Latest news with #S.Muthusamy
The Hindu
14-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Desilting of Kalingarayan baby channel completed
The Water Resources Department (WRD) has completed the desilting of the baby channel of the Kalingarayan canal, while work is nearing completion to remove the desilted earth. The 91.1-km-long Kalingarayan canal, constructed by the Kongu chieftain Kalingarayan in the 13th century, irrigates 15,743 acres across Erode, Modakkurichi, and Kodumudi taluks. To address pollution caused by the dumping of household waste and the discharge of industrial effluents, a baby channel was constructed 11 years ago from Bhavani to Vairapalayam. Farmers and residents had been urging the Water Resources Department to take up desilting of this channel. On May 22, Minister for Housing, Prohibition, and Excise, S. Muthusamy, inaugurated desilting work along a 20-km stretch of the baby channel, at a total cost of ₹28.25 lakh. The work began from the Kalingarayan anicut in Bhavani and extended up to the 12/3rd mile in the city. An earthmover was deployed to remove weeds and dumped waste. Currently, the removal of the dumped waste is in progress, with 70% of the work completed. Officials noted that the baby channel was previously clogged mainly due to weeds and plastic waste, which obstructed water flow. A WRD official said that a proposal to extend the baby channel by an additional six km, from Vairapalayam to Vendipalayam, had been submitted to the government and has since been approved. A government order for the project is expected soon, after which construction will begin, the official added.
The Hindu
12-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Perundurai SIPCOT landowners seek compensation as per High Court order
Members of the Perundurai SIPCOT Affected People Welfare Association have urged Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to ensure compensation for 350 acres acquired in 1991 for the Perundurai SIPCOT project, in line with a Madras High Court order. The members submitted a petition through Minister for Housing, Prohibition, and Excise, S. Muthusamy, during the CM's visit to Perundurai on Wednesday. The petition said the State government had acquired 2,709 acres from farmers in Ingur and Perundurai villages three decades ago to establish the SIPCOT Industrial Growth Centre. While 2,350 acres were acquired through direct purchase, the remaining 350 acres were acquired under the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 through an Award, due to procedural hurdles. For directly purchased land, the compensation paid was ₹60,000 to ₹1.20 lakh per acre in Ingur and ₹1.50 lakh to ₹2 lakh per acre in Perundurai. However, for land acquired through the Award, only ₹29,700 per acre in Ingur and ₹34,100 per acre in Perundurai was paid, the amount deposited in court based on government valuation. Challenging this disparity, affected farmers filed eight cases. The district court ruled in favour of the farmers, ordering enhanced compensation ranging from ₹1.80 lakh to ₹2.50 lakh per acre for about 69 acres. The government and SIPCOT appealed, but the Madras High Court upheld the lower court's ruling in its final verdict on March 6, 2012, directing payment of the revised amounts. The petition alleged that even after the High Court verdict, SIPCOT had not fully disbursed the compensation. In several other cases, it said, the government and SIPCOT delayed proceedings by not filing responses, leaving many claims pending. Some farmers, it added, were unable to pursue legal remedies due to lack of documents, award copies, or awareness, or because of expired deadlines. Citing Section 28A of the Land Acquisition Act of 1894, the association urged the government to re-determine the compensation, ₹2.50 lakh per acre as base land value, plus 30% solatium, 12% additional market value, and 15% interest as per the court order. The revised compensation should be formalised through a Government Order and distributed to all affected farmers, the petition said. The petition also highlighted that SIPCOT currently leased land at ₹81 lakh per acre for industrial purposes and ₹1.62 crore for commercial use. Over 100 families, it said, lost their livelihood without receiving compensation and suffered for three decades. The association requested the CM's immediate intervention to resolve the issue.
The Hindu
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Proposed protest over 12 demands in Erode withdrawn following Minister's promise
The proposed protest by members of various social welfare organisations over 12 key demands was withdrawn after Minister for Housing, Prohibition, and Excise S. Muthusamy promised action in Perundurai on Tuesday. Led by R.S. Mugilan, coordinator of the Tamil Nadu Environment Protection Movement, the members had planned a continuous sit-in at the Perundurai Taluk Office from Tuesday, ahead of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's visit on Wednesday. They alleged that despite submitting thousands of petitions with evidence of public property misappropriation worth crores in Perundurai Taluk, no action was taken. Their demands included action against former DMK Chennimalai Union Treasurer and officials from the Revenue Department, Sub-Registrar's office, and banks for alleged land fraud in Gandhi Nagar, Chennimalai, and against those involved in forging documents related to land allotted for the resettlement of 250 Sri Lankan Tamils in Attavanai Pidariyur. They sought withdrawal of a false case against farmers and environmentalists protesting SIPCOT pollution, and disciplinary action against Geology and Mining and Revenue officials for ignoring hundreds of mining-related complaints over five years. Protesters also demanded the arrest of AIADMK Union Secretary for alleged illegal mining using explosives on government land in Ekkattampalayam and Sillankattuvalasu, and criminal proceedings against four others involved in illegal quarrying. They called for action against the BDO, Police Inspector, and RTO for allowing heavy mineral transport that damaged roads, violating a Supreme Court ruling, and cancellation of illegal mining permits issued without mandatory public hearings near residential areas. The protesters had vowed to stage a sit-in until action was taken, but withdrew after Tuesday's meeting with the Minister and his assurance of follow-up.
The Hindu
06-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Health Minister urges vulnerable groups to wear mask amid COVID-19 spike
Though there is no need to panic over the rise in COVID-19 cases in the country, it is advisable for the elderly, people with comorbidities and pregnant women to wear masks in public places, said Health Minister Ma. Subramanian in Perundurai on Friday. The Minister, along with Minister for Housing, Prohibition, and Excise S. Muthusamy, Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara, Rajya Sabha MP Anthiyur P. Selvaraj, MPs K. Subbarayan (Tiruppur) and K.E. Prakash (Erode), and MLAs A.G. Venkatachalam and V.C. Chandhirakumar, distributed certificates to students during the 27th Graduation Day at the Government Erode Medical College and Hospital in Perundurai. He also inaugurated new hospital buildings and laid the foundation stone for additional facilities worth ₹16 crore in the district. Addressing the media, Mr. Subramanian said that while the Union Health Ministry typically issues advisories to all the State governments during a spike in cases, no such advisory has been issued, so far. He said the symptoms of the current Omicron variant include fever, throat pain, and cough. 'If symptoms persist, individuals should visit the nearest government hospital for treatment,' he advised. The Minister said 94,000 hospital beds have been kept ready across Tamil Nadu for treating COVID-19 patients, and the State's infrastructure has been upgraded to store up to 3,000 metric tonnes of oxygen. Responding to a question on the misuse of certain painkillers and sedatives as drug substitutes, he said the matter would be taken up with the Union government for necessary action. On the issue of gutka smuggling, he noted that despite the ban in Tamil Nadu, the product is being brought in from Karnataka and called for coordinated efforts to curb the menace.
The Hindu
02-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
85,000 students provided with uniforms, says Minister Muthusamy in Erode
Minister for Housing, Prohibition, and Excise, S. Muthusamy, said that 85,000 students studying in Classes VI to VIII were given uniforms as schools reopened in the district on Monday. In the presence of Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara, Erode MP K.E. Prakash, MLA V.C. Chandhirakumar, and Mayor S. Nagarathinam, the Minister inaugurated a new building block and laboratories worth ₹2.50 crore at the Government Higher Secondary School in Nanjappa Goundan Valasu, Surampatti. The project was funded under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by Bengaluru-based Alice Blue Financial Services Private Limited, as part of the State government's 'Namma School – Namma Ooru Palli' scheme. Addressing the media, the Minister said that special initiatives by the Education Department helped government schools, which were previously ranked among the bottom 30 positions in the previous public examination results, and that this had significantly improved their pass percentages, with some achieving centum results. He noted that boys tend to score lower marks than girls in examinations and that this gap would be addressed. However, he acknowledged that girls' academic performance has been consistently improving year after year. He also assured that the distribution of uniforms to all students in the district would be completed in the coming days. On the issue of POCSO cases, the Minister revealed that over 250 school-related incidents were reported last year and that immediate action was taken. 'This academic year, preventive measures will be implemented to ensure such issues do not recur,' he said. Responding to AIADMK general secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami's criticism that the DMK government failed to bring education under the State List, Mr. Muthusamy asserted that the government has been consistently advocating for shifting education from the Concurrent List to the State List. He questioned why, during the AIADMK's 10-year rule, no concrete steps were taken on the matter by the then Chief Minister. Deputy Mayor V. Selvaraj, Chief Education Officer K. Subbarao, Headmaster N. Rajesh, and M. Sidhavelayutham, Founder and CEO of Alice Blue, along with several others, were present at the event.
