Maoist leader lodged in Cuddalore prison stages fast

CUDDALORE:

 A Maoist leader, who was arrested on charges of indulging in anti-national activities and lodged at Cuddalore central prison, began an indefinite fast from Wednesday morning demanding proper amenities and free movement in the high-security prison. In a petition submitted to the superintendent of prison, Vivek, 47 complained of poor basic amenities in the prison and declared that he will fast unto death if the prison administration fails to extend proper amenities.



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Suspended environment clearance to the 1,200 MW thermal power plant in the Cuddalore district

he National Green Tribunal has asked the environment ministry to notify all wetlands in the country to avoid developmental projects in its vicinity as it suspended environment clearance to the thermal power plant in Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh. In an order issued on Wednesday,

the tribunal also asked the ministry to finalise the guidelines and site criteria for Thermal Power Plants urgently. The tribunal had found that the existing guidelines had failed to take note of factors that affect the environment and ecology today. “It is pertinent to note that the siting criteria produced before us were framed 25 years ago,” the tribunal said, while hearing petitions by six locals against the 2,640 MW thermal power plant of Nagarajuna Construction Company.

The appellants in the case had alleged that the proposed project site was a wetland not suitable for commercial use. It will adversely affect irrigation schemes of the area and lead to scarcity of drinking water and fishing. They also said the project will stop farmers from growing seasonal crops and vegetables, and destroy a breeding area for migratory birds. The petitioners also contended that the environment ministry didn’t consider objections raised by a majority of those affected. The project proponents, however, said such claims were baseless and the site was not a notified wetland. The ministry said the project was cleared after taking into account all environmental aspects.

The tribunal said that another opportunity should be provided to locals to express their views on the project and, till then, the approval should remain suspended. The tribunal also suspended environment clearance to the 1,200 MW thermal power plant in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu.

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Free Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon, scream Cuddalore Facebook friends

CUDDALORE: 

     “Free Alex! It is the voice of young India now,” reads a comment on the Facebook page ‘Free Alex Paul Menon’. The Facebook page was created by an American, Jim Peters, on April 21 and has been demanding Menon’s safe release. Until Wednesday the page received over 2,400 likes, and 1,800 people talking about it. Explaining his relation with Menon, Peters said the collector is his wife Nazreen’s nephew and she was his teacher at Rose Mary Matriculation Higher Secondary School. “I first heard that a collector had been abducted in Chhattisgarh. Knowing that Alex was posted there, I began searching the internet for more information, which is when we received the bad news that he was the one who had been abducted,” Peters told Express.

   The Facebook page has photos of demonstrations and rallies held in Tamil Nadu and images of posters requesting the government to take steps for Menon’s release. The page also provides updates about the developments in the case. “While talking with family members throughout the day, we felt the need to do something, that is when the idea of creating a Facebook page came up. We wanted a place where we could share information about what was happening,” Peters said. About Menon, Peters said, “He is an incredible young man and we wanted to make sure that his friends, classmates and relatives could have a place to get information.”  On the updates, he said, “We have a team… friends, classmates etc who contribute to the page. This team keeps updates going round the clock.”

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Cuddalore Youth hangs self from bridge across Gadilam

CUDDALORE: 

   Call it coincidence or weird twist of fate. A 27-year-old youth, who had rescued a girl who attempted suicide in 2010 at the Gadilam river, hanged himself to death from an old bridge across the same river on Wednesday. 

  Passersby, who saw the body at the busy place in the town early on Wednesday, informed the police. The deceased, Vijayakumar, was a musician living in RP Nagar in Cuddalore and ended his life due to a family dispute, police said. On Wednesday morning, as news about the incident spread, hundreds of people gathered on the river bank and the bridge, where Vijayakumar had used a bedsheet to hang himself. Reacting to Vijayakumar’s death, his friends recalled that in 2010, a girl had jumped into the Gadilam river from the same bridge. While others stood by when the girl was struggling in the water, Vijayakumar jumped in and rescued her. While the girl was saved, Vijayakumar suffered a fracture in the leg. The people and the police had appreciated him for his courageous act.

     “He was very brave. We did not believe the news till we saw his body. We do not know why he decided to end his life leaving his family alone,” they added.  DSP Vanitha visited the spot and conducted inquiries. Cuddalore New Town police have begun investigation.  The police recovered the body and sent it for postmortem. VCK state youth wing deputy secretary Thamaraiselvan visited the spot and consoled Vijayakumar’s family. Vijayakumar is survived by wife Dhavamani (23) and children Dhanushya (4) and Yogesh (3). 

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Fake ration cards to corner relief in Cuddalore

CUDDALORE: 

          Fishermen of Devanampattinam, a coastal village in the Cuddalore district, on Tuesday, charged Fisheries Department officials and a few middlemen for fake ration cards that have allegedly been circulated in coastal villages to pocket funds to be distributed to fishermen during the fishing ban. The State government provides relief funds to fishermen during the fishing ban period. Last year, J Jayalalithaa soon after becoming the Chief Minister doubled the relief amount of `1,000 to `2,000, in line with her assurance during the election campaign. The enhanced relief amount was distributed in June last year. However, the fishermen alleged that there is a lot of malpractice in distribution of these relief amounts. According to sources, in 2011, in the Devanampattinam fishing hamlet, relief funds were distributed to 1,754 beneficiaries whereas there are only 1,300 ration card holders in the village.

         K Pulendhran, a fisherman, said, “In June last year `2,000 was given to 1,754 beneficiaries but `4,000 was given to only around 1,200 people in the same village. How can the number of beneficiaries for the `4,000 relief fund come down to 1,200 later in the same year?” Fishermen charged that over 15 middlemen have been functioning in the village, helping people get relief amounts from the Fisheries Department. Another fisherman E Sekar said, “ These middlemen should be removed completely. They have been benefiting through schemes meant for fisher folk.” When contacted, Vivekanandhan, assistant director of the Fisheries Department, said, “We strictly monitor the distribution process and I am sure everything is being done as per the guideline.”

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Disabled man re-united with kin in Cuddalore

      In an emotional meeting, a 35-year-old mentally challenged man from Kashmir who was found wandering in Cuddalore two years ago was reunited with his family, thanks to the efforts of collector Rajendra Ratnoo and Oasis, a non-governmental organisation..

      Farooq Ahamed, dressed in a full-sleeved blue shirt and grey trousers, could not control his tears when he met his elder brother Nazar Ahamed Shah and uncle Mushtaq at the collectorate who had come from Kashmir on Thursday to take him back home. Mr Ratnoo said that Farooq was found wandering on the streets of Cuddalore two years ago. Officials of the social welfare department soon contacted Oasis, an NGO working in the field of rehabilitation of mentally ill persons, and brought him to the Centre for psychiatric treatment where after a slow recovery he revealed his identity and address to counsellors.

Farooq only knew Kashmiri and Urdu and with the help of interlocutors he was administered medicines.

      He was soon able to recall his address which enabled Oasis to get in touch with his family. His elder brother who had almost lost hope of finding his brother came to Cuddalore along with documents including Electors Photo Identity Card and house address. A visibly moved Mr Nazar Ahamed Shah thanked Oasis for having rehabilitated his brother. Mr Ratnoo said the district administration had put in place a mental health programme that identifies mentally ill patients and rehabilitates them to enable them regain their mental health. 

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Minister Jayanthi Natarajan promises help for cyclone Thane hit areas

   Over 15 lakh casuarina seedlings would be distributed among farmers of Villupuram and Cuddalore to grow back the tree cover destroyed in Cyclone Thane, Union minister for environment and forests Jayanthi Natarajan said at the 'Tree Growers Mela' organized by Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB) here on Friday. Natarajan said the ministry and various governmental organizations would help famers to raise trees to protect the fragile ecosystem in the cyclone-hit areas. She also reiterated her commitment to rebuild ecologies ruined by natural calamities and human interference.

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Cuddalore petrochemicals hub for Cabinet approval in 2 weeks

        The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers will present a proposal for setting up a Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region near Cuddalore in two weeks.

      Interacting with journalists on the sidelines of a conference on construction chemicals organised here by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mr Jose Cyriac, Secretary, Department of Chemicals and petrochemicals, said that the Cuddalore PCPIR proposal has reached a stage where it could be presented to the Cabinet for approval. After the Cabinet approves it, Government of India would sanction the project, whereupon various agencies from the central and state governments would swing into action.

      The only operational PCPIR in India is in Gujarat. The Centre has given its sanction to PCPIRs in three other States – Haldia (West Bengal), Paradeep (Orissa) and Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). Tamil Nadu's proposal is under consideration.Government of India does not provide any funds or incentives, except for meeting out viability gaps in projects. However, if a road or a railway line has to be built, it would allocate funds for the projects out of the budget.

      Spread over a 250 sq. km area around Cuddalore, the project will become a chemical and petrochemical hub. Officials of the Tamil Nadu government had previously told Business Line that the project envisaged total infrastructure spending of Rs 16,725 crore.  Mr Cyriac said that the Tamil Nadu Government has asked Centre to upgrade two local roads to national highways for access to the region. New Delhi has agreed to doing two of the three and the third is under consideration. It is learnt that the Cuddalore PCPIR has attracted investment enquiries, worth close to Rs 100,000 crore.

Govt funding needed  

      While the present PCPIR scheme envisages no funding by the central government, “this need to be corrected,” Mr Cyriac said. Where there are common facilities required, such as common effluent treatment plants, or preparation of master plan, the government should provide financial support, he said.

      Mr Cyriac also observed that a basic weakness of the scheme was the commitment of the anchor tenant. What if the tenant withdraws his project, is the question the government is trying to address. For the Cuddalore PCPIR, however, there is no “anchor tenant” issue – Nagarjuna Oil, which is putting up a 6 million-tonne refinery, will be the big investor. 

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Fear of poor 10th and 12th board Exams results in Cuddalore

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CUDDALORE:

     As Class X and XII board examinations near, students and teachers in the district are worried about poor results as students have been unable to prepare for it.

        According to teachers here, studies were disrupted at an important juncture by the cyclone. “Till half-yearly examination, everything was smooth. Students were well-prepared and had been retaining the tempo to take the public exams. Ironically, the cyclone negated all the improvement. Every student was affected by the cyclone. Damage caused to their houses and crops impacted their minds and it took over two weeks for them to regain their concentration,” said V Agnel, principal of St Joseph’s Higher Secondary School at Manjakuppam.


   Students were on vacation when Thane struck. Due to the damage caused to buildings, schools reopened only after Pongal. Additionally, record books of students were spoiled in the rains.

Biology group Class XII student J Jayaprakash said,

       “My house collapsed in the cyclone. My books and record notes were spoiled. My family had to shift to Cuddalore and we live in a rented a house to facilitate my studies. My father, a far­mer, is now working in a textile shop.” Jayaprakash scored 1,026 marks out of 1,200 in the half-yearly exam but in the latest exam (first revision) he scored 966.

When asked about using lamps, student Mahesh said, 

        “Without kerosene, how can I light a lamp?” “Had the cyclone not hit the district, students would have scored relatively better marks in the public exams,” opine teachers. To help students cope with the extra burden, some schools are providing extra coaching.

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30 coconut trees uprooted in the coastal area of Thazanguda in Cuddalore

CUDDALORE:

      Thirty coconut trees were uprooted due to soil erosion in the coastal area of Thazanguda in Cuddalore on Wednesday. Due to the imminent cyclone, continuous strong waves had been eroding the soil. As a result, the trees fell. Rough sea and heavy waves were also caused havoc in the coastal hamlets and many fishermen said during high tide, water entered their villages.

       The eighth level cyclone warning was issued at Cuddalore port late on Wednesday. Boats had been docked at the fishing port for the fourth consecutive day.Port office source said heavy rains were expected from Thursday and the cyclone would cross Cuddalore and Nellore on Friday morning. Fisheries department had issued warning to fishing hamlets asking them to be on alert. Meanwhile, the coastline near Puducherry also experienced heavy wind and strong waves that lashed the shores.

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7th Tsunami anniversary: Sea water enters villages in cuddalore District

CUDDALORE:

        Sea water entered about 10 fishing hamlets in Cuddalore late on Monday, the seventh anniversary of the tsunami, creating panic among the people living there. With formation of low pressure over the Bay of Bengal, the sea was rough with strong waves. A cyclone-warning signal has been hoisted at the Cuddalore port. People in the fishing hamlets such as Devanampattinam, Thazanguda, Singarathope and Akkaraikori started panicking as the shore was submerged in sea water entirely. Fishermen who anchored their boats on the shore started shifting them to safer places. They also pulled back a few small boats using ropes to prevent them from being dragged into the sea by the waves.

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The Singarathope Bridge was our saviour when Tsunami struck

CUDDALORE: 

 

         The Singarathope Bridge that saved many lives during the 2004 tsunami is still remembered with gratitude by the residents of Singarathope, Akkarakori and Sonankuppam villages in Cuddalore. The bridge that was constructed two years before the tsunami is the only way to reach these villages. When the tsunami struck, the residents of all three villages climbed onto the bridge to escape the waves.

          “People were screaming and rushing towards the bridge... Thousands of people stood there until the water receded,” said Narayanasamy, an elderly resident of Singarathope. Even after district authorities arranged for temporary shelters, villagers stood on the bridge to guard the villages from outsiders. Residents said this bridge is the reason they survived. “It was our saviour,” said Pavadi, a fisherman.

 

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7th anniversary of Tsunami - The 'tsunami memory pillar' in Thevanampattinam in Cuddalore district was decorated with flowers

          Relatives of thousands who perished in the December 2004 tsunami on Monday observed the seventh anniversary of the tragedy by lighting candles and offering floral tributes at memorials in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

In Chennai, family members of the deceased gathered at Marina beach and offered prayers.  Beaches and coastal villages in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam districts, that bore the brunt of the tsunami, saw relatives of victims offering prayers.

       The 'tsunami memory pillar' in Devanampattinam in Cuddalore district was decorated with flowers, while many poured milk in the sea and performed rituals.  In Puducherry, chief minister N Rangasamy, his cabinet colleagues, Speaker V Sabapathy and opposition Congress legislator K Lakshminarayanan were among those who paid homage to the victims near Mahatma Gandhi statue.

     Sand sculptures depicting the horrors of the tsunami made by artists of Puducherry were on display at the seashore in Veerampattinam coastal village.  In Karaikal, fishermen took out silent rallies on the occasion.  Coastal districts of Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry were badly affected in the Tsunami waves that struck India on this day in 2004 following an earthquake off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia.

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Decommissioning of Thermal Power Station I at NLC deferred

CUDDALORE: 

         The 49-year-old Thermal Power Station I at Neyveli, which was nearing its extended life, will not be decomissioned for another five years following requests from the Tamil Nadu government and Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB), Neyveli Lignite Corporation has said. AR Ansari, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, NLC, said it had been decided earlier to taper down the power generation at the 600 mw power station in phases between 2011 and 2014. The power station was built in 1962 with Soviet assistance and is one of the oldest power plants in the country.

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Agriculture to get extra thrust in 12th FYP

            Special focus would be given to the agriculture sector, which has witnessed a steep fall in the state gross domestic product during the 11th five year plan, K Dhanavel, member secretary of the State Planning Commission, said here on Monday.


            Dhanavel said that against the target of 4% growth, agriculture and allied sectors had registered just 0.69% while the manufacturing sector had registered 4.36% against the target of 9.2%. The service sector alone had registered growth of 11.06% against the target of 10.1%, he said.


          Addressing reporters after the regional consultation meeting of the State Planning Commission here on Monday for the preparation of the 12th Five Year Plan, he said the share of the agriculture gross state domestic product had declined to 8% in 2010-11 from 11% in 2005-06 but it still supported 40% of the state's population. Hence, top priority would be given to the sector with a growth target of 4% for doubling food production and enhancing the income of farmers 2 to 3 times through a second green revolution, Dhanavel said.


          When asked about the decline in cultivable land, he said that during 2001-11, 5 lakh hectares of agricultural land had been converted to non-agricultural purposes, mainly for residential plots. He said such conversion would not be allowed in such an easy manner and measures would be taken.  A growth target of 10% had been fixed for the 12th Five Year Plan with special focus on power, micro, small and medium enterprises, infrastructure, rural development, education, health, urban issues, water supply, sanitation and environmental.


          Regional consultation meetings would be held in Tirunelveli on December 7, Cuddalore on December 13 and Trichy on December 15 with the intention of collecting regional views and suggestions. Regional disparities would be addressed more effectively, he said. 

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Tipplers bridge across interstate river closed

CUDDALORE: 

        A wooden bridge across the Pennai river constructed by Puducherry wine shop owners to allow tipplers to reach their shops has landed them in trouble as PWD officials issued a notice, on Wednesday, for them to dismantle it within two days.The river separates a Tamil Nadu village, Velisemmandalam, and a Puducherry village, Aaraichikuppam.
 

         This close proximity has allowed tipplers from Tamil Nadu to cross the shallow river and buy alcohol from the three wine shops situated in Aaraichikuppam.  Due to the recent spate of rains, water flow in the river had increased making it difficult to wade across. Though some enthusiastic people walked through the river water to reach wine shops, many others were left in the lurch and consequently, sales in the shops had decreased considerably.
 

            To solve this problem, wine shop owners came up with the idea of constructing a wooden bridge across the river. Once constructed it became very popular and many people from Tamil Nadu began using it. The matter came to notice of PWD department in Cuddalore and it issued a notice to the wine shop owners to dismantle the bridge within two days. They claimed that the bridge was constructed without their permission. To make their stand clear, the department, on Wednesday, blocked one end of the bridge using trees and branches.

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SMS-based attendance system for schoolteachers would be extended to all districts: chief minister J. Jayalalithaa

          In an effort to weed out proxy attendance and reporting to duty at their own sweet will, chief minister J. Jayalalithaa on Monday announced that the SMS-based attendance system for schoolteachers would be extended to all districts.

       The novel scheme was originally introduced in the backward Dharmapuri district two years ago by the then collector P. Amudha and, subsequently, followed by Cuddalore district to end irregularities in attendance. Impressed with the presentation made by Cuddalore collector V. Amuthavalli, Ms Jayalalithaa gave the green signal for the extension of the ‘Dharmapuri model’ to the rest of Tamil Nadu.

         According to the system, National Informatics Centre has developed software which gives a code to every block and school. Headmasters have to send a message as soon as they arrive to the school giving details of teachers present and absent.

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Court quashes memo against govt employee

         The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Friday quashed a charge memo and the final order against a government staff on the ground that the rural development department had initiated belated proceedings against him.

        The court was hearing a petition filed by K Dakshinamoorthy, a junior assistant at Mangalore Panchayat Union, Cuddalore district. In his petition Dakshinamoorthy said , a junior assistant at Mangalore Panchayat Union, Cuddalore, district. The charge against him was that as a junior assistant, he had not followed the tender procedure as per the government order with regard to purchase of street lights and other electrical materials and caused loss. The said charges were in relation to the transaction said to have taken place between the month of November 1985 and February 1986.

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Thumbs up to AIADMK party in all the eight municipalities in Cuddalore District

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CUDDALORE: 

        Cuddalore has turned into a bastion for the ruling AIADMK as its candidates emerged victorious in all the eight municipalities in the district. The party also performed well in 14 out of 16 town panchayats in the district except for Vadalur and Parangipet.

           The state government’s welfare schemes seem to have swung both the urban and rural voters towards the AIADMK as the it won the chairmanships of Cuddalore, Nellikuppam, Panruti, Chidambaram and Virudhachalam municipalities in the district. The vote margins between AIADMK candidates and their nearest rivals are also huge.

           CK Subramaniyan (AIADMK) secured 39,634 while his nearest rival KS Raja (DMK) got 21,517. S Dhanasekaran of CPM got 5348 votes and P Thamaraiselvan of the VCK got 4799 votes.

Out of 45 wards AIADMK swept 26 wards, 

DMK won in 5 wards, 

PMK in 3 wards, 

VCK won in 2 wards while Congress and DMDK won one ward each 

and the independent candidates emerged victorious in seven wards.

Chidambaram 

             AIADMK’s Nirmala Sundar defeated DMK candidate S Ezhilmathi with a margin of 6988 votes. Nirmala secured 16, 318 votes whereas Ezhilmathi got 9330 votes. CPM’s H.Bowjiya Begam finished third with 3017 votes.

Panruti

         AIADMK candidate P Paneerselvam emerged triumphant with 14,790 votes while S Ananthi of the DMK got 6469 votes. Congress candidate R Panchavarnam finished third with 6160 votes and DMDK’s S Arivoli got 4680 votes.

Out of 33 wards in the region,

the AIADMK emerged victorious in a total of 24 wards, 

DMK in 6 wards, 

DMDK in 2 wards and 

the CPI candidate in  one ward.

Nellikuppam

S Sudhakar, AIADMK candidate, became the chairman of Nellikuppam municipality by scoring 9730 votes while his opponent S Pugazendhi of DMK got 5431 votes.

Vrridhachalam

            AIADMK candidate R D Aranganathan won by securing 13,857 votes and DMK’s V Thatchinamoorthy got 9230 votes. DMDK candidate R Ananthagopal garnered 4131 votes while PMK’s Murugan secured 2731 votes.

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Thumbs up to AIADMK party in all the eight municipalities in Cuddalore District

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CUDDALORE: 

        Cuddalore has turned into a bastion for the ruling AIADMK as its candidates emerged victorious in all the eight municipalities in the district. The party also performed well in 14 out of 16 town panchayats in the district except for Vadalur and Parangipet.

           The state government’s welfare schemes seem to have swung both the urban and rural voters towards the AIADMK as the it won the chairmanships of Cuddalore, Nellikuppam, Panruti, Chidambaram and Virudhachalam municipalities in the district. The vote margins between AIADMK candidates and their nearest rivals are also huge.

           CK Subramaniyan (AIADMK) secured 39,634 while his nearest rival KS Raja (DMK) got 21,517. S Dhanasekaran of CPM got 5348 votes and P Thamaraiselvan of the VCK got 4799 votes.

Out of 45 wards AIADMK swept 26 wards, 

DMK won in 5 wards, 

PMK in 3 wards, 

VCK won in 2 wards while Congress and DMDK won one ward each 

and the independent candidates emerged victorious in seven wards.

Chidambaram 

             AIADMK’s Nirmala Sundar defeated DMK candidate S Ezhilmathi with a margin of 6988 votes. Nirmala secured 16, 318 votes whereas Ezhilmathi got 9330 votes. CPM’s H.Bowjiya Begam finished third with 3017 votes.

Panruti

         AIADMK candidate P Paneerselvam emerged triumphant with 14,790 votes while S Ananthi of the DMK got 6469 votes. Congress candidate R Panchavarnam finished third with 6160 votes and DMDK’s S Arivoli got 4680 votes.

Out of 33 wards in the region,

the AIADMK emerged victorious in a total of 24 wards, 

DMK in 6 wards, 

DMDK in 2 wards and 

the CPI candidate in  one ward.

Nellikuppam

S Sudhakar, AIADMK candidate, became the chairman of Nellikuppam municipality by scoring 9730 votes while his opponent S Pugazendhi of DMK got 5431 votes.

Vrridhachalam

            AIADMK candidate R D Aranganathan won by securing 13,857 votes and DMK’s V Thatchinamoorthy got 9230 votes. DMDK candidate R Ananthagopal garnered 4131 votes while PMK’s Murugan secured 2731 votes.

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