The Hindu               03.01.2014

Physically challenged get scooters, sewing machines

Forty scooters, 40 units of hearing aid, four callipers and as many sewing machines — all purchased at a cost of Rs. 24.73 lakh from the MLAs’ constituency development fund — was distributed to the physically challenged at the Collectorate here on Thursday.

Cooperation Minister ‘Sellur’ K. Raju handed them over to the beneficiaries in the presence of Collector L. Subramanian and MLAs R. Samy (Melur), A.K. Bose (Madurai North), R. Annadurai (Madurai South), R. Sundarrajan (Madurai Central) and P.V. Kathiravan (Usilampatti).

Earlier, addressing the gathering, the Minister accused the Centre of having reduced fund allocation to the State from 13.4 per cent to 7.9 per cent after Chief Minister Jayalalithaa assumed office for the third time in 2011. He claimed that the allocation of kerosene to the State had also been brought down from 54,000 litres to 34,000 litres a month.

“People in the State are facing hardships owing to frequent power shutdown even now owing to lack of support for power projects from the Centre,” he said.

Mr. Raju traced the history of former Union Minister and incumbent Member of Parliament M.K. Alagiri’s migration to Madurai from Chennai and accused him of being in the company of goons all the time and allowing them to indulge in illegal activities. “Ever since the AIADMK came to power, have you ever come across even a single incident of a Minister or any other party cadre having interfered with the activities of the district administration or the police department,” he questioned the gathering.

The Collector listed various welfare measures implemented in the district. He said more than 13,000 physically challenged people in the district had been granted National Identity Cards and of them 4,711 had been receiving monthly financial assistance provided by the State government.

Distribution of hearing aids fixed behind the ears, magnifiers used by the visually challenged, walking sticks, talking watches and doubling the quantum of financial assistance provided to physically challenged school students were the other schemes being implemented by the State, he said.

Mayor V.V. Rajan Chellappa, Deputy Mayor R. Gopalakrishnan and District Differently Abled Welfare Officer K. Sakunthala spoke.

The Hindu               03.01.2014

Corporation to hear residents out

Aloysius Xavier Lopez

Residents of all 200 wards will be able to air grievances over civic conditions; associations not on civic body’s list can also register

Chennai Corporation will organise a meeting with all residents’ welfare associations in the city this month to review existing civic conditions.

The meeting will give residents of all 200 wards an opportunity to air grievances over any deficiency in services provided by Corporation officials in the past few years. Representatives of at least 2,500 residents’ welfare associations are likely to participate.

“The meeting is likely to be held this month. Residents’ associations that are not on the list of the Chennai Corporation will also be permitted to register online. The venue will be announced shortly,” said an official.

The residents’ associations that have been registered with the civic body can submit the petitions to the officials concerned at the meeting. “Important civic issues will be discussed at the meeting. Residents can also give suggestions on important requirements for civic projects in any locality. We will incorporate some of the aspects in the budget announcement,” said the official.

Residents have welcomed the move. “This is an opportunity for residents to voice their opinion openly to senior officials without intervention by councillors. There have been some grievances in the past two years. Some officials have resolved our civic issues; some have not,” Viswamitra Kanuri, a resident of Kodambakkam, said.

“We spoke to the councillor for solving some of the civic problems. They are unable to take efforts. The meeting gives us hope,” said N. Arivazhagan, another resident.

A.Noorjahan, councillor of ward 121, said councillors were putting their best foot forward to tackle civic issues in their respective wards. “But some of the demands made by residents may not be easy to meet without support of all officials and the council. Some administrative aspects may impede civic development. So this meeting will be unique in solving some unsolved problems.”