Good New Year start in districts as fatalities low

Two persons were killed in Coimbatore, two in Vadasery in Madurai and one in The Nilgiris.

Meanwhile, hundreds of devotees thronged the churches andtemples from early hours in these districts to worship.

Fireworks lit up the skies in the city to welcome the New Year. People gathered on the streets to celebrate the New Year with their loved ones and family members.

A few people attended special events, entertaining activities and grand celebrations to welcome the New Year. Parties and feasts were organised in different places of the city till late in the night. Some of the hotels had organised live concerts which were attended by television stars. Special buffet and drinks were provided in the mid-night party and it was on till the wee hours of January 1.

Young couples visited the hotels at large to celebrate the New Year. The enthusiasm of people was witnessed at shopping malls, hotels and cine complexes as these places remain crowded before and on the day of celebration.

Special poojas were performed in the temples from Wednesday early hours while Christians gathered in the churches from the mid-night and celebrated the day with special Mass.

In Shrine Velankanni, a special high Mass was conducted by Bishop Dr Devadass Ambrose while a large number of devotees across the nation took part in it.

In Thanjavur, a special Mass was held in the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Mary’s Corner for thanks-giving for the previous year and for peace and communal harmony in the New Year.

In Punnainallur Mariamman koil near Thanjavur, a special pooja was performed to Muthumariamman on the occasion of the New Year. Devotees waited in long queue to have a darshan of the goddess.

In Swamimalai, considered oneof the six abodes of Lord Murugan, special poojas were performed from 4.30 am onwards on account of the New Year. The idol at the sanctum sanctorum was decorated with the holy ash powder.

Special poojas were performed at the shrine in Swamimalai and also in Kumbakonam Adhi Kumbeswarar, Nageswarar, KasiViswanathar, AdhiKambatta Viswanthar, Uchipillayar, Sarangapani, Chakrapani, Ramaswamy and Varadaraja Perumal temples in Kumbakonam. A special pooja was also held in the Jaganathaperumal temple in Nathankoil village near Kumbakonam. In Aathsahayeswarar temple in Alangudi, a special pooja was held for the god “Guru” (Dakshinamurthy).

Meanwhile, in Pudukkottai, special poojas and abishekams were performed at Sri Piragathambal koil, Sri Santharamman temple, Sri Muthumariyammam koil and Sri Bhuvaneshwariamman koil.

The New Year celebrations claimed the lives of two persons in Coimbatore and one in The Nilgiris.

An 18-year-old college student died and five of his friends injured after their car toppled on the fourth hairpin bend in Silver Cloud area in Gudalur in The Nilgiris on Tuesday night.

Police said Keerthivasan, a first year college student hailing from Karaikal in Puducherry, had gone to Ooty along with his five friends in a car driven by Ramanujam (37).

“They were returning to their place of stay after sightseeing, when the driver lost control and the car toppled on the hill route around 8 pm. While Keerthivasan died on the spot, his five other friends suffered serious injuries and were undergoing treatment in a hospital,” the police said.

They said driver Ramanujam had fled the spot. Due to the mishap, traffic on the Gudalur-Ooty road was disrupted for a while. The body of the deceased has been sent for a post-mortem at Gudalur Government Hospital.

The police have registered a case and are investigating. Meanwhile, B Anzar Dheen (20), a painter and S Ajmal Rahman (19), both hailing from GM Nagar at Ukkadam in Coimbatore, were returning home late on Tuesday after the New Year celebrations, when the two-wheeler they were riding on rammed a protection wall of a flyover on Sungam-bypass Road.

In the impact of the mishap, the duo was thrown off their vehicle. They were immediately rushed to Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) in an ambulance. However, Anzar succumbed to injuries on the way, while Ajmal is undergoing treatment in a critical condition.

In another incident, N Chandru (25), a computer engineer in a private firm at Keeranatham, was returning from a party in a two-wheeler, when he lost control on Kurumbapalayam-Kalapatty Road and fell down. His two others friends, who were coming in another vehicle, immediately, took him to CMCH. However, he died without responding to treatment. The police have registered cases in both the cases and further investigations are on.

Barring such fatal mishaps, the New Year celebrations passed off peacefully with people celebratingthe eve in western region with pomp and gaiety.

Two youth were killed and two others injured in an accident, which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday near Agasthiyar temple on Trivandrum –Tirunelveli road in Vadasery inKanniyakumari district. The deceased victims have been identified as M. Ajay (18) of Keela Karungal and his brother M. Sunil (17). It occurred around 12.30 am when the ill-fated victims were travelling in a bike in joyful mood on the occasion of New Year, sources said.