R. Sivasamy, president, Thennamanallur Panchayat, on Monday petitioned the district administration saying that a few persons with the active connivance of the Public Works Department officials were illegally mining sand in Sullipalayam village and selling the same without permission.
Listing out the registration numbers of the vehicles involved in the mining, Mr. Sivasamy said that they were mining the sand in the guise of constructing a check dam.
The panchayat administration was not aware of any check dam construction, he said and sought an inquiry into his complaint.
Mining rights
The Tamil Nadu Manpanda Thozhilalar (Kulalar) Sangam, an association of potters, has urged the district administration to ensure that the rights given to potters for mining clay from tanks were uniform.
In a petition submitted to the district administration at the weekly grievances redress meeting, the association said the promised flood relief assistance of Rs. 4,000 should be disbursed to its members at the earliest.
Besides, title deed should be given for the land the potters used in villages for baking earthenware, and free education should be provided for potters’ children.
RTE Act
The Joint Action Committee for Students’ Education Rights on Monday petitioned the district administration to take steps to ensure that the provisions of the Right to Education Act implemented in letter and spirit.
The organisation said that the district administration should find out if the schools followed the Government Order 60 of 2013 in admitting students under the provisions of the RTE Act, if the School Education Department in Coimbatore had acted against schools that did not grant admission to students under the Act, if the School Education Department officials collected penalty from such schools, and recommend action against the officials for failing to act against such schools.
In the coming academic year, the administration should ensure that the private schools admitted 25 per cent students under the RTE Act, made the admission process transparent and issued the application forms at no cost to the parents.
The district administration has been asked to ensure the safety of commuters in the Mettupalayam Bus Stand as the clock tower under construction could weaken the structure there, said a few residents of Mettupalayam in a petition.
Pact changed
Drivers working for a popular call taxi service here petitioned the district administration seeking action against the organisation for violation of contractual obligations.
The petition said that the company has changed the working hours from 28 days of 14 hours duty to six days a week of 15 hours.
This had affected their income levels.
In the previous arrangement they used to earn between Rs. 38,000 and Rs. 46,000 a month depending on the mode of vehicle.
Now, the income had come down to Rs. 9,000 to Rs. 10,000 a week.
They wanted the previous work arrangement restored.
Wages not paid
Migrant workers from Bihar who were employed in a street rolling mill, near here, in a petition said that the mill administration has not paid the Rs. 8 lakh due to 35 workers.They were neither able to send money to families back home or purchase train tickets to return home.
