front glass of the bus was shattered in the attack and the driver stopped the vehicle after passengers raised an alarm.

There has been reports of violence against Keralites in Tamil Nadu with incidents of vandalism on commercial establishments owned by Keralites. Violence have been perpetrated on Tamilians as well, with pilgrims from TN targetted in Sabarimala.

In spite of police allaying the fears of passengers, they refused to continue their journey. They only relented after police promised to escort them till the state border in Hosur. The passengers feared that they might be targeted again. Following this disturbing incident, the Krishnagiri district police have decided to provide escort for all Kerala buses headed to Bangalore through Hosur from the toll gate in Krishnagiri.

Over 550 CPI(M) cadres arrested for road blockade

As many as 561 cadres of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) were courted arrest for indulging in road blockade in about nine places in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts on Monday in protest against the hike in milk price, bus fare and the proposed power tariff on Monday.

In Krishnagiri the CPI(M) staged the road roko agitation in seven places including the district headquarters Krishnagiri.

A total of 230 CPI (M) cadres including 23 women were arrested by the police.

The District Secretary D. Ravindran participated in the agitation near Denkanikottai bus stand. As many as 55 cadres including seven women were arrested. R. Sekar, Taluk Secretary presides. S.R. Jayaraman, District Secretariat Member participated.

The response for the strike call by party evoked very poor response in the district headquarters, as only fourteen cadres of the party thronged for the agitation before the office of the Revenue Divisional Officer in the Old Bangalore Road. K. Michael Raj, District Committee Member, X. Irudayaraj, E.C. Member and G.K. Nanjundan, Taluk Secretary participated.

In Hosur, the agitation was held before the Municipal Office. P. Sundararajan, State Committee Member gave a special address. S. Vasudevan, Hosur Union Secretary presided. District Committee Members

V. Sethu Madhavan and G. Sekar participated. Forty five persons including five women were arrested.

In Shoolagiri, the party cadres staged the road blockade opposite to the Indian Bank. S. Anwar, Taluk Committee Member presided. C. Munusamy, District E.C. Member, S.G. Muniyappa, Block Secretary participated. Thirty nine cadres including 4 women were arrested.

In Pochampalli, Mr. S.P. Chinnasamy, Taluk Secretary presided over the agitation near the Round Tanna. M. Dharman, District Secretariat Member participated. Thirty five persons including five women were arrested.

K. Mahalingam, Taluk Secretary presided over the agitation at Uthangarai Round Tanna. V. Govindasamy, District EC member participated. Twenty-seven including one woman were arrested. About fifteen cadres including a woman were arrested near Singarapettai bus stand while they resorted to road roko, police sources said.

Mid-day meal scheme can be spiced up'

While commending the State government's nutritious mid-day meal scheme for children, a team from the Union Human Resource Ministry, which reviewed the programme in Tamil Nadu recently, has suggested that the menu could be spruced up by adding grains such as millet and ragi. “It can be boring for children to have rice and sambar every day. So, we have suggested that more varieties such as millets be introduced, provided it is practical and suits the taste of children,” said Rita Chatterjee, Joint Secretary, MHRD, who headed the team.

The Central team, which is touring various States to review the system of fund flow, payment of cost of food grains and infrastructure at noon meal centres, among others, visited three districts – Namakkal, Krishnagiri and Vellore. The team had several meetings in Chennai. Lauding the scheme, Ms. Chatterjee said there are many lessons that other States could learn from Tamil Nadu. The quality of rice, meticulous maintenance of record books and state of kitchens received special mention. Other suggestions offered to the Department of Social Welfare and Nutritious Meal Programme include improving community participation and packaging of food grains. “We noticed that when sacks of food grains reach school much is lost, FCI should take up packaging to ensure there is minimal loss in the process,” Ms. Chatterjee added.

Senior officials of said the suggestions are welcome and the modalities on bringing in more variety in the menu can be worked out.

The current menu includes white rice, vegetable sambar, and boiled egg served all five working days of the week. On Friday potatoes are also included in the menu.

Chef Damu, who was previously approached by the Department to spice up the mid-day menu, feels while millets are more nutritious than rice the challenge is in introducing these fibre foods in a State where a majority are rice eaters.

“It is important to break the monotony in the menu to make food more appealing and also to prevent wastage,” said Mr. Damu. Many varieties can be served even with ragi and millets by using the same ingredients in the menu.

According to K. Shanmugavelayutham, convener of voluntary organisation TN-Forces and who accompanied the Central team, the local bodies and school management committee should take part in supervision of mid-day meal scheme and also in suggesting the menu. “Nutrition and hygiene level should be improved further'', he added.

Over 550 CPI(M) cadres arrested for road blockade

As many as 561 cadres of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) were courted arrest for indulging in road blockade in about nine places in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts on Monday in protest against the hike in milk price, bus fare and the proposed power tariff on Monday.

In Krishnagiri the CPI(M) staged the road roko agitation in seven places including the district headquarters Krishnagiri.

A total of 230 CPI (M) cadres including 23 women were arrested by the police.

The District Secretary D. Ravindran participated in the agitation near Denkanikottai bus stand. As many as 55 cadres including seven women were arrested. R. Sekar, Taluk Secretary presides. S.R. Jayaraman, District Secretariat Member participated.

The response for the strike call by party evoked very poor response in the district headquarters, as only fourteen cadres of the party thronged for the agitation before the office of the Revenue Divisional Officer in the Old Bangalore Road. K. Michael Raj, District Committee Member, X. Irudayaraj, E.C. Member and G.K. Nanjundan, Taluk Secretary participated.

In Hosur, the agitation was held before the Municipal Office. P. Sundararajan, State Committee Member gave a special address. S. Vasudevan, Hosur Union Secretary presided. District Committee Members

V. Sethu Madhavan and G. Sekar participated. Forty five persons including five women were arrested.

In Shoolagiri, the party cadres staged the road blockade opposite to the Indian Bank. S. Anwar, Taluk Committee Member presided. C. Munusamy, District E.C. Member, S.G. Muniyappa, Block Secretary participated. Thirty nine cadres including 4 women were arrested.

In Pochampalli, Mr. S.P. Chinnasamy, Taluk Secretary presided over the agitation near the Round Tanna. M. Dharman, District Secretariat Member participated. Thirty five persons including five women were arrested.

K. Mahalingam, Taluk Secretary presided over the agitation at Uthangarai Round Tanna. V. Govindasamy, District EC member participated. Twenty-seven including one woman were arrested. About fifteen cadres including a woman were arrested near Singarapettai bus stand while they resorted to road roko, police sources said.

22 injured as bus overturns near Uthangarai

Twenty-two persons including an Inspector and a Head Constable were injured when a private bus they had traveled overturned near Uthangarai on Tuesday morning.

The accident occurred near Jogi Thanneerpallam when the private bus was on its way to Bengaluru from Villupuram. It was alleged that the axle of the bus was broken when it maneuvered in a deep pot hole on the National Highway No. 66.

All the injured including the Inspector Mr. Murugesan attached to the Singarapettai Police Station and the Head Constable Mr. Rajendran were admitted in the Uthangarai Government Hospital for treatment.

Mr. Murugesan reportedly sustained injuries in his forehead due to the broken glass pieces from the window panes. All of them were referred to the District Headquarter’s Hospital in Krishnagiri later.

Mathur police have registered a case and investigating.

Eye camp for ex-servicemen

Over three hundred ex-servicemen and their family members participated in the free eye camp held in Krishnagiri on Sunday.

The camp was jointly organised by the District Ex-servicemen Welfare Board and the Dr. Agarwal Eye Hospital at the Office of the District Ex-servicemen Welfare Board at Old Bengaluru Road in Krishnagiri town near the five road junction.

The ex-servicemen and their family members were screened for cataract, growing of flesh in the eye and other eye related ailments. A team of Ophthalmologists headed by Mr. Sathish from Dr. Agarwal Eye Hospital, Krishnagiri screened the ex-servicemen and their family members.

Major (Retired) M. Muthuram, Assistant Director, District Ex-servicemen Welfare Board inaugurated the eye-camp.

Website for Basic Amenity Reporting System launched in Krishnagiri

With a view to improve the basic amenities in rural and urban areas in the district and to know the status of the amenities and grievances, a dedicated website called Basic Amenity Reporting System (BARS) was launched in Krishnagiri on Tuesday.

Collector C.N. Maheshwaran launched the website at the meeting adjoining his chambers in the presence of the Assistant Director (Panchayat) Veerabadran and other officials from National Informatics Centre. He also claimed that this is first of its kind in the state.

Launching the programme as part of the e-Governance, Mr. Maheshwaran the development of villages is of paramount important for the overall development of the nation. Keeping this in mind, BARS, a monitoring system is being implemented in a phased manner to cover the entire 333 village panchayats and urban local bodies in the district.

Under the BARS system, every streetlamp, bore well pumps and motors for pumping drinking water would be given a unique identification number. Public can inform the local panchayat about the defect or damage in any one of the system. In turn it would be entered into the website by the concerned panchayat clerk. The complaints recorded in the website would be accessed by the Block Level Officials, the Assistant Director (Panchayat) and the District Collector to know the status of the grievances redressal etc. It is a centralized communication system which connects every panchayat to the collectorate, the collector adds.

An official from the NIC said that the BARS system was introduced in 10 to 15 villages initially, the required training for BDOs and other low level officials were given. All the electric pumps used for pumping drinking water, street light poles and bore wells in seven villages were given a unique identification number.

After the success of the trial, it would be extended to all the 333 village panchayats in the district in a phased manner. Anybody can access the features of the new website at the http://www.krishnagiri.tn.nic.in In future, the BARS system would be upgraded in such a way that even the public can access the website and enter their grievances pertaining to water supply motors, street lights and bore wells.

Mr. Maheshwaran also stated that the district has 10227 bore well hand pumps, 5862 electric motors for pumping drinking water and 50440 street lights. Assistant Director (Panchayats) Mr. Veerabadran and Mr. Sathiq, District Officials at National Informatics Centre accompanied the collector during the press briefing.

School teacher among 7 held for kidnapping industrialist

Krishnagiri (TN), Nov 18 (PTI) Seven persons, including a schoolteacher, were arrested today for allegedly abducting an industrialist from the district, police said. Durai Selvam (57), an industrialist running multiple businesses including real estate and transport in the district, was abducted yesterday night when on his way home from office, police said. 

Selvam's wife later received a ransom call from his kidnappers, demanding Rs 5 crore to release her husband. 

They threatened to kill him if the ransom was not paid, police said. When the victim's family approached the police, a special team to investigate the case was secretly set up. Three of the accused were arrested earlier in the day when they were interrogated during a vehicle check in the district. 

When they confessed that Selvam was being held captive in the remote K V Kuppam village in neighbouring Vellore district, the industrialist was rescued and rest of the accused were arrested, police said. 

Among the seven accused was Selvakumar (46), a teacher in the Higher Secondary School in Sigaranapalli near Krishnagiri, police said. While Selvam's car was rescued, a Tata Sumo and two motor cycles were seized.

Website for Basic Amenity Reporting System launched in Krishnagiri

With a view to improve the basic amenities in rural and urban areas in the district and to know the status of the amenities and grievances, a dedicated website called Basic Amenity Reporting System (BARS) was launched in Krishnagiri on Tuesday.

Collector C.N. Maheshwaran launched the website at the meeting adjoining his chambers in the presence of the Assistant Director (Panchayat) Veerabadran and other officials from National Informatics Centre. He also claimed that this is first of its kind in the state.

Launching the programme as part of the e-Governance, Mr. Maheshwaran the development of villages is of paramount important for the overall development of the nation. Keeping this in mind, BARS, a monitoring system is being implemented in a phased manner to cover the entire 333 village panchayats and urban local bodies in the district.

Under the BARS system, every streetlamp, bore well pumps and motors for pumping drinking water would be given a unique identification number. Public can inform the local panchayat about the defect or damage in any one of the system. In turn it would be entered into the website by the concerned panchayat clerk. The complaints recorded in the website would be accessed by the Block Level Officials, the Assistant Director (Panchayat) and the District Collector to know the status of the grievances redressal etc. It is a centralized communication system which connects every panchayat to the collectorate, the collector adds.

An official from the NIC said that the BARS system was introduced in 10 to 15 villages initially, the required training for BDOs and other low level officials were given. All the electric pumps used for pumping drinking water, street light poles and bore wells in seven villages were given a unique identification number.

After the success of the trial, it would be extended to all the 333 village panchayats in the district in a phased manner. Anybody can access the features of the new website at the http://www.krishnagiri.tn.nic.in In future, the BARS system would be upgraded in such a way that even the public can access the website and enter their grievances pertaining to water supply motors, street lights and bore wells.

Mr. Maheshwaran also stated that the district has 10227 bore well hand pumps, 5862 electric motors for pumping drinking water and 50440 street lights. Assistant Director (Panchayats) Mr. Veerabadran and Mr. Sathiq, District Officials at National Informatics Centre accompanied the collector during the press briefing.

Land grabbing: one more detained under Goondas Act

T. Raja Reddy alias Kulla Reddy (49) hailing from Kothur village near Mookandapalli in SIPCOT, Hosur on Thursday night. With this, the number of persons detained under Goondas Act relating to the land grabbing cases has risen to two in Krishnagiri district.

Earlier, Mr. Gnaneswaran of Pochampalli was detained under Goondas Act. A release from N. Kannan, Superintendent of Police said that the detention under the Goondas Act was recommended to the Collector, since the accused was found involved in many cases of land grabbing cases in the district. Based the recommendations, the Collector C.N. Maheshwaran has ordered to detain T. Raja Reddy under Goondas Act.

Four cases were registered against him by the Anti Land Grabbing Cell under sections 147 (unlawful assembly), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 447 (criminal trespass), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 420 (criminal conspiracy) and 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code.

He was arrested by the Anti Land Grabbing Cell last month and was lodged in Salem Central Prison. The detention order under Goondas Act was served to him at the prison on Thursday night.

Mr. S.R. Senthil Kumar, Additional Superintendent of Police heading the Anti Land Grabbing Cell told The Hindu on Friday that the accused used to register valuable lands with forged documents in his name and then threatening the original owners and grabbed the land with meagre amount. Mr. Kumar said so fare 931 petitions were received by the special cell from the affected persons. On the basis of the prima facie evidence 21 First Information Reports were registered and 25 persons were arrested.

About ten acres of land worth Rs. 3.5-crores were retrieved and handed over to the aggrieved persons, he adds.

Bed and breakfast scheme to be expanded

he Tourism Department of the Tamil Nadu government has decided to expand the bed and breakfast scheme, under which domestic and foreign tourists are allowed to stay in the houses of residents in tourist spots. The scheme will cover the place of stay having excellent infrastructure facilities and who are willing to let tourists stay in their houses.

According to a release from the District Collectors, C.N. Maheshwaran (Krishnagiri) and R. Lilly (Dharmapuri), the tourists visiting both these districts were benefiting by the bed and breakfast scheme which was already introduced in Tamil Nadu.

The department has published a directory of house-owners who have expressed willingness to allow tourists to stay in their houses.

Having decided to expand the scheme, the Tourism Department has invited applications from house-owners in Krishnagiri/Dharmapuri district whose houses have all tourist infrastructure facilities such as air-conditioned rooms, telephone, clean drinking water, toilets and the facility of providing food if the tourists wish, to participate in the scheme.

On receipt of applications, the tourist officer would inspect their houses and send a report to the Commissioner of Tourism, Chennai. After getting the approval of the Commissioner, the houses of the applicants which have been selected, would be publicised in such a way as to benefit both the tourists and the house-owners.

Interested house-owners are requested to contact M. Rajadurai, Tourist Officer, Tamil Nadu Government Tourist Office, Fort, Vellore.

Burglary attempt at co-op bank

An attempt to burgle the Agricultural Cooperative Bank in Sapparam, near Kaveripattinam, in Krishnagiri district on Friday night was foiled as the burglar alarm went off.

The police sources said that as soon as the burglars broke open the main shutters, the alarm went off. On hearing the alarm, the villagers rushed to the bank and informed the police and the officials. Ravikumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, inspected the bank along with the Kaveripattinam police.

Further investigation is on.

Sangam plea to Chief Minister on rail line project

The Krishnagiri Rail, Bus Passengers Sangam has appealed to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to urge the Union Government to take up the long-pending Rs. 687.92-crore Jolarpet-Hosur broad gauge rail line project pending with the Railway Board.

In a petition submitted to the Chief Minister through Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development K.P. Munusamy, the Sangam urged the State Government to pressurise Centre as the project will stimulate the economic development of the district.

Over 2,000 industries, lakhs of people from different parts of the southern Tamil Nadu and Kerala would be benefited if the new rail line comes into existence, it said. The office-bearers told The Hindu that they were invited by the Minister to come to Chennai to discuss about the project before taking up the matter with the Chief Minister.

E.N. Mani, secretary of the Sangam, also enclosed a letter received from R. Ramanahan, Chief Administrative Officer, Southern Railways dated February 2, 2011. In his letter, Mr. Ramanathan had stated that the project cost was revised to Rs. 687.92-crore and sent for the decision of the Railway Board.

The Sangam staged a series of agitations jointly with the various traders' associations urging the Union Government to include the project in the last Railway Budget.

Over 1,300 idols to be immersed in water bodies by Tuesday

Idols of Ganesha being immersed at the Krishnagiri Reservoir Project near Krishnagiri by the devotees on Sunday. Photo: N. Bashkaran.

The air in the region bears festivity and zest as this year's Ganesh Chaturthi moves to a colourful finish by Tuesday, when about 1,300 idols would be immersed in water bodies of the district.

This is a first of sorts in the entire western region spanning Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Salem, Erode, Namakkal, Tiruppur, Coimbatore and the Nilgiris, as the number of idols that were immersed in the district in the last two days crossed the 1000 mark. Three hundred more idols of the elephant-headed God would be immersed into water bodies by Tuesday.

Idols were taken out in a procession through Krishnagiri, Hosur, Denkanikottai, Uthangarai and surrounding areas, and immersed in the water bodies allowed by the police. The processions passed through important thoroughfares .

People also immersed idols in Krishnagiri Reservoir Project in Krishnagiri, South Pennar River in Kaveripattinam, Arasampatti and Barur, Ariyakkal Eri near Maharajakadai, and Markandeya River in Veppanahalli.

The district administration has issued a warning that it would initiate legal action against those immersing idols made of plaster of paris and coloured /polished with paints, varnish, distemper or other chemicals in water sources during the celebrations. The police had made heavy security arrangements, and no untoward incidents were reported on Saturday and Sunday.

However, despite the warning, many in groups brought several idols made of plaster of paris and coloured/polished with paints for immersion.

Social activists say that eco-friendly practices while celebrating the festival could be brought about only by educating the public especially teenagers, who are now in the fore front of organising the Chathurthi festival in many parts of the towns and villages.

Cattle protection scheme will lead to “White Revolution”: Minister

Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development administering oral vaccination to a cow at Thimmavaram ,near Krishnagiri on Sunday. Collector C.N. Maheshwaran (right) and Uthangarai M.L.A. Ms. Manoranjitham Nagarajan are in the picture. Photo: N. Bashkaran

The cattle protection scheme announced by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa will lead to another “White Revolution” in the State, said K.P. Munusamy, Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development, here on Sunday.

Launching the scheme at Thimmavaram village near Krishnagiri, Mr. Munusamy said the AIADMK government was taking various steps to upgrade the standard of living of farmers and this scheme was the first step in this direction.

The Minister said 5,500 special medical camps for the cattle heads would be conducted in every nook and corner of the State at a cost of Rs. 2.31-crore during this fiscal.

Mobile veterinary team recently introduced in the district would come to the rescue of farmers over a phone call. The district administration was planning to introduce a toll-free helpline. Farmers' could make a request through the helpline, Mr. Munusamy said.

The Collector would initiate action against officials if they were not quick enough to attend the helpline calls from farmers.

Distribution of free milch cow and goat scheme to the landless farm labourers from September 15 would improve their economic conditions. Three female and one male goats would be distributed to rural women, Mr. Munusamy added.

Later, the Minister administered oral vaccination to the cattle heads and gave away prizes for the best maintenance of the cattle head.

V. Gnanaubakaram, Regional Joint Director, H. Arulmozhithevan, Assistant Director, Animal Husbandry Department, participated.

“Jayalalithaa to launch Hogenakkal water project in December 2012”

Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development K.P. Munusamy (second from left) ,
inspecting the construction of common booster pumping station at Moongilpatti on Saturday.
Former Minister K.P. Anbazhagan (left), is in the picture.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa will inaugurate the Hogenakkal Drinking Water and Fluorosis Mitigation Project in December 2012, said Municipal Administration and Rural Development Minister K.P. Munusamy here on Saturday.

He inspected construction work of the 75.2-lakh litre common booster pumping stations at Moonmgilpatti in Dharmapuri district, built at a cost of Rs.4.57-crore; 1-lakh litre water storage tank at Pikkanahalli in Karimangalam Panchayat Union erected at a cost of Rs.8.59-lakh; and the 35-lakh litre ground level water storage tank built at a cost of Rs.1.12 crore.

Later, he inspected the progress of construction of 30 lakh litre water storage tank in Ullukkurikkai village of Kelamangalam Panchayat Union in Krishnagiri district and 10-lakh litre water storage tank at Jakkeri.

Earlier, after inspecting the works at Kalichettipatti, the Minister held a review meeting with officials of the TWAD Board, the nodal agency for implementing the Rs. 1928.80-crore Hogenakkal Drinking Water and Fluorosis Mitigation Projects with financial assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the contracting companies.

During the meeting, the Minister was informed that the six mega electrical motors were ready to pump water to the water treatment plant at Madam. Immediately, he gave instructions to officials to speed up the project for the initial test on November 11.

Mr. Munusamy directed the officials to speed up construction so as to achieve 49 per cent completion before September 15 under Package I. He announced the target of finishing works under Package II as 60 per cent, 35 per cent for Package III, 50 per cent under Package IV and 27 per cent under Package V.

The project is being implemented under a five-package system. As many as three municipalities (Hosur, Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri), 17 town panchayats, and 6755 habitations in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts will benefit. Work on the Rs.1928.80-crore project is being implemented with financial assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to supply drinking water to 30 lakh people in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts.

Hosur advocates boycott courts against shifting land cases

All lawyers attached to the Hosur Bar Association (HBA) today boycotted courts in Hosur today as a token protest against shifting to Krishnagiri of land acquisition cases, previously tried locally, following the setting up of a new civil court there.
The protesting advocates demanded that land acquisition cases should be tried in Hosur courts only and not be shifted to Krishnagiri. Already the HBA has been demanding the Judiciary to shift the Additional District Judge Court-cum-Sessions Court from Krishnagiri to Hosur, they said.
Currently the land acquisition cases pertaining to Hosur and Denkanikotta taluks are being tried in the Sub-Court in Hosur.
The HBA has also been demanding for a permanent Labour Court in Hosur, which is one of the top industrial belts in the country. But instead of meeting these demands, the government has set up a new Special Court for land acquisition cases in Krishnagiri, they said.

Over 700 DMK cadres held and later, released in at five road junction in Krishnagiri

 DMK District Secretary T. Senguttuvan arrested for staging agitation against 

 AIADMK government at five road junction in Krishnagiri on Monday. Photo: N. Bashkaran

Monday was the day of arrests in the districts with about 1,728 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam members being held for staging protests allegedly without permission condemning what they called the foisting of false land-grab cases against party leaders across the State.

In Krishnagiri, T. Senguttuvan, district secretary and Veppanahalli MLA, led the agitation near the five-road junction in the town. E.G. Sugavanam, MP, and former MLA. K.R.K. Narasimhan, and Kanchana Kamalanathan, State vice-president, Women's Wing, participated in the agitation, and raised slogans against the AIADMK government for about 10 minutes.

Arrest in Krishnagiri

Police then arrested the DMK men, took them to two marriage halls in the town, and after a head count, released them in the afternoon.

As many as 720 party workers including 20 women were arrested, as per official figures.

The arrested included B. Faritha Nawab, Chairman of Krishnagiri Municipality, N.S. Madheswaran, Chairman-in-charge, Hosur Municipality and chairmen of Panchayat Unions.

1008 arrested in Dharmapuri

In Dharmapuri district, the agitation was held in two towns. Former Information Minister V. Mullaivendan led the agitation at four road junction in Dharmapuri North. This was because the cadres were not allowed to agitate before the Collectorate.

Immediately after reaching four road junction, Mr. Mullaivendan garlanded the party's mentor and former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai and raised slogans against the AIADMK government.

R. Thamaraiselvan, Member of Parliament representing Dharmapuri, Keerai S. Viswanathan, senior leader, Vedammal, Harur Union Secretary, M. Govindarajan, former District Secretary and Chairman of Panchayat Unions R. Sidharthan, Ponnusamy, K. Manoharan among others were also arrested for participating in the agitation.

Here, about 354 workers including seven women were arrested and released later.

A similar protest was also held near the Tomato market in Palacode town, which was led by P.N.P. Inbasekaran. As many as 654 cadres including four women were arrested and later released.

Differently abled persons find it difficult to get ID cards

Differently abled persons made to wait during the weekly camp to obtain identity cards at 

 the Government Headquarters Hospital in Krishnagiri on Thursday. Photo: N. Bhaskaran

On Thursdays, several differently abled persons from far away places come to the Krishnagiri district headquarters hospital to obtain Identity Cards. But only a handful of them return happily with the cards, that too after a long wait of nearly four hours.

The others are made to come to the hospital twice or thrice to get the cards.

On an average, over 200 differently abled persons come to the weekly camps at the GH prior to the enhancement of monthly monetary assistance by the State Government.

But, after the enhancement of the amount to Rs. 1,000 a month, the number of persons approaching the hospital and the District Differently abled Rehabilitation Office has increased considerably, says a district official.

Of the 347 persons who visited the Government Hospital on Thursday, 60 were ineligible for the ID cards, the official adds.

Some of the differently abled persons waiting in queues told The Hindu that they were running from pillar to post to get the ID cards. Every time they visited the camp with the hope of getting the cards but had to return disappointed.

They were denied cards either at the registration level or the specialist doctors were not available to assess the percentage of the handicap that would make them eligible for the assistance.

It may be noted that one should have at least 40 per cent disability to get the card. The official laments that many normal people also come here and insist on getting these ID cards.

V.M. Vajram Chettiyar (62) from Berigai, over 50 km from Krishnagiri, says that he was attending the camp for the second time as the doctors left for home at around 2 p.m. last week.

K. Muniyan (60) of Jeenur near Krishnagiri also has the same grievance.

C. Nethraj (28) was also told to visit camp for the second time, thanks to the official apathy.

C. Murugesan, district secretary, Tamilnadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC), says that it will be proper to conduct the camps at the block level or at all the Primary Health Centres, as many persons with disability are brought by their relatives to the camps from far flung places.

Mr. Imthiyas, District Differently Abled Rehabilitation Officer in-charge, says that he will discuss the issue with the Collector on August 9 to conduct the weekly camps at the Collectorate and to ease the crowd at the GH for the benefit of the differently abled persons.

Tomato prices tumbles to Rs. 3-4 per kg due to bumper crop

Tomoto prices touch Rs. 3 to 4 a kg, all-time low in the recent past in the wholesale markets in Hosur, Royakottai, Krishnagiri and Shoolagiri in Krishnagiri district.

The prices were plummeted between Rs. 3 and 4 because of the bumper crop in this season. This affected the tomato farmers badly. They incur heavy loss due to increase in the prices of inputs, seeds, manpower and other costs for producing the tomatoes.

Due salubrious weather condition prevailed in Hosur, it is one of the prime agricultural belts in the State. Tomato, cabbage and potatoes produced in this region enjoy a premium price in all markets.

As tomato is a major revenue earner when compared with other crops is cultivated in more than 3,000 hectares in and around Hosur, Denkanikottai, Anchetti and Royakottai with an annual production of over 50,000 metric tonnes.

Tomatoes produced here are transported to wholesale markets at Rayakottai, Krishnagiri, Shoolagiri and Hosur in the district and sold to consumers in Palani, Dindigul, Trichy, Chennai, Bangalore and other cities.

Traffic violations on NH will be strictly dealt with: Collector

Traffic violations on the National Highways in the district will be dealt with seriously, warned Collector C.N. Maheshwaran here on Monday.

He told reporters that the four-lane National Highways was formed for the smooth flow of traffic. The roads in the district had many ups and downs due to its geographic nature. Vehicles to western and northern States were passing through Krishnagiri. In spite of repeated advices, the drivers of heavy vehicles continued to violate traffic rules.

Heavy vehicles should operate only on the left side of the road to give way to the emergency vehicles, Light Motor Vehicles and Sport Utility Vehicles on the right side.

Under the Motor Vehicles Act 118 (2), vehicles should always be kept on the left side of the road giving way to the vehicles coming in the opposite direction. Moreover, vehicles should not take sudden left or right. Violating this would lead to fatal accidents.

With a view to regulating the traffic on the National Highways, high-speed police patrol vehicles were being kept ready to book the violators. It had also been decided to install cameras at important points on the NH to monitor violations, Mr. Maheshwaran added.

He said that special squads would patrol the NH from the Karnataka border to Sappanipatti bordering Dharmapuri district and up to Velakalnatham bordering Vellore district on Chennai road.

If any heavy vehicle was found violating the rules, it would be fined a maximum of Rs. 1,000 or six months imprisonment for the driver if it was the first time. If the driver committed the offence for the second time, the punishment and fine would be doubled, the Collector added.

N. Palanivelu, Regional Transport Officer, was present during the press briefing at the Collectorate.

A small population of grizzled giant squirrel, a rare and endangered species, has been sighted in the forest areas of Hosur and Krishnagiri.

Sighting of this arboreal species came to light during a recent survey conducted by a team of scientists from Bangalore. Headed by N. Baskaran and two other scientists from the Asian Nature Conservation Foundation, Bangalore, it conducted the year-long survey on vertebrates in the forest areas.

Until now, there were no records of the squirrels being sighted in Hosur and Krishnagiri, even though the species is known to exist in the Western Ghats. With the researchers sighting them in this part of the Eastern Ghats, more studies have to be taken on their habitat, vegetation and other related aspects. Similarly, efforts should be made to protect them also, say naturalists.

Dr. Baskaran said the squirrels were found in seven ranges – Anchetti, Denganikotta, Hosur, Javalagiri, Krishnagiri, Royakottai and Urigam in both the Krishnagiri and Hosur areas. They were sighted in eight different locations in these forest areas.

Medical college for Krishnagiri district soon

A medical college will be established in Krishnagiri district as promised by Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa during her election campaign, K.P. Munusamy, Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development, said here on Saturday.

Addressing after honouring the toppers in the Plus Two and SSLC examinations from government and private schools on behalf of the Hosur Lions Club, Mr. Munusamy said that it was during her earlier regime that two Government Arts Colleges, two Polytechnic Colleges and one Engineering College were established. It helped the rural students to continue higher studies in their native district.

Basic infrastructural facilities in schools were developed on a par with the private schools during this period. Because of this, rural students from the district were achieving State-level ranks.

With a view to help the children of migrant labourers in the district, the government had established many Residential Bridge Course (RBC) schools in the district. The dropout students were identified by the school authorities and admitted in these schools, the Minister said.

He also welcomed the initiatives and social services of the NGOs such as Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs and other voluntary organisations in the region. The Minister thanked Y.V.S. Reddy, Chairman, Hosur Lions Club, for announcing donation for the development of education in Hosur and surrounding areas.

Mr. Munusamy appealed to the students to work hard and perform well in the public examinations and make the nation and their parents proud.

As many as 423 student toppers were given prizes at the function. Collector C.N. Maheshwaran participated.

Sub-Inspector killed by a granite lorry knocks him down

A traffic Sub-Inspector was killed when a granite laden lorry which he tried to intercept, knocked him down near the tollgate in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu on July 3.

Reports received here said Sub-Inspector Sivakumar (52), was on night duty at the tollgate.

In the wee hours of today, he intercepted a lorry which was illegally carrying granite slabs.

Despite repeated signals, lorry driver Sivappa hailing from Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh, did not stop the vehicle and knocked the man down.

Sivakumar died on the spot.

The lorry driver abandoned the vehicle and tried to flee the scene.

However, fellow personnel who were on duty, chased him some distance, overpowered him and arrested him. The lorry was impounded.

Inspection of school vans, buses to be over by weekend

KRISHNAGIRI: The inspection of school vans and buses to ensure safety of students will be over by the weekend, said a release from the Regional Transport Officers, P. Suresh (Hosur) and N. Palanivelu (Krishnagiri).

The release said as per the instructions of the District Collector C.N. Maheshwaran, checking of the buses and vans owned by the educational institutions were being done in full swing by the Motor Vehicle Inspectors Ashok Kumar, Asokan, Saravanan, Dhanapal and Saravanan on a daily basis.

Out of the 719 school vehicles, 575 have been checked till last week.

Rest of the vehicles will be checked before this weekend, the release sadid.

The managements of the educational institutions have been asked to cooperate with the authorities to ensure safety measures as per the instructions of courts.

The managements should ensure that the drivers appointed should have a minimum of 10 years experience.

The vehicles should be fit to operate on road, they should have safety tools like emergency door, first-aid box, side grill, fire-fighting equipments, and should be yellow-painted and have stickers pasted on all the four sides stating that the school/college children are inside.

Managements were been asked to follow the guidelines issued by the courts, and send their vehicle to the RTO for checking if the rules were not been abided by, the release added.

Govt. allocates Rs. 1.58 crore to improve cultivation of nutritious pulses and cereals

KRISHNAGIRI: The State Government has allocated Rs. 1.58 crore for improving the area of cultivation of nutritious pulses and cereals in the district for the financial year 2011-12, said a release issued by K. Rajan, Joint Director, Agriculture here recently.

The release said the subsidy is distributed to the farmers to encourage cultivation of nutritious crops such as ‘ragi' and ‘samai.'

The scheme was launched by the Collector on June 22.

Under this scheme, bio fertilizer, micro fertilizer, chemical fertilizer and other inputs required to safeguard the crops from insects would be issued on 100 per cent subsidy basis.

Subsidy

This scheme would be implemented for ragi crop on 5000 hectares, ‘samai' crop on 400 hectares in Shoolagiri, Thali, Hosur, Kelamangalam, Mathur and Uthangarai Panchayat Unions. Under this scheme, the subsidy per hectare for ragi Rs. 3000 and Rs. 2000 for ‘samai' have been fixed by the government.

Due to the implementation of this scheme, ragi and ‘samai' production would improve 25 to 35 bags per hectare and about 5,187 farmers would be benefited.

Production

Improving the production of ragi and ‘samai' would automatically improve the iron, vitamin and fibre nutrition to the people of the district.

Increase in production of ragi and ‘samai' would also improve the usage among the people in the form of value added products, the release further added.

Indian Bank disburses loans in Krishnagiri

Indian Bank has sanctioned home loans and vehicle loans to a tune of Rs. 3.53 crore to 38 applicants at a special camp conducted at the Krishnagiri main branch on Sunday.

Home loans

Of the total amount, Rs. 3.23 crore was disbursed as home loans to 31 customers and Rs. 29 lakh as vehicle loans to seven customers.

M. Karthikeyan, Zonal Manager, Dharmapuri Circle, handed over the letter of approval to the customers in the presence of Lead District Manager B. Krishnadoss, Chief Managers K. Sankar Rao, and R. Thirumavalavan.

Ten branches of Indian Bank - Krishnagiri main branch, Gandhi Road (Krishnagiri), Bargur, Varattanapalli, Maharajakadai, Kaveripattinam, Moranaalli, Venkatasamuthiram, Mathur and Kannandaalli -participated in the special camp.

Rally to mark World Anti-Drug Day flagged off

Turning to drugs is not the solution to problems plaguing one's life. Youth should be taught to keep away from drugs, said District Revenue Officer C. Prakasam here on Sunday.

Flagging off the rally to mark the World Anti-Drug Day at the Government Girls Higher Secondary School, he said that problems would follow man everywhere.

Every action would have an obstacle that needed to be surmounted to achieve the goal.

Getting addicted to drugs to shy away from the issue was not how one should deal with the problem.

“Rather than taking recourse to harmful drugs that spoil a person's career and life, youth should understand the problem and sort it out intelligently and skilfully, Mr. Prakasam said.

Over 300 students participated in the rally.

Slogans

The rally passed through the main thoroughfares and reached the Government Boys Higher Secondary School in Krishnagiri. The students raised slogans against use and smuggling of drugs.

Farmers' forum seeks closure of private mineral water plan

Over 100 members of the CPI(M)-affiliated Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam staged a demonstration in front of the Office of the Block Development Office, Bargur, demanding closure of a private Reverse Osmosis water treatment plant at Sigaralapalli Panchayat, near Bargur, in Krishnagiri district on Friday.

They also demanded withdrawal of false cases foisted against the farmers who had opposed the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation's move to put up overhead wires in a lane at Sigaralapalli village that posed a threat to the life of people.

The Sangam alleged that the RO plant was supplying treated water to a mineral water company.

It exploited natural resources by sucking ground water as much as possible, depleting the water table in the area, already a drought-prone one.

Dry wells

Since the plant was extracting ground water indiscriminately, locals feared that bore wells would dry soon.

As many as 3,000 people living in Paiyadur, Erikollamedu, Sigaralapalli, Rangasamudhram, Ittiganur, Kuttappanayaganur, Thellapetta and Kollakottai villages have been using the water.

District Secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and State Committee Member of the Sangam D. Ravindran gave special address.

M. Dharman, district president, X. Irudhayaraj, district secretary, R. Sekar, state committee member of the Sangam, G.K. Nanjundan, CPI (M) taluk secretary, were among others who spoke.

It was also alleged that the panchayat president who owns the mineral water factory had disconnected water supply to a village with 350 houses in Santhakarambu and Kothalakuttai koot road since the last week of May.

A complaint regarding this had been made to the Block Development Officer.

All India Mango Exhibition begins in Krishnagiri

Farmers in the district will be trained in Israel techniques to get high yield in mango cultivation, said C.N. Maheshwaran, District Collector, here on Wednesday.

In the absence of Agriculture Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan and Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development K.P. Munusamy, Mr. Maheshwaran inaugurated the 19th All India Mango Exhibition at Government Boys High School Ground here.

Mr. Maheshwaran said that mango was being cultivated in 40,000 hectares in the district. He said that mango growers were getting Rs. 22,500 as subsidy an acre. This year, Rs. 1.20 crore would be distributed as subsidy to mango growers.

The Collector said that the exhibition would remain open to the public till July 15.

T. Ramachandran, MLA, asked the government to establish a mango procurement centre and mango pulp industry in the district to safeguard the interests of mango farmers.

The government should announce Thalli and Hosur as export zones keeping in view the abundant production of cut rose and chendu malli in the area. It would help farmers avail themselves of many facilities offered by the government. He expressed the hope that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa would fulfil her electoral promises on setting up a cold storage facility for tamarind in the district.

Mr. Ramachandran asked the Horticulture Department to double the area for eligibility for subsidy and raise the subsidy amount to Rs. 6.50 lakh from the present Rs. 3.25 lakh.

K.E. Krishnamoorthy, MLA, asked the District Collector to take the initiative in bringing back the glory of Government Spinning Mill in Uthangarai to safeguard the interests of hundreds of workers.

Manoranjitham Nagarajan, MLA, spoke.

K. Rajan, Joint Director, Agriculture Department, and P. Subbian, Additional Director, Horticulture Department, explained the actions being taken to improve the agriculture and horticulture production in the district and the subsidy available to farmers. C. Prakasam, District Revenue Officer welcomed the gathering.

Later, Mr. Maheshwaran distributed welfare assistance of Rs. 1.53 crore to 238 beneficiaries.

Residents unhappy over venue of mango exhibition

KRISHNAGIRI: With the 19th Annual Mango Exhibition set to begin on Wednesday, the residents nearby the venue of the event expressed unhappiness and concern over its arrangements.

The selection of the Government Boys Higher Secondary School ground as venue has met with disapproval by the public. While some say that it is in violation of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines, many others lament that the school students will not be able to use the playground for a month.

Some medical professionals told The Hindu that the organisers had not taken into account the Pollution Control Board guideline banning conduct of public programmes within less than 100 metres from hospitals, educational institutions, courts, religious places etc.

Dr. P. Jayaraman, Director, Padma Clinic (situated near the gates of the exhibition venue), expressed concern over the plight of the patients at the nursing home.

He urged the district administration to restrict the timings of the exhibition to 10 p.m. He also suggested that a permanent venue for exhibitions could be selected by the district administration just outside the town.

C. Ramesh, managing partner, Chinnasamy Agencies, said that a permanent venue for exhibitions should be fixed outside the town on the lines of the Trade Centre in Chennai.

Plea for textbooks in Kannada

KRISHNAGIRI: A team from Karnataka Legislative Council, which on Friday visited various places in Hosur and Thenkanikottai blocks in Krishnagiri district where Kannada-speaking people are living in large numbers, has urged the Tamil Nadu government to supply textbooks in Kannada language to those students who are studying in Kannada schools here.

After holding detailed discussions with Tamil Nadu officials and also representatives of various Kannada-speaking people, the team led by D. H. Sankaramoorthi and accompanied by a senior education official from Karnataka, pointed out that Kannada language teachers should immediately be appointed in all Kannada schools in these two blocks bordering Karnataka.

Many parents had told the team members that teachers who had no proficiency in Kannada language had been appointed in the Kannada schools, which they claimed had affected the wards' education.

The representatives insisted that Tamil Nadu government should honour the students who scored high marks in public examinations with Kannada as main language.

Indian Bank launches mobile van banking service in Thalli

HOSUR: The Indian Bank has launched mobile van banking service at Thalli in Denkanikottai taluk in Krishangiri district on Wednesday.

District Collector C.N. Maheshwaran flagged off the mobile van in the presence of Rajiv Rishi, Executive Director, Indian Bank, in Thalli town.

Mr. Maheshwaran told the reporters that the district administration will route all the benefits of the government to the doorstep of the public through the mobile van banking service.

The five villages that are to be benefitted by this service are Palayamkottai, Achupalam, Madakkal, Agalakottai and Madupalli.

Smart cards

The bank has also issued smart cards to the account holders attached to the Thalli branch.

Even illiterates can operate the biometric ATM facility for withdrawing money.

Mr. Rajiv Rishi told the reporters that the mobile van banking services are being successfully operated in 17 villages in three states in the country. He said the bank has opened a biometric ATM at Kurubarapalli attached to the Krishnagiri branch, under the Financial Inclusion Plan.

The Indian Bank has so far commissioned 81 biometric ATMs across the nation.

With an aim to serve the rural masses, the bank has reached the remote areas through the Financial Inclusion Plan with offering services in around 5,500 villages. Of this, 271 villages were covered under the Dharmapuri circle (Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts).

M. Karthikeyan, Assistant General Manager and Circle Head, Dharmapuri Circle welcomed the gathering. Jeevakani Selvaraj, branch manager, Thalli branch, proposed a vote of thanks.

New collector bats for ‘People Friendly' administration

KRISHNAGIRI: People-friendly administration is new Krishnagiri District Collector C.N. Maheshwaran's agenda, too, like it is for most of the district collectors of Western Tamil Nadu who took charge after the recent shuffle.

Mr. Maheshwaran assumed office on Sunday.

At his maiden weekly Grievance Day Programme on Monday, he gave instructions to all department heads to maintain registers for public complaints.

Countersign

He insisted that each and every complaint should be countersigned by the head of the department.

All the departments should appoint a liaison officer to deal with public complaints. The liaison officer should verify the complaints register once a week, and ensure action on the petitions.

Apart from this, collectorate-level committee officials would monitor whether the instructions are fully followed by all the departments.

SOS basis

Officials should attend the petitions submitted by the public on SOS basis with politeness and should not delay action on them under any circumstances.

Action taken on the petitions should be intimated to the petitioners within one month.

To achieve this goal, each and every department and officials should cooperate to make the administration work ‘People Friendly', Mr. Maheshwaran said.

All India Mango Exhibition: tenders for setting up shops opened

KRISHNAGIRI: Tenders for setting up eateries, erection of pandal, publicity work and amusements to be part of the All India Mango Exhibition, an exhibition held in Krishnagiri town, were opened in the presence of the District Revenue Officer C. Prakasam at the collectorate on Tuesday. For the first time the tenders were invited by the district administration for the mango festival. Senior officials participted in the tender.

Jamabandi begins in five taluks in Krishnagiri district

KRISHNAGIRI: Jamabandhi, the annual auditing of village land accounts, began in Krishnagiri, Uthangarai, Hosur, Denkanikottai and Pochampalli taluks in Krishnagiri district on Tuesday. It will be held till June 24.

C. Prakasam, Collector in-charge, inaugurated the Jamabandhi at Krishnagiri taluk office and at Pochampalli taluk office.

The Collector will be conducting the Jamabandhi at Krishnagiri taluk office, District Revenue Officer C. Prakasam at Pochampalli, Sub-Collector Prashant M. Wadnere at Hosur taluk office, Revenue Divisional Officer (Krishnagiri) at Uthangarai taluk and District Adi Dravidar Welfare Officer T. Venkatesan at Denkanikottai taluk.

During the process, the public residing within the taluks can approach the officials for patta, name change in patta, old age pension, farmers' identity cards, widows' pension, assistance to agriculture labourers and other issues related to the Revenue Department.

Mr. Prakasam said that immediate action would be taken against petitions submitted by the public. On petitions related to critical or problematic issues, action would be taken within seven or eight working days.

As Jamabandhi officer, he had received 184 petitions at Pochampalli taluk, a release said.

Three students of Government Higher Secondary Schools in Krishnagiri district secured State ranks in Telugu and Kannada.

M. Hemavathi of Government Higher Secondary School, Hosur, scored 96 marks in Telugu and was the state topper in the subject. She scored 97 in English, centum in mathematics, 92 in science and 97 in social science with a total score of 482. R. Navitha from the same school scored 95 and secured state third rank in Telugu.

Kannada

N. Thyagaraja of Government Higher Secondary School, Madhagondapalli near Hosur emerged state topper in Kannada with 94 marks. Thyagaraja had secured 431 out of 500 marks.

Rular Secure Topper in SSLC

Students from rural background performed well in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations in Krishnagiri district.

District toppers

J. Jegan of Government Higher Secondary School, Uthangarai and S. Sarathy of Our Lady Higher Secondary School were the district toppers in the SSLC examinations with a total score of 491 out of 500 marks .

Jegan scored centum in mathematics, 97 each in Tamil and English, 99 in science and 98 in social science. While S. Sarathy scored centum in mathematics and science, 97 in Tamil, 96 in English and 98 in social science.

M. Karthick of Government Higher Secondary School, Velampatti, A. Imran Basha of Our Lady Higher Secondary School, Madhagondapalli, P. Hari Baskar of Government Higher Secondary School, Uthangarai and S. Reena of Anna Arivagam Higher Secondary School, Pochampalli and K. Sornamugi of Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Uthangarai shared the second rank in the district with a score of 490.

The third place was shared by A. Vignesh of Government Boys Higher Secondary School, R.L. Deekshita and R. Sivasruthi of Government Girls Higher Secondary School. They had scored 489 marks.

Pass percentage

The pass percentage of the Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Hosur, was 78.33 per cent.

Last year it was 67 per cent.

Hogenakkal project will be fast-tracked, says Minister

The Hogenakkal Drinking Water and Fluorosis Mitigation Project will be implemented as quickly as possible, said K.P. Munusamy, Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development, here on Saturday.

After taking charge as Minister, Mr. Munusamy visited his native district on Saturday.

He was given a rousing welcome at Velakalnatham, the district border with Vellore, Bargur and in Krishnagiri town.

He was received by C. Prakasam, Collector-in-Charge, at the Travellers Bungalow belonging to the Forest Department on Bangaluru Road. Police and district officials met the Minister at the bungalow for a brief period.

The Minister told reporters that the Hogenakkal Drinking Water and Fluorosis Mitigation Project was the brain child of former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran. Hence the scheme to benefit 30 lakh people of Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri district would be implemented as quickly as possible with guidance from Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. The scheme would be inaugurated by the Chief Minister.

Earlier, Mr. Munusamy garlanded the statue of MGR at Bargur, Anna statues at Raasi Veedhi in Krishnagiri and at Kaveripattinam.

Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri students secure State ranks

Students from Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts bagged State ranks in the matriculation stream.

M. Anitha of Senthil Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Dharmapuri was one among the state toppers with a score of 493 out of 500 marks. V. Veenapriyalakshmi of the same school secured state second with a total of 492 marks.

S. Poongothai and C. Pavithra of Sri Vidhyamandhir Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Uthangarai are sharing the state third rank with a total of 491 marks.

M. Anitha, daughter of K. Mani, a Head Constable at the Police Control room in Dharmapuri town, wants to become a Cardiologist.

She dedicated her achievement to the school, parents and well wishers.

Second rank holder V. Veenapriyalakshmi wants to become an Astronomer.

She is planning to pursue Computer Science in Plus One.

Quarry workers seek protection from usurer

Family members of the quarry workers who were allegedly threatened by a gang involved in usury at Dharmaraja Nagar in Kallukurukki Village near Krishnagiri.

Six families hailing from Dharmaraja Nagar in Kallukurukki Village, hardly 8 km from Krishnagiri town, have alleged that they are living under constant threat from a gang involved in usury.

Easwaran, head of one of the six families, said that they worked as bonded labourers in a stone quarry owned by a gang involved in usury for the past 25 years.

Since the labourers wanted to provide quality education to their wards, they left the quarry three months ago and joined another quarry.

Irked by the decision of the workers, the gang had allegedly asked the families to return the paltry amount that they took as loan while working as bonded labourers.

The gang had reportedly taken their signatures on empty stamp papers and receipts stating that the workers had assured to pay the balance amount in three months. Mr. Easwaran said that he had repaid Rs. 55,000 for the Rs. 60,000 he took as loan. But the gang has asked him to pay Rs. 60,000 more.

Five other workers were also going through a similar situation, he said.

Petition

The families have decided to submit a petition to District Collector V. Arun Roy during the grievance day meeting to be held today.

Police recover jewellery, four held

Prompt action:Krishnagiri Superintendent of Police C. Maheshwari (middle)
having a look at the recovered jewellery at the District Police Office on Saturday. —

KRISHNAGIRI: Police have recovered 39.5 sovereigns of gold jewellery and Rs. 35,000 cash that were stolen from the house of a Border Security Force constable M. Manohar in Shoolagiri on Wednesday night and from a private company official Thangaraj at Mathigiri and from his wife in the residence in Hosur on May 5.

Four persons were arrested in this connection.

Superintendent of Police C. Maheswari told reporters here on Saturday that five special teams were formed for investigation.

The culprits in the Shoolagiri house-breaking case were caught during a vehicle check near Kuruparanthapalli when they were going in a bike on the Bangalore-Krishnagiri National Highway in the early hours on Saturday. The jewellery pledged with one of their relatives was recovered and handed over to the owner. Those arrested are N. Anandakumar and P. Nagendran, both hailing from Shoolagiri.

During investigation, both of them confessed that they were also involved in another theft case reported in a locked shop in Shoolagiri from which Rs. 16,000 was looted.

The duo was produced before a local court and was remanded to judicial custody.

In connection with robbing at knife-point a private company official Thangaraj at Mathigiri and from his wife in the residence by masked men in Hosur on May 5, two persons R. Rajesh and his school mate A. Sudhakar were arrested by the special teams at Bharathi Nagar in Hosur on Friday.

The culprits were trapped with the help of the mobile phone they had used while robbing Thangaraj and his wife.

Ms. Maheshwari also gave away cash rewards to the special teams.

R.V. Ramya Bharati, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Hosur, R. Senthil Kumar, Additional Superintendent of Police, and other police officials were present.

45 sovereigns of gold jewellery, cash stolen from house

For clues:Forensic experts taking finger prints from the house of a

BSF constable at Kamarajar Colony in Shoolagiri town on Thursday.

krishnagiri: Unidentified persons have stolen 45 sovereigns of gold jewellery and Rs. 7,000 cash from a house at Kamarajar Colony in Shoolagiri town. The incident came to light when the owner of the house G. Manohar, a Border Security Force constable, returned from a vacation along with the family.

Mr. Manohar told The Hindu that the family left for Coimbatore on Monday night and returned on Thursday. The burglary came to light when they entered the house and found the wardrobe opened and various items strewn around the room. The thieves gained entry into the house by breaking the iron rods of the ventilator in the kitchen. Sniffer dogs were pressed into service and forensic team took finger prints from the house. Shoolagiri police have registered a case and are investigating