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NT Bureau
Chennai, Dec 23:

        Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has assured functionaries of the Village Temple Priests Forum (VTPF) that government orders would be passed to make functional the welfare board for six lakh strong priests of village temples in the State.

        The assurance came when the State organiser AK Soundararajan and trustees of the VTPF, S Vedantam and RR Gopalji yesterday met the Chief Minister at his residence and appealed that the welfare board be revived which was launched by him during his previous tenure in 2001.

        'The Chief Minister also promised security to the lives and properties of Hindus in the State'. Karunanidhi had also consented to unveil the statue of veteran freedom fighter and former chairman of Tiruchi Municipality, Rathinavel Thevar at Tiruchi on a request from the Statue installation committee President RR Gopalji. The statue at Thevar Hall, owned by Tiruchi Corporation would be unveiled on 28 January, 2006 by the Chief Minister, a VTPF press release yesterday said.