Saravanan's Blog

Source: www.athirvu.com இறுதி யுத்தத்தின் போது இராணுவத்தினரால் கையடக்கத் தொலைபேசியில் எடுக்கப்பட்ட மேலும் அதிர்ச்சியூட்டும் சில புகைப்படங்கள் வெளியாகியுள்ளன. பெண் போராளிகளை நிர்வாணப்படுத்தியிருக்கும் இலங்கை இராணுவம். அத்தோடு அங்கே எரிகுண்டுகள் பாவிக்கப்பட்டதற்கான அடையாளங்களாக சில உடலங்கள் கருகிய நிலையில் இருக்கின்றன. மொத்தமாக 6 பெண் போராளிகளும், 5 ஆண் போராளிகளின் உடல்களும் இங்கு காணப்படுகின்றன. ஆண்போராளி ஒருவரின் உடல் கருகி இருப்பதையும் அவதானிக்க முடிகிறது. குறிப்பாக பெண் போராளிகளின் சீருடைகள் வேண்டுமென்றே அகற்றப்பட்டுள்ளன என்பதும் குறிப்பிடத்தக்க து . எம்மைப் பொறுத்தவரை இப் புகைப்பங்கள் இன்னும் வெளிவரவில்லை என எண்ணுகிறோம். அத்தோடு இறந்த போராளிகளை உறவினர்கள் அடையாளம் காண ஏதுவாக இருக்கும் என்ற நோக்கத்துக்காக இந்தப் புகைப்படங்களைப் பிரசுரிக்கிறோம். இப் புகைப்படங்கள், மின்னஞ்சல் ஊடாக எமக்கு கிடைக்கப்பெற்றது. Visit link for more pictures: http://www.athirvu.com/target_news.php?getnews=news&action=fullnews&showcomments=1&id=4048

Source: http://www.athirvu.com/target_news.php?getnews=news&action=fullnews&showcomments=1&id=4046 மலேசியாவில் இருந்து ஊருக்குத் திரும்பியதில் இருந்து வல்வெட்டித்துறை அரச மருத்துவமனையில் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டிருந்த பார்வதி அம்மாளின் உடல்நிலை இம்மாத நடுப்பகுதியில் மோசமடைந்தது. அவரால் உணவு உட்கொள்ள முடியாத நிலை ஏற்பட்டதால் மேலதிக சிகிச்சைக்கும், சோதனைகளுக்காகவும் யாழ் போதனா வைத்தியசாலைக்கு மாற்றப்பட்டிருந்தார். மேலதிக சிகிச்சைகளால் அவரது உடல்நிலை தற்போது ஓரளவு சீரடைந்துள்ளது . இதையடுத்து மீண்டும் வல்வெட்டித்துறை வைத்தியசாலைக்கு அவர் மாற்றம் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளார். அவரது சொந்த இடம் வல்வெட்டித்துறை என்பதால் அவரை அங்கு வைத்துப் பராமரிப்பது இலகுவாக இருக்கும் என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.

By G Saravanan Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 29, 2010: CHENNAI: After a gap of about 10 months, t hree suspected cases of swine flu (AH1N1) have been reported in the city. A senior public health official from Chennai Corporation confirmed the three suspected cases and alerted schools and colleges in its limit to screen students who had visited Kerala recently. Reports said one man died in Thanjavur on June 26 and three suspected cases were reported in Chennai. The first case was reported from Chennai Port Trust Hospital where a 24 year old, who returned from Trivandrum recently, was admitted with high fever more than 10 days ago. The second suspected swine flu case was a middle aged woman and the third, a youth from suburban Avadi. The 24 year old was admitted to GH from Port Trust Hospital. Speaking to Express, a Port Trust Hospital official said that the youth was hurriedly shifted to Government General Hospital on June 25 without citing any reason. "Our ...

Source: www.maalaimalar.com 25 ரூபாயே உள்ள பெட்ரோலுக்கு சுமார் 30 ரூபாய் வரை வரி விதிக்கப்படுகிறது. இந்தியாவில் மற்ற எந்த பொருளுக்கும் இல்லாத அளவுக்கு பெட்ரோல், டீசலுக்கு அதிகமாக வரி விதிக்கப்படுகிறது. இதனால்தான் பெட்ரோல், டீசல் விலை அதிகமாக உள்ளது. பெட்ரோலை கச்சா எண்ணையில் இருந்து பிரித்து எடுத்து மார்க்கெட்டுக்கு வெளியிடும் போது அதன் விலை ரூ.25 அளவிலேயே உள்ளது. ஆனால் அதன் மீது மத்திய அரசும், மாநில அரசும் விதிக்கும் பல்வேறு வரிகள் 30 ரூபாய்க்கும் மேல் உள்ளது. இதனால்தான் பெட்ரோல் விலை ரூ.55 வரை உள்ளது. பெட்ரோலுக்கு கலால் வரி, கல்வி வரி, சுங்க வரி, மாநில வாட்வரி, போக்குவரத்து கட்டணம், என விதித்து பல்வேறு வகையில் விலையை ஏற்றுகின்றனர் .

அந்தமான் தமிழோசை: தமிழுக்குத்திருவிழா இன்று! தமிழனுக்குத் திருவிழா என்று?

Source: http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2010/06/27/the-rot-that-are-the-rajapaksas/ No Sri Lankan government or any government in the world for that matter has misused the word ‘sovereignty’ as the Rajapaksa family regime. What makes the Rajapaksa regime specially sick is that sovereignty is been used to deprive the people of the country their basic democratic rights and establish a one family dictatorship at any cost. The reason given by the new External Affairs Minister G.L Peiris for not accepting the 15 conditions laid down by the European Community for extending GSP+ makes any intelligent person want to puke. The fact is that those conditions should have been implemented by the government without being demanded by anybody, especially an external organisation. All of them are rights that the people of this country are entitled to, especially after the end of the bloody 30 year war. ‘ Professor’ Peiris’s real talent is that he has no shame in sucking up to or liking a particular par...

By G Saravanan Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 25, 2010: CHENNAI: The alliance between the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) at Thiruvotriyur Municipality seems to be falling apart as Congress councillors have announced an agitation against the ruling DMK for failing to provide basic amenities in the western part of the civic body. In fact, R Adilakshmi, a Congress councillor from ward 42 (falling on the western side of the municipality), set an ultimatum giving two weeks' time to the DMK-run civic body and its officials to take steps to improve basic amenities. "Congress councillors will wait until July 10 for the official response to the issues raised in the past several months. If they fail to come up with a concrete solution to improve basic amenities here, we will resort to agitation to inform the people about the DMK's abysmal administration," Adilakshmi told `Express.' A K Rangesh, Congress party's Tiruvallur distric...

Source: http://www.colombopage.com/archive_10A/Jun24_1277387855KA.php Jun 24, Colombo: Sri Lankan government is ready to terminate talks on the GSP Plus tariff concession with the European Union as it is would not abide by the 15 conditions the European Union had set forth for the extension of the trade facility, the government spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said today. The Minister made this statement today at the cabinet press briefing where he announced the decisions taken by the cabinet headed by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday. The Cabinet during its meeting yesterday took the decision to discount the 15 conditions to which the country has to agree to in order to extend the GSP+ facility for another limited term as they are not labour related issues. "These conditions are not labour related and infringe on the sovereignty of the country and the constitution, and an insult to each and every citizen of this country," Minister Rambukwella said. The Minist...

Source: http://www.andamansheekha.com/ Staff Reporter Port Blair, June 23: Nearly 200 passengers of two STS Buses were forced to halt at Baratang Jetty on last Monday due to the i rresponsible and inhuman attitude of staffs of DSS’s Afloat section. According to information on Monday a tree had fallen on ATR route delaying the STS Service. Due to the incident a STS bus reached a little late at Baratang Jetty. The STS bus reached the Jetty at nearly 2.40 PM but the staffs of the vehicle ferry refused to accommodate t he STS Bus saying that soon it will be 3.00 PM and after 3.00 PM they will not perform their duties, as their union, ANMSU is presently agitating against Administration. Ever after several request the staffs did not allow the STS bus to cross the creek following which all the passengers who were coming towards Port Blair had to spend night at Baratang jetty as in Baratang neither there are sufficient lodges nor any other accommodation. Among the passenger were, children,...

Pic courtesy: http://chennaidailyfoto.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/image00152.jpg BY G Saravanan Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 24, 2010: CHENNAI: An extra step taken by the Chennai Corporation to increase its tax revenue seems to be working as building owners who rented out their terrace for cellphone towers in the city started paying the additional property tax. Responding positively to the civic body's notice for additional property tax for buildings with cellphone towers, more than 700 building owners have paid over Rs 1 crore. According to sources, the civic body's revenue department has identified around 3,000 buildings with cellphone towers in its limits and sent notices to all the building owners seeking an additional property tax effect from April 2010. It may be noted that the civic body has not revised its property tax slabs for more than five years and the new initiatives are only increasing its tax over these years. With the new initiative, th...

Published in The New Indian Express, on June 23, 2010: CHENNAI: A recent order passed by the Tamil Nadu State Human Rights Commission (TNSHRC), directing the Chennai District Collector and the Corporation Commissioner to file a report about groundwater contamination in West Mogappair has surprised many . The reason? The commission has demanded an explanation from two bodies for pollution in an area that doesn't fall under their jurisdiction. On Sunday, residents of West Mogappair staged a road roko, complaining of contamination of well water in their area, alleging seepage of gasoline from a fuel station nearby. The TNSHRC took suo motu cognizance of the issue and directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board chairman, the Chennai District Collector and the Chennai Corporation Commissioner to file a report within three days. The region, however, isn't part of the City Corporation; nor does it fall under the Chennai district. West Mogappair is an area under the Nolambur villag...

By G Saravanan Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 23, 2010: CHENNAI: Hoping to get residents to segregate recyclable waste, the Chennai Corporation on Tuesday announced a novel scheme. Now, households can sell recyclable waste to conservancy workers at Rs five per kg. The system would be in place only in the six zones where the civic body undertakes garbage disposal, namely Tondiarpet, Basin Bridge, Ayanavaram, Kilpauk, Nungambakkam and Saidapet. Under the scheme, the Corporation's zonal incharge would give Rs 2,000 as cash advance to conservancy staff in the respective zones. The workers would have to use the money to buy recyclable waste like polythene bags, plastic covers, paper wastes, milk pouches and empty PET (Polyethylene tere­phthalate) bottles from residents. The Corporation has also given the conservancy staff an incentive: The workers would be allowed to sell the procured recyclable waste to private scrap shops and keep the money made with themselves....

Source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/June/middleeast_June594.xml&section=middleeast TEHRAN - An Iranian aid ship is to leave the Gulf port of Bandar Abbas for a 14-day journey to Gaza at the end of this week, a Red Crescent official was quoted as saying by ISNA news agency on Tuesday. “The ship ‘Gaza Children’ is loading the cargo which will be complete by Saturday, and on Sunday it will leave Bandar Abbas for Gaza,” said Abdolraouf Adibzadeh, who is also the project’s spokesman. “The cargo ship will only have 10 people — five reporters and five Red Crescent aid workers — on board,” he said. “There has been no talk” of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards escorting the ship. “The ship has 1,100 tonnes of aid including medicine and food items such as flour, mineral water, rice, cooking oil, tuna cans as well as soap, blankets and some clothes, balloons and dolls for children,” Adibzadeh added. The Iranian Red Crescent had planned to send two aid...

வெலிகந்தை, திருக்கோணமடு 'புனர்வாழ்வு' முகாம்களின் நிலை Source: http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=79&artid=32029 தமிழீழ விடுதலைப்புலிகளின் கட்டுப்பாட்டுப்பகுதிகள் மீது சிறிலங்கா இராணுவம் மேற்கொண்ட முன்னேற்ற நடவடிக்கையின் போது விடுதலைப்புலிகளின் அமைப்பில் இருந்தனர் என்றும், அவர்களுடன் வேலைசெய்தனர் என்றும், அவர்களுடன் ஆதரவாக செயற்பட்டனர் என்று கைது செய்யப்பட்டும் மற்றும் தாமாக வந்து சரணடையும் பட்சத்தில் அவர்களுக்கு புனர்வாழ்வளிப்பதற்கான ஏற்பாடுகள் செய்யப்படும் எனக்கூறியதன் காரணமாகச் சரணடைந்தவர்களும் கடந்த ஒருவருடகாலமாக வவுனியா தடுப்பு முகாம்களிலும் வெலிக்கந்தை புனர்வாழ்வு நிலையங்கள் எனக்கூறப்படும் திருக்கோணமடு, கந்தக்காடு மற்றும் சேருவில புனர்வாழ்வு நிலையங்களிலும் தடுத்து வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர். இவர்களை சனி மற்றும் ஞாயிறு நாட்களிலேயே உறவினர்கள் சென்று பார்வையிட முடியும். இவ்வாறு தடுத்து வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளோரில் சிறிலங்கா விமானப்படையினரின் பாதுகாப்பில் வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள திருக்கோணமடுவையும் சிறிலங்கா இராணுவத்தினரின் பாதுகாப்பில் வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள கந்தக்காடு புனர்வாழ்வு நிலையத்தையும் பார...

Source: http://www.alaikal.com/news/?p=40548 பிரபாகரனின் தாயார் பார்வதி அம்மாளின் உடல்நிலை மிகவும் மோசமடைந்துள்ளதாக செய்திகள் வெளியாகியுள்ளன. தற்போது யாழ்ப்பாணம் மருத்துவமனையில் அவர் தீவிர சிகிச்சைப் பெற்று வருகிறார். பக்கவாத நோயால் அவதிப்பட்டு வந்த பார்வதி அம்மாள், சில வாரங்களாக இலங்கை வல்வெட்டித்துறையில் உள்ள மருத்துவமனையில் சிகிச்சை பெற்று வந்தார். ஆரம்பத்தில் அங்கு அவரது உடல் நிலை சீராக இருந்தது. ஆனால் நாளடைவில் மோசமடையத் தொடங்கியது. அவரை ஆய்வு செய்த மருத்துவர்கள், இரண்டு சீறுநீரகங்களும் வீங்கி இருப்பதாகத் தெரிவித்தனர். அவரால் சரிவர உணவு சாப்பிடவும் முடியவில்லை. இதையடுத்து பார்வதி அம்மாளுக்கு மேல்சிகிச்சை அளிப்பதற்காக, யாழ்ப்பாணம் மருத்துவமனைக்கு கொண்டு செல்லப்பட்டுள்ளார். அங்கு அவருக்கு தீவிர சிகிச்சை அளிக்கப்பட்டு வருகிறது. ஆனாலும் நேற்றும் இன்றும் அவரது உடல் நிலையில் முன்னேற்றம் காணப்படவில்லை என்று மருத்துவமனைத்தரப்பில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

By G Saravanan Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 19, 2010: CHENNAI: A statement issued apparently in a letterhead of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s (LTTE) has welcomed the World Classical Tamil Conference, which is to be held next week in Coimbatore by the Tamil Nadu government. A five-page statement signed by Ra Mu Suban of “LTTE’s Secretariat”, Tamil Eelam, said the movement viewed the conference in new light keeping aside the political scenario here. Though the authenticity of the statement could not be verified, it said the Tamil conference would give the impetus needed for the language’s future development and would also unite Tamils living across the globe. The statement also said that the LTTE hoped the conference would be used to alleviate the sufferings of Sri Lankan Tamils and stand for their rights. Only then would it be considered a successful conference, the statement added. It also mentioned the pain felt by the LTTE when Tamilians here did not...

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/features/article/chinas-divorce-rate-continues-to-climb/ HONG KONG, June 17 — One in five Chinese marriages now ends in divorce with the rise in numbers put down to a “stronger sense of self.’’ More than 24 million people were married in mainland China last year — a rise of 2.28 million from 2008 — but there were also 2.47 million divorces, up 8.8 per cent year on year, according to a report just released by the nation’s Ministry for Civil Affairs. The report also found that more older Chinese were getting married with the figure for those aged over 40 now accounting for almost 12 per cent of all those wed, while the number for those aged between 20 and 24 accounted for 37 per cent of all marriages, a drop of 10 per cent since 2005. According to Tang Jun, from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the rise in divorce numbers is “almost a side effect’’ of China’s remarkable economic growth over the last decade. “[People] are better educated t...

By G Saravanan Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 17, 2010: CHENNAI: The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh-affiliated Port and Dock Labour Union at Chennai Port on Wednesday hinted that the union could be forced to protest against the port management if they prolong the issue of taking a final decision on introducing secret ballot system to elect two labour representatives for the board of trustees that governs the 128-year old port. As per provisions of the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963, at least two labour representatives are to be appointed to the board of each major port trust every two years. The Chennai Port Trust board, which has been elected to serve till March 2012, however, met for the first meeting this month sans the two labour representatives. Enquiries with the port trust revealed that one of the unions had filed a petition demanding the introduction of a secret ballot system . In 1998, the system of ‘Check-Off’, which gave an up-to-date position of membership of t...

By G Saravanan Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 16, 2010: CHENNAI: Byelection for the Chennai Corporation's Ward93 (Azad NagarNorth), that fell vacant after the murder of its sitting councillor Pon Manicka Seran (DMK) in May last, is likely to held in Julyend. According to sources, the civic body has sent the mandatory ward vacancy notification needed to initiate the election process to the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission a few days back. With the notification sent to the SEC which marked the beginning of the process, the organising agency would now formulate the next possible date for conducting the byelection, which is most likely to be the fourth week of July. The byelection was necessitated after the murder of the ward councillor Seran who was hacked to death by a group of goons at his office at Balaji Nagar in Royepettah on May 27. Though the civic body has six months time to fill the vacancy (till November), officials in the Corporation preferred to ...

Source: http://www.dinamani.com/ அமைதிப் பூங்காவான தமிழகம் வன்முறையின் விதைக்கலனாக மாறுவது என்பதை யாரும் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ள முடியாது. தீவிரவாதம் தமிழகத்தில் வேரூன்றுவது என்பது வருங்காலச் சந்ததியரின் வாழ்க்கையைச் சீர்குலைக்கும் என்பதிலும் கட்சிபேதமின்றி யாருக்கும் எந்தவிதச் சந்தேகமும் இருக்க வழியில்லை. விழுப்புரத்திலிருந்து 25 கி.மீ. தொலைவில் 1 மீட்டர் நீளத்துக்கு ரயில்வே தண்டவாளம் வெடிவைத்துத் தகர்க்கப்பட்டிருப்பது என்பது அதிர்ச்சியளிக்கும் செய்தி. இது நிச்சயமாகத் தற்செயலாக நடந்த நிகழ்வு அல்ல. சனிக்கிழமையன்று இந்த ரயில் தடத்தில் சென்ற மலைக்கோட்டை விரைவு ரயில், அதிர்ஷ்டவசத்தால் மிகப்பெரிய விபத்திலிருந்து தப்பியது. விபத்தைத் தடுத்த ரயில்வே ஊழியர்கள் அனைவரையும் தினமணி பாராட்டுகிறது. தண்டவாளம் தகர்க்கப்பட்டிருந்த இடத்தில் விடுதலைப்புலி ஆதரவாளர்களின் துண்டுப்பிரசுரங்கள் காணப்பட்டதாக காவல்துறை தெரிவிக்கிறது. விடுதலைப்புலிகளின் தலைவர் பிரபாகரனின் சகோதரர்கள் என்று குறிப்பிட்டு இலங்கை அதிபர் ராஜபட்சவின் இந்திய விஜயத்தைக் கண்டிப்பதாக அந்தத் துண்டுப் பிரசுரங்கள் தெரிவிப்பதாகக் காவல்துறை கூறுகிறது. இந்...

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 13, 2010: CHENNAI: The Royepettah police on Saturday rounded up more than 25 students of the Government School for Visually Challenged at Poonamallee, who were in the city to meet the Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to air their grievances directly, before they could reach the Chief Minister’s Gopalapuram residence. Since the school authorities announced unscheduled holidays for the school just to douse down their agitation for removal of headmaster (in charge) David Wilson, a group of 25 students planned to meet the Chief Minister to apprise him of the ground situation. Around 1.30 pm when they were nearing the Chief Minister’s residence, local police rounded them up and brought them to the Royepettah police station for questioning. According to the students, they were kept at the police station for almost five hours and by 6.30 pm, a police van left them at the Marina Beach and ensured that all of them boarded Poonamalle-bound buses....

By G Saravanan Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 13, 2010: CHENNAI: A day after the Indian government relaxed its conditions imposed on slain LTTE leader V Prabakaran’s mother Parvathi Ammal to receive her treatment in Tamil Nadu, her counsel and former Jaffna MP K Shivajilingam on Saturday categorically said that she is in no mood to consider it owing to personal problems . Speaking to Express over phone from Jaffna, the former MP and a close relative of Parvathi Ammal, said, “ Due to her tedious journey on stretcher and bitter experience of deportation from Chennai airport in mid-April this year, Parvathi Ammal is very much unlikely to consider the latest offer by the Indian government to get treated in Tamil Nadu by staying at her daughter’s house.” Her faith in the country’s hospitality towards an elderly woman who mostly remain on a stretcher for a whole day dashed after the Indian government imposed rigid conditions to get treatment for her illness, and this ...

By G Saravanan Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 12, 2010: CHENNAI: Over 70 students of the Poonamallee Government School for the Visually Challenged on Friday began an indefinite hunger strike on the school premises seeking immediate removal of head master in-charge David Wilson for alleged mismanagement and harassment. Striking students told Express that their headmaster, who was given a temporary charge of the school about a year ago and working there for the past 20 years, had ruined the school and its infrastructure without utilising the government funds in a proper manner. Stating that their agitation was not against the government, one of the students said, “ Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who holds the differently-abled welfare department, is doling out several funds for the development of the visually challenged, but headmasters like David Wilson and officials at the Commissionerate for the Differently Abled are not utilising it properly and have made our l...

By G Saravanan Published in The New Indian Express on June 12, 2010: CHENNAI: Despite the State government’s sustained efforts and the involvement of the United States in a child labour eradication project, child labour remains a pressing issue in many districts. In fact, it has increased substantially in Virudhunagar and Sivakasi, says Agni Subramaniam, executive director of the human rights organisation Manitham, which had recently conducted an extensive study in both the districts. Subramaniam explained, “In 2007, we had done a study and documented several child labourers who were robbed of their education in these districts. In the May 2010 survey, we found the same children working in hazardous cracker industries, indication enough that the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) has not achieved anything over the years.” Manitham’s survey revealed that about two lakh child labourers were engaged (both directly and indirectly) in hazardous cracker industries and about 70 per cent ...

Source: http://www.andamansheekha.com/ Port Blair, June 09: It is apparent that development and progress of North and Middle Andaman, in comparison to South Andaman, is unsatisfactory and the reason is nothing but lack of Administrative attention and utilization of the resources and infrastructures of the area. In spite of having larger territory and more population, North and Middle Andaman is struggling to come up but the underprivileged area is failing. The area is more prosperous in agriculture, dairy, fishery, poultry and other sectors due to its fertile soil and hardworking people. It is very unfortunate for the people of the area that they do not get satisfactory value of their products and labor and on the contrary they have to pay more for the products imported from mainland and outside off the area. They have to pay extra amount for any articles than the people of South Andaman, especially Port Blair as they have to pay the extra transportation charge from Port Blair. Neithe...

Source: http://www.dinamani.com/edition/story.aspx?&SectionName=Editorial&artid=254276&SectionID=132&MainSectionID=132&SEO=&Title = இலங்கை அதிபர் தேர்தலில் மீண்டும் வெற்றி பெற்ற பின்னர் இந்தியாவுக்கு முதல்முறையாக வரும் மகிந்த ராஜபட்ச, நிச்சயமாக இலங்கைத் தமிழர்கள் நலன் தொடர்பாகப் பேசுவார்; உறுதியளிப்பார்; ஒப்பந்தத்தில் கையெழுத்திடுவார் என்பதை எல்லோராலும் எப்படி ஊகிக்க முடிந்ததோ அதைப் போலவே, இந்திய அரசும்- இலங்கையும் இலங்கைத் தமிழர் தொடர்பாகச் செய்துகொண்டுள்ள ஒப்பந்தமும் வெறும் கண்துடைப்பு என்பதை ஊகிப்பதும் மிக எளிது. மூன்று மாதங்களுக்குள் தமிழர்கள் அவர்தம் வாழ்விடங்களில் மீண்டும் குடியமர்த்தப்படுவார்கள், அவர்களுக்கு அதிகாரப் பகிர்வு அளிக்கப்படும் என்று தமிழக நாடாளுமன்றக் குழு உறுப்பினர்களிடம் ராஜபட்ச கூறியதாகக் கூறப்படும் செய்திகளும்கூட, இந்திய மண்ணில் நின்றுகொண்டிருப்பதால் சொல்லப்படும் வெறும் வார்த்தைகள் என்பதைத் தவிர, அதில் நம்பிக்கையின் ஒளிக்கீற்று தென்படவில்லை . மொத்தம் ஏழு ஒப்பந்தங்களில் இந்தியாவும் - இலங்கையும் கையெழுத்திட்டுள்ளன. இதில் ஓர் ஒப்பந்தம், இலங்க...

By G Saravanan Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 10, 2010: CHENNAI: All accusations by Chennai Corporation's elected representatives on Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) for failing to provide quality drinking water sans sewage mix to city residents was met with silence, on Wednesday. The Metro Water officials preferred to say, "We will discuss all the concerns raised here with our officials." The joint meeting between Chennai Corporation and Metro Water was organised after deputy chief minister M K Stalin requested for better coordination between them. This came after a spurt of diarrhoea cases and admissions at the Communicable Diseases Hospital (CDH) and also the increasing complaints of sewage mix across the city. The meeting was expected to be stormy but it ended inconclusive as the Metro Water's officials refused to admit any lapse on their part. Through the meeting the civic body's elected representatives want...

By G Saravanan Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 9, 2010: CHENNAI: With the civic body completing a detailed survey on private parking lots in the city for regularising them, a concrete plan to streamline and fix charges per vehicles at the lots is expected in a month’s time. According to Ripon Building sources, the civic body has completed a survey and identified about 180 places across the city used as private parking lots. Though Mayor M Subramanian had announced regularising of them some nine months ago, the final plan on streamlining the private parking would take its concrete shape in the next few days and the plan (in the form of resolution) would be moved for approval by the officials at the Council meeting next month.The issue of regularising the private lots cropped up as a big issue during last September when an operator of such a facility near Nungambakkam railway station demanded exorbitant charges for parking two-wheelers. Besides, the civic body also...

Pic courtesy: moviegallery.blogspot.com By G Saravanan Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 9, 2010: CHENNAI: Mayor M Subramanian donned the hat of a detective on Tuesday in a bid to expose corruption practised by staff at the Besant Nagar burial ground and suspended the in-charge of the facility, K Arumugam, and transferred two other staff for cheating the public. The Mayor, who was at the burial ground to oversee ongoing improvement works, unexpectedly asked Arumugam to present the logbook of daily cremations (Once purely a burial ground, the facility now does only cremations). In casual conversation, when the Mayor asked the trio whether they collected any fee from families (cremation at Corporation burial grounds had been made free of charge two years ago), they denied it. Subramanian, however, was not convinced with the reply. So, he looked up the logbook for the telephone numbers of the eight families that had used the services of the facility on Monday and ca...

By G Saravanan Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on June 6, 2010: CHENNAI: Responding to a private legal notice sent by an RTI activist, Natarajan to Chennai Collector for failing to implement the State Information Commission order, Chennai Collectorate finally fixed the responsibility on two former Mylapore-Triplicane Taluk officials and ordered them to pay Rs 5,000 as token compensation to the applicant immediately. Collector V Shobana ordered recovery of Rs 2,500 (each) from G Gulam Geelani Papa, formerly Public Information Officer (PIO) and now Special Tahsildar (SSS) with PurasaiwalkamPerambur Taluk and T Bharani, formerly B1 Assistant and now with the Collector's Office to immediately disburse the amount to Natarajan . The Collector even ordered the deduction of Rs 2,500 (each) from their June month salary, if the officials failed to pay the amount immediately and asked the concerned drawing officers to submit compliance report to her in this regard. According to ...

Courtesy: THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, June 7, 2010 GoI declares Port Trust for Port Blair Port Blair, June 06 The Port Blair Port has been declared as a major port and is functioning as ‘Port Blair Port Trust’ with its territorial jurisdiction over all ports of A&N Islands with effect from June 01, 2010. The Ministry of Shipping, GoI has already issued notifications to this effect. According to this, the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration will hold the additional charge as the Chairman of Port Blair Port Trust (PBPT) while the Chief Port Administrator, PMB will look after the additional charge as Secretary of the Trust. A release from the Secretary PBPT, says that the Andaman & Lakshadweep Harbour Works (ALHW) has been bifurcated into Andaman Harbour Works (AHW) and Lakshadweep Harbour Works (LHW). The Andaman Harbour Works will be merged with Port Blair Port Trust while Lakshadweep Harbour Works (LHW) will function under the direct control of the Ministry of Shipping as a Sub-o...

Picture courtesy> http://www.tehrantimes.com Source: http://www.almanar.com.lb/newssite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=140706&language=en Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is considering going to Gaza strip himself in order to break the siege, al-Mustaqbal newspaper quoted "knowledgeable sources" as saying. The newspaper said that "as part of the open conflict between Turkey and Israel following the massacre against the 'freedom sail' to Gaza and the protest sparked in the world, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan is considering going to Gaza himself in order to break the blockade imposed on the Strip." The sources noted that the Turkish leader had raised the option in a conversation with his associates. According to the report, Erdogan notified the American administration he was planning to ask his navy to escort another aid flotilla, but that American officials asked him to delay the plan in order to look into the matter. The newspaper reported that the...