8 dalit houses reduced to ash in arson
When minority Arunthathiyar people (cobbler commnity, a sub caste of dalits) of Chellanguppam village near Vettavalam in Tiruvannamalai district attempted to identify themselves with DMDK party (floated by actor Vijayakanth) and erect flag post in village public land they end up facing wrath of Caste Hindus (Most of them from Vanniyar caste).
Not only the flag mast they erected with the permission of panchayat president Muniyan was felled by oppressive castes but their humble huts were also set on fire notwithstanding police posted in the village. Police arrested morethan 25 people from caste hindus after registering cases against them under Prevention of Atrocities Against SC/ST Act, besides framing under various sections of Indian Penal Code.
Caste Hindus who were in various political parties opposed the idea of erecting flag mast (Read as political freedom of dalits) in one voice. Meanwhile, after felling the flag mast women SHG members from caste Hindus tried to set up a shed there which created tension again. Opposition shown by dalit members for this shed was said to be the reason behind arsoning. SP V Balakrishnan gave a visit to the spot and stayed there all throgh the night after arsoning and ensrued all the culprits were booked under SC/ST atrocities act. However, interestingly, DMDK whose party flag was obvious epicenter of the issue never intervened or protested against those felled it. Some district functionaries of the party gave a visit to the village a few days after the incident only to distribute certain things such as rice, cloths to victims.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
‘ABC should go hand in hand with Zero garbage’
‘ABC should go hand in hand with Zero garbage’
"Animal Birth Control (ABC) Programme which has been initiated in many cities and municipalities of the state should go hand in hand with Zero garbage drive to attain desired results in reducing stray dog population" said Dr.V N Appaji rao, Vice Chairman, Animal Welfare Board of India.
Dr.Rao who was in Tiruvannamalai recently, to appraise the operations of dog sterilization center run by Karuna Society for Animals and Nature in co-ordination with Tiruvannamalai municipality to help the ABC programme, heaped praise on the state for being pioneer in the nation in executing the programme in many of its urban local bodies.
Speaking to this blogger on the sidelines of his visit to the center Dr. Rao said that man occupies more of land in the form of habitation etc. People are migrating to towns from villages and hence newer colonies are coming up in every urban area. This tendency shrinks the open space available for man as well as animals to move around. With increased population, amount of solid waste generated from houses has increased many folds which consists frugal food source for more dogs to thrive, Dr. Rao explained.
If some one kills the dogs in large scale to reduce their population in a particular area or town the population would regain to the original position corresponding to the amount of frugal food available in garbage, by way of reproduction by leftover animals and by migration of dogs from neighbouring area or village. For example in Chennai Metropolitan Corporation was killing 12,000 dogs per year by cruel ways including electrocution. But the dog population never subsided until it started ABC programme in 1996. Now the corporation is doing same number of sterilization surgery to dogs every year. Apart from dog population coming down in the city, cases of dog bites coming down there. This is because sterilized dogs would not have pregnancy and subsequent aggressiveness, he explained.
“It would be better for ABC programme in any given local body to complete sterilization in 80 percent of its total stray dog population within 6 months ie. between its two reproductive seasons, which falls in the months of January-March and September-December. If your programme crosses that cycle the leftover animals again start to produce new puppies. But if it is not possible to finish it in 6 months it would be better if it does not crosses one year” Dr. Appaji rao said.
However he pointed out, that though you execute ABC programme well, in absence of an effective solid waste management aimed at zero garbage, which would curtail the food sources available in garbage, stray dogs from other areas would migrate in to exploit the available feed, he said. Leslie Robinson, Manager of Tiruvannamalai sterilization center accompanied.
"Animal Birth Control (ABC) Programme which has been initiated in many cities and municipalities of the state should go hand in hand with Zero garbage drive to attain desired results in reducing stray dog population" said Dr.V N Appaji rao, Vice Chairman, Animal Welfare Board of India.
Dr.Rao who was in Tiruvannamalai recently, to appraise the operations of dog sterilization center run by Karuna Society for Animals and Nature in co-ordination with Tiruvannamalai municipality to help the ABC programme, heaped praise on the state for being pioneer in the nation in executing the programme in many of its urban local bodies.
Speaking to this blogger on the sidelines of his visit to the center Dr. Rao said that man occupies more of land in the form of habitation etc. People are migrating to towns from villages and hence newer colonies are coming up in every urban area. This tendency shrinks the open space available for man as well as animals to move around. With increased population, amount of solid waste generated from houses has increased many folds which consists frugal food source for more dogs to thrive, Dr. Rao explained.
If some one kills the dogs in large scale to reduce their population in a particular area or town the population would regain to the original position corresponding to the amount of frugal food available in garbage, by way of reproduction by leftover animals and by migration of dogs from neighbouring area or village. For example in Chennai Metropolitan Corporation was killing 12,000 dogs per year by cruel ways including electrocution. But the dog population never subsided until it started ABC programme in 1996. Now the corporation is doing same number of sterilization surgery to dogs every year. Apart from dog population coming down in the city, cases of dog bites coming down there. This is because sterilized dogs would not have pregnancy and subsequent aggressiveness, he explained.
“It would be better for ABC programme in any given local body to complete sterilization in 80 percent of its total stray dog population within 6 months ie. between its two reproductive seasons, which falls in the months of January-March and September-December. If your programme crosses that cycle the leftover animals again start to produce new puppies. But if it is not possible to finish it in 6 months it would be better if it does not crosses one year” Dr. Appaji rao said.
However he pointed out, that though you execute ABC programme well, in absence of an effective solid waste management aimed at zero garbage, which would curtail the food sources available in garbage, stray dogs from other areas would migrate in to exploit the available feed, he said. Leslie Robinson, Manager of Tiruvannamalai sterilization center accompanied.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Sports academy moves in
State level athletic academy moves in to Tiruvannamal
Middle Distance Academy, a state level academy concentrating on training youngsters in 400, 800 and 1500 meter race now moved into Tiruvannamalai from its earlier location, Salem.
The only academy of its kind in the state is run by Sports Authority of TamilNadu. District collector Sathyabratha Sahoo flagged off the operations of the academy in its new home, sprawling District Sports Complex situated in the collectorate master plan complex in the temple town.
73 students including 33 girls who were selected from various schools across the state got enrolled in the academy after the screening of around one lakh students. They would be staying and practicing in the new premises of the unique academy for select days of every month and during school vocations.
SP V Balakrishnan, District Sports Officer Pugazhendhi, Chief Educational Officer V Balamurugan, PWD Executive Engineer V Balamurugan, Information and Public Relations Officer Vijayakumar were among those who took part in the inaugural event.
Sports officer Pugazhendhi said that it was only because of the availability of wonderful infrastructure and natural atmospheres required to train players the Academy has been shifted to Tiruvannamalai. The newly inaugurated district sports complex where the students were made to stay and practice posses a very good track, multi gym, and it was surrounded by an uneven and rocky terrain which would be useful for students to run a practice race called ‘cross country’, Pugazhendhi said.
“We have hills nearby where students could practice trekking also. Trekking and cross country would give a boost to the endurance level of the players” he added.
The academy has three coaches and one assistant director who would be at the helm of the academy. Areas of inadequacies in every individual player would be identified and necessary training would be supplemented to overcome them. If a student lacks strength or endurance or speed he would get focused in that area. If he or she encounters a psychological problem, they would be offered counseling, he added. The academy going to be a jewel in the crown, that is the sprawling sports complex.
Middle Distance Academy, a state level academy concentrating on training youngsters in 400, 800 and 1500 meter race now moved into Tiruvannamalai from its earlier location, Salem.
The only academy of its kind in the state is run by Sports Authority of TamilNadu. District collector Sathyabratha Sahoo flagged off the operations of the academy in its new home, sprawling District Sports Complex situated in the collectorate master plan complex in the temple town.
73 students including 33 girls who were selected from various schools across the state got enrolled in the academy after the screening of around one lakh students. They would be staying and practicing in the new premises of the unique academy for select days of every month and during school vocations.
SP V Balakrishnan, District Sports Officer Pugazhendhi, Chief Educational Officer V Balamurugan, PWD Executive Engineer V Balamurugan, Information and Public Relations Officer Vijayakumar were among those who took part in the inaugural event.
Sports officer Pugazhendhi said that it was only because of the availability of wonderful infrastructure and natural atmospheres required to train players the Academy has been shifted to Tiruvannamalai. The newly inaugurated district sports complex where the students were made to stay and practice posses a very good track, multi gym, and it was surrounded by an uneven and rocky terrain which would be useful for students to run a practice race called ‘cross country’, Pugazhendhi said.
“We have hills nearby where students could practice trekking also. Trekking and cross country would give a boost to the endurance level of the players” he added.
The academy has three coaches and one assistant director who would be at the helm of the academy. Areas of inadequacies in every individual player would be identified and necessary training would be supplemented to overcome them. If a student lacks strength or endurance or speed he would get focused in that area. If he or she encounters a psychological problem, they would be offered counseling, he added. The academy going to be a jewel in the crown, that is the sprawling sports complex.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Earth consumed her sons
Two youngsters die as mud caves in
They were digging foundation hole for temple
In a second such case of mud slide claiming human lives in recent months, two youths of Perumbakkam village situated near Tiruvannamalai buried alive when they were digging pit to lay foundation for a compound wall to Kaliyamman temple on Monday night.
Several people of the village community were voluntarily toiling to dig the pit behind the temple that stands by the tank bund when an avalanche of wet clay from the tank bund slid down the pit entrapping 9 people. Immediately there was a hue and cry. Dark screen of the night marred the rescue. Though Fire and rescue service personnel were given a call, by the time they arrived people have completed all possible rescue measures and found Ayyanar (30) and Kutti@ Elumalai (35) dead.
All the injured persons were immediately rushed to Tiruvannamalai Government hospital and they were said to be stable. District Panchayat president M P Giri, whose own village this is, accompanied injured persons all the way from village to GH. Food Minister E V Velu and SP V Balakrishnan separately visited the hospital and evaluated the condition of the injured persons.
Only months ago, a folk theatre artist of Arpakkam village near here who had engaged in deepening work at a farm well to eke out a living, died when the debris removed from the well which was heaped by the well slid back.. Due to unstable nature of the soil at the site it took police and fire and rescue service personnel a week to retrieve the body.
SP V Balakrishnan who visited the spot, now at Perumbakkam gave his account saying that the tank was only recently deslited under Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the silts removed were dumped on the bund to add strength to it. New soil which yet to set into the core bund gathered wet in the rains, got loosened and slid down when people dug a hole nearby, he said.
They were digging foundation hole for temple
In a second such case of mud slide claiming human lives in recent months, two youths of Perumbakkam village situated near Tiruvannamalai buried alive when they were digging pit to lay foundation for a compound wall to Kaliyamman temple on Monday night.
Several people of the village community were voluntarily toiling to dig the pit behind the temple that stands by the tank bund when an avalanche of wet clay from the tank bund slid down the pit entrapping 9 people. Immediately there was a hue and cry. Dark screen of the night marred the rescue. Though Fire and rescue service personnel were given a call, by the time they arrived people have completed all possible rescue measures and found Ayyanar (30) and Kutti@ Elumalai (35) dead.
All the injured persons were immediately rushed to Tiruvannamalai Government hospital and they were said to be stable. District Panchayat president M P Giri, whose own village this is, accompanied injured persons all the way from village to GH. Food Minister E V Velu and SP V Balakrishnan separately visited the hospital and evaluated the condition of the injured persons.
Only months ago, a folk theatre artist of Arpakkam village near here who had engaged in deepening work at a farm well to eke out a living, died when the debris removed from the well which was heaped by the well slid back.. Due to unstable nature of the soil at the site it took police and fire and rescue service personnel a week to retrieve the body.
SP V Balakrishnan who visited the spot, now at Perumbakkam gave his account saying that the tank was only recently deslited under Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the silts removed were dumped on the bund to add strength to it. New soil which yet to set into the core bund gathered wet in the rains, got loosened and slid down when people dug a hole nearby, he said.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Hi,
It feels great to have created a blog, indeed first of mine. I like to share news and views related to affairs of Tiruvannamalai, a south Indian town, situated in the state of TamilNadu. It is one of the spiritual landmarks of south india and known (and named after) for a mountain of serenity which attracts many from across the globe. In another side it is an economically backward district with large population languishing in poverty and living with defected basic amenities. Lot of literary activities are also emerging in the town.
So i feel it is relevent to share news, happenings, views (both documented and un documented) with the intersted people elsewhere. I solicit your comments. Thanks.
It feels great to have created a blog, indeed first of mine. I like to share news and views related to affairs of Tiruvannamalai, a south Indian town, situated in the state of TamilNadu. It is one of the spiritual landmarks of south india and known (and named after) for a mountain of serenity which attracts many from across the globe. In another side it is an economically backward district with large population languishing in poverty and living with defected basic amenities. Lot of literary activities are also emerging in the town.
So i feel it is relevent to share news, happenings, views (both documented and un documented) with the intersted people elsewhere. I solicit your comments. Thanks.
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