DINDIGUL: With the mercury level touching 40 degrees in Tamil Nadu, the forest department along with Sirumalai panchayat set up 20 troughs for wild animals in the Sirumalai and Ottanchathiram forest range. The step will also aid in curbing instances of animals straying into residential and agricultural areas in search of water. It is common for wild animals, including monkeys, deer, and buffalo to enter areas inhabited by humans near the forest range in search of water and food. The forest depar

MADURAI: Echoing support for the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which have suggested changes in the new draft of the Madurai Master Plan 2021-2041, former minister B Udhayakumar has sought for reclassification of industrial land that have been converted into agricultural land. Udhayakumar was addressing reporters on Friday, when he alleged that the new draft plan was detrimental to the development of MSMEs in the district. The Madurai Master Plan 2041 was released by the Local Pla

THOOTHUKUDI: Two persons were arrested by the Thoothukudi cyber crime police for allegedly duping a youth of Rs 4.88 lakh after promising to offer a sum of `10 crore, if the latter converted to Christianity from Hinduism. The accused have been identified as Rajavel (31) 0f Anandam Nagar in Thanjavur and S Ganesan (31) of Singa Chandra in Bengaluru. As per police investigation, neither of the accused individuals belong to Christianity, rather used religious conversion as a tool to dupe the public

THOOTHUKUDI: Two years after doctors at the Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital (TKMCH) carried out a rare syndactyly (joined fingers) separation procedure for a then five-year-old girl, the facility has finally termed the surgery a success as both fingers are functioning normally. The health condition of the child, Selva Srija of TMB Colony, was under observation for nearly two years after the procedure. Syndactyly is a congenital problem, that occurs in one out of 4,000 live births, said doct

THOOTHUKUDI: The Tiruchendur municipality has urged private halls and commercial centres located on the streets leading up to the Tiruchendur Murugan Temple, to construct their own sump for discharging wastewater. This comes after the underground drainage was left clogged on several occasions, following the heavy footfall of devotees, with sewage water overflowing on to the roads. The approach streets of the Tiruchendur temple witness a stinking scene as hundreds of devotees visit the temple, wh

CHENNAI: Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Tiruchirappalli (BIM), conducted its 32nd graduation day for the 36th and 37th batch students on Friday. Governor R N Ravi honoured the rank holders with gold medals and cash awards, and distributed degree certificates to the students. Speaking at the event, the governor urged students to contribute towards the growth of the country and advised them to utilise the available opportunities. Venu Srinivasan, chairman emeritus of TVS Motor and guest of

COIMBATORE: A 28-year-old Hindu Munnani functionary who earlier claimed life threat to get a personal security officer from the police has been arrested. The accused, Surya Prasath, claimed to be the Selvapuram urban area secretary of the Hindu Munnani. He enacted a drama to impress upon the police that his life was under threat. Prasath had allegedly snatched a mobile phone from a Muslim trader and claimed that the latter had taken a photo and video of him, and handed it over to the police clai

CHENNAI: The PMK on Friday criticised the state government for its alleged inaction in safeguarding coconut trees, which are suffering from water scarcity-induced withering. The party urged the government to provide Rs 10,000 per tree as compensation to farmers whose coconut trees have been affected by water scarcity. In a statement, the PMK also took a dig at the BJP-led union governments insurance scheme for farmers, saying that many farmers had not opted for it since the conditions imposed we

CHENNAI: For brick kiln workers M Karpagam (32) and M Muni (35), the tall tamarind tree near their hut is the only respite from the scorching sun. The couple along with their three children aged 5, 7 and 10, has been residing at a private brick kiln near Anjanchery village in Gingee taluk of Villupuram district for the past three years, and has been working for a daily income of Rs 500 each. We live in a mud hut with thatched roof, for it is better when compared to one with cement roof during su

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court quashed an order of the state School Education department for appointing 18 district education officers (DEOs) for failure of adherence to communal reservation rules. Justice RN Manjula also directed the department to draw a fresh selection list by following the reservation, separately for open and teacher category candidates. The judge recently passed the orders allowing the petitions that alleged the recruitment notification was issued in 2018 for 18 DEO posts, o

CHENNAI: There is an increase in t proportion of overaged government buses in the state, now at 52.73%, as the procurement of new buses did not happen for two years due to the Covid-19 lockdown-induced fund crunch, said the transport department on Friday. In the light of recent incidents involving parts of buses such as footboards and seats getting detached from the vehicle, causing accidents and injuries, the transport department said measures are being taken to introduce 7,030 new buses to rep

CUDDALORE: A 21-year-old pregnant woman, who was travelling on a train with her family members for her baby shower function, accidentally fell from the train on Thursday night between Ulundurpet and Vriddhachalam and died. Efforts to save her by the family members failed as the emergency chain in the train compartment allegedly failed to work and they had to rush to the adjacent compartment to pull the chain to stop the train. But the express train had travelled for a distance of eight km by the

TIRUCHY: Alleging caste and politics at play, the woman panchayat president of Krishnasamuthiram in the district has been unsuccessfully attempting to draw the attention of the powers-that-be to the various risks that residents are subject to from the lack of a solid waste management (SWM) system in the villages under it. Even as issues like water scarcity abound in the eight villages falling under Krishnasamthiram panchayat of Thiruverumbur union, a lack of SWM system in place is making residen

CHENNAI: With 2,25,632 defective meters identified across the state as of April 26, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) has directed its chief engineers to swiftly replace them. Chennai South circle has the highest of a whopping 36,343 defective metres, as per data accessed by TNIE from the power utility. A senior Tangedco said, Given our vast consumer base of nearly 3.5 crore, including domestic, commercial, and industrial sectors, encountering faulty meters is inevita

COIMBATORE: An unwritten rule of not allowing non-vegetarian food to be cooked at the community hall run by Coimbatore city police at Uppilipalayam was consigned to the dustbin on Friday after police commissioner V Balakrishnan ordered an end to the discriminatory practice. Balakrishnan initiated the action after TNIE brought the issue to his notice. The matter came to light after a Christian family approached the hall in-charge recently to book the hall for a family function. The hall administr

CHENNAI: The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), an arm of the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, issued a red alert for South Tamil Nadu coastal districts as high energy swell waves are likely to hit the coast from the wee hours of Saturday, causing severe inundation, especially in the low-lying areas. The alert said the near shore region and the low lying areas may experience surges intermittently during 5.30 am on Saturday to 11.30 pm on Sunday. TM Balakrishnan Nair

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court hit out at sub-registrars for issuing refusal slips for registration of sale deed in violation of various court judgments by misinterpreting them as rules applicable only to the respective cases. The court recently directed the inspector general of the registration department to issue a circular listing out the law as declared by the courts. Hearing a petition which challenged the instance where Rasipuram sub-regisrar refused to register a sale deed, Judge N Satish

CHENNAI: In a possible first in Tamil Nadu, a 31-year-old Chennai man who had lost both his arms from below the elbow in an electric accident during childhood, has been given a special driving licence by the North Chennai regional transport office. K Thansean of Vyasarpadi was given the licence based on a fitness certificate issued by government doctors. A visibly happy Thansean, who is pursuing Master of Laws at Dr Ambedkar Government Law College, said disabled people like him who love driving

TENKASI: In the backdrop of the explosion at a stone quarry in Virudhunagar , which killed three workers on Wednesday, Former Congress MLA and Tenkasi Iyarkai Vala Pathukappu Sangam president K Raviarunan has demanded that the state government take action against those quarries in Tenkasi district that use unauthorised high-powered explosives. In a statement issued on Thursday, Raviarunan said that stone quarry owners and operators purchase high-power explosives from black market. Workers at the

MADURAI: The Agro Food Chamber of Commerce and Industries requested the union government to reform GST, to boost economic growth in the country. In a statement, the chambers founder and president S Rethinavelu stated that GST collection in April 2024 surpassed Rs 2 lakh crore for the first time since its inception. The chambers members opined that the increase in GST collection is attributable not just to the economic growth, consumption and compliance, but also to the higher rates of taxation a

THOOTHUKUDI: As many as 73 entities, which were found defying the norms of the International Labour Day observed on May 1, were issued show-cause notices by the labour department. The move came after the department officials carried out a field inspection at Thoothukudi, Kovilpatti, Vilathikulam, Tiruchendur, Srivaikuntam, Sathankulam areas on Wednesday to check if any firm employed labourers without filing the Form 5A, which provides compensatory leave or double salary for working on general ho

With boat maintenance works under way at Pamban and Rameswaram coasts in the wake of the annual 61-day fishing ban, owners of mechanised vessels are feeling the heat as the prices of spares and other expenses have taken its toll, leaving them in huge loss and debt. The fishing ban, which is in force between April 15 and June 15, aims to preserve marine resources and avoid any disturbance to the marine life during the breeding season. During this period, a large number of boat owners resort to ma

SALEM: Nineteen people were arrested at Thevattipatti in Salem district late on Thursday after clashes broke out between Dalits and caste Hindus over allowing Scheduled Caste members to enter the local Mariamman Temple. The village temple belongs to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department. Twenty shops were damaged and several vehicles including two-wheelers and auto were set ablaze by members of both communities. Two shops were also set on fire. Police used mild force t

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently refused to halt a link road Rajapalayam - Sankarankovil - Tirunelveli to Tirumangalam - Kollam Road in Virudhunagar district. A division bench of Justices R Suresh Kumar and G Arul Murugan, while dismissing Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petitions filed by NA Ramachandra Raja and PAS Krishnamma Rajha said that the petitioners challenged the notification issued under Section 15 (1) of Tamil Nadu Highways Act for the project, as no p

DHARMAPURI : The residents of the hill hamlet of Vathalmalai in Dharmapuri district have resorted to purchasing drinking water from the villages in the plains as water scarcity intensifies with advancing summer. The villagers are purchasing water from private suppliers and are transporting about 4,000 liters in tractors by paying about Rs 2,500 per trip. Vathalamalai is one of the tribal hamlets in Dharmapuri which does not have the luxury of the Hogenakkal Drinking Water and Fluorosis Mitigatio

COIMBATORE: One year after a woman online trader escaped out of the country after allegedly cheating several investors to the tune of Rs 2 crore rupees, she was arrested at the airport on Wednesday when she arrived from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She was detained by some of her victims at the airport based on an alert from friends in the UAE and handed over to the Ramanathapuram police. The suspect was identified as B Mathumitha (32) of Sreeneha Nagar of Krishna Avenue in Panneermadai near

COIMBATORE: Two days after the the Coimbatore International Airport received a hoax bomb threat, Peelamedu police on Thursday booked a case against an email ID from which the threat was received. The incident happened on Monday (April 29) night and police booked the case following a court direction. Police said Manu V Mathew, chief security officer of the Airport Authority of India, Coimbatore International Airport, received a mail on Monday around 7 pm from an unknown email ID which stated that

COIMBATORE: Coimbatore City police have booked a case against three persons including a top personnel of the scam-hit multi-level marketing firm MYV3 Ads Media Private Limited and an unknown caller for allegedly issuing a life threat to the Coimbatore district secretary of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK). Peelamedu police have booked the case under Indian Penal Code Section 506 (ii) against the firms Managing Director M Sakthi Anandhan (51) and SV Vijayaragav, who is an owner of another firm tha

COIMBATORE: Twodays after residents of Jadayampalayam near Mettupalayam staged a protest condemning stoppage of drinking water supply, TWAD board officials on Thursday said steps have been taken to supply water to them. A total of 1.074 MLD of water should be supplied to Jadayampalayam Panchayat which comes under the Karamadai Union from two schemes. Around 0.2 MLD of water is supplied under the 299 residential areas combined water scheme and 0.874 MLD of water 114 rural areas combined water sch

VILLUPURAM : In a recent operation spanning two days, the police apprehended two individuals and confiscated a total of 2,592 liquor bottles from two locations in Brammadesam. Based on a tip-off, officers from the district prohibition enforcement wing conducted a raid at a suspected residence on Mariamman Temple Street; during which they found 1,872 liquor bottles hidden for illegal sale. The owner of the house, A Datchinamorthy (54) was taken into custody. Further investigation revealed that hi

PUDUKKOTTAI: A 34-year-old obstetrician at Ranees Government Memorial Hospital died at the healthcare institution soon after giving birth to twins in a caesarean section surgery on Tuesday night. The deceased was R Anjuga of Karambakudi. She held an MD in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and also worked as an assistant professor of gynaecology at the Pudukkottai Government Medical College Hospital. Her husband Karthick is a dentist in Bengaluru. According to hospital sources, Anjuga experienced breath

TIRUPATTUR: The body of a 78-year-old man was carried on a doli for 7 km to his native village of Neknamalai hillock in Tirupattur district on Thursday due to the lack of proper road facility. The 172 families residing in the village urged the district administration to take prompt action to address this issue. Muthu had been residing with his daughter in Vellore for medical treatment. Following his demise on Thursday, his relatives tried to bring him to his native village. However, as the 7km m

MAYILADUTHURAI: Four people, including three college students on a motorcycle, were killed in an accident near Tharangambadi in the district on Thursday. According to sources, T Akash (20), S Hari (20) and M Mohamed Shakim (19), who were college students hailing from Parangipettai block of Cuddalore district, were on Thursday morning returning from Nagapattinam on a motorcycle after meeting friends. Around 10 am, the trio was passing a private college near Tharangambadi when their bike collided

COIMBATORE: Following a dip in water level at Pillur dam, drawing of water under the Pillur-II drinking water scheme has been stopped for the last two days. Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) commissioner M Sivaguru Prabhakaran said water drawing will be resumed from Thursday evening following the inflow from Upper Bhavani reservoir. Pillur dam is one the main drinking water sources of Coimbatore district with 125 MLD (megalitre per day) and 120 MLD water drawn under Pillur I and Pillu

Tamil Nadu has been setting records in power demand once every few days this summer. Despite the jump in consumption, Tangedco has managed to avoid major disruptions. This has been made possible by the power utilitys workforce which is short-staffed yet kept on its toes round the clock to ensure residents arent inconvenienced by the searing heat. Though legislation demand that 8-hour duty should be ensured, some foremen claimed their work hours get extended by 50%. S Ezhilan (55), a foreman in C

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has observed that the Archaeological Survey of India and the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology are the custodians of the archaeological monuments and they cant endanger any such structures. The first bench of Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice J Sathya Narayana Prasad made the observation while disposing of a petition challenging the construction of certain facilities in the Gangaikonda Cholapuram monument. The bench also said that it is the duty in

VIRUDHUNAGAR: A preliminary assessment of the stone quarry in Kadamangulam, where an explosion at the quarrys warehouse on Wednesday killed three workers , revealed that there were breaches of safety protocol and flouting of government norms by the operators. The site was inspected by officials of the department of geology and mines. On Wednesday, a blast occurred at a private explosives storage warehouse near the quarry when explosives were being unloaded from a van, killing three workers. Foll

COIMBATORE: It was a usual day for a senior journalist and photographer who were on their way to cover a story at Valparai on Thursday morning until they spotted a group of frantic police officers struggling to stop a man from his suicide bid. A tea estate labourer in his 50s, Veeramani, had climbed up a 30-ft high voltage electricity tower in an attempt to kill self allegedly due to issues at his workplace. Despite the request of cops and firefighters, he was not ready to climb down. All he wan

NAGAPATTINAM: Over a thousand people protested in front of Nagapattinam Town General Hospital (GH) on Thursday against the shifting of various medical services to the Medical College Hospital in Orathur. Despite clarifications issued by the district and the hospital administration in Nagapattinam on Wednesday that basic emergency services would continue at Nagapattinam GH, residents expressed scepticism and went ahead with a planned demonstration. Vanigar Nala Peramaipu (a confederate of traders

PUDUCHERRY: In a move to bolster the judicial infrastructure in Puducherry, Lieutenant Governor C P Radhakrishnan, in consultation with the High Court of Judicature at Madras, issued a series of orders establishing various specialised courts across the Union Territory. Firstly, a significant stride in gender justice was made with the establishment of a Court of Judicial Magistrate (Mahila Court) in Puducherry District. This specialised court, dedicated to addressing cases concerning women, is po

COIMBATORE: The Palakkad division of Southern Railway has completed construction of the second underpass to facilitate free movement of wild animals in Madukkarai in Coimbatore forest division. Sources in Palakkad division said the construction was completed within two years of a Madras High Court order in this regard and the passage was opened a month ago. The first underpass was constructed in June 2023 at Km 505 A/400-500 and the second one was constructed at KM 506A/0-100 on the railway line

CHENNAI: In tune with the efforts to reduce dropouts, the school education department has decided to conduct special classes for class 10 students who have failed or were absent during the public examinations. Under the Thodarndhu Karpom scheme overseen by the integrated education department, these students will be given minimum learning material to pass the examination apart from weekly tests. The classes, conducted by the graduate teachers in the government schools, will start after the announ

CHENNAI: With summer heat on the rise, water levels in several reservoirs across the state have continued to decline. Shortage of drinking water has led to protests and concerns in some places, and with the southwest monsoon more than a month away, it may be a daunting task to ensure adequate supply. As of Thursday, the combined water storage in 90 reservoirs across the state stood at 51.992 tmcft, which is just 23.18% of their total capacity of 224.297 tmcft. According to Water Resources Depart

CHENNAI: In a significant order, the Madras High Court has declared unconstitutional the classification of 13,720 hectares land spread over 27 villages on the outskirts of Chennai as catchment area of Red Hills reservoir on the grounds of lack of a scientific study and failure to acquire the land within three years of notification. The classification was carried out as per the Second Master Plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area The order was passed by a division bench of Justices SS Sundar and N Se

COIMBATORE: Thousands of coconut farmers in Pollachi, Anaimalai, Kinathukadavu, and Udumalai taluks in Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts have been felling the entire plantations they had nurtured lovingly for years as they could not stand the pain of seeing their trees wither due to lack of water. According to sources, around 2.5 crore fully grown coconut trees in 1.6 lakh hectares of land are facing an imminent threat. Nearly 50% of these trees may perish in this unprecedented heat due to lack

COIMBATORE: The headmaster of the government higher secondary school at Kannampalayam has resorted to a novel way to enrol students. An advertisement for school admission for the 2024-2025 academic year appears on the rear of a government bus that connects Coimbatore city to rural hinterlands. The bus runs on route 65A from Sulur to Gandhipuram. More buses will feature this ad soon. The advertisement states that admissions are now open for classes from VI to XII at the school for the next academ

CHENNAI: In a significant order, the Madras High Court has declared 'unconstitutional' the classification of 13,720 hectares land spread over 27 villages, as catchment area of Redhills reservoir in the suburbs of Chennai, in the Second Master Plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area on the grounds of lack of a scientific study and failure to acquire the land within three years of notification. The order was passed by a division bench of Justices SS Sundar and N Senthilkumar recently on two petitions f

ARIYALUR: The Meensurutti police on Wednesday secured an 18-year-old woman and four members of her family for allegedly murdering her month-old baby girl and burying her in the house backyard. According to police, the parents of the accused, in 2023 discovered their then minor daughter was pregnant. They also learned that U Anbu Durai (21) of the same village was behind the sexual assault. Based on a complaint, the Jayankondam all-women police booked Durai under the POCSO Act and arrested him. T

COIMBATORE: Mangoes and watermelons, cherished staples of Indian summers, are currently flooding the markets in Coimbatore. However, amidst the hustle and bustle of the seasonal trade, a darker reality has emerged. Many of these fruits are artificially ripened using harmful chemicals such as calcium carbide which can pose serious health risks to consumers. Social activists expressed concerns over the availability of such fruits and inaction of food safety department officials against traders who

VILLUPURAM: A team of researchers from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment department has discovered an inscription, which sheds light on Chola King Aditha Karikalan, near Thiruvennailalur. Led by D Ramesh, assistant professor of the history department at Arignar Anna Arts and Science College, Villupuram, and a member of the archaeological research team of HR&CE, the team, including joint commissioner S Sivakumar, executive officer E Suriya Narayanan, and research scholar C Immanuel, ha