Over 22 lakh voters in Villupuram

VILLUPURAM: The revised electoral rolls of the Villupuram district as on April 1, 2011 comprises a total of 22,35,109 voters, including 11,35,099 men, 10,99,909 women and 101 others.
While Mayilam Assembly constituency has the lowest number of 1,83,528 voters, Ulundurpet segment has the highest number of 2,28,950 voters.
In Villupuram Assembly constituency, women voters (1,04,827) outnumber men voters (1,04,416).
The segment-wise list is as follows:
Ginjee - Total voters – 2,13,236, men 1,07,649, women 1,05,579 and others eight; Mayilam – 1,83,528, men 93,227, women 90,295 and others six; Tindivanam (Reserve) – 1,88,505, men 94,342, women 94,057 and others six.
Vanur (Reserve) – 1,96,054, men 98,970, women 97,078 and others six; Villupuram – 2,09,250, men 1,04,416, women 1,04,827 and others seven; Vikkiravandi – 1,86,627, men 94,969, women 91,654 and others four.
Thirukkoilur – 1,96,435, men 1,00,713, women 95,708 and others 14; Ulundurpet – 2,28,950, men 1,17,127, women 1,11,808 and others 15; Rishivandhiyam – 2,06,725, men 1,06,698, women 1,00,011 and others 16; Sankarapuram – 2,08,710, men 1,06,325, women 1,02,375 and others 10; and, Kallakurichi (Reserve) – 2,17,189, men 1,10,663, women 1,06,517 and others nine.

Suspended for filing RTI, cop awaits justice

CHENNAI: A sub-inspector in Villupuram district has been under suspension for about two years now for asking queries under the Right To Information Act relating to the disbursement of special reward amount' to police informers.
P Jayasankar (36), an MSc graduate, has been struggling to get his suspension revoked, despite the Tamil Nadu Information Commission ordering the director general of police in July last year to take disciplinary action against those who were responsible for suspending him "for asking queries under the RTI Act."

A native of Ettarai in Tiruchi district, Jayasankar joined the police service in 1999. While he was working in Valathi police station as sub-inspector (law and order) in February 2009, he had filed an RTI application with the district collectorate seeking details of disbursement of special reward amount to police informers.
Stating that reward amounts to informers were normally given through the police officials who handled the case, Jayasankar, alleged that the department had obtained his signatures on three blank special reward vouchers.' He asked the collectorate as to how much amount was taken through the vouchers and who had withdrawn the money.
The collectorate forwarded the RTI application to the superintendent of police. Awaiting reply to his RTI application, Jayasankar was shocked to receive a suspension order on March 14, 2009 from the district police.
The charge memo said: "You had asked certain information under the RTI Act, violating all decency and thereby made a daring attempt to bring bad name to the police department&The manner in which the petition prepared by you and the information asked by you would prove that you were unfit to be a member of police department.'' The charge memo went to add the RTI application as one of the 23 documents based on which the charges were framed against Jayasankar.
The SI moved the Tamil Nadu Information Commission, which passed an order on July 14, 2010. "The commission takes a very serious view of this. Whether there were other charges which warrant suspension is irrelevant as long as RTI petition is also added as one of the charges," the order said.
The commission also directed the DGP to initiate disciplinary action against those responsible for his suspension for his RTI queries and file an action taken report within six weeks. But Jayasankar's battle for justice continues.
"I have moved the commission again as I haven't received any response from the department. I am planning to approach the high court soon,'' Jayasankar told.

New train to Tirupathi flagged off

MADURAI: The Madurai - Tirupathy Express (bi-weekly) was flagged off from Madurai Railway junction on Thursday.
The express, 16780 Madurai- Tirupathi will run on Thursdays and Saturdays from Madurai via Tiruchchirappalli, Mayiladuthurai, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore and Katpadi. Train number 16779 Tirupati- Madurai bi-weekly express will run on Fridays and Sundays from Tirupati with effect from April 1. It will temporarily run via Katpadi, Arakkonam, Chengalpet, Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai and Tiruchchirappalli. The train from Madurai will start at 6.45 pm to reach Tirupathi at 10.20 am the next day.

AIADMK to take on DMK in 84 direct contests

CHENNAI: After accommodating its alliance partners, the AIADMK on Monday released a fresh list of 160 constituencies it will contest and the candidates it will field in the Assembly elections.
The AIADMK will lock horns with the ruling DMK in 84 constituencies and party general secretary Jayalalithaa will contest from Srirangam.
The 41 constituencies allotted to Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) were also announced.
The DMDK will have a direct contest with the DMK in 18 constituencies and the party leader Vijayakant enters the fray in the Risihivandiyam constituency in Villupuram instead of Vriddhachalam, his present seat.
The party's presidium chairman Panruti S. Ramachandran is the candidate for the Alandur constituency and K Pandiarajan will contest from Virudhunagar.
Election campaign
Ms Jayalalithaa will kick off her election campaign from Tiruchi on March 24.
The party candidates will file their nominations on that day.
She will wind up her campaign in Chennai on April 11.
Kolathur candidate
As per the new list, the AIADMK is entering the fray in the Kolathur constituency against Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin by fielding Saidai Duraisami, a well-known face in the city's political circles.
However, former minister E. Madhusoothanan who was nominated in Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar, has been replaced by P. Vetrivel, originally the candidate for the Perambur constituency.
Now the constituency has been given to the CPI (M).
Sulur
Former Minister S.M. Velusamy, who was initially named for Sulur, could not find a place in the new list as the constituency has gone to the DMDK.
The party's candidate for the Thoothukudi constituency Jenifer Chandran has been replaced by A. Paul, joint-secretary of J. Jayalalithaa Peravai.
The AIADMK will face the Congress in 38 constituencies, the PMK in 21 constituencies, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) in eight constituencies, the Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam (KMK) in six constituencies and the Indian Union Muslim League in three constituencies.
The DMDK will take on the Congress in 15 constituencies, the PMK in six seats and the VCK and KMK in one constituency each.
VCK
The CPI (M) is entering the fray against the DMK in four constituencies and against the Congress in three constituencies, the PMK in two constituencies and the VCK in one.
The CPI will face the DMK in seven constituencies and the Congress in three constituencies.

“DMK did nothing to check price rise”

The Assembly elections will usher in a change of regime and pave the way for the deliverance of people from the bondage of the present ruling class, according to Jayalalithaa, AIADMK general secretary.

At a public meeting held here on Wednesday, Ms. Jayalalithaa said that in the last five years, people were put to great hardship by soaring inflation, but the Karunanidhi government had done nothing to check price rise. The price of petrol had gone up by Rs.15 a litre in the past one year.

Ms. Jayalalithaa listed essential commodities, whose prices had shot up beyond the reach of the people: rice that was sold at Rs.15 a kg was now priced at Rs.42; sugar Rs.35 a kg (earlier price Rs.13), toordhal Rs.90 a kg (Rs.28), tamarind Rs.110 a kg (Rs.35) and garlic Rs.250 a kg (Rs.38 a kg). The price of cement had gone up from Rs.150 a bag to Rs.280 and bricks from Rs.2,500 to Rs.13,000 per truckload.

The State, which enjoyed power surplus during her rule, had turned chronically power deficit. This, in turn, severely impacted the growth of the industrial, agricultural and textile sectors.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said that the State had loans to the tune of Rs.1 lakh crore. Had the “loot” of Rs.1.80 lakh crore gained through 2G spectrum scam been properly utilised it could have bolstered the country's economy. It is deplorable that the Police Department is carrying out the bidding of the ruling dispensation instead of maintaining law and order, she said. Even funds allotted for government schemes were not being properly spent.

If the AIADMK comes to power, cable TV business in the State will be run by the government, Ms. Jayalalithaa told an election meeting near Government Arts College at Tiruvannamalai. If her party came to power, Tiruvannamalai would get a government engineering college. Construction of underground sewerage line, which was progressing at a snail's pace, would be expedited.

“Tiruvannamalai will get a bypass road to facilitate girivalam devotees. A new taluk headquartered in Kalasapakkam will be created and that village will get a 30-bed Primary Health Centre. I know the problems of Kalasapakkam, Kilpennathur and Chengam. Steps will be taken to solve these,” she said.