Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Monday made several announcements, including the establishment of an institute of fisheries technology in Tiruvallur district, declaration of Chitra Pournami as a religious festival and the provision of solar energy system in new government hospitals.
The proposed institute would be set up to impart vocational training courses in fisheries and affiliated to the Fisheries University, being established at Nagapattinam.
Fishermen in Ramanathapuram district would be permitted to go for multi-day fishing in deep seas against the present arrangement of permitting only single-day fishing. The token system would be adopted in this regard.
Another announcement regarding fisherfolk was that when fishermen were reported missing in the high seas, helicopters would be hired on need basis for effective search and rescue operations.
Sophisticated high-speed boats would be provided to coastal security and marine police for search and rescue.
The announcements were based on requests of the Collectors which were all agreed to in principle. Secretaries concerned, the Chief Minister said in her concluding address at the Collectors' Conference, would ensure that the orders were issued quickly. The number of her announcements was 43.
An official said that the government would declare Chitra Pournami as a religious festival in Tiruvannamalai district. Consequently, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department would provide financial support towards the conduct of the festival.
To enable the removal of silt from channels in the Cauvery basin area before the release of water from the Mettur dam in June, administrative sanction would be given in January every year instead of May as done now. All maintenance works of tanks and channels would be taken up in January immediately after the dam was closed for irrigation. Integrated operations of silt removal and hyacinth would be carried out in Tiruvarur district.
Action would be taken to include small onions in the National Horticulture Mission. For helping horticulture farmers of Krishnagiri, Aavin would examine the option of purchasing excess mangoes and processing them as mango milk shake and supplying them to noon meal centres.
The Ponneri revenue division would be bifurcated to the Ambattur division that would include the Madhavaram taluk too. A ring road for Vellore, provision of additional water supply to the Tuticorin town and a master plan complex for Cuddalore was sanctioned. The district hospital in Tiruvallur would be upgraded to provide trauma care. As some revenue villages in Kanyakumari district were very large, they would be re-organised. The Public Works Department would take up investigation for anti-sea erosion measures in Kanyakumari.
A truck terminal in Tuticorin, flyovers in Coimbatore's Ukkadam and Athupalam and Western Ring Road and the establishment of a bus body chassis unit on the outskirts of Namakkal had been approved. The possibility of widening and relaying Periyakulam-Kodaikanal would be examined.
Short messaging system (SMS)-based attendance system would be introduced for school teachers all over the State. The post of PA to Collector (legal matters) would be created in all districts. Laptops with printers would be supplied to all village administrative officers. The Tourism Department would develop Vathal Hills as a tourism spot, for which a 12-km-long link road would be laid under the scheme of Tamil Nadu Village Habitation Improvement (THAI).
The share of financial contribution from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department towards the conduct of the Maha Deepam festival in Tiruvannamalai would be enhanced from the present level of 50 per cent to 70 per cent.
Awards for Collectors
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa distributed awards to best performing Collectors and police officers.
The first place in the category of award for best disposal of petitions referred by Chief Minister's Special Cell for 2011 went to Jayashree Muralidharan, Tiruchi District Collector; the second place – Darez Ahamed, Perambalur District Collector, and the third place for C. Munianathan, Tiruvarur District Collector, and U. Sagayam, Madurai District Collector.
In respect of police officers, the award had been given to P. Kannappan, Police Commissioner, Madurai and M. Annadurai, Superintendent of Police, Tiruvarur,
The award for services to differently abled persons was presented to A.C. Mohandoss, former Vellore Collector [2003] (first slot); R. Venkatesan, former Kancheepuram Collector [2004] (second slot) and Gopalakrishnan, former Vellore Collector [2006] and M. Vallalar, former Dindigul Collector [2011] (third slot). The award for best Collector in eradication of child labour 2009 had gone to K. Maharabhushanam, Salem Collector.
