Tamil Nadu / The New Indian Express
CHENNAI: DMK's executive committee meeting, chaired by party president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin here on Sunday strongly condemned Union Home Minister Amit Shah, for defaming Babasaheb Ambedkar . Shah besmirched the sacrifices of Dr Ambedkar, which was unacceptable and a lot on Parliamentary democracy under the BJP regime, the Dravidian party alleged in a resolution. In order to divert attention from the minister's remarks, the dramas enacted by the BJP, inside and outside of Par
TIRUNELVELI: In a historic move, Kerala officials, including those from the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, visited six sites in Tirunelveli villages where Keralas biomedical, plastic, food, and other wastes had been illegally dumped . The officials began removing the waste with 16 Kerala-based trucks to transport it back to their state, following directives from the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which took suo motu case bas
MADURAI: In the urban jungle of Chennai, where childhood dreams often wither under the scorching sun of inequality, two teenagers rose to defy the odds. Aditi Srivatsan and Neha Govindarajan knew the stakes were high. Failure was not an option. Their weapon of choice: books, each page a seed of hope, ready to blossom in the most barren of landscapes. In 2023, Aditi and Neha, both 17 years old and residents of Chennai, set out to bridge the educational divide for underprivileged children. This pa
THOOTHUKUDI: The Periyathalai shoreline is alive with the sound of crashing waves when a silhouette emerges in the faint glow of the moonlit sky, balancing fishing nets on her shoulder as the salt-laden wind whips around her. It is common for people on the seashore to carry a fish basket on their heads, but carrying fishing nets on their shoulders is uncommon. Subiksha, a 23-year-old fisherwoman, moves with the ease of someone born to the sea. A fibre craft boat waits at the waters edge, bobbing
CHENNAI: The air hung heavy with the stench of sweat and fear. Tiny hands, calloused and scarred, clutched at the rough fabric of a tattered shirt. Two-year-old Vinoth, his eyes wide with confusion and terror, watched as his parents were bound, their cries echoing through the cavernous rice mill in Ponneri. This was not a playground, not a loving home, but a prison forged from debt and despair, a consequence of the advance his parents had taken from the mill owner. The chains that bit into his p
NAGAPATTINAM: Six fishermen from Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai districts were allegedly assaulted and robbed at sea by assailants said to be from Sri Lanka on Friday night. They were hospitalised on Saturday for injuries. Sources said fishermen C Kumar (48), K Jegan (30) and N Lakshmanan (40)all from Mayiladuthurai camping in Nagapattinams Kodiyakarai (Point Calimere) for the past two monthson Friday afternoon ventured into sea in a motorised boat. They were fishing about 12 nautical miles sou
VILLUPURAM: Around 600 AIADMK cadres staged a protest on Saturday at the municipality ground, accusing the DMK government of disparity in flood relief allocation, with only Rs 2,000 relief given to victims in Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, and Villupuram districts while providing Rs 6,000 as compensation during the Chennai floods, owing to electoral considerations. Why do they discriminate? The government must provide uniform relief, demanded former Minister CV Shanmugam who led the protest. The cadre
VELLORE: Carcasses of goats left unburied may have lured the leopard, which killed 24-year-old S Anjali, into Drhuvam village near Veerichitipalli reserved forest area, said forest officials. They added that a search is ongoing to capture the leopard. Speaking to TNIE, the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) S Manivannan said that more drone cameras are being deployed and neighbouring areas are being thoroughly inspected. In the course of the search, we found that villagers had left the carca
VELLORE: DMK functionary N Bala Settu and his son B Tharani Kumar were arrested in connection with the alleged murder of BJP leader V Vittal Kumar, by the Vellore police. Police sources revealed that Bala and his son were remanded to custody on Saturday afternoon. Before this, two other accused G Santhosh Kumar (26) and V Kamaladas (23) had surrendered at the Katpadi court on Friday. Family members of the BJP leader had alleged that he frequently questioned the actions of Bala, who was president
RANIPET: A 20-year-old bus passenger, Agalya of Tirupattur, died early on Saturday after she was electrocuted by a sagging power line while alighting from the vehicle along the Arcot-Cheyyar Road. The woman was on a pilgrimage trip to Melmaruvathur. According to official sources, the private bus carrying Agalya and other pilgrims made a stop around 5 am for refreshments. Unbeknownst to the passengers, the bus had come into contact with a low-lying overhead power line. Agalya, who was the last to
CHENNAI: In an indication that the election to rural local bodies in 28 districts in the state whose tenure ends in January 2025 is likely to get delayed, the state government on Saturday informed the Madras High Court that the polls would be held only after completing the process of delimitation and reservation. Additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ravindran, representing the government, submitted before a division bench of Justices SS Sundar and P Dhanabal when a public interest litigation peti
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Saturday directed the Commissioner of Tirunelveli city police to hold an inquiry into the alleged negligence on the part of the policemen present at the district court complex to prevent the brutal murder of an accused just outside the gates of the court. A division bench comprising Justices SM Subramaniam and C Kumarappan issued the direction while hearing a suo motu case on the matter. As many as 12 policemen were there, but they did not even attempt to appreh
CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has criticised the DMK government for its alleged lethargic attitude in handling the tungsten miningissue. He accused the DMK of providing only surface-level support to the minority community. Speaking at a Christmas celebration organised by the party here, Palaniswami alleged despite the AIADMK raising questions regarding the tungesten mining issue in the Assembly, the government kept on diverting the issue. He further said the government
COIMBATORE: The School Education Department has instructed all the Chief Educational Officers through an online meeting on Saturday to refrain from conducting special classes during the half-yearly exam break which will be starting from December 23. The department took this decision based on a petition filed by the Tamil Nadu Post Graduate Teacher Association requesting the School Education Department to ask headmasters not to force them from conducting special classes for students during their
THOOTHUKUDI: The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) staged a stir on Friday at Chidambaranagar, urging the state government to reopen the Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi, citing that Chief Minister MK Stalin and MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi were striving to bring in more industries to increase employment opportunities here. Over 500 persons led by INTUC Working president Kathirvel participated in the agitation at Chidambaranagar demanding employment generation and reopening of the def
COIMBATORE: A 16-year-old girl from Ganjam district in Odisha -- presently a Class 11 student at Government Higher Secondary School in Velliyangadu -- has successfully cleared the Tamil Talent Search Examination (TTSE), securing 91 out of 100 marks. Under the Tamil Nadu School Education Department, the TTSE is conducted annually to encourage students who excel in Tamil language. The student, K Jansi Rani, will receive a monthly scholarship of Rs 1,500 till she completes Class 12. Since childhood
KRISHNAGIRI: The Minister for Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply KN Nehru, and Minister for Food and Civil Supplies R Sakkarapani took part in various government programmes. They inaugurated the underground drainage (UGD) scheme worth Rs 49.86 crore for the Krishnagiri municipality areas and Rs 582.54 crore UGD work at Hosur City Municipal Corporation (HCMC), on Saturday. KN Nehru told reporters, The Chief Minister has implemented Rs 1,000 crore worth schemes to HCMC, Krishnagiri m
COIMBATORE: A postmortem carried out on Saturday on a tigress aged 6-7 years revealed that it died due to an alleged parasitic infection at Theppakkadu forest range in MTR. The examination was carried out by veterinary assistant surgeons K Rajesh Kumar Theppakkadu and Indhuja of Masinagudi in the presence of field director R Kirubashankar and members of NGOs and was burnt as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Forest sources said the animal could have died four days ago and the
PUDUKKOTTAI : The state government will not demand Governor RN Ravis removal as it might make him more determined to hold onto his position, Law Minister S Regupathy said on Saturday. Addressing the press here, the minister said, The governor cannot impose his preferences to place a UGC member in the selection committee for university vice-chancellors. The governor has reportedly stated that the governments decision will be overturned if taken to court when a UGC member is not present. We will p
CHENNAI: The annual odyssey of Olive Ridley turtles on the shores of Tamil Nadu has started with brisk nesting reporting from Pulicat, besides sporadic nesting in other parts like Chennai, Tirunelveli etc. For the first time, the forest department will shortly be launching a mobile application called Turtle Walk to get near real-time data on the number of nests, eggs and other key parameters. Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra told TNIE that more than 1,100 turtle eggs have been safely sec
CHENNAI: The recent electrocution deaths of two contract employees engaged in maintenance work on an 11-kV power line along the Olaiyur Ring Road in Tiruchy district has brought the focus back on the avoidable yet recurring mortalities of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Boards workers. While data obtained by TNIE revealed that as many as 87 employees died in the three-year period from 2021-22 to 2023-24, this number is likely to be an underestimation since TNEB doesnt count deaths of contract laboure
CHENNAI: At a time when the state government is promoting smart classrooms and hi-tech labs across state schools, more than 3,700 high and higher secondary government schools may soon lose their internet connection as they havent been able to settle outstanding bills worth Rs 1.5 crore to BSNL. A majority of these 3,700 government schools, which account for 50% of the total 6,223 high and higher secondary schools in TN, have not paid their internet bills for the last two to three months, mainly
VILLUPURAM: On Friday and Saturday, Shankar Jiwal, the Director General of Police and Head of the Police Force of Tamil Nadu, conducted a two-day review meeting with senior police officers from the Villupuram Range at the DSP's office. At the event, the DGP said, As directed by CM M K Stalin, priority is being given to maintaining law and order, addressing crimes against women and children, combating narcotics and illicit liquor, tackling cybercrimes, and ensuring the welfare of police personnel
NEW DELHI: Marriage is a relationship built on mutual trust, companionship and shared experiences, the Supreme Court has said as it upheld a Madras High Court decision granting divorce to an estranged software engineer couple. A bench of justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale said the length of separation and the evident animosity between husband and wife make it clear that there is no possibility of the marriage being revived. Marriage is a relationship built on mutual trust, companionship, and sha
CHENNAI: In a significant judgment on the powers of the officers dealing with income escaping assessment, the Madras High Court has ruled that the Jurisdictional Assessing Officer (JAO) does have exclusive powers to issue notice under Section 148 of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Both the JAO and the Faceless Assessing Officer (FAO)will have concurrent powers for assessment, re-assessment and re-computation of the particular income in a faceless manner. Justice Krishnan Ramasamy issued the ruling on
The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) has advised the Tamil Nadu government to be cautious about water use from its Mettur reservoirs as the northeast monsoon is about to end and the reservoir level is almost five per cent lesser than normal. However, Karnataka has so far released 279.8thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of Cauvery water as against the required161.41 TMC between June 1 and December 18, 2024, at interstate point Biligundlu than required according to the Cauvery Water Disput
THOOTHUKUDI: A 35-year-old man allegedly killed his wife and chopped her body into several pieces as he suspected her fidelity at Anjugramam of Kanniyakumari district. The accused, Marimuthu, a resident of Manakavalan Pillar Nagar in Palayamkottai of Tirunelveli district was married to Mariya Sathya (30). Sathya worked at a seafood processing company and Marimuthu was a labourer and the couple had two children. Reportedly, they fought often as Sathya constantly chatted on the phone. The family m
DHARMAPURI: Tourism minister R Rajendran on Friday handed over solatium of Rs 10 lakh to each of the two workers who died and and Rs 2 lakh each to the five injured after a coal bunker in the Mettur thermal power plant collapsed trapping a group of contract workers under the debris on Thursday evening. Fire and rescue services personnel rescued five workers alive from the debris while P Venkatesh (50) and Palanisami(28) were found dead five hours after the accident. On Friday, family members of
CHENNAI: Following the murder at the entrance of a court complex in Tirunelveli district on Friday, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami urged Chief Minister MK Stalin to take proactive steps to maintain the law and order in the state. Countering the allegation, Law and Prisons Minister S Regupathy said that the four accused in connection with the murder were arrested within two hours. Unable to tolerate the swift action and immediate arrest of culprits, the opposition leader has, as
TIRUNELVELI: Exactly a month after an advocate was brutally attacked with a sickle in broad daylight on the Hosur combined court premises, a 25-year-old man was murdered with a similar weapon, allegedly by a seven-member gang, near the gate of the Tirunelveli district court on Friday. Police said the deceased, S Mayandi from Keezhanatham village, belonged to an intermediate caste and was killed by a gang of seven SC men in retaliation to the murder of SC panchayat ward member N Rajamani from the
TIRUNELVELI: A 22-year-old law student was stabbed to death near a school in Cheranmahadevi here on Friday morning. Police launched a search for the culprit. Sources said, the deceased C Manikandan of Keel Nadutheru in Cheranmahadevi was a third-year law student at a private college in Chennai. He had returned to his hometown for holidays, two days ago. The incident occurred when Manikandan was returning home on his two-wheeler after visiting his field. Sources further said, he was intercepted b
DHARMAPURI: Residents of Sitheri panchayat in Pappireddipatti are delighted by the state governments announcement to construct a high-level bridge at Nalangu. The residents urged the administration to hasten construction of Vachati-Arasanatham road also. Sitheri panchayat is a tribal hamlet in Pappireddipatti taluk and has over 62 minor villages atop the hills. For years residents of the panchayat have been seeking a road. Two years ago, a road was announced to connect Vachati to Arasanatham at
CHENNAI: The members of CPI and Congress, on Friday, staged protests against Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP MPs over the recent controversies. CPI members condemned Shahs remarks on BR Ambedkar , while Congress cadre protested the case registered against Rahul Gandhi. To condemn Amit Shah for his alleged derogatory comments against Ambedkar and urging him to step down from the post, hundreds of CPI cadre gathered near the Dr Ambedkar Arts College, Vyasarpadi. The partys state deputy secre
CHENNAI: Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu on Friday put forth the state governments wish list to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a pre-budget meeting chaired by her at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. He requested the GOI to include many new railway projects, reiterated the demand for relief assistance for Rs 6,675 crore for areas hit by Cyclone Fengal, funds for the Metro Rail project and Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan. Underscoring the need for new railway lines in industrial areas to catalys
CHENNAI: The office of Governor RN Ravi on Friday alleged that the statement issued by Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiaan on Thursday was misleading and a distortion of facts. However, in a rejoinder issued later in the night to Raj Bhavans statement, the minister said it was disheartening to see the governor impeding the functioning of universities by repeating the same arugments he had made earlier. Governors response Raj Bhavans statement on Friday said the minister cited the Supreme Co
ERODE: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday said AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has been levelling imaginary allegations against the government and that does not befit his position as leader of opposition. Speaking after distributing welfare assistance to beneficiaries in Erode, the chief minister said, At present, opposition parties have no reason to criticise the government because we are fulfilling all our poll promises. However, Palaniswami is making false allegations against
CHENNAI: Expressing concern over the murder of an accused at the entrance of the combined district court complex in Tirunelveli, the Madras High Court on Friday took suo motu cognizance of the matter and directed the state government to provide security in all courts in the state. Advocates have panicked (due to the murder). They say they have no protection, a division bench of justices SM Subramaniam and C Kumarappan remarked. The bench directed the state government to provide security at the g
TIRUNELVELI: A DMK ward secretary died after accidentally falling into a septic tank, which was under-construction, at the Valliyoor bus stand here on Thursday night. The deceased Murugan (65) of Chokkanathar Temple Street in Valliyoor working at a shop in the area and was a DMK ward secretary. On Thursday night, Murugan was returning home via Valliyoor bus stand after work. While passing through the area, he accidentally fell into the open septic tank, which was under construction. As it was la
THOOTHUKUDI: Kayathar police arrested Thoothukudi North District Congress vice president Ayyalusamy for attempting self-immolation while condemning BJP for registering a false case against party leader Rahul Gandhi. Condemning the case registered against Rahul Gandhi, the congress functionary Ayyalusamy resorted to a protest at Kayathar commercial street on Friday. Ayyalusamy urged the President of India and Chief Justice of India to take action against BJP parliamentarians who attempted to atta
MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday allowed Madurai Corporation to proceed with the Vandiyur Tank Beautification Project, subject to the statutory restrictions contained in Rule 4 of Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. However, observing that the object of the project would be realised only if the tank is pollution-free or else it will become as polluted as the Cooum River, the court directed authorities to ensure that the tank is pollution-free within
MADURAI/RAMANATHAPURAM: Stating that changes in climate have affected crops, farmers urged the government to take action and provide compensation for crop damage during the farmers grievances meeting held in Madurai and Ramanathapuram districts on Friday. During the meeting, farmers from Madurai raised issues such as the opening of direct procurement centres (DPCs) and procurement of sugarcane by the government. Few farmers also brought paddy saplings, stating that the crop was damaged due to hu
CHENNAI: The first session of the state Assembly in 2025 will begin on January 6 with the customary address of Governor RN Ravi. The session is expected to last for five or six days. Given the governors face-off with the DMK government and the Assembly witnessing high drama during his last two addresses, suspense runs high whether his address to the House on January 6 will happen peacefully. Ravi, after assuming office on September 18, 2021, had said the relationship between his office and the s
CHENNAI: Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalins response to the media in Coimbatore that a decision on whether his party or its ally Congress will contest the Erode (East) Assembly by-election will be made after thorough discussions with the Congress has raised hopes among DMK leaders and cadre that the ruling party will contest the bypoll. The bypoll has been necessitated following the recent demise of veteran Congress leader EVKS Elangovan, who himself was elected in a by-election after t
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu could become one of the first states to have a white list on online gambling sites and apps after it brings out a framework to regulate pay-to-play gaming in the state. Getting registered with the Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority (TNOGA) is a kind of white list, according to Md Nasimuddin, chairperson of TNOGA, which is coming out with a regulatory framework. Anuraag Saxena, CEO of E-Gaming Federation (EGF), told TNIE that the gaming industry is the lone industry pushing fo
When I was a child, the rainy season in the city was completely different from how it is now. These days, the media provides immediate and full coverage of weather forecasts. During my school days, we did not have WhatsApp school groups. So, most of us travelled all the way to school and got to know about the holiday declaration. I do not remember my parents struggle to stock essentials before a heavy rain prediction. The very word flood was not scary before. It was just a slow day at home survi
TIRUNELVELI: A day after the National Green Tribunal directed the Kerala government and its pollution control board to remove biomedical waste dumped in Tirunelveli villages, the district administration on Friday revealed that waste from the neighbouring state had been dumped in two more villages -- Sivaniyarkulam and Vadakku Ariyanayagipuram. TNIE visited Sivaniyarkulam and spotted blood sample containers with blood, used PPE kits, gloves, plastic covers of surgical items, urinary bags wrapped
TIRUCHY: Road users in Tiruchy have called out the reckless driving by vehicles of educational institutions, particularly those of schools plying students during rush hour, saying that they go about as if they are governed by their own set of rules. They demand measures like imposition of fines on such drivers to rein in the violations. Among the major concerns is such vehicles stopping abruptly in the middle of busy roads to pick up or drop off students. S Venkatesh of Tennur said, The school b
COIMBATORE: A section of contractors working for the state highways department has alleged that there is no transparency in issue of work orders and that officers were awarding projects without following tender norms. According to sources, on November 9, the highways department announced four projects including widening of Avinashi - Mettupalayam Road, Coimbatore - Siruvani Road and Avinashi - Palladam, Pollachi and Cochin Road. Contractors were told to submit bids online by December 11. The bid
COIMBATORE: The National Highways (NH) wing of the State Highways Department has raised concerns over delay in removing sewage water from the pit dug for pillar construction, by the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC). One of the UGD pipelines on Mettupalayam Road was broken during Saibaba Colony flyover works a few days ago and sewage water from the broken pipeline filled the pit. The highways department has been carrying out flyover works here for three months. The flyover spanning 97
ERODE: Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin has directed functionaries to strengthen the party in constituencies it is perceived to be weak in Erode district and secure victory in the 2026 Assembly elections. The Chief Minister arrived in Erode on Thursday on a two-day visit. On Thursday evening, he chaired a meeting with senior party members. Sources said 260 important functionaries from across the district were invited to the meeting. Individual letters were sent from the DMK headquarter