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.

District administration has written to the government to declare Krishnagiri district drought-hit

The district administration has recommended that the government declare Krishnagiri drought-hit, said Collector C.N. Maheshwaran here on Thursday.

He was replying to a demand made by K.M. Ramagoundar, State General Secretary, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam at the farmers’ grievances day meeting, for payment of compensation for paddy that had withered due to lack of water, cultivated in over 10,000 acres in the district.

Drought-hit

Mr. Maheshwaran said that the district administration had written to the government to declare Krishnagiri as drought district.

If the government accepted the recommendations and made the announcement, the farmers would get their share of compensation for paddy loss due to lack of water.

Though there was enough water in Kelevarapalli dam, the water had not been released at the proper time and this was said to be the reason for the crop loss Mr. Ramagoundar said. When a farmer demanded fertilizer for mango orchards, the officials promised that it would be provided within a week.

Some of the farmers urged the agriculture department to extend subsidy for turmeric cultivation in the district.

Mr. Maheshwaran said that the district administration will take up this issue with the government.

He also said that even the farmers depending on ground water resources for cultivation were not able to undertake farming activities due to erratic power supply.

K. Natarajan, Superintending Engineer, intervened and said that this problem would be sorted out soon.

The Collector also said that an estimate to repair the damaged right main canal of the KRP dam had been prepared and sent to the government for approval.

A farmer complained that some teak trees on the campus of the Palm Cola factory in Mathur were missing.

The Collector directed PWD officials to take immediate action in this regard.

Aavin was operating at a loss of Rs. 87 crore Ramagoundar said and observed that Dharmapuri District Milk Cooperative Federation (Aavin) is operating with a loss of Rs. 87 crore as on today. Disbursal of over Rs. 17 crore was pending.

The State Milk Marketing Federation is earning a profit of Rs. 12 per litre of milk supplied by Dharmapuri Aavin. But at the same time the Dharmapuri Aavin is suffering a loss of Rs. 3 per litre.

Over 320 milk marketing cooperative societies have become dormant, and employees numbering over 1,000 have lost their jobs, he said.

VAO examination

As many as 18,537 candidates will appear for the competitive examinations to be conducted by the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) for the post of Village Administrative Officer in Krishnagiri district on Sunday, according to a press release. 

The release said that District Collector C.N. Maheshwaran had convened a review meeting on the arrangements for the VAO examination recently. The meeting was attended by top officials from Revenue, School Education, Police, Treasury, Fire and Rescue Services Department, and TANGEDCO. 

The examination would be conducted in 67 examination centres spread across Krishnagiri, Denkanikottai, Hosur, Pochampalli and Uthangarai taluks. Mr. Maheshwaran advised the officials to prepare to conduct the examination according to the prescribed procedures and ensure basic amenities at all the examination centres. If any shortcoming was noticed, action would be initiated against the officials concerned.