Madurai
June 21 2002
A suspected al-Umma activist was arrested Thursday at Thiruthangal, 50 km from here, for threatening to kill the Shiva Sena's Tamil Nadu unit deputy secretary, Pitchaikani,the police said.
The man had threatened the party functionary Wednesday evening, and had left when a crowd gathered.
Lakshmi Sahgal files nomination
New Delhi
June 21 2002
Capt Lakshmi Sahgal, Left parties’ nominee for the July 15 Presidential election, today filed her nomination papers to contest against NDA candidate A P J Abdul Kalam.
Janata Dal (Secular) president and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and senior leaders of the CPM, CPI, and Forward Bloc were present when the papers were filed in the office of the Rajya Sabha secretary general R C Tripathy, who is the returning officer for the election.
Those present on the occasion included Basudeb Acharia, Hannan Mollah and S Ramchandran Pillai, former CPM MP and Sahgal’s daughter.
High Court notice to Jayalalitha on Gopal plea
Chennai
June 20 2002
The Madras High Court today ordered issue of notice to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on a petition by Tamil weekly ‘Nakkeeran’ editor R R Gopal relating to the rescue of Kannada actor Rajkumar, kidnapped by forest brigand (sandana kadathal veerappan) in July 2000.
In his petition, Gopal sought to restrain the authorities concerned from going back on the October 9, 2000 understanding based on which he got involved in the actor’s rescue.
The notice, returnable on June 25 2002, was issued by Justice V Kanakaraj.
Gopal also sought a stay on the investigation against him and members of his paper by the state Crime Branch-CID in connection with the Rajkumar episode.
In another petition, Gopal prayed for a CBI probe in place of that by the state police on the ground that since the police was privy to the dispute he wanted a fair and impartial investigation by an independent agency. Otherwise, the investigation’s credibility would be suspect.
On May 28 last, a Special Investigation Team gave him 15 days time to appear before it for interrogation at Thalavadi police station.
Sivasubramaniam, one of the reporters of the magazine, was arrested in November last year in connection with the case and has since been in custody.
Others to whom notices were issued included SIT chief W I Dawaram and the governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
PMC merger during Sonia visit at pondy
Pondicherry
June 18 2002
The formal merger of the Puducherry Makkal Congress, floated by P Kannan who came out of the TMC during the Assembly polls last year, would be declared by AICC president Sonia Gandhi when she visits the Union Territory on August 1.
Stating this here, Education and Tourism Minister K Lakshminarayanan told reporters here that Sonia’s visit was confirmed yesterday by AICC spokesman Jaipal Reddy.
He said the government-sponsored free breakfast scheme for schoolchildren would also be launched by Sonia. The Rs 8.5 crore scheme has been named after late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Chief Minister Rangasamy to meet Naidu
Pondicherry
June 20 2002
The Pondicherry Chief Minister, N.Rangasamy today left here for Hyderabad to have a meeting with the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, tomorrow to expedite the schemes relating to the development of Yanam, an enclave of the Union Territory .
A bridge across Yedrulanka river is coming up, connecting the Union Territory's enclave and Andhra Pradesh. Mr. Rangasamy would also seek the co-op of Mr. Naidu to tackle the problems of Yanam.
Raise a forest, break a record
Udhagamandalam
June 21 2002
In all 40,000 saplings, mostly of the shola variety, are to be planted within 24 hours starting this evening in a 100-acre govt owned land at Nanjanad village, about eight kms from here.
According to Nilgiris District Collector Surpiya Sahu, the district administration had embarked on this ambitious plan due to the slaughtering of precious forest wealth by miscreants and encroachers in the Gudalur region in the recent past.
'This new record (of planting) would be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records', the Collector told reporters.
The planting is scheduled to start exactly at 1700 hrs and the exercise will be completed at 1659 hrs on Saturday. A total of 300 people selected from the barracks of the Madras Regiment Centre, Wellington, personnel from the Special Task Force and also members of different environmental groups would be engaged in this task.
Acting Mayor Thiagarajan takes charge
Chennai
June 21 2002
Deputy Mayor Karate Thiagarajan today took charge as acting Mayor of Chennai Corporation, amidst cheerful slogan-shouting by AIADMK councillors and party activists, whose throng spilled out of the conference hall at Ripon Building where he formally took the mayoral seat after signing a register.
He was answering a question whether the contract between Corporation and ONYX, which has been handed over the charge of removing garbage in three zones of the Corporation, would be cancelled. He said a decision on whether continue with the contract or not would be taken after the Corporation Commissioner Kalaivanan, who is now studying the details of the contract entered into by the Corporation with ONYX, submits his report.
Thiagarajan said he would carry out welfare measures and development schemes in the city according to the wishes and orders of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and his priority would be to repair all main roads and inner roads in the city and proper removal of garbage.
Garbage removal is the ' perennial work ' of the Corporation, he said and added that Stalin would have brought in ONYX to all the ten zones of the Corporation if the AIADMK had not opposed it, he said.
He said that he would seek help from the State government to carry out the developmental works in the event of any shortage of funds.
The Corporation has proposed to increase the license fee for the construction of new buildings in the city and a bill in this regard would be passed in the next meeting of the Corporation, he said.
He expressed his gratitude to Jayalalithaa for elevating him as Mayor and giving him an opportunity to serve the people.
Apart from the AIADMK councillors, party MLA Radha Ravi, BJP councillor Dhanuskodi and TNSCB chairman Balaganga were with the acting Mayor when he signed the register. Outside at the corridors of Ripon Building there was wide-spread jubilation with AIADMK activists distributing sweets.
The Mayoral flag on Ripon buildings was hoisted today after the acting Mayor took charge. Though Thiagarajan has been handed over the official car of the Mayor, he might not be allowed to used the Mayor ' s robe, it is learnt.
Thiagarajan would be presiding over the Corporation Council meeting, scheduled for 28 June, in his capacity as acting Mayor.
