“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.