Coimbatore: In a huge pre-poll bonanza for the district, deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam allocated Rs 6,683 crore for the metro rail project in the interim budget that was tabled on Tuesday. The fund allocation comes almost three years after he announced the metro rail project for the district in the assembly.
He said a detailed feasibility report for setting up the metro rail for about 44km at a cost of Rs 6,683 crore in the first phase was already prepared and the same was under scrutiny.
A source privy to the project said five corridors, covering a total distance of 144km, have been proposed and preparation of a detailed project report was underway.
Coimbatore: Schoolteachers have welcomed the state government’s move to introduce Computer Science as a separate subject for classes VI to X in all th.
Coimbatore: More than 350 anganwadi workers, working under the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme, protested in front of the district collectorate on Monday demanding a salary hike and to make their jobs permanent as well as provide all accompanying benefits.
Workers said their salary was last increased to Rs 13,300 per month in 2006. Since then prices have increased multifold. Besides, other perks attached with government jobs like pension, maternity leave of nine months and “surrender able leaves” were not available to us, they said.
Many of the protesters had joined the programme during its inception in the state in 1982, they said. “Besides taking care of children in anganwadis, we distribute nutrition kits to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, cross check pregnant women who have pre-registered in the PICME programme and organize, along with village health nurses, vaccination drives for children,” said one of their spokespersons, S Shanthi.
COIMBATORE: Officials from the revenue department and police personnel recovered seven idols from Perur Periyakulam on Monday.
The officials found bronze idols of Goddess Vishnu Durga, Mahalakshmi, Karumariamman, Lord Krishna, Vinayaga, Goddess Saraswathi and a Karumariamman sculpture from the lake. They were taken to the Perur taluk office for safekeeping. Sleuths of the idol wing police inspected the idols.
Experts from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will visit the taluk office on Tuesday to ascertain the age of the idols, sources said.
“Smugglers would have dumped the idols in the lake during vehicle check near Perur Periyakulam. We are trying to gather information about idols stolen from other districts also. We believe the idols are not antiques,” said a police officer. “We have not received any complaints about idol theft from Coimbatore.”
Coimbatore: Thirty members of the TNEB Contract Labourers’ Union on Monday threatened to boycott the assembly election unless they are given permanent.