Pondicherry
May 23 2002
Pondicherry Inspector General of Police, J P Singh, today brushed aside allegations that he was treating police personnel harshly.
He told reporters here after a meeting of police officers and constables that his recent step to ensure that police personnel wear helmets had been “misunderstood” and his meeting today was only to explain to them.
He said he had no intention of offending anybody.
There were allegations that the IGP had punished some constables found riding two-wheelers without helmets.
In view of injuries to those riding two-wheelers without helmets, the department had issued a circular making it mandatory for sporting the head guard, he said.
Referring to the allegations, Singh said recently he had seen some constables riding two-wheelers without helmets. He had only deflated the tyres of these vehicles.
R viswanathan get bail
Pondicherry
May 22 2002
CPI national council member R Vishwanathan and 19 other party workers, arrested on May 18 for allegedly attacking a Sanskrit camp, were granted conditional bail by the second additional district judge today.
Vishwanathan, a former Pondicherry minister, and others were required by judge G Rajasurya to report at the Cuddalore police station on a daily basis, police said.
Pondy Villianoor car festival held
Pondy
May 24 2002
The annual car festival of the Sri Tirukameswarar temple at Villianoor was celebrated with traditional piety and religious fervour.
Lt Governor, Dr Rajani Rai, Chief Minister N Rangasamy and Speaker M D R Ramachandran were among those who pulled the chariot and offered worship at the temple.
Former Local Administration minister C Jayakumar, MLA, received the Lt Governor and others on their arrival at the temple.
Pak test-fires Ghauri as first of series
Islamabad
May 25 2002
Amid heightened Indo-Pak tension, Pakistan today successfully test-fired a medium-range surface-to- surface ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads and having a range of 1500 kms that could cover major parts of India.
"The missile was tested at 9:10 am. It has a range of 1500 kilom eters. It showed total accuracy. It hit the target," Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said shortly after the launch of 'Hatf-V', also known as 'Ghauri.'
The missile hit the target and it showed 100 per cent accuracy, Musharraf told a religious gathering here.
Reacting to the test, the first of a series of launch planned for the next three days, India said it was the "fruit of Pakistan's clandestinely acquired missile programme."
"Pakistan today carried out a successful test fire of its indige nously developmed medium range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Hatf V (Ghauri)," said a Pakistani Army statement.
"The Ghauri can carry warheads with great accuracy," the state ment said.
Though Pakistan claims that its Ghauri missile system was indige nously built, critics here point out that it was a version of North Korea's Nodong I missile and Chinese M-11 missiles which could go up to 1500 Kms.
Musharraf said he was "thankful to God who has blessed us with the success," and raised the slogan "Allah-u-Akbar (God is Great) three times.
Entire Cabinet of Tamilnadu on campaign trail
Chennai
May 24 2002
The offices of the Chief Minister and most of the Ministers in Tamil Nadu have virtually remained shut for more than a week now as the entire AIADMK Cabinet is busy knocking at the doors of the voters of the three Assembly constituencies going to byelections on May 31 2002
While the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, is on a whirlwind tour of the constituencies located in north Tamil Nadu, all her 26 ministerial colleagues, barring the Agriculture Minister, R. Jeevenantham, who was injured in an accident, have been assigned ``poll duty'' in each of the constituencies.
Most of the key ministers, including the former Chief Minister and PWD Minister, O. Paneerselvam, have been posted in the prestigious Saidapet seat in Chennai. Even the Finance Minister, C. Ponnaiyan, who normally spends at least 10 hours at the Secretariat, rarely attends office as he is busy campaigning..
The Law Minister, D. Jayakumar, the Local Administration Minister, C. Durairaj, the Electricity Minister, Nainar Nagendran, the Animal Husbandry Minister, Anitha Radhakrishnan, and the Backward Classes Minister, K. Sudarshanam, are also in Saidapet. The ruling party has deployed a numerically-stronger ministerial troop for the reserved Acharapakkam seat in Kancheepuram district with as many as 10 ministers including the Health Minister, S. Semmalai. Important files are ferried across to Acharapakkam daily for Mr. Semmalai's clearance, say health department officials. As for Vaniyambadi in Vellore district, the Education Minister, M. Thambi Durai, leads the campaign battalion comprising eight ministers.
Ms.Jayalalithaa, who has been returning to the city in the wee hours after hectic campaigning in Acharapakkam, for the past couple of days, is said to have cleared a few crucial files from her residence.