Slowdown Placement Drive ???

Educational institutions having companies over for recruitment or placement drives had become a regular fixture in the academic calendar. But this year many colleges and universities have woken up to a harsh reality – IT companies have not come for any placement drive. Students who were “recruited” in their final year of college in 2007 are yet to join the companies. This is true of both engineering and arts and science college students belonging to the IT and computer science courses.

According to M. Jayakumar, Director, Department of Extension and Career Guidance, Bharathiar University, what the companies actually give the short-listed candidates at the recruitment drive is a letter of “intention to offer.” It is not even an offer letter in the strict sense.

Sunitha, a BCA graduate who completed her graduation in April 2008, was initially told to join in August. That became October, and now it is January 2009. She says: “I would have at least pursued an MBA as per my parents’ wishes. But this letter made me choose a job over higher education. Now I really do not know what to do.” She is one among many facing the same predicament.

K. Kathirmathiyon, Secretary, Coimbatore Consumer Cause, says: “IT companies have been recruiting from campuses above the required numbers. When the actual time of appointment arrives, they find that the actual number required is lower. So they either tell the selected recruits to wait or find alternative options. Companies are not entirely to be blamed. Colleges often pressure companies into conducting drives in their campuses to attract admissions for the next year. Once the company gives a letter of intent to selected candidates, the college authorities wash their hands of them.” IT experts say there is a slump and the companies are not getting enough projects. Others say it is because of the U.S. recession.

Bunty Gang Hitman Arrestd

A day after 29-year-old Mohammad Israel, a hitman of Bunty gang, was arrested from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, he was produced in court. He was remanded to judicial custody where a test identification parade (TIP) would be conducted. A reward of Rs 50,000 was declared on the arrest of Israel. Israel was arrested from a ashram in Tiruppur near Coimbatore on Friday. Calling himself Ajay Singh, he was staying and working as a welder at the ashram for past two weeks. He had shaved his head and beard and told people at the ashram that he had come to the town to meditate.

The cops seized an identity card which Israel had obtained while staying at the ashram. His arrest was first reported by TOI on Saturday. ‘‘The members of biker gang abandoned the house in Noida when their names appeared in newspapers and police declared reward for their arrest. Israel first went to Mumbai where he worked in a textile company and then came to Bareilly in UP to meet one of his relatives. From there he went to a friend’s place in Sultanpur in UP,’’ said the police. ‘‘With help of his contact in Sultanpur, Israel managed to flee to south India. In fact, earlier Bunty told him to spread the gang’s activities in south India as he felt that gang can get a lot money through extortion and robbery in this area,’’ said DCP (south) HGS Dhaliwal. ‘‘The mobiles of his family members and relatives were on surveillance. We noticed some of the calls were made from Coimbatore.

A police team was sent to Coimbatore and the numbers from where the calls were made traced to a PCO. When we showed picture of Israel to PCO owner he recognized him,’’ said an senior police officer. ‘‘We checked guest houses, hotels, dhabas and showed his photograph to various people. Finally, we received the information that Israel has been seen near the Coimbatore bus stand after which a police team rushed there and apprehended him. The team members interrogated him about his place of residence after which he broke down and revealed his real identity,’’ added Dhaliwal. Israel’s interrogation revealed he had joined Rama Chandra Mission in Tiruppur using pseudo name Ajay Singh.

He tried to look like a sadhu and started learning the local language. When cops apprehended him, he tried to mislead them by speaking in local dialect. The police said Israel was involved in more than 30 cases. He was working with Omprakash alias Bunty for the past seven years. Being, a well-trained driver, he could drive every vehicle. He was one of the most trusted men of Bunty. Cops said Israel shot Ashneet and Hardeep when the gang robbed a motorcycle from the duo in Amar Colony and later killed a bystander Sanjeev Suri. The police said Israel has told them the name of supplier who used to provide arms to Bunty. ‘‘We will seek his remand to probe his links with the gangster,’’ said a police officer.

The cops added that Israel’s elder brother, Yasin, was also a criminal. He was an associate of one Subrati, Prem and Jitender. They killed Yasin due to their differences in 1999. His another brother Mustaq, also a criminal, committed suicide by consuming poison in Greater Kailash police station. His third brother Nassrru alias Bhura is presently in jail in connection with a murder case of Pilukhwa.

TNAU Advise

As there is no scope for increase in prices for sunflower seeds in the coming months, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has advised sunflower farmers to sell seeds immediately.According to a release from the university, the econometric analysis confirmed that the price of sunflower seeds will cost between Rs. 24 and Rs. 26 a kg from September to December. The team consisting of N. Raveendaran, project co-ordinator, D. Sri Akila and P. Padmavathy, from the Domestic and Export Market Intelligence Cell (DEMIC) of the university found that due to price rise that prevailed in the previous years, farmers had undertaken cultivating more sunflower this season.

The price of palm oil and soy oil is found to be declining. The reduction of import duty of crude sunflower oil by the Government of India has impacted the price of all edible oils in the domestic markets. Palm oil which used to cost Rs. 57 a kg now costs Rs. 48 a kg. Crude sunflower oil that was Rs. 1,020 a tin (15 kg) is now Rs. 840 a tin. The refined sunflower oil price has also come down, the university said.

Trigger Plans To Enter International

Trigger Apparels, the wholly owned subsidiary of KG Denim Ltd, is likely to hit the international market in one or two years. “We got the registered trade mark last year. We can now enter the international market and propose to foray soon,” its Director (Marketing), N. Rajhagopallan, said.The company has been exporting its denim fabrics to the US and Europe for quite sometime now. Its fabric range for international and domestic market is developed by London design studio ‘Line Consultancy’ and used by European brands such as Pepe Jeans, Lee Cooper, Zara, Mavi and Next.

The company is also looking to shift its focus from textiles to garments and with greater thrust on the domestic market. “Considering the spurge in domestic demand for Trigger, we plan to open 100 exclusive outlets across the country this year. The Trigger range is now available in over 1,500 multi-brand outlets,” he said. At least 25 out of the 100 Trigger Flagship Stores is expected to become operational by Deepavali. The first company-owned showroom in Coimbatore is slated for inauguration on September 1 by Formula One racer, Narain Karthikeyan. Trigger plans to open 10 showrooms in Mumbai on September 14.

The company is also planning to launch innovative marketing campaigns, introduce frequent purchase card to enhance value to consumers and roll out festive range of jeans, cotton casual, casual shirts and knit range. “Our core competency is in jeans. We are outsourcing the cotton casual and casual shirts. While we would look at women’s wear (jeans), we have no plans to enter the kids wear space,” he said. The company would be scaling up its production from the current level of 2,500 pieces/day to 3,500 pieces, he said.

Jungle Trek

Rotary Club – Uptown, Coimbatore, will organise a “Jungle Trek” at Kozhikorai, Kotagiri Hills, for Rotary families and others on August 31.It would involve trekking, bird watching, visit to tribal villages and ethnic study. Details Those interested can contact: 9443032554.

English Spelling Championship

Tanglewood Concepts will conduct a qualifying round of the English Spelling Championship at Bharathi Matriculation High School, Saibaba Colony, on September 6. The contest will be held in seven cities across South India. It is open to students from age six to 16. The registration fee is Rs.50. For details contact: 9842084281 / 9916960063 / 09742317598.

AU Postponded The Classes

Anna University, Coimbatore, has postponed the beginning of the classes for the first year direct entry three-year B.E. / B. Tech. programmes to September 10 from September 1.According to a release from the Registrar of the university, the revised date will apply to the first year part-time B.E. programme students also.Students are asked to report to the academic campus of the university at Jothipuram, Mettupalayam Road, on the said date.

Cancer Carnival

Coimbatore Cancer Foundation will conduct Cancer Carnival, an annual sale, in order to raise funds for helping cancer patients. The organisation collects old, unused and new clothes, books, CDs, furniture, electronic items, and toys for the sale. The public can send in articles for the sale except shoes and undergarments. The sale will be held on October 12 at the Mani Higher Secondary School.For details, contact 0422-2246211 / 4305343 / 9894092314.

Coimbatore Hilal Committee Meeting

The General Secretary of Coimbatore District Jama-ath, M.I. Mohammed Ali, announced that Hilal committee will be meeting on September 1 since the prospects of the last moon of the month of Sha-aban could be sighted on that day. Hence to sight the Ramzan moon and pass on the information regarding the same, the Coimbatore Hilal Committee meeting will be held at the Sunnath Jama-ath mosque on Avanashi Road at Uppilipalayam on September 1.

The meeting will be attended by office bearers of the various jama-aths in the City. Those sighting the Ramzan moon could contact 98422-17866, 94430-11600, 94437-77337 or 94438 09751. For information regarding the sighting of the Ramzan moon, announcement would be kept at all mosques and these mobile numbers could be contacted.

Daily 5 Hours Power Cut

Tamil Nadu Electricity Board has divided Coimbatore region into four divisions and load shedding will be implemented in four phases every day from Sunday (August 31). A release from the board says that each division will have three hours of power disruption in the morning, one hour in the evening peak hour and one hour at night. During this period, power supply will not be available to low tension, high tension and extra high tension consumers.

The board appealed to the extra high tension and low tension CT consumers to use generator sets during evening peak hours (6 p.m. to 10 p.m.). It has banned the use of welding sets during evening peak hours. For agricultural consumers, three phase supply will be available for six hours during day time. The TNEB requested the agricultural consumers not to use pumpsets during evening peak hours. It also appealed to the public to avoid using decorative or neon lights. Municipalities and other local bodies should not keep street lights on when not needed, according to the release.

Secure Tech 2008 - Held

The symposium ‘Secure Tech 2008’ held on Friday stressed the importance of “man-machine” combine and preventive measures in security systems.Perisecure, a security systems integrator conducted the symposium and was supported by suppliers of critical physical security systems.The symposium focused on Integrated Physical Security (IPS) systems.

According to the organisers, the purpose of the symposium was to provide key executives of the local industry a first hand view of intelligent safety and security equipment that were progressively becoming standard configurations of the manufacturing and exporting industries.The key resource persons for the symposium were from the Central Industrial Security Force as well as the insurance sector.

The symposium also had a display of live and operational electric fencing, surveillance and access control systems, each functionally independent of each other and integrated.The crucial elements DDDRRR – Deterrence, Detection, Delay, Response, Recovery and Re-evaluation were the fundamentals of the IPS plan.The symposium also pointed out the need to adopt reliable and automated systems that were increasingly gaining importance in a cost escalating and competitive economic environment.The symposium served the purpose of broadening the level of awareness amongst end-users as well as providing them with a platform to clarify their own doubts from the specialists on hand.SecureTech will be an annual event for Coimbatore since it had established itself as an important manufacturing centre for a diverse range of products by local and international companies.

Gate Way 2008

School students participating in a drawing competition at ‘Gate Way 2008’, an inter-school national level meet at CODISSIA Trade fair complex in Coimbatore on Saturday. More than 66,000 children from over 14 States thronged the Codissia Trade Fair Complex here on Saturday. They were participating in ‘Clinic Plus Gateway 2008,’ an inter-school competition for school students conducted by Elite Circle. The event had competitions for students from LKG to Standard XII. They included drawing, essay writing in English and Tamil, caption writing, story writing, talent hunt, slogan writing and group dance.

The topics were given by the organisers and the focus of the year’s event is “India at her best in 2020,” said K. Pradeep Kumar, founder of the Elite Charitable Trust. “Only if students are given an opportunity to display their talents will they be able to prove themselves in a competitive environment such as the one we are living in now,” he added. Held for the ninth consecutive year, the competition would give away about 7,000 prizes.The first prize would be a cash award of Rs.5 lakh. The first prize winner would also be given a 100 per cent scholarship.

The second and third prize winners would get 50 and 25 per cent scholarships, Mr. Pradeep Kumar said. About 50 schools at the national-level would be eligible for gold medals, 100 for silver and 50 for bronze medals. The deserving schools would be selected on the basis of their performance in the past years’ competitions. According to Mr. Pradeep Kumar, the organisation holds four Limca Book of World records and three Guinness Book records.

Tirupur Area Power Cut Details

Power supply to the following areas will not be available from September 1 to 30 in substations in the Tirupur area:
6.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m: Perichipalayam, Big Bazaar Street, Kangeyam Road, Rayapuram, Soosaiyapuram, Rakkiapalayam, Cheran Nagar, Sevanthapalayam, Pudur Pirivu, Sangilipallam, Dharapuram Road, Meenakshi Valasu, Subbaiyagounden Valasu, Kandiankoil, Periyaripatti, TNK Puram, VOC nagar, Bhavani Nagar, Pandit Nagar, Golden Nagar, Murugampalayam, College Road, Ram Nagar, SIDCO, Chinnandipalayam, Chinnayagoundenpudur, Kulathupudur, Amman Nagar, Thiruvalluvar Nagar and Nochipalayam.

8.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m: Thennampalayam, RV Layout, Patukkottayar Nagar, Velliangadu, Perichipalayam, Poompuhar, Indira Nagar, Thattanthottam, Palladam Road, Ponnahpuram, SIDCO, Kasipalayam, Mudalipalaym, Housing Unit, Pudupalayam, Nachipalayam, Maniyampalayam, Andipalayam, Pichampalayam, Itteri Road, Elango Nagar, Thiruneelakandapuram, Valayankadu, Kumar Nagar, Mosco Nagar, Avanashi Road, areas behind SAP Theatre, Angeripalayam, Vanjipalayam, Iduvampalayam, Arulpuram, Senthooran Colony, Kavundanpalayam and Kungumapalayam.

10 a.m. to 12 noon: Velliangadu, Karuppagoundenpalayam, Uthukuzhi Road, Mannarai, Kooilpalayam, S. Periyapalayam, Karumaranpalayam, Kumaranandapuram, Postal Colony, New bus stand, LIC Colony, College Road.Murugampalayam, Kuppandampalayam, Palladam Road and Thaneerpandal.

12 noon and 2 p.m.: Aranmanaipudur, Sherief Colony, Universal theatre, Gajalakshmi Theatre, Kombathottam, Kangeyam Road, Chettipalayam, Kovil Vazhi, Vijayapuram, Kalipalayam, Kuppandamplayam, Nallur, Amaravathipalayam, Rangegoundenpalayam, Lakshmi Nagar, Bridgeway Colony, Om Sakthi koil, Periyandipalayam, Anaipalayam, Chellam Nagar, Chennimalaipalayam, Ganapathy Palayam and Pachankattupalayam.

2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: KVR Nagar, Kadiravanpalli, Pazahchipalayam, Avarapalayam, Kasipalayam, Pollikalipalayam, Kupichipalayam, Thongittipalayam, Kaikatti, Appachi Nagar, Kondappa Gounder Lay out, Ranganathapuram South, NRK Puram, Marudhachalapuram, Pichampalayam, Sri Nagar, Jeeva Nagar, Cotton Mill, Duraisamypuram, Boomanaickenpalayam, Kulathupalayam, Bharathi Nagar, Vidyalayam, Chinnakkarai and Karaipudur.

4 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Binny compound, Taluk office, Kaderpettai, Karuvampalayam, Poochakadu, Maniyakaranpalayam, Mannarai, Sugumar Nagar, Thirumalai Nagar, Muruganandapuram, SV Colony, Venkatesapuram, AP Nagar, Chamundipuram, Gandhinagar north, Anupparpalayam, 15 Velampalayam, Balaji Nagar and Veerapandi.

On every Sunday and Thursday, in Mudiyanarachal feeder, power supplied from Azhagumalai sub-station with 11 kv capacity, there would be four hours of three phase power supply and four hours of two phase power supply. Power supply would be disrupted for four hours.

Coimbatore Marathon 2008

Participants at ‘Coimbatore Marathon 2008’ organised by Rotary Club of Coimbatore Texcity and Central Reserve Police Force in the city on Saturday. The Coimbatore Marathon 2008-Run for CRPF Jawans organised by Rotary Club of Coimbatore Texcity, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Ambika Cotton Mills Limited witnessed an overwhelming response from the people of Coimbatore and those from neighbouring districts and states.

Convener of the event Rotarian K.A. Kuriachan, said that registrations alone were close to 22,000 and there was additional last minute entries numbering more than 4,000. At one stage, the organisers had to turn back close to 2,000 participants expressing their inability to accommodate them. Of the total participants more than 16,000 were from colleges and 6,000 students were from Avanashilingam Group of Educational Institutions alone.

The objective of the marathon was to generate awareness about CRPF, the peace keepers of the nation, and also to stress the need to keep oneself fit. The marathon route for women and children was 8.8 km from Nehru Stadium to Nehru Stadium via LIC Junction, Avanashi Road (participants in the veterans and men’s category went through a 11.2 km route going via Lakshmi Mills Junction, Puliakulam, Pankaja Mill Road, Ramanathapuram Signal to join the other participants at Valankulam bypass road), Circuit House Road, Valankulam bypass road, Sessions Court roundabout, DSP office, Avanashi Road flyover, Dr.Nanjappa Road, Park Gate.

The organisers had positioned nine ambulances at vantage points to provide medical help to participants. Two girls who developed uneasiness were provided medical help en route by CRPF doctors. The organisers had also established 12 points for providing water and glucose to the participants. The spirit of participants was on display with even aged persons seen taking part with enthusiasm. Some of the students ran barefoot.

Men’s category had cash prizes of Rs 15,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively while women’s and children’s category had Rs 10,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 3,000 as cash prizes besides a silver medal. The City police had deployed adequate number of personnel en route for handling diverted traffic in addition to 220 CRPF and Rapid Action Force personnel who manned road inter-junctions. CRPF men on 30 motorcycles escorted the marathon participants. CRPF also had a live band accompanying the participants.

The band also performed during flagging off and prize distribution valedictory ceremony. The participants were provided with gift hampers ranging from sweets, shirts and saris. Even as the police tried to ensure smooth flow of traffic through diversions, between 7.00 a.m. and 8.00 a.m., as the marathon passed through Avanashi Road, Pankaja Mill Road, Tiruchi Road, school students and those working at manufacturing establishments and mills suffered because of road-blocks.

Autorickshaws, vans with school children and office goers were seen stranded at many places and though the police managed to keep one side of the road open, it only ensured a staggered flow of traffic. At the valedictory for prize distribution, national integration dance by students stole the show. CRPF personnel also performed a demonstration on unarmed combat, mob control and martial arts. Among the dignitaries who took part in the marathon, flagging off and valedictory included, Mayor, R. Venkatachalam, Collector, V. Palanikumar, Karunya University Vice-Chancellor, Paul P. Appasamy, Dr.Saroja Prabhakaran, President of the Tamil Nadu Athletic Association President and Former DGP Walter Davaram, Commissioner of Police, K.C. Mahali, Vice-Chancellor of Avanashilingam University, Shanmuganathan, IG-CRPF, Southern Sector, P. Mallanna Goud, Chairman of Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan, B.K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, Head Sales, Reliance Communications, Sainath Rajagopal and others.

Coimbatore Short News 29.08.2008

Detained Under Goondas Act :

The City Police Commissioner, K.C. Mahali, has ordered the detention of R. Manikandan (22) of Papanaickenpalayam under Goondas Act for one year. It is learnt that Manikandan was involved in waylaying and robbing H. Asankuthoos of Sowripalayam Main Road at Papanaickenpalayam bus stop on August 14, relieving the victim of Rs. 300 cash at knife point and had intimidated the public also. Mr. Mahali and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic), K. Thondiraj constituted special teams, led by Inspector T.K.K. Senthilkumar, to nab the accused .Senthilkumar, who was found to be a habitual offender, was involved in various cases of two-wheeler lifting. Hence, the decision to detain him under the Goondas Act.

Workshop :

Dr. G.R. Damodaran College of Science will organise a workshop on open source software on Molecular Modelling and Docking Analysis on September 8 and 9. For registration, contact: B. Thiagarajan (9944944356) or mail to bioinform@rediffmail.com or bioinfo@grd.edu.in. or, contact R. Subhashini, organising secretary (9788177701). The last date for registration is September 1. For details, log on to: http://www.grd.org/grdcs /presskit/pdf/78.pdf

Road Blockade :

Residents of Kakkan Nagar in Vellalore were removed by the police when they staged a road blockade on Thursday in protest against the move to open a Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation-run liquor shop in the area. Similarly, residents of No. 10 Muthur near Kinathukkadavu staged a road blockade against the functioning of a TASMAC-run liquor shop.

Prisoner Died :

Nagarajan (52) of Paramathivelu in Namakkal district, a life convict in a murder case lodged at the Coimbatore Central Prison, died at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital on Thursday. It is learnt that the prisoner lodged at Coimbatore Central Prison was admitted to the hospital and was under treatment for quite some time due to suspected cancer.

Great Coimbatorien

S. Raja Sabapathy, Director and Head of the Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Microsurgery and Burns of Ganga Hospital, Coimbatore, has been elected National President of International Trauma Care Indian Chapter during the recently held national conference in Kochi.International Trauma Care is operated in over 40 countries.

Special Train

In order to clear the extra rush on the Chennai – Coimbatore – Chennai sector, special train would be operated during the months of August and September 2008. The train would be operated from the Chennai end on August 29, September 5, 12, 19 and 26 on the return direction on August 30, September 6,13,20 and 27. The special train would leave Chennai Central at 22.20 hours and would have stoppages at Arakkonam, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Salem, Erode, Tirupur, Coimbatore North and reach Coimbatore at 08.15 hours the next day. In the return direction, the train would leave Coimbatore at 21.45 hours and would have stoppages at Tirupur, Erode, Salem Junction, Jolarpettai, Katpadi, Arakkonam, Perambur and reach Chennai Central at 08.15 hours the next day.

Aqua Regia Science Quiz

The preliminary rounds of T.I.M.E Aqua Regia Science Quiz began in Coimbatore on August 26. It will be on till the first week of October. Open for students from Classes VIII to X of Coimbatore, Tirupur, Pollachi, Udumalpet and the Nilgiris, the preliminaries consist of a written test for 20 minutes. Top 10 teams will be selected for the next audio-visual round.

Top six teams from that round will be called for the on-stage city finals to be held at the Corporation Kalaiarangam here on October 15. Prizes for the city finals include a cash award of Rs.25,000. All finalists will be given merit certificates. The winners will represent regional finals in Chennai on October 23. The national finals will be held in Hyderabad. T.I.M.E will make arrangement for transportation, boarding and lodging facilities for the teams selected to Chennai and Hyderabad. For details, contact: 0422-4369639 / 9790684545.

Tense Moments Prevailed At CMCH

House surgeons and medical students staging a flash strike at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital on Thursday protesting against alleged intimidations and threats by those accompanying the patients. Tense moments prevailed at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) on Thursday when house surgeons and medical students resorted to a protest condemning the criminal intimidations being unleashed by people accompanying patients.

They alleged that three patients with injuries from Uppukadai area who came with their relatives to the hospital on Wednesday night resorted to abusive languages and criminal intimidation. The revenue, police and CMCH authorities held talks with the agitators. Following assurances that steps would be taken to ensure their safety, the medicos and house surgeons withdrew their strike around noon. Meanwhile, Race Course Police have registered cases against 30 persons for the incident that took place on Wednesday night.

All India Painting Competition

Vijay Informations, a fine art academy, Hyderabad, will organise the 14th all-India painting competition for school students.The first prize winners will be awarded gold medals and all participants will be given merit certificates. The competition will be held in three categories- sub-juniors (Classes I to V), juniors (Classes VI to VIII) and seniors (Classes IX to XII). The entry fee for the contest is Rs.50. Each participant can send up to five paintings for the competition.

They can choose their own theme and medium (water colour/pencil/crayon/poster colour). Details such as name, age, gender, class, title of the painting, and address of school or home should be furnished.

Students from Classes I to XII should send in their paintings to K.Sunder Kumar, Secretary, Vijay Informations, fine Art Academy, H.No.21-106/5, Syndicate bank Colony, Sharada Nagar, P and T Colony (GAD), Hyderabad 500-060. Phone: 040-24143074. The last date for receipt of entries is October 11. Demand draft should be drawn in favour of K.Sunder Kumar, payable in Hyderabad.

English Textbook With Mistakes Replaced

The copies of the textbook “Communication Skills in English”, prescribed for second year undergraduate students of Bharathiar University, that were withdrawn by the publisher were replaced with those published by the university.This followed a directive from Vice-Chancellor G. Thiruvasagam after an inquiry was held when the book published by a reputed publishing house was found to have many errors. The Vice-Chancellor had instructed the publishing house to print a new book based on the material prepared by an ad-hoc committee that consisted of faculty members of the university. Accordingly, the book was printed free of cost and is now ready in bookstalls.

Nearly 10,000 copies of the book have arrived in Coimbatore. The Vice-Chancellor, as announced earlier, has requested students to get the new book by giving the old book in the shop they had purchased it. “They can exchange the old for the new and also get Rs. 3 from the shopkeeper as the new one costs Rs. 75 as against the earlier one that cost Rs. 78,” R. Palanivel, the chairperson of the ad-hoc committee, told .In the meantime, the committee had also uploaded the first two units of the book on the university’s website for the benefit of the students, as the subject was part of the curriculum.

“This is an eye-opener to the university. More care should go into providing study material for students. I am grateful to the faculty and students who brought the errors to my notice,” Mr. Thiruvasagam said.

5,000 Students Brushing Together

Over 5,000 students brushing together at an event for Limca Book of Records sponsored by Pepsodent-Hindustan Unilever at CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex in Coimbatore on Thursday.On Thursday at the stroke of 12 noon, more than 5,000 students gathered at one place and brushed their teeth to propagate awareness on the need to brush teeth properly.Sponsors for the event were Pepsodent, dental care products manufacturers and Hindustan Unilever Limited.

The students gathered there in the morning to paint the longest stretch of 7.5 km to enter the Limca Book of Records organised by Elite Circle, said K. Pradeep Kumar, Founder & president.Priya Nair, Head of Oral Care of Hindustan Unilever, told news persons that people never took brushing seriously. The objective was to teach the children the right strokes of brushing and the duration for which one should brush. One should definitely brush their teeth for at least two minutes. Hindustan Unilever was planning to reach out to more than 200 schools in Tamil Nadu to promote this dental care campaign.

The event was already held in 10 towns. The objective behind targeting the schoolchildren was to inculcate the habit of brushing twice a day at an early age. Ms.Priya Nair quoted a research that stated that the incidence of dental disease in Tamil Nadu was among the highest in India. The study was carried out amongst 600 children each in the age group of 5-12 years in Chennai. The research revealed that approximately 80 per cent of children examined were affected by dental caries which was a cause for worry, hence the decision to carry out this campaign.

Strike Called Off

Highways Minister M.P. Saminathan; Labour Minister T.M. Anbarasan; Rural Industries Minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy; and Backward Classes and Handloom and Textiles Minister K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran with representatives of the job-working powerloom units and textile manufacturers in Coimbatore on Thursday. The job-working powerloom unit owners in Coimbatore district who had gone on an indefinite strike from August 16 demanding an increase in wages called it off on Thursday after an agreement with the textile manufacturers.

The district has two lakh powerlooms that employ an equal number of workers. Minister for Textiles and Handlooms K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran told reporters that both the sides agreed to an increase of 32 per cent in weaving charges for one variety (Somanur) and 27 per cent for the other varieties produced by these units. The accord would be implemented from September 15 (former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai’s birth anniversary). “The Collector will issue orders and ensure implementation.”

The powerloom unit owners announced that they would resume working from Friday. The previous wage agreement was clinched in 2005, and it offered an increase of 23 per cent and 19 per cent respectively. The owners sought an increase of 100 per cent this year, as the production costs had gone up. Minister for Rural Industries and Animal Husbandry Pongalur N. Palanisamy and Collector V. Palanikumar held several rounds of talks with both the sides, but in vain. Under the directions of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, Mr. Ramachandran, Mr. Palanisamy, Minister for Labour T.M. Anbarasan and Minister for Highways M.P. Saminathan again had talks with the manufacturers and the owners here on Thursday.

Mr. Ramachandran said solutions would also be found to the demands of the workers of the powerloom units. The open-end spinning mills at Vellakovil had announced an indefinite strike from August 25, seeking a ban on waste cotton export. They also called off the strike on Thursday after an assurance that the State government would take it up with the Centre.

Retaining Wall @ Canal Near Karuparayan Temple

The canal near Karuparayan Temple on the city’s western border along which a retaining wall is to be built. The Coimbatore Corporation has begun works to construct a 100-ft-long and 30-ft-high retaining wall along a canal near the Karuparayan Temple on the city’s western border. The canal brings rainwater from Kanuvai, Vadavalli and some areas near Marudamalai to the Muthannankulam off Thadagam Road in the city.

But, slums have come up along the canal and a large amount of sewage is discharged into it.While the Corporation says it has made efforts to have the slums removed, it is now concentrating on building the wall in order to prevent any tragedy and abuse of the canal. Silt and debris are being removed from the canal to enable flow of rainwater.

As the slums remain, there is the risk of children falling into the canal, Mayor R. Venkatachalam points out. People are dumping debris into the canal. When a lot of debris is dumped, people level it and slums come up at these areas, he says. The Corporation removed silt from the canal to enable smooth flow of rainwater. But, unauthorised dumping of debris has choked the canal again. “The problem of soil erosion has also been brought to our attention. The wall will help in preventing this also,” he says. “We plan to build a wall only on one side now at Rs. 25 lakh. The one on the other side will be built in the next phase.”

The Mayor says the civic body is planning retaining walls in other areas of the city where residential colonies face the threat of flooding from canals during monsoon. “We have sanctioned Rs.25 lakh for a retaining wall along the Sanganur Canal at Sowripalayam. A wall built at another spot along the canal has prevented the flooding of areas near Udayampalayam Road,” he says.These areas (near the erstwhile Iyer Hospital) had remained inundated for close to 20 days following a breach in the canal during heavy rain in November-December 2006. A similar effort is to be taken up at Rs.10 lakh to prevent flooding at the underpass near the Somasundara Mill.

All In One Roof @ BU

Bharathiar University Vice-Chancellor G. Thiruvasagam getting a feel of a video camera.All essential services for the students of Bharathiar University are now available on the campus.This is to prevent students from making frequent trips to the city for their essential requirements, according to Vice-Chancellor G. Thiruvasagam.In addition to the already existing hair saloon for men, stationery and general shop, photocopying and binding facility, refreshment stall, the students can use the bank, post office, women’s care centre and travel desk, that were inaugurated on the university premises here on Thursday. The travel desk that would enable students and staff to arrange travel by road, rail or by air was inaugurated by K. Hemalatha, Director, Coimbatore Airport.

“Out of the 1,800 students, more than 1,400 are staying in the hostel. When they have to go home during holidays they have to wait in queues in the bus stand or railway stations. This will enable them to go home without much inconvenience,” said the Vice-Chancellor. The services would be offered free to begin with.

A university branch of the Bank of India was the next to be inaugurated. The bank would provide core banking facilities and also ATM facility. Fee payment could be made online. A post office was also inaugurated by R. Kannan, Conservator of Forests.A women’s care centre, where women students and staff could play indoor games, do yoga and meditation, was also opened. A video-audio studio exclusively to be used by the university and its affiliated colleges was next to be inaugurated. The centre would not only record speeches and lectures, but also produce study material in the form of DVDs, CDs or cassettes. The material would also be made available to other colleges via Internet or the EDUSAT.

The highlight of the day was the visit to the birthday garden. This was christened to enable those celebrating their birthday to plant a sapling in that garden. Three people who shared their birthday on Thursday planted three saplings. “Each sapling will carry the name of the person planting it. There will be dedicated gardeners to nurture these saplings.

Those who wish to plant saplings have to register their names one day prior at the office of the Public Relations Officer of the university,” Mr. Thiruvasagam said.To take the idea forward, Mr. Kannan suggested that the NSS and NCC volunteers of the university could take up some aforestation activities in the nearby reserve forest area. The Vice-Chancellor is confident that providing all services under a single roof would put Bharathiar University on the international map.

Eye Donation Fortnight

Aravind Eye Hospital here is observing an Eye Donation Fortnight till September 8. It will spread awareness on donating eyes and the procedure involved in the removal of corneas from dead persons who had pledged their eyes. A rally by students was taken out on Thursday to stress eye donation. Medical Officer, Cornea and Refractive Services, at the hospital K.S. Siddharthan says the programmes during the fortnight included announcements through All India Radio and a live question and answer session on eye donation. An awareness talk on Eye Diseases and the Importance of Eye Donation has been organised for September 1. Seminars for college students and one for the general public on September 5 at the hospital are the other programmes.Dr. Siddharthan says the fortnight is observed every year to motivate people to donate eyes. It was introduced in 1986 by late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who pledged his eyes.

But, 22 years hence there is not much increase in the number of eye donations. “In our country, we have an estimated 4.6 million people with corneal blindness. Ninety per cent of them are below the age of 45. Of these people, 60 per cent are below the age of 12. And, 20,000 new cases are added to this figure ever year,” the medical officer says. As against an annual requirement of five lakh to 10 lakh corneas, the current procurement rate is 22,000. Thus the demand for corneal tissue is far greater than its supply. Surgeons are handicapped since adequate number of donor eyes is not available for corneal transplantation. Till date, no other artificial substitute has been made available which can be used for corneal grafting.

The United States has a legislation that enables the removal of corneas from dead persons if they had not registered any objection to donation while they were alive. Introduced in 1975, The Presumed Consent Law says that in these cases consent for donation is presumed and the eyes can be removed. This had led to an increase in the availability of corneas. A similar legislation can change the scenario in India.Another legislation needed is the “required request law” wherein it becomes mandatory for all health care staff institutions coming into contact with bereaved families to make a request for eye donation.

Eye donors could be of any age group, sex or religion. People who use spectacles, or having cataract, or who have undergone eye surgery, diabetics, patients with high blood pressure, asthma, poor eye sight due to glaucoma or retinal disease and those without communicable diseases can also donate eyes. Persons with AIDS, Hepatitis B and C, rabies, septicaemia, acute leukaemia (blood cancer), tetanus, cholera, and infectious diseases such as meningitis, encephalitis and death due to an unknown cause cannot donate eyes.

TQM Workshop

The Confederation of Indian Industry, Coimbatore Zone, will organise here a workshop on “Achieving Excellence Through TQM” on August 30. A release from the confederation said this was tailored to provide a hands-on approach in understanding and using problem identification, problem solving and problem prevention tools for the implementation and maintenance of a TQM culture. W.S. Satchidanandam, president of Sundaram Industries, will be chief faculty for the programme. A presentation on “Kaizen Eye” from Roots Industries and a case study from Rane Madras would also be made. For registration, contact telephones: 0422-4351613, 2248410, 2249488.

Coimbatore Is The Highest Fund Allocation Distric

Coimbatore district has the highest fund allocation for the welfare of minority communities when compared to the other districts in Tamil Nadu, said chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Commission for Minorities, Vincent Chinnadurai here on Tuesday. The Commission held a sitting with representatives of minority communities and those running education institutions. He gave away cheques under the micro credit, individual loans and education loans to beneficiaries. The chairman said that Coimbatore district had reaped more benefits under various welfare schemes for minority communities. During the current year, Rs. 2.20 crore was set aside for various schemes in Coimbatore. Grievances of minority communities would be taken up with the authorities.

Training Prog Between CRPF And AJK Collage

A training programme between the AJK College of Arts and Science and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was inaugurated by P. Mallana Goud, Inspector-General of Police, Southern Sector-CRPF, Hyderabad, recently at a function held on the college campus in Navakkarai.He emphasised the need for CRPF personnel to be more technical savvy.

Ajeet Kumar Lal Mohan, Secretary and Managing Trustee of the College announced 50 per cent scholarship to children of CRPF personnel. The training would be offered in area of computer skills, library management, kitchen hygiene, house keeping and food service methods by the college. CRPF would be training students and faculties in disaster management and handling situations during various emergencies. The initial programme would be for four weeks.

GATE Exam Aug 31

Gateforum will organise an All India Free Mock Test for the aspirants of Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) on August 31 in 30 cities.The test in Coimbatore will be held at SNR Sons College at 9.30 a.m. According to a release from Gateforum, the test will help students evaluate their performance by comparing themselves with others throughout the country.

The results of the test in terms of All India Rank and Percentile Score will be available in the website http://www.gateforum.com/.Gateforum will give 100 per cent scholarships to the national-level top three rankers for the Gateforum Test Series. There will be other scholarships too.For details, contact 93437-39939 or 080-32513337 or visit the website.

Low Cost Solution To Control Air Pollution

The National Productivity Council (NPC) has come out with a low cost solution to control air pollution in cupola foundries. A demonstration of the technology and presentation of its details was arranged here recently by the engineering industrial associations.

President of the Coimbatore Industrial Infrastructure Association (COINDIA) G. Rajendran told that foundries had to spend over Rs. 2 lakh each now to install air pollution control equipment. This was expensive for the small-scale foundries and hence the Coimbatore Tiny and Small Foundry Owners’ Association had initiated a study by the council.

The COINDIA had supported the initiative by providing Rs. 3 lakh for the study. The council studied the problem in the foundries here for the last two years and had developed a technology that would cost just Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 60,000 for a foundry. The technology was approved by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and would benefit about 500 small and tiny foundries here, he said. The COINDIA would now provide the design concept to the foundries interested in installing the technology.

National Level Essay-writing Competition

The Youth Wing for Disability Services will organise a national level essay-writing competition for college students. The objective of the competition is to create awareness on disability, a release from the forum said. The topic is “How will I involve myself in services for persons with disabilities?” The first prize is Rs. 5,000, two second prizes of Rs. 3,000 each and two third prizes of Rs.2,000 each.Consolation prizes of Rs.1,000 each would be given to two people.

The Youth Wing for Disability Services is a network of college students who volunteer to help people with disabilities. The Dr.G.R.D College of Science acts as the nodal agency in coordinating the youth forum. The forum is involved in several activities to create awareness about disability.

It organises student seminars, essay-writing competitions, and oratorical contests. It works with the community, organises youth rallies too to garner support for the cause of disability, and conducts awareness programmes in schools. It conduct industrial visits to identify jobs for persons with disabilities. The essays should be sent to the convenor, Youth Wong for Disability Services, GRD School of Social Work, Dr. G.R. Damodaran College of Science, Coimbatore 641-014, on or before September 30. The essays should be signed by the Head of the Institution. For details, call 9486127393, 9894847487, and 9894874461.

Siemens Training Centre Inaugurated

J.K. Verma, vice-president, Automation and Drives, Business Development and Sales, SIEMENS Limited, Mumbai, speaking at the inauguration of the Centre of Excellence for Automation and Drives at Karunya University in Coimbatore on Monday. Chancellor Paul Dhinakaran (extreme right) is in the picture. A Centre of Excellence for Automation and Drives, a SIEMENS authorised training centre for the Southern region, was inaugurated at Karunya University here on Monday. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the university and SIEMENS in April 2008 to provide customer training and to be an interface between the industry and institution.

Inaugurating the centre, J.K. Verma, vice-president – Automation and Drives, Business Development and Sales, SIEMENS Limited, Mumbai, said: “This is the first training centre to be set up in the South. It will cater to the training needs of our customers in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka, who use our drives and automation products. It will address the training needs of the students.” He said this was the first time the company was having a tie-up with an education institution. After the training centre at Kalwa, Mumbai, this was the first of its kind to be set up in this region. It cost Rs. 50 lakh. “The centre has plans to extend its training to customers using the switchgear products of SIEMENS,” Mr. Verma added.

“In addition to the customers, third and final year students from the electrical, electronics, mechanical and civil engineering disciplines will get hands-on training at the centre from the company experts,” S. Suresh Kumar, the centre in-charge, Karunya University, said. Chancellor Paul Dhinakaran said the tie-up would result in grooming leaders with technical expertise and social commitment at the national and international level. Vice-Chancellor Paul P. Appasamy and Registrar Anne Mary Fernandez spoke.

Seminar On “ERP-From Concept to Conquer”

C.N. Ashok, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Coimbatore Zone, speaking at a seminar in Coimbatore on Wednesday. Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Coimbatore Zone, C.N. Ashok has mooted cluster approach among small and medium-scale units here for adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions.

Inaugurating a seminar on “ERP-From Concept to Conquer” organised by the Coimbatore Chapter of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) here on Wednesday, he said this could be similar to the cluster programme implemented by the CII for small and medium-scale manufacturing enterprises on various production practices. The needs of these units should be studied and they should be guided to adopt the solution. Mr. Ashok added that the Central Excise Department planned to bring in mandatory filing of e-returns and have consultants who would help the assessees in this exercise. This was another potential area for the Information Technology sector to tap.

“As a user of ERP solutions I have a fantastic experience,” he said. The possibility of monitoring the cost of goods, the fluctuating raw material prices and taking out balance sheet in the first three or five days of every month had all been possible, he said. Talking about the challenges, Mr. Ashok said with intense competition and shortened product life cycle, the risks were high.Companies had less time to correct their decisions. As companies moved to computerisation, adoption of ERP solutions would help the units, he said.

D. Purushothaman president of the ISACA, Coimbatore Chapter, said the role of information in current business scenario and the knowledge of how best an ERP could be used to obtain the required information was critical.

Kidney Transplanted

P.R. Sathishkumar (second right) with K.G. Hospital Chairman G. Bakthavathsalam (right) and nephrologist R. Balasubramaniam (left) after he underwent twin surgeries at the hospital in Coimbatore. Surgeons at the K.G. Hospital here have created a urinary bladder for a 27-year-old man and also transplanted a kidney for him in a more than five-hour surgery that sought to give him a new lease of life. “The creation of a bladder using a portion of the small intestine is not a new procedure. Neither is kidney transplantation. But, doing both simultaneously is rare,” hospital Chairman G. Bakthavathsalam told on Tuesday.

Life was normal for P.R. Satish Kumar of Salem till he was 14-years-old. A tumour in the spinal cord had affected a nerve that transmitted signals to the urinary bladder. This had resulted in urinary reflux – a problem that pushed the urine back from the bladder to the kidneys. While on the one hand the kidneys got infected because of the reflux, on the other, this had also cause incontinence – an involuntary release of urine. The tumour was removed in 2003, but because of the neurogenic bladder, urine was not emptied fully. The reflux had gradually caused kidney failure that was initially managed with drugs. As it worsened, dialysis had to be done.

Mr. Suresh Kumar, an employee in a private transport company, was referred to K.G. Hospital in December last year. His condition was evaluated by Chief Nephrologist R. Balasubramaniam and Chief Urologist M. Ramalingam. The patient’s 53-year-old father S. Ramachandran donated a kidney. As Dr. Balasubramaniam and his team got the transplantation process going, Dr. Ramalingam and his team cut out a portion of Mr. Suresh Kumar’s small intestine and converted it into a urinary bladder.

As the patient would not have been able to withstand two surgeries, the surgeons decided to do both the procedures in one surgery, Dr. Bakthavathsalam said. “First, the kidney was transplanted and its compatibility with the patient confirmed. Then the new, artificial bladder was created,” Dr. Balasubramaniam said. “We had to handle this case with extreme care. We were wary of the high infection threat because of the patient being put on drugs to suppress his immune system. This is done to enable the body to accept the donor’s kidney.”

Dr. Balasubramaniam said: “We also had to ensure that there was no leak in the intestine, a portion of which was removed, and also in the new bladder”. The point that the surgeons wanted to prove was that there was a solution to the urinary reflux problem and the kidney failure it caused. “There is the possibility of transplanting the kidney and creating the bladder in a single surgery. So, people with a similar problem and searching for a cure should know that there is indeed one,” he said. On the task ahead, Dr. Balasubramaniam said the artificial bladder would be joined with the original and enable normal functioning.

Stalin @ Coimbatore

Local Administration Minister M. K. Stalin handing over revolving fund to a member of a women self-help group at a function organised by the District administration in Coimbatore on Wednesday. Rural Industries Minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy is in the picture. (Right) Mr. Stalin handing over a hearing aid to a girl. Vacancies in the Coimbatore Corporation will be filled and the combined drinking water supply scheme for Kurichi and Kuniamuthur municipalities here will be completed by December this year, Minister for Local Administration M.K. Stalin said here on Wednesday.Reacting to reports in the media on the vacancies, the Minister contended that the situation was not as alarming as it was made out to be.

“We admit that there are vacancies. And, we will also take efforts to fill these,” he said at a function organised to give away assistance to self-help groups and launch development projects.After the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam came to power in 2006, it first lifted the ban on recruitment that had caused many vacancies in various departments. After that, it took efforts to fill the vacancies. As for Coimbatore Corporation, 791 vacancies had been filled. Totally, 1,114 persons had been appointed to the civic body over the last two-and-a-half years. Another 500 posts would be filled and the Government was committed to filling all vacancies in every department across the State.

Refuting reports of slow of pace the water scheme implementation, Mr. Stalin said it would be commissioned in December. The Anna Marumalarchi scheme, initially implemented for rural areas, was now extended to municipalities also. Valparai, a Grade III municipality in Coimbatore District had been sanctioned with Rs.75 lakh this year for development works.Earlier, Minister for Rural Industries and Animal Husbandry Pongalur N. Palanisamy said the pace of implementing infrastructure development schemes under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission had slackened.

He also called for steps to have the schedule of rates for construction increased, as contractors found the present ones non-viable. This affected development works, he said.Specifically, Mr. Palanisamy asked for special rates for Coimbatore stating that the cost of labour and materials was higher here. If the Local Administration Minister took this matter up with the Public Works Department and got the rates increased, all-out efforts would be made here to ensure that the works were completed soon.

Legislator from Tirupur C. Govindasamy asked for three more months’ time for the people of some unapproved layouts in the newly-formed Corporation to have their house sites regularised.They could not do it within the specified period owing to lack of funds, he explained.Minister for Khadi K. Ramachandran was present at the function. District Collector V. Palanikumar, Coimbatore Mayor R. Venkatachalam, Tirupur Mayor K. Selvaraj, Valparai MLA Kovai Thangam were among those who spoke.

Power Cut Timing Changes

The changes in timings of power supply interruption by way of load shedding in respect of areas pertaining to Coimbatore Electricity Distribution Circle / Metro, with effect from September 1 are as follows:

Group A: (6 a.m. to 8 a.m. in October and December, and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in September and November):
Patel Road, Power House back side, part of Ramnagar and Brooke Bond Road, Cross-Cut Road, Gokhale Street, Gandhipuram, 100 Feet Road, Radhakrishnan Road, Kongu Hospital backside, Easwaran Koil Street, Kottai Medu, Big Bazaar Street, part of Oppanakara Street, NH Road, Raja Street, Vincent Road, Goods Shed Road, Railway station, Variety Hall Road, R.G. Street, Ismail Street, CMC Colony, Tamil Murasu, Nava India Road, Dental College (part), Ramakrishna Dental Hospital Road, Ramakrishna auditorium, K.R. Puram, Avarampalayam, Serayampalayam, Chinthamani Pudur, Pappampatty Pirivu, Trichy Road, Irugur, Ghandhi Nagar, Bhagatsingh Nagar, Ranganathapuram (part), Karanampettai, Kamaraj Road, Masakalipalayam (part), P.G. Palayam, Kadampaddy, Paruvai.

Group B: (8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in October and December, and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in September and November):
Poomarket, Central Theatre, Chinthamani, Mericar, Babana Complex, D.B. Road, R.S. Puram (part), Kattoor, Ramnagar, The Hindu, Grey Tower, VOC Park, Uppilipalayam, Police Quarters, Dhandumariamman Kovil, Dr. Nanjappa Road (part), Circuit house, Military campus, Avanashi Road, Puliakulam Main Road, Appusamy Layout, B7 Police Station Road, Tata Telecom (part), Peelamedu Pudur (part), Jaganatha Colony, Government Hospital, Classic Towers, Trichy Road (GH to Sungam), part of Race Course to Surya Hospital, Rajeha Enclave, T-Stanes, Thomas Park Housing Unit Area, areas South of Trichy Road from GH to Sungam, CTC Depot, Bannariamman Sugars, LIC, GRD College, Medical College, CODISSIA Hall, Nehru Nagar (part), Ondipudur, Nesavalar Colony, Kavery Nagar, Irugur (part), SIHS Colony (part), Pattanam, Pattanam Pudur, MG Pudur, Kaliapuram.

Group C: (10 a.m. to 12 noon in October and December, and 12 noon to 2 p.m. in September and November):
North Coimbatore to Mettupalayam Road, Saibaba Kovil, Telephone Exchange, Murugan Mill adjoining areas, TVS, Alagesan Road, Pattunool Sandhu, Stanes Mill, NH Road, Marakadai, VH Road (part), Theppakulam Street, GM Nagar, Corporation sewage farm areas, fish market, South Ukkadam, Palakkad Main Road up to Electric Crematorium, Lorry Pettai, MM Market, Karumbukkadai areas, Bharath Nagar, Saramedu Road, Azad Nagar, Vallal Nagar, Pollachi Main Road from Athupalam up to Podanur Pirivu, Peelamedu Pudur, Perumal Kovil, PSG Estate, Sowripalayam Housing Unit, Nehru Street, Anna Nagar, Balasubramania Nagar, Kalluri Nagar, Ramalakshmi Nagar, Netha Layout, Arumugam Layout, Bharathi Colony, Gopal Nagar, Perumal Kovil, VOC Colony, Ellai Thottam, Akilandeswari Nagar, Ellai Thottam Salai, Kalapatty, Valiampalayam, PLS Nagar, Singanallur (part), Vellalore, Kamarajar Road, Irugur (part), SIHS Colony (part), Kannampalayam (part), Chinthamanipudur, Selvaraja Puram, Bharathi Puram, NT Nagar, Pallapalayam, Sulur (part), Sengathurai, Kadampaddy, Kangayampalayam, Aero Nagar.

Group D: (12 noon to 2 p.m. in October and December, and 10 a.m. to 12 noon in September and November):
Ramakrishna Hospital area, VG Rao Nagar, Avarampalayam, Ganapathy bus-stand area, Sivanandha Colony, Gandhi Nagar, K.R. Puram, Viswanathapuram, Lakshmipuram, T.K. Market area entire, part of Raja Street (from Witco Jem to Therr Mutti), Vysial Street, Ayyasamy Kovil Street, part of RG Street, parts of Big Bazaar Street, Slaughter House areas, Ukkadam fish market, STV Nagar, Bharathi Colony (part), Surya Garden, Avarampalayam Road (East), Kurani Colony, Shobha Nagar, Elango Nagar, Ganapathy Industrial Estate, Murugan Nagar, Thaneerpandal, Ganapathy Maanagar, VOC Nagar, Gandhimaa Nagar, Avarampalayam Road (West), Ambal Nagar, Bharathi Nagar part, R.K. Puram, Police Quarters, Housing Unit, Athipalayam Pirivu, Nehru Nagar, Ramanuja Nagar, Avanashi Road (part), Civil Aerodrome area, Hope College park, Chinniampalayam, Gold Wins, Thottipalayam Pirivu, Thirumagal Nagar, Trichy Road.

Group E: (2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in October and December, and 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in September and November):
Saibaba Colony (part), SBI Colony, Alagesan Road, Jeeva Nagar, R.S. Puram (part), Ramalingam Colony, K.K. Pudur (part), Papanaickenpalayam, Paramasivam Layout, Kuppusamy Naidu Hospital, Mani School, Palayaur, GKD, GKS Nagar, Kempatty Colony areas, Sundakkamuthur, Bye Pass Road, Ashok Nagar areas, parts of Selvapuram, Chetty Street, IUDP Colony, parts of Sullivan Street, Perur Main Road up to Selvapuram, Adwaith Mill, Sreepathy Nagar, Kondu Nagar, Nethaji Nagar, Balaji Nagar, Nanjundapuram Road, Ammankulam, Periyar Nagar, Pankaja Mills, Hindusthan College Road, Meena Estate, Udaiyampalayam, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Sowripalayam, Chinnapathai, Chinna Sowripalayam, Peiya Sowripalayam, Velmurugan Street, Krishna Colony, Balasubramaniam Nagar, Karuparayan Kovil Street, Sowripalayam Road, Thirumagal Nagar, Ranganayaki Nagar, PSG Hospital, Deivanayaki Nagar, N.K. Palayam (part), Nanda Nagar (part), Trichy Road (part), Singanallur (part), Cheramanagar (part), Vilankurichy (part), Kalapatty (part), Chinniampalayam, Venkatapuram, Kulathur, Kannampalayam (part), SKK Nagar, Ranganathapuram.

Group F: (4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in October and December, and 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. in September and November):
Bharathiar Road, Balasundaram Road, RTO Office, Corporation Office, Race Course (part – near Anna Statue), Lakshmi Mills, Siddhapudhur, Alamu Nagar, Balaji Nagar, Sungam (part), areas lying South East of Ukkadam – Sungam Bye Pass Road, Pari Nagar, Sivaram Nagar, Sriram Nagar, Rukmani Nagar, Park Town, Trichy Road from Sungam to Ramanathapuram EB Office, Karunanidhi Nagar, AIR, AVP, Bishop Ambrose College, Puliakulam, Dhamu Nagar, Pankaja Mill Road, Trichy Road, Nanjundapuram Road, Ayyappan Kovil Street, Avanashi Road, Puliakulam Main Road, Krishnasamy Nagar, Indian Express, Nava India Road (part), Kallimadai, Krishna Colony, Kannapiran Mill Road, Vasantha Nagar, Hindusthan College Road (part), Lakshmi Nagar, Vilankurichi, Maheswari Nagar, Thaneerpandal Industrial Estate, Vilankurichi Road, CODISSIA Road, Peelamedu Industrial Estate, NK Palayam (part), Mylampatty, AG Pudur, Neelampur (part), Irugur (part), Kamachipuram, Peedampally, Nagamanaickenpalayam, Sulur.

Buyer Seller Meet @ Spain

The Apparel Export Promotion Council will organise a buyer-seller meeting in Spain, on October 16 and 17 in Barcelona and in Madrid on October 20 and 21.Registration would be on first-come-first-served basis, last date for registration was August 29 and participation charges Rs.1.65 lakh.For details, contact: C. Eswara Sundar, In-Charge, AEPC, No 3, Third Street, Indira Nagar, Tirupur – 641603.Telephone: 0421-2232634, 2232631. Fax: 0421-2249630. email: aepc27tir@dataone.in or log on to http://www.aepcindia.com/

Powerloom Workers Staging Protest

Powerloom unit workers staging a protest in Mangalam on Tuesday. About 200 workers in powerloom units in Mangalam and Palladam staged a demonstration at Mangalam on Tuesday.
The protest was organised by CITU, INTUC, AITUC and ATP against the textile manufacturers in the district. A release from the unions said that about two lakh workers were employed in the powerloom units in the district and they were working for 12 hours a day. The wage agreement, arrived at by the textile manufacturers and job working powerloom units three years ago, expired this year.

Hence, the job working powerloom units were demanding 100 per cent increase in wages from the manufacturers now. These units should increase the wages for their labourers by 50 per cent from the current levels, according to the unions. Though talks were conducted by the Minister for Rural Industries and Animal Husbandry, District Collector and Labour Department officials, the textile manufacturers were not coming forward to increase the wages for the job working units contending that there was a slow down in market and hence goods had piled up with them.

The job working units were on strike, thus directly affecting the workers, the unions said. A release from the Vellakovil Openend Spinning Mills Association said its member units were on indefinite strike since August 25 demanding ban on waste cotton exports. According to the association members, the low count yarn made from waste cotton was not getting good price in the market. The units were hit by increase in cotton prices and frequent power cuts. Further, with the powerloom units in Coimbatore District on strike, the yarn from the mills did not have a good market.

Shortage Of Staff @ Corp

At a time when it aims to implement major infrastructure development schemes and increase its revenue, the Coimbatore Corporation’s efforts for these are hit by shortage of staff. Official sources in the civic body say there are a number of vacancies in wings that handle revenue collection, sanitation and development.

An official points out that the Zoo Director – who specialises in veterinary sciences – is the City Health Officer in-charge. This is because the posts of both the City Health Officer and the Assistant City Health Officer are vacant.The posts of Assistant Commissioners for South and East zones and that of the Personnel Department are also vacant. Four posts of Accounts Officer, Accounts Officer (Water Supply) and two of Assistant Revenue Officers are yet to be filled.

As many as 65 posts of tax collectors are vacant and this hampers tax collection. Of the sanctioned posts of 14 special revenue inspectors, there is only one inspector and he is to retire next month. There is only one meter reader (for water charges) as against the 36 posts sanctioned.The Corporation needs one tax collector for each of the 72 wards and one meter reader for two wards. Both tax collectors and meter readers are vital for the Corporation for revenue collection.Shortage of hands has always made the Corporation fall short of the target set for both Property Tax and drinking water charges collection.

There are only five of six Junior Assistants, as against the 27 posts sanctioned. As many as 40 persons have retired recently and this adds to the problems. As of now, posts are mostly filled only on compassionate grounds. The sources also said Coimbatore Corporation has only 24 sanitary inspectors and this strength is not enough to handle sanitation in 72 wards.Inadequate staff strength has hit the services that the Corporation should provide to the people. Most of the available strength is used for the ongoing tax revision and electoral rolls verification.

Coimbatore Short News 28.08.2008

Case Registered :

The Thudiyalur police have registered case against 40 Hindu Front activists in connection with the hurling of soda bottles at cine director Seeman on Sunday night. Irked over the alleged remarks by the director on Hindu mythology, the activists involved in such act causing commotion at a public function. The police registered case for unlawful assembly, causing grievous hurt, attempt to murder and criminal intimidation against the activists.Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party and Hindu Front activists thronged the Thudiyalur Police Station seeking registration of case against Mr. Seeman for making remarks hurting the religious sentiments.

Buses 2 Court :

Two buses were attached and brought to the District Sessions court complex on Friday following the failure of the State Transport Corporation and State Express Transport Corporation to settle the motor vehicle accident claims to the family members of the victims. The total number of buses attached so far had risen to five.

Escape Man Held :

The police personnel on security duty at a convict ward in Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) on Monday foiled an attempt to escape by Murugan (30), an undertrial.Murugan was arrested by the police recently in connection with the rape and murder of a girl and her mother at a poultry unit in Anaimalai, near Pollachi, recently.

He was admitted to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for a DNA test. On Monday afternoon, the undertrial tried to gave slip from the hospital room. The police personnel nabbed him within a few minutes.

Man held :

The Race Course Police Inspector, Senthilkumar, and his team on Monday arrested a 60-year-old Mohideen Pitchai of Dindigul on charges of re-using used court fee stamps. Following a complaint from Stamp Vendor Association, the police found Mohideen Pitchai resorting to collection of used court fee stamps, cleaning them and selling it once again. A total number of 15,300 used court fee stamps valued at Rs. 41,400 were recovered from him.

Fire in poultry unit :

A head load worker was killed when a fire broke out in a poultry feed unit at Varadarajapuram in Udumalpet on Monday. The fire broke out in the afternoon spread to a nearby fuel tank fuelling the flames further. Fire and Rescue Services personnel fought for nearly four hours to put out the fire.

Girls rescued :

The Police on Monday rescued Ramya (6) and Monica (4) of Thittakudi when they were found roaming around the Railway Station. After inquiries, steps were taken to inform the parents and the children were lodged at an orphanage.

Futura Started

The Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, will organise ‘Futura,’ a national-level students’ technical symposium and project design contest, from August 28 to August 31. The programme is conducted every year by the engineering, technology, applied sciences, management studies and science and humanities departments of the institution.

The events include technical paper presentations. The contest has already received more than 1,000 papers from various parts of the country. Cash prizes of Rs.1,000, Rs.600 and Rs.400 will be awarded for the first, second and third places. The over-all champions will be awarded the “Best School Trophy.” Contact For details, call 04295-221289 / mobile: 9994227916.

Bharat Jyoti Award To Professor

The India International Friendship Society will confer the “Bharat Jyoti Award” on G. Radhamani, professor and Director of the School of Computer Science of Dr. G.R. Damodaran College of Science.The society gives awards to “a few of the extraordinary men and women who have specialised in various fields like science and technology, education, industry, fine arts, politics and social work, in lieu of the yeomen services rendered with excellence in their respective fields”.

Ms. Radhamani has worked for the Malaysia Venture Capital Management Bhd, and has been a reviewer for IEEE Wireless Communications Magazine and Multimedia Cyberscape Journal. She has published two books, namely, Web Services Security and e-Business, and WiMAX – A Wireless Technology Revolution. She will be given the award at the conference on “Economic Growth and National Integration” that will be conducted on September 30 in New Delhi.