1. No illegal bars in T.N.: Minister Muthusamy
The Minister for Prohibition and Excise, S. Muthusamy, who addressed journalists at Erode said that no illegal bars were being operated in Tamil Nadu.
Responding to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami’s allegation that every day corruption takes place in Tasmac outlets to the tune of ₹10 crore, the Minister said that Mr. Palaniswami was speaking about what happened three years ago.
“There is no illegal bar anywhere in the state. If any illegal bars are found, we are ready to close them,” he said. In Tamil Nadu, 500 Tasmac outlets were closed, and no new outlet has been opened. Some outlets functioning near schools or temples have been shifted.
2. OPS camp launches Tamil daily
The camp led by the AIADMK’s former coordinator, O. Panneerselvam, launched a Tamil daily, Namadhu Puratchi Thondan, in Chennai.
Panruti S. Ramachandran, political adviser of the camp, handed over the first copy of the inaugural issue to 10 long-standing members of the AIADMK, in the presence of Mr. Panneerselvam.
Explaining the rationale behind the launch of the daily, the former coordinator observed that for the last one year after the commencement of his ‘Dharma Yudham 2.0’, the organisation’s volunteers had been demanding that the camp come out with a newspaper to disseminate its views.
3. Schoolgirl run over by tanker lorry
A 10-year-old girl was run over by a speeding water tanker in Kovilambakkam, after she accidentally fell from a two-wheeler being driven by her mother.
The schoolgirl, Leora Sri, was living with her mother Keerthi, in Kovilambakkam, while her father worked in Germany. This morning, the mother and daughter were proceeding to Madipakkam where Leora’s school is located. Police said Keerthi lost control of her vehicle due to heavy traffic and the bumpy road. Both Keerthi and Leora fell onto the road in the accident, and a tanker lorry, approaching from behind them, ran over Leora.
Following this, the driver parked the tanker a few metres away from the site of accident. He jumped out of his vehicle and escaped, but was subsequently arrested by the police.