With the post of special branch inspector in Erode district lying vacant for more than a month, many officers, including a woman cop, are hoping that they are the chosen ones to replace Kannan, the outgoing special branch officer. The position is important as the official is the eyes and ear of the SP in the district. They report everything to their superior, based on which the official takes action. Who will finally be chosen for the job remains to be seen, which is expected to be announced soon.
Personal healing touch
Tiruppur collector, T Christuraj, paid a surprise visit to the Palladam government hospital and inspected the complaints of lack of basic amenities and unhygienic conditions. There were complaints about lack of drinking water, unclean toilets and inordinate delay in providing treatment. The collector also had a chat with the patients. A teen who was undergoing treatment told the collector he attempted suicide after failing his Class 10 board exams and had lost all hope. The collector encouraged him not to lose hope and shared his own Class 10 result with him. He told the boy that he had also failed his Class 10 exam, but did not lose hope. He studied harder and passed with flying colours, the collector said. The boy promised to work harder and pass with flying colours.
To stay or take flight
TV journalists were in for a rude shock when BJP state president K Annamalai allegedly lost his cool when he was asked about his opinion on a host of issues, national and state, at the Coimbatore airport on September 21. He was keeping calm but lost his cool when he was repeatedly asked about the fate of the BJP-AIADMK alliance for the Lok Sabha elections. Later, when a senior journalist raised a query related to the INDIA alliance, Annamalai asked him what he had eaten for breakfast and he would do the same. When another journo asked him about the PG NEET entrance percentile being reduced to zero, Annamalai shot back at him and asked, “what do you know about it. Do you know how many seats were vacant last year.”
Ban on tobacco products ineffective
Recently, the chief educational officer of Cuddalore district issued a circular instructing teachers to monitor students for the use of prohibited tobacco products. When asked about efforts to prevent the use of these banned substances in government schools, a headmaster said that their use is alarmingly widespread among students. He also explained that students even share information about the specific shops where these products are being sold, and this information has been provided to the district administration. To prove his point, he asked the students in a class about how many of them are using cool lip, a banned tobacco product. Shockingly, 12 out of 50 students raised their hands.
Awaited - verdict on Kamal for Kovai
Hinting at a possible alliance with the DMK, actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan said that he would like to contest from the Coimbatore parliament constituency, which is currently held by the CPM. Following this, there has been considerable speculation among CPM members regarding whether the DMK has indeed promised Kamal Haasan the Coimbatore constituency or if he has merely expressed his desire. Sources later said that CPM members reached out to Kamal Haasan to inquire about his intentions. They were informed that his statement about Coimbatore was made primarily to motivate MNM supporters and that no final decision had been made on this matter. Subsequently, the CPM cadre in Coimbatore breathed a sigh of relief.
(Contributed by Saravanan MP, S Senthil Kumar, P Srinivasan, Subashini Vijayakumar and S Kumaresan; Compiled by Ashok Subramaniam V)