THOOTHUKUDI: The couple Andi and Chandra, hailing from Vadakku Authoor, looked worried while drying their children’s certificates, bank documents and other papers at the Shanmuga Nadar higher secondary school in Vadakku Authoor.
Chandra was worried about the future of her children, as all their certificates were under water for nearly six days. Chandra’s house, a small accommodation under the asbestos sheet surrounded by tin sheet, is located right under the Thamirabarani’s embankments in JJ Nagar of Kuchikkadu, a part of Vadakku Authoor town panchayat. The house submerged on Monday, when the bund breached.
Andi and Chandra, belonging to Arunthathiyar community, are conservancy workers at Kurukattoor panchayat. The family consisting of three children Marimuthu (21), an ITI graduate, Eswaran (17), doing ITI, and Satya (15), a Class 10 student, had fled the house the previous night to the Shanmuga Nadar school, for refuge. Their house was completely under water for five days.
Marimuthu collected all the certificates and other paper documents in plastic bags, on Saturday. Marimuthu told TNIE that all their documents had become wet and crinkled. “My name and date of birth (DoB) are not clear now. The prints are erased and have disappeared in some parts. Some papers got torn while removing them,” he said.
Besides, the textbooks of Eswaran and Satya had also been wet and damaged. They are in an irrecoverable state, he said. Marimuthu, who is married, said that he had applied for a government job and had passed the first round, and is awaiting certificate verification. “I do not know if the government will accept his damaged certificates”, he worried.
Village committee, panchayat prez clash
Thoothukudi: Following a clash between the aides of the Punnakayal panchayat president and the village committee, panchayat president Sofia was admitted to a private hospital with injuries on her head. Authoor police have booked four people from the village committee and two aides of the panchayat president in this connection. Sources said that the village committee was cooking food for the people staying in churches and marriage halls. The committee had sourced vegetables from nearby coastal villages using boats and the president had obstructed them, stating that she would arrange food supply. This led to a heated argument. At one point, Sofia’s son allegedly threatened the people with a knife, which led to an altercation, said sources. In the mele, one of them attacked Sofia with an iron rod. “She was bleeding from the head”, said an eyewitness.
Students can apply for lost certificates at schools
Chennai: The school education department has announced that students who lost their class 10, 11 and 12 certificates during the floods in the affected districts can apply for them at their respective schools and get duplicates free of cost. Instructions have been given to the respective chief education officers in the districts through the director of government examination, according to a release.