Four arrested for murder

As many as four people were arrested on Sunday in connection with a murder that took place in Sikkarimedu village, on the Krishangiri-Bangalore National Highways, recently.

According to police, Kannan (60), a security guard at a hotel in Bolupalli village, was found murdered in a mango orchard near Krishnagiri on December 17. The arrested were Babu (31) of Kattinayanapalli, his friend Vinoth alias Vinoth Kumar (32) and Sami alias Sathiyanarayana and Muniyammal. Kurubarapalli police have registered a case and are investigating.

Minister to distribute welfare assistance

Statesman C. Rajagopalachari’s 134th birth anniversary will be observed on Sunday at his residence in Thorappalli near Hosur. Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development K.P. Munusamy would participate in the function and distribute welfare assistance to the tune of Rs. 1.75-crore to 428 beneficiaries.

The Minister would distribute bicycles worth Rs. 38.70 lakh to 1,218 students at the Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Krishnagiri, Later he would distribute free home appliances to as many as 5,974 beneficiaries at Melsomarpet in Paiyanapalli village near Krishnagiri, Masinayakkanapalli, Govinda Agraharam, Sevaganapalli and Sathyamangalam. New Collector T.P. Rajesh, who will be joining duty on Sunday morning, will preside over the functions, says a release issued by the DIPR here said.

Banking services hit as employees go on strike

Vociferous opposition:Members of Bank Employees Federation 

of India (BEFI) and other unions staged a demonstration 

in front of the main branch of Indian Bank in Krishnagiri on 

Thursday, to protest against the passage of Banking Law 

Amendment Bill in Parliament. -Photo: N.Bashkaran

Opposition to passage of Banking Law Amendment Bill

Banking services were hit in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts on Thursday due to the strike call given by Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA) and National Union Bank Employees (NUBE) to protest against the passage of Banking Law Amendment Bill, thus increasing the voting rights of private capital in public sector banks increased to as much as 10 per cent from 1 per cent and 26 per cent from 10 per cent in case of private sector banks.

The bank unions were also opposing the merger of banks in name of functional improvement; opposing the schemes to bail out corporate defaulters and also to stop licenses to corporate houses to start their own banks.

As part of the all-India strike, the services in the nationalized banks and some of the private banks were totally hit except in the State Bank of India. A top official told The Hindu that though the doors of the all the branches of the commercial banks and Regional Rural Banks were kept open, only internal transactions took place with the help of the officials affiliated to other unions.

Money transactions i.e. withdrawals and payments in the banks were total hit in the commercial and Regional Rural Banks.

The cheque clearing operations were hit in the two districts, this resulted in over Rs. 20-crore business being affected in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts.

There were 134 branches of commercial banks including 16 Regional Rural Banks in which services were completed affected in Krishnagiri.

Operations in 80 branches of the commercial banks and also the Regional Rural Banks were affected, the sources said. A demonstration was held in front of the main branch of the Indian Bank in Krishnagiri. The demonstration was presided over by S. Hari Rao, Secretary, Indian Bank Employees Association (BEFI). Speeches were given by R. Senguttuvan (AIBEA), K. Agoram, State Vice President, TNGEA, and Thomas Suthanthiradoss, Branch Secretary, AIIEA. V. Sivaprakash, EC member, Indian Bank Employees Association proposed vote of thanks.

Funds sanctioned for medical treatment of revenue official

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa sanctions Rs. 2,99,210 towards medical expenses

A.R. Nagaraj (56), Divisional Excise Officer in the Tahsildar cadre, sustained severe injuries in a road accident on the Krishnagiri-Chennai National Highways on July 10, after inspecting a TASMAC shop.

Knocked down

He was knocked down by a car near the Collectorate and admitted to a hospital in Bengaluru for treatment.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has sanctioned Rs. 2,99,210 towards medical expenses incurred for his treatment at the hospital from the CM’s Relief Fund through GO (2D) No. 576 dated December 12 on the basis of the appeal given by the Tamil Nadu Revenue Officials’ Association (TNROA) through the then Collector C.N. Maheshwaran.

In a press release that was issued here on Thursday, P. Vijayaragavan, District President, TNROA, thanked the Chief Minister for the help rendered to the family of the official who is on the verge of retirement.

Mr. Vijayaraghavan told The Hindu that the official was fully recovered and is undergoing Magisterial training for Tahsildhars.

Appeal

He recalled that the association had appealed to the Chief Minister to bear the entire medical expenses for the then District Collector Pooja Kularni, her personal clerk G. Jaishankar and the driver C. Sivanandam who were injured in the road accident that occurred near Anjaneyar Temple on the Krishnagiri-Chennai National Highway on December 1.

MDMK campaign seeks total prohibition

The cadre of Marumalarchi Dravidar Munnetra Kazhagam on Wednesday undertook a campaign urging the government to implement total prohibition.

The cadre, led by party district secretary T.G. Madhaiyan, distributed pamphlets about the evils of consuming liquor.

Party sources said such campaign and pamphlet distribution would be continued in all the 10 panchayat unions in the coming days.

Laptops distributed

The Backward Class Hostel for college girls in Krishnagiri will function soon, said C. Prakasam, Collector (in charge), here on Wednesday.

Distributing laptops to 451 students, costing Rs. 6.32 lakh at the Government Polytechnic College, Mr. Prakasam said that the students should use the gadget purposefully to enhance knowledge.

They can prepare themselves for the competitive examinations, he added.

Municipal Chairman K.R.C. Thangamuthu was present at the function.

K. Venkatraman, Principal, welcomed the gathering.

S. Maheshwaran, Tahsildar, proposed a vote of thanks.

No major projects for Krishnagiri

There are no major announcements that could rekindle the development activities in Krishnagiri district in the Chief Minister’s speech that was made at the end of the three-day conference of the District Collectors and Superintendents of Police in Chennai on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has announced that three temporary check-posts established by the police bordering Karnataka at Anekkal, TVS and either Poonapalli or Neralagiri would be made permanent and necessary structures would be provided.

The decisions were taken based on the request made by Superintendent of Police M. Ashok Kumar.

Thally MLA case transferred

The case relating to the murder of Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam district convener T. Palanisamy on July 5 this year was on Wednesday committed to a sessions court for trial.

The case was transferred to the District Sessions Court in Krishnagiri from the court of the Judicial Magistrate II.

Communist Party of India MLA from Thally T. Ramachandran, his brother T. Varadarajan, father-in-law Laghumiah and some others are among the 25 accused in the case.

All of them were brought from the Central Prison in Salem and produced before the Judicial Magistrate on Wednesday afternoon.

Ten more cases relating to threat to murder, assault and illegal granite mining against the MLA and other are pending in the Magistrate’s court.

75 revenue assistants posted

As many as 75 revenue assistants were appointed for the Krishnagiri district through the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission, says a release from the district unit of the Tamil Nadu Revenue Officials’ Association (TNROA) here on Tuesday.

P. Vijayaraghavan, District President, TNROA said that the candidates were selected through the Group II competitive examinations and the counselling conducted by the TNPSC. With this, the entire vacant posts in the revenue department were filled up in the district.

Students block road

Third year undergraduate students of the Government Arts College for Men staged a road blockade on Tuesday morning demanding free laptops. As many as 80 students squatted on the Bangalore-Chennai National Highways demanding the authorities to issue laptops immediately.

The college principal tried to pacify the students. Krishnagiri Tahsildhar Maheshwaran and Inspector Anbumani reached the college and held talks with the students.

The students said that if they were provided laptops it would be useful for them for project work.

‘Lock liquor shop’ agitation: Over 300 PMK cadre arrested

Over 300 cadre of Pattali Makkal Katchi were arrested when they resorted to lock the TASMAC shops demanding total prohibition in the state, police sources here said.

The police said that the agitation was held in about 19 places including Krishnagiri, Hosur towns in the district.

The cadre raised slogans against the government and accused of encouraging the people to become liquor addicts.

The arrested were taken to a marriage hall and released in the evening, police said.

Preventive arrest

As a preventive measure, the police on Sunday night arrested 52 PMK cadre including State Deputy Secretary of the party T.G. Madheswaran. They were lodged in Salem Central Prison.

Forest officials rescue ant eater

It was taken to Forest Rangers Office for protection

A three-month-old Indian female Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) was rescued by the forest officials behind the Government Arts College for Men on the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway on Saturday morning.

Local people noticed the ant eater and informed the Forest Rangers Office in Krishnagiri.

A. Babu, Ranger, Krishnagiri Forest Range told The Hindu that the pangolin was brought to the Rangers Office.

Mr. Babu said that Manis crassicaudata is the biological name of the species.

It is categorized as Schedule I animal and belonged to an endangered species.

The number of these animals has been coming down fast owing to illegal hunting for medicinal value.

Hunting of the animal will attract a minimum punishment of three years imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 10,000 as per the Wildlife Protection Act. The Forest Department was taking efforts to protect the animals and prevent them from being decimated.

Over the last two years, three pangolins had been rescued in a village near Bargur and in Pazhayapet area in Krishnagiri town, Mr. Babu said.

New Collector for Krishnagiri district

T.P. Rajesh (49), a 2004 batch IAS officer, has been appointed as the seventh Collector for the Krishnagiri district on Sunday.

Takes charge

Collectorate sources told The Hindu that the new Collector took charge at the Secretariat immediately after the appointment.

He earlier served as the Director of Town Planning in Chennai.

Mr. Rajesh joined the government service as Group I officer in the year 1995, sources said.

Mr. Rajesh replaces Pooja Kulkarni, who sustained injuries in a road accident in Krishnagiri on December 1.

Man surrenders in court

Mohan Kumar of Krishnagiri town surrendered before the Judicial Magistrate Court-V in Vellore on Saturday in connection with the murder of Sayeed Aslam (23) of Pudupettai in Krishnagiri district, police said.

Aslam was found murdered with his throat slit at the ‘dhobi ghat’ at Erikodi in Tirupattur on November 20.

DYFI cadre undertake padayatra

Urging the State Government to fill vacancies in various departments and to highlight various other demands, the cadre of Democratic Youth Federation of India began ‘padayatra’ from eight locations in the State on Sunday. The yatra began simultaneously in Chennai, Kanyakumari, Coimbatore, Puducherry, Tiruvallur, Rameswaram, Hosur and Theni.

As part of the call given by the party’s State unit, the padayatra in Krishnagiri district began at Denkanikottai on Sunday and reached Shoolagiri on Monday noon. The yatra was expected to reach Krishnagiri on Tuesday (December 11).

The cadre would converge in Tiruchi on December 18 via Dharmapuri, Salem, Namakkal and Karur district, organisers said.

The padayatra at Denkanikottai was lead by the party’s state deputy secretary K. Prabhakaran and State Committee member S.K. Sekkar.

The yatra was flagged off by D. Ravindran, State General Secretary, Tamilnadu Sugarcane Farmers’ Association. M. Annamalai, Party's district president, L. Aswath Narayanan, district secretary and others participated.

Speaking to The Hindu K. Prabhakaran said that there are over two lakh posts vacant in various government departments and urged the State to take steps to fill the posts.

Krishnagiri Collector injured in road accident and her aide dead

Add caKrishnagiri Collector injured in road accident and her aide dead

Krishnagiri Collector Pooja Kulkarni’s duffadar G. Muniraj (55) died while the Collector and two others suffered injuries in a road accident here on Saturday. 

The Collector suffered a fracture on the nose. Her Personal Clerk G. Jaishankar (36) and driver C. Sivanandam (46) are the other injured persons, the police said. 

M. Ashok Kumar, Superintendent of Police, told The Hindu that the accident took place near the Anjaneyar Temple on the Bangalore-Chennai National Highway. 

He said the driver of the Collector’s official vehicle swerved to the left and rammed a stationary bus while trying to avoid colliding with a car that took a U-turn and came in the opposite direction. 

Sources in the district administration said that the Collector was heading for Morur, the native village of the District Revenue Officer C. Prakasam, whose father died on Saturday morning. 

Doctors at the Government Headquarters Hospital here said that in addition to the treatment for the fracture in the nose, Ms. Kulkarni underwent a computed tomography (CT) scan, which did not reveal any serious head injury. She was, however, referred to a hospital specialising in neurology in Bangalore for a detailed evaluation. 

Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development K.P. Munusamy also rushed to the Krishnagiri hospital and made arrangements for shifting the Collector to the Bangalore hospital. 

Driver C. Sivanandam was treated for cut injuries on the cheek. Both of them were said to be out of danger. 

The body of the dufedar was handed over to his family members after post-mortem at the Krishnagiri GH.

Chief Minister announces relief

Expressing shock over the incident, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced in a press release that Rs. 1 lakh would be provided as relief to the accident victim’s family.

AIADMK Councillor attends meeting called by Opposition

L.S. Sigikrishna (AIADMK), Councillor, on Friday attended a ‘parallel’ meeting of the Hosur Municipal Council called by the Opposition at the Tamil Nadu Hotel, which ‘passed’ a resolution condemning the actions of the Municipal Chairman.

A copy of the resolution was sent to officials and the Minister concerned.

The meeting was attended by 20 Councillors.

The meeting was convened in protest against non allocation of funds to Wards represented by Opposition Councillors. K. Subramani alias Ellora Mani (Ward 33), a senior Councillor, ‘chaired’ the meeting.

In the meantime, the meeting convened by P. Balakrishna Reddy, Council Chairman, was attended by 24 Councillors.

Some of them complained that some construction companies were selling house properties without permission to the people.

Mr. Balakrishnan promised to take appropriate action.

A monthly council meeting convened at the Krishnagiri Municipality was reportedly cancelled by Chairman K.R.C. Thanga muthu on Thursday. The meeting was called at 4 p.m. Opposition councillors came to the meeting at 3.45 p.m. But no official or the chairman turned up for the meeting. Municipal staff told the Councillors that the meeting was cancelled by the chairman in the morning itself. Angered over this, some of the Councillors threw chairs and left the council hall shouting slogans against the chairman’s attitude.

Earlier, the Councillors had met the District Collector and had submitted a petition against the autocratic behaviour of the Municipal Chairman during council meetings. They said many resolutions were passed without discussion.