Villupuram tops crime list -

  I really feel ashamed to post this news....effielstar

Villupuram is the most unsafe district in the state, recording the maximum number of rapes, kidnappings and riots in 2009. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for the year shows that though the district recorded fewer incidents of theft, robbery, burglary and cheating, it registered 62 rape cases, 80 kidnappings and 223 incidents of rioting.

"One of the main reasons for this is the high population of Villupuram. Being one of the largest districts in the state with a population of 30 lakh, the region has a high incidence of crime. Districts like Ariyalur have only one third the population of Villupuram," district collector Dr R Palanichamy said. He said that the geographical location also contributed to the high crime rate in the district.

Human rights activists, however, said enforcement of law and order was poor in the state, with cases of rape getting almost no response from the police. "Often, police try to pacify the victim, persuading him/her to withdraw the complaint. Even when a case is filed, there is a delay of five days in registering an FIR," said P V Ramesh, head of Makkal Padhukaapu Kazhagam, an NGO. He said the actual number of crimes could be much higher as the NCRB data takes into account only cases registered. There could be many cases where the victims were forced to take back their complaints, he said.

"If you were to record atrocities against scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, Villupuram would have the maximum number of cases. The upper castes dominate the district and the police are unable to do anything about it," he said. The number of incidents would come down drastically if strict punishment is given to those found guilty in cases of rape and kidnapping.

Vijayakanth dares Karunanidhi

CHENNAI: Actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth has thrown a challenge at chief minister M Karunanidhi, saying he would contest in the same constituency as the DMK chief for the forthcoming assembly election. Participating in a Pongal function in Villupuram on Saturday, the actor, who heads the DMDK, said, "If need be, I will contest against the chief minister himself."

The actor who is likely to align with the AIADMK, said he would contest in whichever assembly constituency Karunanidhi chose to fight. Vijayakanth's challenge could throw up an interesting electoral contest. In most assembly elections, the DMK chief has contested from the Chepauk assembly constituency that falls within Chennai.

Of late, there has been some talk that the party patriarch is likely to choose a constituency outside the city. Chennai has for long been a DMK citadel. But rival AIADMK stormed its bastion both in the 2006 assembly election and the 2009 Lok Sabha election making considerable gains.

As for Vijayakanth, he has given enough indication that his party would choose the AIADMK over the DMK for the assembly election. At the party's recent Salem conference, Vijayakanth, while declining to make an announcement about the party's decision for the assembly election, merely said no party can come to power in Tamil Nadu without aligning with his DMDK.

His priority, he said was to oust Karunanidhi's "corrupt regime", making it clear that his party would not have any truck with the DMK.

At the Villupuram function, Vijayakanth said he had visited the town after floating his party for the first time in 2005. Stagnant drainage water continued to mess up the ground even now. "This clearly shows that the administration has done very little," he said.

Mega science city in Chennai

New medical & engg colleges for backward districts.
A world-class mega science city would be established in Chennai by the Tamil Nadu government, which would bring over 69 institutions involved in advanced research, and Indian Institute of Technology.

Besides, the state government is also planning to set up new medical colleges in three more districts as part of its one medical college per district plan.
In his customary address to the state Assembly, the Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala said that the mega science city would bring together more than 69 institutions of advanced research like Anna University and the Indian Institutes of Technology.
“This will flourish as a pristine centre facilitating higher scientific research to encourage the younger generation in advancing their knowledge, leading to scientific inventions in future,” he added.
He added, the state government has started Anna Universities of Technology at Tiruchirapalli, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Madurai and Chennai.
With the objective of having at least one engineering college in each district, the government has established 12 new engineering colleges apart from setting up 12 new Arts and Science colleges.

He said apart from this, Government Arts and Science colleges would be established in Kancheepuram district between Rajiv Gandhi Salai and East Coast Road at Nemeli, at Nagalapuram in Thoothukudi district, at Harur in Dharmapuri district, at Kallakurchi in Villupuram district and at Thiruchuli in Virudhunagar district.
The Governor said, the Government has established new medical colleges in Thiruvarur, Dharmapuri and Villupuram districts. Works were in progress at new medical colleges in backward districts like Sivaganga, Perambalur and Thiruvannamalai.
“Further, new medical colleges will be opened in Ramanathapuram, Cuddalore and Dindigul to fulfill the objective of having ‘one medical college per district’ as envisaged by this government,” said the Governor.
As a result of this, the number of qualified doctors in Tamil Nadu will increase significantly in the coming years. With a view to developing the traditional system of Indian medicines and Homeopathy a University of Indian medicine and Homeopathy will be established in Kanyakumari district this year covering existing six government colleges of Indian medicine and Homeopathy along with 26 similar private colleges, said the Governor.

For the benefit of students in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts, which were predominantly agrarian in nature, a new agricultural college would be set up at Kivelur in Nagapattinam district.
''As announced by the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, M Karunanidhi in the agricultural officers conference recently, the government which has the distinction of starting the first Veterinary University in the country and also for starting Agricultural University at Coimbatore, will establish a separate Horticulture University at Krishnagiri this year'', said the Governor.

1.5 lakh dictionaries to be distributed to students

KRISHNAGIRI: As part of the Learning Enhancement Programme of Sarva Siksha Abiyan (SSA), as many as 1,48,620 students belonging to SC, ST and girl students in Government Middle Schools in the state will get English-English-Tamil dictionaries, said Dr. S. Kannappan, Joint Director, SSA, Education Department.
Dr. Kannappan told The Hindu on Friday that the scheme was introduced in 37 blocks in 14 districts where literacy rate among girls was found to be very low during the last academic year. The dictionary brought out by Tamil Nadu Text Book Society, priced at Rs. 150, would be distributed to bright SC, ST students and girl students belonging to all communities who could not afford to buy it.
The Chairperson of the dictionary project is Mr. S. Gomathinathan, Special Office ELT/Reader (Retired), Directorate of Teacher Education Research and Training, Chennai. The dictionary has 11,000 words with definitions in English and Tamil, synonyms and antonyms, information about word class and derivations, usage, phrases, 600 proverbs and an appendix.
Copies of the 700-page dictionary have already been delivered to all 30 educational districts in the state for distribution to the students. According to the SSA, each district was allotted 4,954 dictionaries.
The dictionaries would be distributed to students of Standard VI this year.
The students eligible for the scheme would be identified by the heads of the institutions based on their academic performance and economic status, Dr. Kannappan said. .
As many as 37,000 dictionaries were distributed to SC, ST students and girl students of Standard VI in 37 blocks in 14 districts, which were identified under National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL) as districts having low literacy among girl children. Fifty Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) run under SSA in the district exclusively for dropout girl children are included in it. The districts and blocks (in brackets) where the scheme was introduced last year are: Salem (Edapadi, Kadayampatti, Kolathur, Konganapuram, M. Chavadi, Yercaud, Nangavalli, Panamarathupatti, Sankari, Veerapandi), Villupuram (Kallakurichi, Rishivandiyam, Thirukkovilur, Thirunavlur, Thiruvennainallur, Thiyadurgam, Ulundurpet), Cuddalore (Mangalore, Nallur, Panruti), Perambalur (Ariyalur, Senthurai, T. Palur, Veppur), Sivagangai (S. Pudur), Namakkal (Kolli Hills, Mallasamudram), Dharmapuri (Pennagaram, Karimangalam, Palacode), Dindigul (Gujiliamapari, Natham), Erode (Ammapet, Andhiyur, Kundadam, Mulanur, Nambiyur, C.N. Palayam, Vallakkoil), Karur (Kadavur), Krishnagiri (Veppanapaplli, Shoolagiri, Kelamangalam), Tiruchi (Marungapuri), Tiruvannamalai (Thandrampattu, Javvadu Hills) and Virudhunagar (Narikudi).

Voters swell around industrial hubs in TN

CHENNAI: Voters enrolment has seen a substantial increase in more than five districts of Tamil Nadu with Chennai on top of the table with nearly one lakh new voters figuring in the latest electoral list.

Vellore has recorded the second largest enrolment of voters followed by Villupuram, Kancheepuram, Madurai, Cuddalore, Tiruvannamalai, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli. Many of the districts that have seen an increase of upto 50,000 voters include industrial belts that attract migrants in large numbers.

According to the Election Commission's fresh voters' list as on January 2011, nearly one lakh new voters have enrolled themselves in Chennai alone. In 2011, the total number of voters in Chennai stands at 30,27,197 compared to last year's figure of 29,31,203 which means 95,994 individuals have newly enrolled themselves, an increase by 3.27%.

In Vellore, which comes next in number of new voters enrolled, total number of voters enrolled in 2011 stands at 24,54,160 compared to last year's count of 23,87,682, thereby registering a growth of 2.78%. In Vellore, 66,478 new voters' applications had been accepted and enrolled in the list.

Chief electoral officer Praveen Kumar told TOI that the substantial increase in new voters in these areas was basically due to migration of people from rural to urban regions apart from increase in political awareness. "Especially in Chennai, more people have enrolled because industrial development and job opportunities are high here compared to other districts."

The statistics further show that after Chennai and Vellore, Villupuram recorded 53,972 new voters, followed by Kancheepuram (51,997), registering a growth of 2.51% and 2.14% respectively.

The official said the surge in numbers may be attributed to migration by youths from rural areas to the industrialised regions such as Vellore, Coimbatore and Kancheepuram in search of employment.

In Cuddalore district, a growth of 2.9 % has been witnessed in number of new voters (47,616) and Tiruvannamalai (43,337, a growth of 2.16%). Interestingly, Coimbatore, which is considered to be an industrial hub next to Chennai, recorded 43,207 new voters and in Tirunelveli the number stood at 42,662.

Praveen Kumar said the Electoral ID card is very important to an individual since it is considered as the main source of identity of a person after the ration card.

Ariyalur district recorded the least growth in terms of new voters registering only 6,044 new voters followed by Perambalur (7,068) and Nilgiris (8,500).

Women voters are majority in 16 districts

CHENNAI : Women power will hold sway in the forthcoming Tamil Nadu assembly election in at least 16 districts in the state where they outnumber the men. Of the 16 districts, Virudhunagar tops the chart with 11,000 more women voters. This is followed by Thoothukudi, Sivaganga, Karur, Perambalur, Tiruchi, Thanjavur, Vellore, Namakkal, Chennai, Nilgiris, Tirunelveli, Ariyalur, Theni, Pudukottai and Madurai where the number of woman voters are more.

The overall trend shows that out of the total 32 districts in the state, both women and men voters were leading in 16 each. And, of the total 45.96 lakh voters in the state, the men squeak past with a difference of just about two lakh. According to the final electoral rolls for 2011, of the 12,32,651 voters in Virudhunagar, 6,22,014 were women and 6,10,637 men. Which means women voters exceed men by 1.9 %.

Chief electoral officer Praveen Kumar said apart from political awareness, many women are empowered in cities like Chennai, Tiruchi, Thanjavur and Madurai. "If one can see the overall indicators of Tamil Nadu, female participation is very high," he said.

"We also organised more than 29,000 programmes across the state to mark the National Voters Day, which falls on January 25 and created awareness."

Virudhunagar collector Dr VK Shanmugam said a high number of men migrating to other districts in search of better paid jobs resulted in more number of women in some districts. Though fireworks and match factories and printing units crowd the district, the men go to western Tamil Nadu and other bigger cities for jobs that are better paid and less hazardous. Shanmugam told TOI that the district administration with the help of ngos, self help groups and chamber of commerce conducted various awareness programmes among women about the importance of joining the electoral process.

The new electoral rolls also indicate that the gender ratio in Vidudhunagar increased from 1,015 to 1,018. (for thousand men, 1,018 women). Virudhunagar thasildar (elections) S Arumugam said most of the women, particularly those in most backward areas of Tiruchuli, Kariapatti and Aruppukottai, are poor. Almost all the women in that area, who are from poor families, are employed. "Moreover, a voter's ID is necessary for them to avail themselves of all government schemes that are currently available. Besides, men mostly migrate to nearby districts such as Madurai, Tirupur and other towns for better jobs, leaving their families behind," he added.

Tuticorin district (5,45,781) followed by Sivaganga (4,28,765) have the next largest number of women voters. In both the districts women outnumber men by 9,826 and 8,159. Interestingly, Chennai is not far behind in terms of high number of woman voters -- 15,14,621 women and 15,12,275 men. The city also has the largest number of constituencies after delimitation -- 16. The number of voters in the district is 30.27 lakh. Interestingly, the figures last year for Chennai show that the number of male voters was marginally high compared to women.

Villupuram district has largest number of male voters, 11,48,077 as compared to 11,14,382 woman voters. The district is followed by Salem, Tirupur, Krishnagiri, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Tiruvallur, Kanyakumari, Kancheepuram, Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvannamalai, Ramanathapuram and Dindigul.

New railway station building for Ariyalur

TIRUCHI: A new railway station building has been proposed for Ariyalur as part of the 273-km Villupuram - Tiruchi - Dindigul doubling project to be executed by the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), a Government of India enterprise.
The Tiruchi divisional railway authorities have planned to engage a consultant to aesthetically design the station building and landscaping with optimum utilisation of the existing area.
Some of the old structures in the station's vicinity that have outlived its utility will be demolished to make way for more area. As part of the doubling project, the railway authorities have also planned to improve the infrastructure facilities in the ‘C' and ‘D' category stations in the Villupuram - Tiruchi chord line section, wherever the existing facilities had outlived their purpose.
Railway authorities told The Hindu here that tenders were in the last stage of finalisation to lay the second railway track between Ariyalur and Valadi as part of the Rs. 1,200-crore Villupuram – Tiruchi- Dindigul doubling project. The works were expected to start soon.
Funds to the tune of Rs. 60 crore had been sanctioned in the 2010-11 financial year to lay the second broad gauge line in the crucial 50-km stretch between Ariyalur and Valadi that falls under Villupuram - Tiruchi section.
The Ariyalur - Valadi stretch had been chosen for doubling first since it was a crucial one in the chord line section. Double tracks here would ease congestion, especially at night when rail traffic was heavy, besides reducing journey hours.
The real advantage would come about once the doubling project is completed in total as this would not only enable in operating additional long distance trains but also reduce travelling time, the authorities say. The massive work had been awarded to the RVNL, a Special Purpose Vehicle to implement rail infrastructure projects across the country.Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology

Defamation complaint filed against Junior Vikatan

Tamil Nadu government today filed a criminal defamation complaint against Tamil bi-weekly "Junior Vikatan" for publishing an article on Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.
The complaint was filed against the author of the article and Editor, Printer and Publisher of the bi-weekly.
In its complaint, the government submitted that the bi-weekly in an article dated August 21 last year had published an article in connection with a bomb blast on a railway track near Perani Railway Station in Villupuram District 'causing to harm the reputation of the Chief Minster, in the discharge of public functions".
It was submitted that the article has charged the Chief Minister 'with malicious and per se defamatory words and the bi-weekly had committed offences under section 499 punishable under sections 500 and 501 of IPC'.
Principal Sessions Judge P Devadoss adjourned hearing in the case to January 10.
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