CHENNAI: Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Wednesday promised the State Assembly that the tombs of martyrs of language stir (anti-Hindi agitation) at the Moolakothalam burial ground here would not be disturbed at any cost while constructing houses for poor and downtrodden living on encroached lands there.
Deputy Leader of Opposition Durai Murugan suggested that a team of leaders from opposition parties and ruling party could visit the place to know the fact and until then, works on the housing project could be suspended. Panneerselvam agreed to this.
Replying to the issue raised by Madhavaram MLA S Sudharsanam, the deputy chief minister said the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) would construct 1,044 houses/tenements at a cost of `138.29 crore for slum dwellers at Katpada area in Moolakothalam.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko and others had staged a demonstration on March 13 stating that the tombs of martyrs of anti-Hindi agitation Thalamuthu and Natarajan and Tamil Eelam activists Muthukumar and Amaresan would be demolished for the construction of houses and that the project should be given up.
On official enquiry, it was revealed that there was a 300-metre distance between the tombs and the area where the multi-storeyed housing project will come up. So the tombs will not be disturbed in any way. Besides, Muthukumar and Amaresan did not have any tombs since they were cremated. The tomb of Dharmambal Ammal is located 100 metres away from the housing project site.
Further, P Purushothaman of Washermanpet petitioned the National Commission for Scheduled Castes against the construction of multi-storeyed tenements and that the site should be retained as a burial ground. However, during enquiry, people belonging to Scheduled Caste at Ramadoss Nagar and nearby areas told the commission that they were residing there for 40 years and the multi-storeyed quarters should be built there. The next hearing of the commission in this regard would be on March 23.
Avoid eulogies, Stalin tells DMK legislators
Chennai: Leader of Opposition and DMK working president M K Stalin on Wednesday told his party MLAs not to waste time praising him and other leaders of the party, when they rise to speak about some issues or during debate. He said it would be nice if they started the speech by addressing the Speaker and concluded it. Stalin said this intervening when a party MLA started praising the DMK leaders before commencing his actual speech.
Stalin writes to PM, CMs on fin panel’s terms of reference
Chennai: Pointing out the terms of reference to the Fifteenth Finance Commission that considers 1971 Census as the basis for allocations to be made to many progressive states, DMK working president M K Stalin shot off letters to PM Narendra Modi and Chief Ministers of certain states in this regard. “On the one hand, we will be losing disproportionally by the use of 2011 Census data as the basis and on the other, we will be deprived of any incentive under Term 4, as we achieved the neutral net repro-ductive rate target long ago,” he said.