Latest news with #R.Sukumar
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- General
- The Hindu
15 permanent paddy direct procurement centres to come up in Tirunelveli
Steps have been taken to establish 15 permanent paddy direct procurement centres (DPCs) in the district, Collector R. Sukumar has informed. Addressing the farmers' grievances redress meeting held here on Friday, he said the DPCs were being opened in places where paddy was being cultivated in large areas and to protect farmers from middlemen and private traders procuring paddy from agriculturists at a price fixed by them. At the DPCs, the paddy procurement procedures have been simplified while the officials manning the centres were being constantly monitored to ensure transparency in paddy procurement. During the current 'kar' season, 10 DPCs would be established for procuring paddy at the price fixed by the government and 15 more permanent DPCs would be created in areas, including Azhagiyapandiapuram, Pallamadai, Thirukkurunkudi, Munneerpallam etc. so that the growers could get the guaranteed selling price instead of being left at the mercy of the middlemen and other buyers, Mr Sukumar informed while responding to queries from farmers Abraham, Sekar and Perumbadaiyar. The Collector also said the compensation for horticultural crops damaged by gale that lashed the district between June 4 and 8 was being credited in the accounts of the affected farmers. When the participant agriculturists complained that the officials were hesitant to remove the illegal structures coming up inside the waterbodies, some of the farmers said the officials had turned a blind eye to the construction of houses inside Nanguneri tank. 'We've submitted complaints in this connection with the officials. However, they have not removed them,' farmers said When the officials concerned could not cite any reason for not evicting the encroachment, Mr. Sukumar instructed them to remove the illegal structures immediately. 'Moreover, officials should file complaint with the police and the law-enforcers should register case against the encroachers,' the Collector said. As farmer Murugan raised the flooding of Tirunelveli Junction and adjoining areas during monsoon due to breach in Tirunelveli Channel every year and wanted the officials to provide permanent solution, it was informed that a proposal for constructing wall along the Channel at a cost of ₹11.60 crore had been submitted to the government. The officials also informed that thorny bushes in Gangaikondan tank would be removed with the Corporate Social Responsibility fund of the private companies when farmer Ilosius appealed to the Collector to remove acacia that had grown inside the waterbody. District Revenue Officer M. Suganya, Joint Director of Agriculture Venkatesan and Social Forestry Divisional Officer Ilango participated in the meeting.
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- General
- The Hindu
Fiat to devotees visiting Sorimuthu Ayyanar Temple for ‘Adi amavasai' celebrations
To ensure the safety of devotees during the 'Adi amavasai' celebration of Sorimuthu Ayyanar Temple located inside Kalakkad – Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, the district administration has laid down a few restrictions. In a statement, District Collector R. Sukumar said the district administration and the Department of Forest had evolved a few norms to ensuring orderliness during the celebrations to be held inside the Kalakkad – Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) where the shrine is located to protect the sanctuary and the Tamirabharani River, the lifeline of the southern districts. The restrictions are imposed with the objective of ensuring the safety of the devotees visiting Sorimuthu Ayyanar Temple and averting fire accidents, drowning in the river and stampede-like situation while allowing the visitors to offer prayers smoothly. Since the preparations for the celebrations will be done in and around the temple between July 19 and 21, no vehicle including government buses will be allowed beyond the Papanasam check-post during these days. The public will be allowed to take their belongings in private vehicles to the temple between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. of July 22. After dropping the devotees, the private vehicles should come down to the base and the devotees will be allowed to stay in Sorimuthu Ayyanar Temple and in permitted areas from July 23 and 25. The devotees can reach the temple only in government buses after parking their vehicles at Agasthiyarpatti. Private vehicles will be allowed beyond the Papanasam check-post between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. on July 26 to bring down their belongings after the celebrations while a small number of government buses will be operated for the benefit of the devotees to leave the shrine. Vehicles will not be allowed beyond the check-post on July 27 and 28 in view of the mass cleaning activity to be conducted around the temple and the forest area and the devotees can go to the temple as usual from July 29 onwards. Use-and-throw plastic products, soaps, shampoo, kerosene, generator etc. will not be allowed. Besides seizing liquor and banned tobacco products at the check-post, cases will be registered against the individuals. Moreover, their vehicles will also be seized. Bathing in deeper parts of the river and loitering inside the forest will not be allowed. The devotees should stay only in the tents to be pitched by the temple administration and use the 200 temporary toilets created on the temple premises. Since most of the areas around the temple are now dry due to poor monsoon, the devotees should cooperate with the officials to avert fire accidents, he said.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
‘Ungaludan Stalin' camps to redress public grievances to be launched today
Arrangements are in place for organising six of the 255 'Ungaludan Stalin' camps in the district on Tuesday. The camps are to be organised till October, ahead of the Assembly election in May 2026, to ensure prompt disbursal of welfare assistances to the public. Moreover, the public can utilise the camps to redress their pending grievances with government departments. Hence, officials from 13 government departments, extending 43 services, will be available at the camps to be held in the urban areas, while officials from 15 departments will be ready to receive the public in the rural camps. The applications received during the camps will be resolved within 45 days from the date of submission of the petitions even as a team of designated officers will monitor the action taken on the petitions received at the camps. A total of 255 camps will be organised in Tirunelveli Corporation, three municipalities, 17 town panchayats and 204 village panchayats in the district till October 7. Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu will inaugurate the camp at Lakshmi Mahal in Tirunelveli Town in the presence of Collector R. Sukumar and Corporation Commissioner Monika Rana. While volunteers are now distributing the applications to be submitted to the officials at the camp to get their grievances redressed, applications for monthly assistance of ₹1,000 will be available only at the venue. In Tenkasi district, the first day camp will be held at Kanaga Balaji Marriage Hall, Puliyangui, Sri Paramakalyani Higher Secondary School, Alwarkurichi, Community Hall in Pudhupatti under Alangulam union, Poolithevar Marriage Hall in Nerkattumseval in Vasudevanallur union, Community Hall in Veerasigamani in Sankarankovil union and Community Hall in Puliyarai in Shencottai union. 'We have planned to organise 282 camps with 48 in Shencottai, Tenkasi, Surandai, Kadayanallur, Puliyangudi, and Sankarankovil municipalities, 56 in town panchayats and 178 in village panchayats till October 23,' said Collector A.K. Kamal Kishore. The Collectors have appealed to the public to attend the camp to be organised in their respective areas to avoid unnecessary crowding in the camps held in neighbouring areas.
The Hindu
11-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Sharavathi project gets ‘in-principle nod' from NBWL, but environmental concerns remain
The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has granted in-principle approval for the Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project, despite serious ecological concerns raised over its impact on the Sharavathi Valley Lion-tailed Macaque Sanctuary in the Western Ghats. The project, proposed by the Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd., seeks to build a pumped storage hydroelectric system of 2,000 MW in the heart of the Western Ghats and entailed use of 42.51 hectares or 105.05 acres of forestland and 60.53 hectares or 149.57 acres of non-forestland from Sharavathi Valley Lion-tailed Macaque Sanctuary. This is apart from 11.64 hectares or 28.76 acres of forestland and 28.074 hectares or 69.37 acres of non-forestland from the eco-sensitive zone around the sanctuary. The scheme envisages installation of underground turbines and pipes to connect Talakalale dam and Gerusoppa dam to generate power. Though the proposal has been recommended by the State Board for Wildlife and the State government, environmentalists were pinning their hopes on the NBWL which has cleared the project in principle but with 24 riders or conditions. However, activists dismissed these conditions as nothing more than a list of protocols to be adhered to, during the construction period, such as limiting construction hours, prohibiting labour camps inside the forest, installing wildlife signages, complying with waste management protocols etc. The decision was taken at the NBWL's 84th meeting on June 26 and the minutes were released on July 9, 2025. The Sharavathi Valley is a part of the biodiversity-rich Western Ghats and home to endemic and endangered species, including about 700 lion-tailed macaque — one of the rarest primates in the world. The list of conditions include 'mitigation measures' but conservationists have expressed their dismay that afforestation can never compensate for destruction of pristine forests. The project entails felling of nearly 15,000 trees and the NBWL has stated that more than 12,000 trees can be saved if the proposed underground road from Nagar Basti Kere to Begodi, is extended to the base of the pump house. Wildlife conservationist Giridhar Kulkarni says relocating forest-dwellers to create inviolate spaces for wildlife and recommending ecologically damaging projects in the same sanctuary is highly contradictory and was definitely not in the interests of wildlife and forest conservation. He pointed out that already 28 families had sought relocation and rehabilitation outside LTM sanctuary as they had been denied basic facilities such as roads, electricity etc. But the present move negated the concept of inviolate space, he added. The NBWL noted in its minutes that Dr. R. Sukumar, one of the members, had mentioned that the sanctuary was a densely forested area housing the maximum population of LTM in the entire Western Ghats. The proposal, according to Dr. Sukumar, does not provide full details of the ecological loss in terms of erosion of forest cover, the number species that would be affected etc., and hence he called for an environmental impact assessment for the project. What has peeved conservationists is the claim of the user agency that the project does not fall under the category of hydroelectric project. The NBWL which noted the glaring claim, has only sought a clarification from the 'competent authority'. The project will now be moved for approval under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, before it comes back to the NBWL standing committee, which, the activists said, would be a formality as in-principle nod had already been accorded for it.
The Hindu
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
255 ‘Ungaludan Stalin' camps to be organised in Tirunelveli district
Elaborate arrangements have been made to organise 255 'Ungaludan Stalin' camps in the district that commence here on July 15 to redress the genuine grievances of the public within 45 days from the date of submission of their application. Speaking to reporters here on Friday, District Collector R. Sukumar said 255 camps will be organised in Tirunelveli Corporation, three municipalities, 17 town panchayats, 204 village panchayats in the district till October 7. On the first day, six camps to cover 19,165 households will be conducted. In the first month, till August 14, as many as 114 camps will be organised to cover 3,22,698 houses in the urban and the rural local bodies. In urban areas, officials attached to 13 government departments offering 43 services will participate while officials from 15 departments will be present in the camps to be held in rural areas for attending the grievances pertaining to 45 services. Since the petitioners have to submit their applications in prescribed format, the applications and awareness pamphlets were being distributed through door-to-door campaign by the volunteers even as 114 supervisors are monitoring and coordinating this exercise. Aadhar booths, police department's 'May I help you?' booths, preliminary screening health booths by the Public Health Department, E-seva centre will also be present in these camps. 'Regular review of the camps will be done by the senior officials designated for this purpose as the grievance will be redressed within 45 days from the date of the submission of the application,' Dr. Sukumar said. The Collector appealed to the public to participate in the camps in their respective areas to avoid unnecessary crowding in other camps. 'We assure you that the camps will be organised in all the village panchayats, town panchayats, municipalities and the Corporation. Hence, you just wait for the camp to be organised in your respective area, participate in it to submit the prescribed application and get your grievance redressed. It will ensure quality of service. If you attend the camp in your neighbouring area, it will cause unnecessary crowding in those camps and exert undue pressure on the officials there,' the Collector appealed. As of now, the district administration has planned to organise six camps a day and four days a week except Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.
