Tamil Nadu

Briefly

Plan to seek restoration of engineering seats

CHENNAI: The All-India Medical and Engineering Colleges Association has decided to meet the chairman of the All-India Council for Technical Education and Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh to seek restoration of seats reduced from the sanctioned intake of engineering colleges.

On Monday, the council notified on its web site, a reduction of over 4,100 seats in over 50 colleges in Tamil Nadu on the ground that the colleges did not have the requisite faculty members as per norms.

The council reduced seats without conferring with the institutions or giving them any notice. "It was the council which gave approval for the sanctioned intake. We do not understand why it has withdrawn a part of it now," the association president, T.D. Naidu, told newspersons on Tuesday after a meeting of its members.

The association welcomed the scrapping of the Common Entrance Test for professional college admissions. But, the move would give full benefit to everyone only if the single window admission system was revoked and the colleges allowed to admit students with a mere pass in Plus-Two. The admissions should be based on a single nationwide aptitude test and no other criteria. — Special Correspondent

APSRTC bus service to Bangalore, Hindupur

CHENNAI: The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation will introduce air-conditioned Volvo bus service on the Chennai-Bangalore-Hindupur and return route from June 9.

The service from the Koyambedu bus terminal from finger number 1, platform number 2 and bay No. 27 will be inaugurated by A.P. Ellappan, managing director of the State Express Transport Corporation. The Chennai to Bangalore route (day service) will cost Rs. 325, it will be Rs. 425 for the night service. The Chennai-Hindupur service will cost Rs. 425 (day) and Rs. 550 (night). The fare for Bangalore-Hindupur is Rs. 100 for both day and night services.

The departure timings of the Chennai-Bangalore service is 6-30 a.m. and 11-59 p.m. and from Bangalore to Chennai 4-30 p.m. and 11-40 p.m. — Special Correspondent

VAO arrested

SALEM: A Village Administrative Officer was arrested on the charge of accepting a bribe from an old woman at Mangalapuram near Rasipuram in Namakkal district on Wednesday.

According to DSP L. Panneerselvam of the Salem unit of Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, 70-year old Chellammal approached the VAO Murugesan to issue a `patta' for transferring the lands of her late husband in her name. As her son was mentally challenged, she wanted to sell the land to meet his medical expenses.

Mr. Murugesan reportedly demanded Rs. 1,000 for issuing the patta. She preferred a complaint with the Directorate. He was arrested while accepting the money. — Special Correspondent

Selected

CHENNAI: In all, 7,154 candidates have been provisionally selected for direct recruitment as junior graduate assistants in Government schools for 2004-05. For the remaining unfilled vacancies, a supplementary list of 412 candidates calling for certificate verification has been released in the web sites: http://trb.tn.nic.in and http://www.chennaionline.com/trb on Wednesday. The list is also available on the notice board of the Teachers Recruitment Board, Chennai-6. Call letters will be sent to them by post individually, says an official release. — Special Correspondent

Escaped undertrial arrested

Tuticorin: One of the two undertrials, who escaped from the clutches of the police, was arrested again.

Police said Rajapandi (27), who was detained under Goondas Act, and Kandan (30), an accused in a dacoity case, were taken from the Central Prison to a judicial magistrate court at Kovilpatti for a hearing on Tuesday.

K. Balan, head constable attached to Soorangudi police station, and Muthuraj, constable of Pasuvanathanai police station, escorted them. While returning from the court, the accused requested them to remove the handcuff to answer a `nature's call.'

As soon as the handcuffs were removed, the duo escaped.

Later, Kandan was arrested while he was loitering at Kovilpatti railway station.

A search is now on for Rajapandi, the police said.

Old man murdered

Tuticorin: Kadarkarai (70) was murdered at his cotton farm situated at Paramanpacheri near here on Wednesday.

Ramaswamy was arrested and a search was on to nab his accomplice Rasaiah in this connection. According to sources, the duo entered the farm of Kadarkarai on Tuesday with their cattle leading to a wordy duel between them. The duo attacked Kadarkarai fatally on Wednesday. The Pasuvananthanai police are investigating. — Staff Reporter

Youth drowned

Tuticorin : Francis (14) was drowned in the sea at Threspuram here on Wednesday.

According to the police, the youth went to the sea in search of shells. He fell down when he got entangled in a rope, which was used to tie a boat on the shore. He could not recover as waves pulled him away. The body was recovered and brought to the Government Hospital here for post mortem. The Thalamuthu Nagar police have registered a case. — Staff Reporter

Held for charging more interest

Tuticorin: The police are on the look out for Subramanian who allegedly charged more than the prevailing rate of interest for the money he had lent to Meenakshisundaram at Tiruchendur recently.

Sources said the accused gave Rs.80,000 to the complainant. The Tiruchendur temple police have registered a case. — Staff Reporter

Two held with illicit liquor

Tuticorin : The police arrested two persons on the charge of illegal transportation and sale of liquor here on Wednesday.

Police sources said Vadivel (40), a retired army personnel, was intercepted near Pudukottai while he was coming in a motorbike. He was found possessing seven whisky, four brandy and three rum bottles.

Interrogation revealed that he was transporting the liquor to a workshop of Alagavel, a middleman involved in sale of bottled liquor. The team seized 27 liquor bottles from the workshop later.

The accused were later remanded. — Staff Reporter

Training

ERODE: Under the Tamil Nadu Adi Dravida Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO), free entrepreneurship training would be imparted to the men and women belonging to Hindu Adi Dravida and Scheduled Tribes for the year 2005-2006, said the Collector, D. Karthikeyan, in a press release on Wednesday. For the training, the TAHDCO was in need of recognised institutions. He said that institutions with sufficient infrastructure to provide training could send their applications to the District Manager, TAHDCO, 6th Floor, Collectorate, Erode 638 011 on or before June 14.

Environment Day

ERODE: Students should protect the environment and help preserve natural resources, said the Branch Manager, Canara Bank, Bangalapudur, M. Suresh Kumar, at the Government Higher Secondary School, Bangalapudur, recently. The World Environment Day was celebrated under the auspices of the NSS Unit of the school. The Head Master, P.N. Duraisamy, presided. To mark the day, the school authorities conducted various competitions for the students and prizes were given to the winners.

State Govt. subsidy for

conversion of houses

Tiruvarur: The Government has sanctioned a sum of Rs.1.27 crores to the district to convert 5,115 kacha houses into pucca tiled ones with thatched roofs and mud walls this year under the housing for rural poor scheme, said the Collector P. Ekambaram, on Wednesday.

He told press persons that the pattern of funding for the houses would be out of the total amount of Rs.10,000 for each house, a sum of Rs.2,500 would be State Government's subsidy, loan Rs.7,000 and beneficiaries contribution Rs.500.

The beneficiaries would be members of women self-help groups formed under the Mahalir Thittam or formed by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).

The repayment could be made in seventy monthly instalments. — Special Correspondent

Mahasamprokshanam on June 10

Thanjavur: The mahasamprokshanam of Sri Alarmel Manga Samedha Srinivasa Perumal Temple at Kalyanapuram, near here, will be performed between 5.00 a.m. and 6.15 a.m. on June 10 in the presence of Sri Rangam Srimad Aandavan Rangaramanuja Mahadesikan Swamigal and Ahobila Mutt Sriman Sadagopa Sri Narayana Yadheendra Mahadesikan Swamigal, according to a press release issued here today.

Yagasala pujas started in the temple today.

The procession of Kandiyur Sri Harasaba Vimosana Perumal and Kalyanapuram Srinivasa Perumal would be taken out in the evening of June 10 after Mahasamprokshanam. — Special Correspondent

Infant abandoned

Thanjavur: A one-year-old girl child was abandoned by her parents near Big Temple today. The orphaned child was rescued by the All Women Police Station and was handed over to a non-governmental organisation at Tiruchi, an official release said. — Special Correspondent

Mettur level

Tiruchi: The water level in the Mettur dam stood at 53.42 feet today. The inflow was 1,478 cusecs and the discharge, 877 cusecs. — Staff Reporter

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