M A I N   N E W S

TN Govt not to relieve 3 IPS officials

Chennai, August 17
The rift between the Centre and the Tamil Nadu Government further widened today with Chief Minister Jayalalitha again refusing to release the three IPS officials, including the city police chief, Mr K. Muthukaruppan, whose deputation was sought by the Centre in the wake of their role during the arrest of DMK chief M. Karunanidhi.

Besides Muthukaruppan the other two officials whose services have been sought by the Centre are Joint Commissioner, S. George and Deputy Commissioner Christopher Nelson.

“They cannot be relieved and they are required here. A letter will soon be sent to the Centre expressing our inability to spare these officers,” Ms Jaya said. PTI

Petroleum dealers defer stir
Our Correspondent

Amritsar, August 17
The countrywide petroleum dealers’ strike, which was scheduled from August 20, has been deferred after reaching an agreement between the Ministry of Petroleum and the Federation of the All-India Petroleum Dealers today.

Mr J.P. Khanna, Chairman of the coordination committee, told this correspondent that the Union Petroleum Ministry had accepted three out of their four demands. The Petroleum Minister, Mr Ram Naik, had convened a high-powered committee on September 5 at New Delhi to take up the pending issues.

Mr Khanna claimed that the Petroleum Ministry had decided in principle not to cancel the dealership of retail outlets on flimsy grounds. It had withdrawn the powers from oil companies to cancel dealership licences. The minister assured the dealers that such crucial decisions would have to be taken at the level of general managers or directors.