Cabinet wants Central renamed after MGR, Bharat Ratna for Anna & Jaya
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Cabinet on Sunday decided to recommend to the Centre to rename the Chennai Central railway station after the late Chief Minister and AIADMK founder, MG Ramachandran, whose birth centenary has been celebrated by the government. “The Cabinet has decided to recommend to the Centre to rename the Chennai Central railway station as Puratchithalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central Railway Station on the occasion of his centenary celebrations,” Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet has also decided to recommend to the Centre to confer the Bharat Ratna award on the late Chief Minister, CN Annadurai, who was also the DMK founder. Jayakumar informed that the Cabinet had decided to reiterate the demand made in December, 2016, calling upon the Centre to consider awarding the Bharat Ratna to the late Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo, J Jayalalithaa.
Take steps to close down Sterlite plant permanently: Vaiko
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government should take steps to close down the Sterlite copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi permanently, said Vaiko, MDMK general secretary. In a release on Sunday, he slammed the Central Ground Water Board’s report saying that the Sterlite plant was not the only reason for the pollution of environment in the coastal town.
It is a shock that the Union government’s CGWB has conducted an inspection at the plant when various cases against the unit are pending before the National Green Tribunal, Madras High Court and Supreme Court. The inspection was conducted without proper permission from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Vaiko said, adding that it was a total violation and unethical. Urging the state government to reject the report in toto, which has a motive of safeguarding the Sterlite plant, the MDMK leader sought measures to close down the plant permanently, not bowing to any pressure whatsoever.
Anbumani seeks CBI probe into govt contracts
Chennai: A CBI enquiry should be ordered into involvement of ministers and their benamis in bagging government contracts, said Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, Dharmapuri MP and PMK youth wing president. In a release, he said media had exposed the scams in which government contracts were awarded to benamis of ministers.
The contracts for setting up shelters in the Chennai Corporation areas were given to three private companies. A loss of `1,250 crore a year has been caused while the firms concerned had earned crores of rupees in profit within a few years from the contracts. Urging the Governor to take steps to remove the ministers involved in the scams, Anbumani said that the works executed by the benami firms should also be inspected for quality. In order to bring the truth, the state government should initiate a CBI enquiry.
Get Supreme Court stay on CGWB study on Sterlite pollution, says Stalin
Chennai: Alleging that the BJP-led government at the Centre and the AIADMK government in the State were acting hand in gloves to reopen the Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi, DMK president MK Stalin on Sunday urged the state government to move an appropriate court against the study report of the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB).
“It is an act of betrayal of the Tamil people to hold such a study in order to help in reopening of the firm while cases are pending before the Supreme Court, High Court and National Green Tribunal,” he said in a statement. Stalin said it was shocking to note that the Centre had thrown to the winds the interests of 7.5 crore people (of Tamil Nadu) for favouring a private corporate firm. He appealed the Centre to immediately withdraw the study report on water contamination. The Tamil Nadu government should immediately file a case before the Supreme Court and get a stay on the study report, said the DMK president.