Saravanan's Blog

Published Date: 28/5/2009 - (NIE) G Saravanan Chennai, May 27: THE Kuthambakkam villagers have given a 15-day ultimatum to the State government to reconsider its decision of to allot 100 acres of grazing land to municipalities for dumping solid wastes. “We won’t let our green locality become a garbage-dumping yard for the adjacent municipalities at any cost,” the villagers said. Located 50 km from the city, Kuthambakkam is surrounded by several nonpolluting industries. The area falls under the catchment area of Chembarambakkam Lake, one of the main sources of drinking water for South and Central Chennai. “We plead the government to give up the idea, as its implementation would pollute the nearby Chembarambakkam Lake besides affecting sanity and livelihood of over 5,000 families in the neighbourhood,” R Elango, the former panchayat president of the village who is spearheading the movement said.“If they fail to come out with a decision, we will sit on a fast-unto-death in front of the ...

Published Date: 3/12/2008 - (NIE) G Saravanan Chennai, December 2: Pandemonium prevailed for a few hours in front of Ambattur Municipality on Tuesday when about 4,000 people protested against the inordinate delay by the authorities in carrying out relief measures to nearly one and half lakh rain-affected people in the locality. S Sekar, general secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Ambattur, told reporters after the protest that more than 1.5 lakh people from Cholapuram, Kalyanpuram, Kamarajapuram, Teachers Colony, K K Nagar, Uzhaipalar Nagar, Sivananda Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, M K B Nagar, Mogappair, Korattur, Pattaravakkam, Mangalapuram, Thirumullaivoyal, Chozhampedu, Ayapakkam and Ayanampakkam were severely affected by the rains and floods. “Most of them were stranded insides homes in chest-deep water,”he added. Though the governme nt had immediately anno unced compensation for the rain-hit people, nothing had reached them, Sekar said. “We demanded that the governmen...

Published Date: 30/5/2008 - (NIE) Sarvanan G Chennai, May 29: WITH the 45-day ban on deep sea fishing coming to an end on Thursday midnight, the expected nosedive of fish prices once the mechanised boats return with their catch will not happen this year. This is what the boat owners have to say: It is all due to phenomenal hike in essential commodities’ rate in recent months, which has its cascading effect on its allied products like seafoods. Since Thursday morning, Kasimedu Fishing Harbour was abuzz with activity as labourers of different boats were busy storing icebars and other essential ration items, including the muchneeded diesel, before setting out on a week-long sea trip. Venugopal, general secretary of Mechanised Boat Fishermen Association at Kasimedu, says, “The current fish prices will not see any steep fall as expected by seafood consumers, in fact the slide from the current price will be around five to 15 per cent only.” And it may be due to the steady price rise in oth...

Published Date: 24/05/2009 - (NIE) G Saravanan Chennai, May 23: BRAVING all odds to prove that the civic body-run schools can also bring in excellent results every year, the Corporation school children have secured a pass percentage of 82.5 in the SSLC examinations that were declared on Saturday and incidentally, the figure was higher than the over all State pass percentage this year. Not only the Corporation schools secured more (pass) percentage this time, they also improved their performance by a whopping three per cent when comparing to last year pass figures. Interestingly, Agalya Tharani, a student studying in Nungambakkam Corporation Girls Higher Secondary School, missed the State first rank by a whisker of six marks. Her physically challenged father works as a chemistry teacher in the same school. Adding feather to its cap, Kilpauk Corporation Higher Secondary School, which sent 86 students for SSLC examinations in March, obtained a cent per cent result. Mayor M Subramanian w...

Published Date: 22/5/2009 - (NIE) G Saravanan Chennai, May 21: IT was just another day for 32-year-old Murugan, a construction worker from suburban Kallikuppam area, when he left home for masonry works at a flat near Mogappair, here. As he stood on bamboo post, plastering on the second floor of a newly constructed building, he lost balance and fell. He suffered fracture and spine injuries. He is yet to get compensation. Six months have gone by, his parents and two small children are struggling to eke out a living, as the sole breadwinner is now bedridden. Not only Murugan, there are several construction workers in the State who suffer from unsafe work conditions at worksites besides issues related to less salary, says V Ranganathan, general secretary of Akila India Kattida Thozilalargal Mathya Sangam. While we blame the poor safety setup at construction sites, many workers never thought of registering their names with the state-government instituted Construction Labour Welfare Board ...

Published Date: 22/05/2009 - (NIE) G Saravanan Chennai, May 21: WHILE the owners of mechanised trawlers and fibre-boat owners use the mandatory 45-day fishing ban period to repair their boats and nets, fishermen who are employed by them are the worst affected as they do not have any fixed source of income during that period. Bustling activities off shore comes to a standstill during the period at the Chennai Fishing Harbour at Kasimedu (in North Chennai) as more than 800 mechanized fishing trawlers and 1,200 small fibre boats get anchored to honour the state-enforced ban on fishing to protect the fish eggs. During the period, activities increase on shore as trawler owners engage different people to set their boats in order for the next voyage once the ban gets over. Since catamarans are exempted from the ban, traditional fishermen move freely along the coastline during the period to catch small fish varieties. In the harbour alone, more than 8,000 fishermen are directly and indirectl...

Published Date: 18/04/2009 - (NIE) G Saravanan Chennai, April 17: EVEN as the world expresses its solidarity and anguish for the suffering of the Sri Lankan Tamils trapped in the conflict zone across the Palk Strait, no one - not even the smalltime politicians in the State - have tried to understand the agony of the Sri Lankan Tamils, who have been detained in State-run special camps under flimsy grounds for years. According to sources, two such special detention camps for Lankan Tamil refugees -- Poonamalle and Chengalpattu -- have nearly 100 Tamils, allegedly detained for having links with the banned outfit, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Speaking to Express, one of the Tamil detainees said that they were denied of basic human rights. “Though most of us wanted to clear our names legally, we never got an opportunity, since the police officials were not co-operative,” the detainee added. “Most of the members are not connected to the LTTE and its activities. When a Sri L...

R Gomathy Sankaravel | Fri, 08 May, 2009 , 02:12 PM . Two years have gone since 9 May 2007. But the shock, horror and pain have not for the families of three persons who were killed in the Dinakaran newspaper office attack in Madurai. A family member of a victim Gopi, on condition of anonymity, said ‘Gopi’s death was not only savage, but was also filled with horrifying details which come over and over again on our minds. We can only express grief.’ Police had arrested many people in connection with the arson and mob violence while one was detained in connection with the deaths, he said. Later under attack from various quarters on the Madurai police inaction, the Tamilnadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi sought a CBI probe into the attack. But everything seems to be ‘customary’, he added. ‘The case is being heard by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court’, he said,adding that he wanted to transfer the case to the Madras High Court. But it has been put in cold storage,’ he said. Cit...