Over 2,000 in Krishnagiri to get solar powered green houses

Beneficiaries to be finalised at Gram Sabha meetings

As many as 2,094 beneficiaries from below poverty line (BPL) families are being allotted the Chief Minister’s Solar Powered Green Houses in all the 10 panchayat unions in the district, Collector Pooja Kulkarni said here on Tuesday.

Addressing reporters, she said that of the target of 2,104 houses, 2,009 green houses fitted with Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) panels were completed in the previous financial year (2011-12) at Rs. 31 crore.

During the current year, the government had fixed a target to allot 2,094 houses to the BPL families in the district.

Though work was in progress, some of the houses were already built by the beneficiaries with the funds allocated by the government machinery as per the specification.

The government was extending Rs. 1.50 lakh per house for construction and Rs. 30,000 for providing SPV panel through Tamil Nadu Energy Development Corporation (TEDA) for the fixed plinth area of 300 square feet.

S. Jagidshaw, wife a daily wager, completed her house with the help of the government fund in Ganesh Nagar at Erraalli Panchayat under the Kaveripattinam Panchayat Union. She said that her dream to live in a concrete house was fulfilled through the scheme. She has also developed a kitchen garden and is planning to grow medicinal plants.

The TEDA had commenced commissioning of SPV panels on the rooftops of the houses, said J. Dhanasekaran, project director, District Rural Development Agency.

He said the beneficiaries had been identified at the rate of one per cent from Scheduled Tribes community, 29 per cent from Scheduled Castes and the remaining 70 per cent for Backward Classes and others. Recently, the State Government issued a GO to allot 3 per cent of the houses to differently-abled persons in all the panchayats.

The government had instructed all the panchayats to prepare beneficiraies' list that will be finalised at the Gram Sabha meetings.

Krishnagiri district gets Rs. 394 crore for development works

Efforts taken to repair overhead tanks in all panchayats

The State Government has allocated Rs. 394.65 crore for undertaking development works under various schemes through the department of rural development during 2012-13, said the Collector Pooja Kulkarni here on Tuesday.

She was addressing the reporters after visiting the construction work of the new building for the Krishnagiri Panchayat Union at a cost of Rs. 1.5 crore and also road laying work being undertaken at the Old Housing Board Colony in Krishnagiri at a cost of Rs. 52.6 lakh under the Pooled Assigned Revenue Scheme.

The Collector instructed the Block Development Officer to issue eviction notice to the encroachers on either sides of the Royakottai Road. Ms. Kulkarni said that during the current financial year, the district administration has taken special efforts to repair the overhead tanks in all the panchayats in the district through the DRDA.

Besides this, the administration also carried out repair works in all the government schools under the Comprehensive School Infrastructure

Case against Devakottai Police men

The Singarapettai police in Krishnagiri district have registered a case of kidnapping against the Devakottai policemen in Sivagangai district, on Saturday.

The FIR, by members of the Communist Party of India, Tamil Nadu Kuravan Tribals Development Association and the Democratic Youth Federation of India, was filed after 10 hours. 

They demanded registration of a case against the Devakottai police for allegedly torturing Vediappan, his wife V. Anusuya and V. Paranthaman of the Kuravan Community.

 They took them into custody, on October 13, from Venkatapuram village, and allegedly tortured them for three days for information on Anusuya’s brother, wanted in a theft case. 

They were dropped at the Tiruvannamalai bypass road three days ago and admitted to the Government Headquarters Hospital.

Ms. Anusuya lodged a complaint against them alleging torture. The police registered a case.

Two persons injured in lightning

Two persons, including a woman were injured, and a cow was killed when lightning struck on them at Madamchamparthanapalli village near Shoolagiri on Thursday evening.

Injured

The injured were identified as Thayappan and Nagarathinamma. They were taken to the Shoolagiri government hospital and later referred to the Government Headquarters’ Hospital in Krishnagiri.

Stolen jewellery recovered; 3 arrested

Krishnagiri town police have arrested three persons in connection with the burglary at the residence of the former president of the Krishnagiri Bar Association S. Liaqat Ali Khan, and recovered 43 sovereigns of gold ornaments and two laptops, said S.R. Senthil Kumar, Additional Superintendent of Police, here on Tuesday.

Advocate’s residence

He told reporters that the burglary took place at the residence of the advocate at the 8th Cross Street in Jakkappan Nagar in the town on the night of October 13.

Since he preoccupied with the marriage arrangements and also did not want to embarrass the relatives, who came to attend the marriage, he lodged a complaint with the Krishnagiri town police on October 21.

Suspicion

On the basis of his complaint, a special team of police headed by Inspector Anbumani (Krishnagiri), Ravi Kumar (Maharajakadai) and Ellappan (Krishnagiri taluk) arrested S. Sathish Kumar of Dharmaraja Koil Street on suspicion on Tuesday morning.

Mobile phone

During the course of inquiry, he confessed that he along with three associates stole 50 sovereigns of jewellery, two laptops and a mobile phone.

On the basis of the information given by him, police arrested R. Iniyan (35) and J. Senthil Kumar (34), both from Mohan Rao Colony in Krishnagiri, and are searching for the third associate Lokesh Kumar (30) of Papparappatti in Krishnagiri town.

Mr. Kumar gave away cash reward to the police personnel who probed the case.

Youth commits suicide

A young artiste (Nagaswaram vidwan) committed suicide by jumping in front of a moving train near Denkanikottai on Sunday.

Sources said that the body of M. Purushothaman (20) of Kelamangalam was found between Podicipalli and Uthanapalli. The Railway police recovered the body and sent it to the Taluk Headquarters’ Hospital in Hosur for post-mortem examination.

650 kg of red sanders seized : The Hindu

A special team of police and officials from the Forest Department seized 650 kg of red sanders near here on Oct 20

A. Babu, Forest Ranger, Krishnagiri, told The Hindu that Prohibition and Enforcement Wing personnel headed by Inspector B. Sivakumar and the officials from Forest intercepted a SUV with the Kerala registration number near Kaveripattinam on the National Highway on suspicion. 

As the vehicle did not stop, the officials chased it for about a km and blocked it. During check, it was found that red sanders weighing about 650 kg valued over Rs. 2.6 lakh was concealed under the rear seat.

The vehicle along with the wood was seized. The two occupants of the car A. Anil (38) and A. Umar Farook of Karur were arrested.

Murder case: 600-page charge sheet filed : The Hindu

Uthanapalli police have filed a charge sheet in connection with the murder of the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam functionary T. Palani alias Palanisamy on July 5 at Balepuram village near Uthanapalli in Krishnagiri district.

The 600-page charge sheet, along with the confession statements from the arrested persons, chemical reports, investigation materials etc were placed before Judicial Magistrate II, Suresh, Hosur on October 3.

An officer in charge of the investigation told The Hindu on Sunday that the charge sheet was filed at the court within 90 days of the arrest of the persons allegedly involved in the murder. Over 125 persons were included in the charge sheet as witnesses.

As many as 9 persons were arrested by the police and 25 persons including Thally MLA T. Ramachandran his father-in-law Mr. Laghumiah and his brother T. Varadarajan surrendered in various courts across the State.

As many as 14 persons were detained under Goondas Act including Mr. Ramachandran, the sources said.

SBI targets Rs.100-crore business this fiscal

M. Kunasekaran (second left), Regional Manager, State Bank of India, Regional Business Office 3, Zone II, handing over the car key to a person who availed of vehicle loan at the two-day special loan mela organised in Krishnagiri on Saturday. 

 Vellore Region, with branches in Tiruvannamalai and Krishnagiri districts, has planned to achieve business for Rs. 100 crore this financial year(2012-2013), said M. Kunasekaran, Regional Manager, State Bank of India, Regional Business Office 3, Zone II, Chennai.

Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of a two-day special home and vehicle loan mela on Saturday, Mr. Kunasekaran said that 15 branches in Krishnagiri district, which were earlier with the Salem Region, have been recently merged with the Vellore Region.

Of the targeted business of Rs. 100-crore this fiscal, the region has achieved 40 to 45 per cent and the rest will be achieved before the end of March 2013, he said. Keeping this in view, the bank has organised special loan melas in different towns in the region to attract more customers by offering low rate of interest for home loans as well as vehicle loans.

Next to Krishnagiri, a big mela would be organised at the Mookandapalli branch in Hosur very soon. The bank expects a business of over Rs. 20-crore from these two melas.

In Tiruvannamalai district, the melas would be organised in Tiruvannamalai town and Arani and targets to achieve Rs. 15-crore business.

N. Arumugam, Chief Manager, SBI main branch, said that the bank is offering home loans at a rate of 10 per cent upto Rs. 30 lakh. The rate of interest would be 10.15 per cent beyond 30 years term of repayment. Similarly, the rate of interest for vehicle loan would be 10.5 per cent and the maximum repaying term that could be availed of by the customer was 84 months (7 years).

Customers can avail of loan up to 85 per cent of the on road rate of the vehicle.

Mr. Arumugam said that as many as 40 home loans to the tune of Rs. 3.5 crore and 29 vehicle loans to the tune of Rs. 1.5 crore were sanctioned at the mela.

Protest against cancellation of town bus service to Nandimangalam and nearby villages

Venting their ire:Students and the general public blocking the National Highway near Hosur New Bus Stand in protest against the cancellation of a town bus service

 

Over 1,000 students, parents and the general public blocked the Bangalore-Chennai National Highway near the Hosur new bus stand on Saturday evening in protest against the cancellation of a town bus service to Nandimangalam and nearby villages on Saturday evening.

Sources said that about 300 students from Avalapalli, Kelevarapalli and Nandimangalam and other villages studying in R.V. Government Boys Higher Secondary School and Government Girls Higher Secondary School waited at the bus stand for over two hours after the school hours.

As the bus service to their villages were not operated even after 5 p.m., the students enquired with the time-keepers at the bus stand.

It was alleged that the TNSTC staff at the Hosur bus stand failed to heed to the request of the students.

Hence, the angry students started blocking the road opposite to the bus stand under the flyover on the Bangalore-Chennai National Highway. Parents of the students reached the bus stand and joined in the stir.

As the students refused to relent even after the pacification by the Deputy Superintendent of Police Gopi and P. Saravanan, Inspector of Police, police removed the students from the spot using mild lathicharge, it was alleged.

Due to this, the bus services to and from Hosur to various cities including Bangalore, Chennai, Salem and other destinations were affected for over an hour.

However, after the authorities arranged a town bus service to ply to the villages, the students dispersed and went home, an official from TNSTC said.

16,054 students to get bicycles this year: Minister

The government has planned to distribute bicycles to 16,054 Plus-One students free of cost this academic year in the district, said K.P. Munusamy, Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development here on Saturday.

He was distributing bicycles to 1,274 students in Government Higher Secondary School in Krishnagiri, Shoolagiri, and Uthanapalli.

The Minister said that the scheme was introduced by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa during her second term with a view to take urban facilities to the rural students. Since then, the scheme was being implemented by the subsequent government successfully.

The government was giving laptops too free of cost to students. These measures would improve the self-confidence of students and encourage them to study well, he added.

Though 80 per cent of the parents in the district were illiterate, they wanted to give good education to their children. The Minister appealed to teachers of the Shoolagiri Government Higher School to improve the pass percentage this academic year.

Pooja Kulkarni, District Collector, presided over the programmes. C. Prakasam, District Revenue Officer, K. Ashok Kumar, Chairman, District Panchayat, Praveen K. Nair, Sub Collector, Hosur, office-bearers of the Parent-Teachers organisations participated.

S. Suganya, Chief Educational Officer welcomed the gathering on the occasion.

Team of foreigners visits Krishnagiri

Twenty-seven trainees from 18 Afro-Asian and Latin American countries are on a study visit to Krishnagiri as part of their four weeks training programme on ‘Planning and Management of Rural Development’ at the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), Hyderabad, on Tuesday. All of them are from middle level and senior level functionaries in these countries.

Girl dies of fever in Krishnagiri

A 14-year-old girl died of fever in the district on Tuesday. Sources here said that K. Sathya of Kannugapalli developed fever while at school in Jolarpet.

The school informed her mother K. Lakshmi who brought her daughter home. She was given treatment at the local hospital. On Monday night, she became unconscious and was admitted to a private hospital where she died on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, doctors attached to the government hospital allayed fears of the villagers that dengue was widespread in the village.

When contacted, Dr. B. Prem Kumar, Deputy Director, Health Services told The Hindu that four to five cases of fever were reported in Kuppachiparai and Kannugampalli villages. A medical team was screening the affected persons and preventive measures in coordination with the local body administration had started, he said.

Students stress importance of voter enrolment

Hundreds of students from Krishnagiri district on Friday took out a massive rally to create awareness on the importance of election and enrolment of voters in the electoral roll.

Flagging off the rally, Collector Pooja Kulkarni appealed to all eligible persons to enrol their names in the voters’ list.

The rally started from the Government Girls Higher Secondary School on the Old Bangalore Road and ended at the same venue.

The rally passed through Pazhayapet, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Five Road Junction and reached the school. Over 500 students from various schools and colleges took part in the rally.

Special camps for enrolment scheduled for October 14 has been postponed to October 28 due to the Teachers’ Eligibility Test. The special camp on October 21 in all the polling booths will be held as usual. 

Eligible voters can enrol their name, submit applications for corrections and change of address by submitting forms 6, 8 and 8A.

For deletion of name, Form 7 should be submitted along with the necessary documents. Applicants are appealed to note down their mobile number as well as their e-mail address.

The awareness rally in Hosur was flagged off by Sub-Collector Praveen P. Nair and at Bargur, P.Manoharan, Revenue Divisional Officer, flagged off the rally. The rallies at the headquarters of Veppanahalli, Uthangarai and Thally Assembly segments were flagged off by the respective Assistant Retuning Officers.

“Hogenakkal scheme nearing completion”- Minister K.P. Munusamy

Eighty per cent of the work relating to the Rs. 1928.80-crore Hogenakkal Drinking Water and Flurosis Mitigation Project with the financial assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has been completed, K.P. Munusamy, Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development, has said.

Addressing a review meeting at the Collectorate in Krishnagiri a few days ago, Mr.Munusamy gave instructions to the officials to complete the project well before November 15.

Trial run

From November 16, trial run of the project should be undertaken in all the five packages of the project.

Community hall turns godown

A community hall built at Rs. 20 lakh under the Anaithu Peruratchi Anna Marumalarchi Thittam 2008-09 scheme by the erstwhile Mathigiri Town Panchayat (now merged with Hosur Special Grade Municipality) by the then DMK government is being used as a store room for keeping cost-free assistance by the then DMK government and also the present AIADMK government, according to local people.

The hall was inaugurated by the then Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on December 6, 2009 at the inaugural function of the Sakkilnatham Samathuvapuram in Sigarapalli panchayat near Krishnagiri.

Even after three years of opening, the community hall was not used by the local people. Initially people refused to use the hall citing that there was no provision for dining hall and kitchen.

Due to this, the erstwhile Town Panchayat officials constructed a dining hall and also a kitchen at a cost of Rs. 8.75 lakh. Immediately after the kitchen shed and dining hall were constructed, revenue officials occupied the community hall for the purpose of storing free colour television sets distributed by the DMK government.

After the elections, the community hall is being used as a godown for keeping cost-free assistance such as grinders, mixies and table lamps.

An official from Hosur Municipality told The Hindu on Thursday that the community hall, dining hall and kitchen shed were built around 3,000 square feet in a 0.75 acre plot near the Town Panchayat office in Mathirigir, now under the Hosur Municipality Ward No. 42.

Hiring a marriage hall is a costly affair for poor people with rural background, so the facility created for them should be used for the purpose for which it was established, a social worker from Mathigiri said.

When contacted, J. Dhanasekar, Project Director, District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), told The Hindu that 78 such community halls had been built under various government schemes as well as Self Sufficiency Schemes (SSS) with peoples’ participation.

He said he was yet to assess how many of them were being used by the people.

Ensure that government hospital is litter-free, Collector tells officials :The hindu

She inspects records and scrutinises procedures being followed by the staff

Collector Pooja Kulkarni conducted a surprise inspection at the Government Headquarters Hospital in Krishnagiri on Thursday.

She verified the entry of names of out-patients, and scrutinised the attendance registers of doctors and other employees.

The Collector said action would be taken against those who came late for duty at the hospital.

She also verified whether the duty nurses were using disposable needles and getting rid of them as soon as they had been used for a patient in the prescribed manner.

She advised nurses to keep the injection rooms neat and clean.

The Collector advised pharmacists at the hospital to explain to the patients how to take medicine in accordance with the prescription by the medical officers, verified whether details of the medicines issued were being correctly entered into the computer, and also checked the stock of medicines available.

When she noticed some of the newborns in the hands of relatives outside the post-natal ward, she gave instructions to the ward nurses not to allow the babies to be taken outside the ward.

Instructions

If hospital staff failed to follow instructions laid down, action would be taken against them.

She found used saline bottles dumped in a corner just outside the post-natal ward and asked the sanitary workers to remove the discarded material immediately.

The Collector asked the authorities to keep the hospital premises litter-free.

She directed the accompanying Municipal Commissioner to eradicate the dog menace inside and outside the hospital immediately.

The hospital premises should be cleaned twice in a month by the staff of the Municipality.

Public Works Department officials were asked to inspect the hospital frequently and undertake repair works. She also went around the cooking unit and inspected the distribution of cooked food to patients.

Two more cases against Thally MLA T.Ramachandran

Thalli MLA T.Ramachandran coming out of Tiruvannamalai Judicial Magistrate court in connection with a murder case. File photo 

The district police have arrested the Communist Party of India (CPI) MLA T. Ramachandran representing the Thally constituency in Krishnagiri district on Friday on allegations of instigating violence in connection with a temple festival in Nilgiris village near Uthanapalli near Hosur. 

He along with his father in law Laghumiah and nine of his associates were produced before the Hosur Judicial Magistrate II Suresh. They were remanded to judicial custody for fifteen days. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Ramachandran was also arrested in the illegal quarry mining case registered in Kelamangalam Police station under Crime No. 201/2012 under sections 379 of IPC and 21 (IV) of Mines and Minerals Act and Section 4 of PPDL. The case has been registered on the alleged excessive mining in and around Kelamangalam. One more person Mr. Sivadasan of United Quarry is yet to be arrested in this case, said Mr. V. Kathirvel, Investigation Officer said here on Friday. 

With this Mr. Ramachandran was arrested in connection with all the ten cases registered against him after the murder of PDK functionary T. Palani in Balepuram village on July 5 this year.

All the accused in both the cases were brought from Salem Central prison and was lodged again with fool proof police protection, police forces here said.

Special attention to eradicate child marriage in Krishnagiri: Collector

Outgoing Collector C.N. Maheshwaran handing over charge to the new Collector Pooja Kulkarni at the collectorate on Monday. C. Prakasam (left), District Revenue Officer,is in the picture.

Pooja Kulkarni assumes charge as newCollector of Krishnagiri district

The new Collector Pooja Kulkarni has said that special attention would be given to eradicate child marriage, female infanticide and foeticide. Mrs. Kulkarni, a 2003 batch IAS officer, assumed charge as sixth District Collector on Monday. 

Her predecessor C.N. Maheshwaran, who was transferred as Joint Commissioner, Health, Chennai Corporation, handed over charge to her. 

Speaking to reporters, she said that top priority would be given to implement Chief Minister’s special schemes and strive hard to take the district to greater heights in education and health. 

She said that since the district tops in implementation of e-governance, the people from remote villages need not approach government office any more.

They can apply for various certificates through Common Service Centres (CSCs) and the certificates would be issued to them within a week. 

She also sought the cooperation of the officials to help reach the government schemes to the targeted section. The Tamil Nadu Revenue Officials Association (TNROA) has said that it would extend its support and cooperation to the new Collector. 

Office-bearers of the association led by P. Vijayaraghavan, District President of the association, met Mrs. Kulkarni on Monday.

3-year-old rescued from borewell

 The boy being rescued from an abandoned borewell in a village near Denkanikottai on Sunday.Photo: Special Arrangement 

 R. Arivanantham 

After a marathon effort a three-year-old boy was rescued from an abandoned 450 feet deep borewell near Denkanikottai on Sunday evening.

A. Guna fell into the well of 8 inch diameter at around 10 a.m. in a rose nursery in Kummalathur near Agalakottai in Denkanikottai taluk in Krishnagiri district owned by his father Anandan.

Anandan had dug up the borewell with the help of a company on Saturday. As the well did not yield any water, it was abandoned. He and his wife A. Padma were in the nursery when the boy slipped into the well while playing with his sister Pooja.

On seeing his brother fall, Pooja alerted her parents. The couple immediately sought the help of local people and police.

As the news spreads like wildfire, Fire and Rescue services personnel were summoned by the police and the revenue authorities.

M. Dakshinamoorthy, Divisional Officer, Krishnagiri district, reached the spot around noon, from Krishnagiri. Before reaching the spot, he gave instructions to his team while travelling in his official jeep.

Two JCBs were deployed to dig up soil for about 25 feet. Then the rescue personnel cut the upper portion of the pipe.

On sighting the boy, they tied his hands and legs with a rope and using a hook-shaped thin iron rod they lifted the boy slowly. 

The rescue operation was a clean job as the boy suffered only a scratch on his legs. A team of medical experts headed by Dr. G. Rajkumar from Denkanikottai Government Hospital provided him first aid. Later, he was sent to Government Hospital in Hosur.

Hospital sources said that the boy was responding well to the treatment.

Praveen N. Nair, Sub Collector, was responsible for coordinating with all departments. R. Chitra and other revenue officials from Denkanikottai taluk were involved in the rescue operation.

C.N. Maheshwaran, the outgoing Collector, visited the boy at the hospital and congratulated the efforts of the officials.