Kudankulam protests: Police action unjustified, says report

Chennai: Tamil Nadu police has been slammed by a fact-finding team that probed the handling of protests against the Kudankulam nuclear plant, specially calling its 'descration' of a church "dangerous and deplorable". The police has rejected the findings.

The team, led by former High Court judge Justice Kolse Patil has said that the use of force against the peaceful protesters was unjustified. Police had lathi-charged the protesters who wanted work on the nuclear plant to be stopped. The team also found that police, while trying to control the agitation, looted and damaged private and public property. The fact-finding team was formed after demands from the Chennai Solidarity Team for Kudankulam and Teachers Against Nuclear Energy.

In the most damning finding, the team said that the desecration of a church by the police was a "dangerous and deplorable act". There were allegations that police officers had barged into the St Lourde's church looking for protesters there. The Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore had alleged that the policemen "insulted religious symbols".

Justice Kolse Patil's team also said that charging the protesters with sedition and waging war against the state was irrational and that police action had created "fear psychosis" in the area.

Tamil Nadu Police though said that they had acted "responsibly" and had been attacked by villagers.

A protest against fuel loading in the nuclear power plant that had been going on for several days in Kudankulam was broken up by police after the Madras High Court gave its green signal to operationalise the plant. Police who had cordoned off the area around the plant had been taken by surprise after the protesters approached the plant by walking along the beach, leading to a stand-off. The protests are still continuing.

Countdown begins for India's 100th space mission

Chennai: The countdown for the 100th mission of the Indian space agency, slated for September 9, began today at the Sriharikota satellite launch centre in Andhra Pradesh, around 80 km from Chennai. Carrying French and Japanese satellites, an Indian rocket - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) - will blast off at 9.51 am on Sunday.

"The countdown started at 6.51 am and is progressing normally. Everything normal now," an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official told IANS.

During the countdown, liquid fuel in the fourth stage/engine and also in the control systems would be filled. On Saturday the fuel for the second stage/engine will be filled, the official said.

The 715-kg French satellite, SPOT 6, which is an earth observation satellite, will be the heaviest foreign satellite to be launched so far by PSLV.

The Japanese satellite weighing 15 kg is called Proiteres.

ISRO's commercial arm Antrix Corporation and French company Astrium SAS compete in the global market for vending remote sensing satellite imageries.

The SPOT and Indian remote sensing satellites are the two leading earth observation satellite series.

According to ISRO, the satellite launch agreement between Antrix and Astrium is part of a long-term agreement signed between the two agencies September 2008.

In November 2010, a communication satellite HYLAS was built for a European customer under an agreement between Antrix and Astrium.

The PSLV rocket has successfully launched a total of 53 satellites out of 54 it has carried; ISRO has launched all its 27 foreign satellites successfully.

According to ISRO, India has built 62 satellites and launched 37 rockets, starting from its first satellite Aryabhatta and rocket satellite launch vehicle (SLV).

"ISRO counts each of its rocket flights as a single mission. If our satellite is launched by a foreign rocket then it is counted as single mission. Whereas if an Indian rocket (PSLV) launches multiple satellites built and owned by ISRO then each satellite is counted individually as a mission," an ISRO official said.

Launching foreign satellites or those owned by other Indian organisations are not counted as a mission.

The Sunday flight of PSLV will be counted as single mission.

According to ISRO officials, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to witness the 100th mission at Sriharikota. He will reach the launch centre Saturday evening.

India began its space journey in 1975 with the launch of Aryabhatta satellite using a Russian rocket.

From: NDTV

Supreme Court issues notice to Stalin, son on land grab charges

Chennai/New Delhi: The Supreme Court today issued a notice to former Tamil Nadu deputy Chief Minister and DMK leader MK Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi among others on land grab charges.

The Jayalalithaa-led government in Tamil Nadu had approached the Supreme Court against the Madras High Order which had quashed the land grab case against Mr Stalin.

The case relates to leasing of land by Mr Stalin's son Udhayanidhi for his film unit in 2008. When the Jayalalithaa government came to power in 2011, the owner of the property complained that he was threatened to part with the land and implicated Mr Stalin and his son.

He later withdrew his complaint after an out-of-court settlement. The Madras High Court had then quashed the criminal case.

The Tamil Nadu government, however, had appealed against this order saying mere withdrawal of the complaint would not obliterate the criminality of the action and  the trial to proceed further to reach its logical conclusion.

Sivakasi: Major fire at fire-cracker factory, 25 feared dead

Chennai: At least 25 people are feared killed and more than 70 have been injured in a huge fire at a fire-crackers factory in Mudalipetti, near Sivakasi, in Tamil Nadu.

There are fears that the toll could rise. Over 300 people are believed to have been inside the factory, Om Siva Sakthi Crackers, when the fire broke out.

Majority of the workers reportedly managed to escape the building. All 60 rooms in the building are reported to be gutted. These include 20 rooms that stored chemicals. The fire also spread to godowns about 200 feet away. Two of three godowns in the factory have been burnt down. Some bystanders have been injured too by sparks that flew, some were affected by the strong fumes.


Ten fire tenders were sent to the spot. They approached the burning factory cautiously. Explosions were heard and huge gusts of fire billowed out of the building.

"The fire has been brought under control now. Blast and explosions went on for quite some time, so we couldn't go in. Fire fighters will go in now," said Najmul Huda, Superintendent of Police, Sivakasi.

Those seriously injured have been taken to a government hospital in Madurai, others are in a hospital in Sivakasi.

The chances of many children being trapped in the fire are remote as child labour has been eradicated to a large extent in the organised sector in Sivakasi; the factory that caught fire is part of that sector.

Sivakasi is India's biggest hub for the manufacture of matches and fire crackers. Work to meet the Diwali demand for crackers has been on in full swing in Sivakasi factories and factories have employees at work in full strength.

Now, Jayalalithaa orders Sri Lankan soccer teams to be sent back

Chennai: After expressing her strong displeasure over Sri Lankan defence personnel undergoing training in her state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has now ordered for sending back two Sri Lankan football teams which were undergoing training in Chennai.

The directive from the Chief Minister came after one of the teams, Royal College of Colombo, played a match against the Chennai Customs team at a stadium in the city on Friday. Ms Jayalalithaa has also ordered the suspension of a stadium official for allowing the soccer team to play the "friendly" tie, alleging that he insulted Tamils.

"The (Nehru) Stadium Officer has no authority to allow matches there and only the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu is authorised to do so. By using an authority that did not exist, the official had demeaned the sentiments of Tamil people," she said. The Chief Minister has also ordered Chief Secretary Debendranath Sarangi to initiate department-level proceedings against the official him.

"I have also instructed that no competitions must be held for the Sri Lankan team besides directing that they be sent back," she said in a statement. The other visiting team, comprising eight students from the Hilborn International School, was scheduled to play in a tournament with students from the Velammal International School in Chennai. The state government has also ordered for the students to be sent back along with their coach. 

The Chief Minister has also slammed the Centre for allowing the Sri Lankan players to undergo training and develop their skills in India.

The latest incident comes just over a week after Ms Jayalalithaa asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to halt an ongoing training programme for two Sri Lankan defence personnel at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington near Ooty. In a strongly-worded letter, she had demanded for the immediate sending back of the two defence personnel, alleging that the training "has been mischievously concealed from my government, showing scant regard for the views of my government as well as for the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu."

Last month, the Chief Minister had opposed a similar training programme for nine Sri Lankan Air Force personnel at the Tambaram Air Force Station in Chennai. In view of her stiff opposition and protests from other parties in the state including ally DMK, the Centre had been forced to move them to the Yelahanka Airforce Station in Bengaluru in order to enable them to complete their training. Ms Jayalalithaa had dubbed the move as "not proper", adding that "instead of sending these personnel back to Sri Lanka, the Government of India exhibited excessive enthusiasm and concern for these personnel". Ms Jayalalithaa had then described it as "anti- Tamil" and said "Tamils want action against Sri Lanka for war crimes and they will not accept this" and that "Tamils even suspect whether the Centre is acting against them".

(With inputs from PTI)

Lookout notice for MK Alagiri's son in illegal quarrying case

Chennai: The Madurai police have asked immigration authorities  to issue a look out circular for union minister MK Alagiri's son Durai Dayanidhi and eleven others in the illegal granite quarrying case in Madurai.

The police have also filed  an FIR against all the involved under the Mines and Minerals Act for encroaching government land and illegal mining. Mr Alagiri's son, who was a director of granite export company till a few years ago, had applied for  anticipatory bail before this development .

A former collector of Madurai had alleged a revenue loss of sixteen thousand crore due to large scale violation in the granite industry, following which all 175 quarries in the district are being raided.

Granite baron PRP Palanisamy had recently surrendered. Union minister MK Alagiri had, however, denied these allegations last month.