World tamil meet postponed !!

The Tamil Nadu government today decided to postpone the Ninth World Tamil Conference, slated to be held at Coimbatore in January 2010, to June or July next year after some scholars sought time to present papers and plan their travel.

A committee headed by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, which reviewed the progress of the meet, took the decision to enable participation of more Tamil scholars from across the world as they needed time to plan their travel, an official release said.

The conference has already stirred up a political controversy with opposition parties questioning the locus standi of the government in organising such an event as well as its timing.

India has become the hub of biotechnology

The production of high-yielding and disease-resistant crops through biotechnological concepts has boosted India’s agriculture sector. Similarly, in the medical field, advanced biotechnology concepts can provide methods to detect and treat deadly diseases like AIDS, cancer and diabetes, Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) P. Murugesa Boopathi, said here recently.Delivering the graduation address at the Dr. N.G.P. Arts and Science College, he said India had become the hub of biotechnology over the last decade.

Working population

“India today produces millions of world class science, engineering, business and medical graduates, amounting to six million graduates a year. By 2020, 47 per cent of Indians will be between the age group of 15 and 59 years. The working age population of the United States and China is projected to shrink. So, India will have the largest population of workers and consumers,” the Vice-Chancellor said.Besides the contemporary employment opportunities, by 2020 a deficit of around 1.35 lakh technical teachers may be expected. Various universities in the world were now showing interest to enter into the education service sector of India, he said.

Youth power

“You should realise the power of youth. Youth power of India has already been proved. The Information Technology and Information Technology-enabled services that put us on the global map has the average age of 26. You are living in a world without borders. For an elite technocrat there is no boundary whatsoever,” Mr. Boopathi said.

Touching upon the growth of the higher education system, he said new education developments such as medical tourism, telemedicine and rapid emergence of exclusive hospitals created a large number of new and particularly well paid jobs. Referring to school education, he said Tamil Nadu had emerged first in literacy pushing Kerala to the second place. He attributed this to the effective prevention of school dropouts.

He urged the students to realise that they were part of the privileged few who were fortunate enough to enjoy higher education. There was still 35 per cent of the Indian population that remained illiterate and only 15 per cent of students were able to reach high school. He exhorted them to ensure that their own individual advancement was combined with voluntary service to uplift society.

Travel firm fined for negligence

The Coimbatore District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (CDCRF) has fined Rs. Rs. 60,000 Thomas Cook India Limited for deficiency in service causing mental agony to a traveller and his family members. The company has been asked to pay Rs 1,000 too towards cost of litigation.Orders were issued by the Forum president, S.A. Sree Ramulu, and Member K. Rathinam.

European tour

Arunkumar Bhavani and five members of his family in his petition said that he had approached the firm to make travel arrangements for a tour of Europe and furnished the passports for all the six.The passports of two children, Saloni and Anmol, were carrying photographs taken when they were aged five and three.But the passports were valid till 2008. The travel firm stated that it was not a problem and promised to process the applications and arrange for visa.

Mr. Bhavani remitted Rs. 4,29,600 and the remaining was to be paid on May 30, 2007. With hardly five days left for the travel, the firm told the applicant that visa could not be processed for the two children.Mr. Bhavani told the firm that new passports could not be procured in five days time and it was difficult to reschedule the travel programme. The travel firm deducted Rs. 1,59,600 towards processing charges and refunded only the remaining amount. This was contested by the petitioner.

The petitioner contended that he had written to the travel firm stating that as he could not postpone the travel, he had expressed his willingness to travel next year and had asked the travel firm to retain few thousands of rupees as advance money and refund the remaining balance rather than deducting the processing charges and refunding the money to him.For which, there was no response from the travel firm, the petitioner said.

The firm contended that they only process the visa applications and never offer any consultation or help in obtaining the visa.The decision to grant visa or deny was a prerogative of the consulate concerned and stated that there was no deficiency in service on the part of the travel firm.

Concession

As against the normal processing charge of Rs. 55,000 a passenger for cancellation of trips within a short time span before the commencement of the journey, the travel firm said that only Rs, 26,000 was deducted a passenger.The forum concluded that failure to respond to the letter from the petitioner was also a deficiency in service and non-application of mind about the mismatch of the photographs in the passport despite being pointed out by the applicant was again carelessness amounting to deficiency in service.

The forum directed the travel firm to refund Rs. 1,59,000 deducted from the applicant along with 12 per cent interest from the date of filing of the petition – December 18, 2007 – till the date of settlement, Rs. 60,000 towards mental agony caused to the consumer and Rs. 1,000 towards the cost of litigation.

Two months

The settlement has to be effected within two months failing which the petitioner was at liberty to execute the orders under section 25 and 27 of the Consumer Protection Act, the order said.

Earthenware found near irugur at CBE !

A four foot tall earthenware, believed to be 3,000 years old for preserving human body, was discovered while digging foundation for a house here, Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department sources said.

It was taken out from nearly five foot deep dig, as the construction workers heard a big sound while digging the plot yesterday, the sources said.A few human bones were also found inside the pot, they said. It was near irugur in coimbatore.

Weighing 150 kg, the two and half feet wide strong pot (called 'Mudumakkal Thazhi in Tamil) has some decorated portion on its upper part, they said.The pot has been handed over to the department by the owners of the land. Since many such pots were recovered from the area over a period, the department would carry out a study on the area, they said.

6.5 Crore worth drugs siezed in a day !!!

The industrial city of Coimbatore is turning into a major drug trafficking hub in Tamil Nadu as a whopping 6.5 kg of narcotics worth about Rs 6.5 crore in the international market was seized in three separate hauls from 10 persons within 24 hours on Monday.

The sleuths of the Narcotics Intelligence Bureau (NIB) and the City police spread a dragnet for the drug network following a tip-off that a gang had descended on Coimbatore with packets of heroin and brown sugar or smack, which is a drug made from the resins of poppy. Ten drug traffickers who were trying to sell heroin packets with labels stating “100% Afghanistan” have been arrested.
Police said the gang members were from Namakkal and are suspected to have sourced the heroin from drug dealers in Andhra Pradesh. “As the police have tightened the vigil in other parts of Tamil Nadu, the drug dealers are making a desperate attempt to sell the heroin in Coimbatore,” the NIB DSP, K Ramasamy told . On Monday morning, a team of city police personnel lay in wait at the bus stop near the Coimbatore government Medical College Hospital while the NIB sleuths hung around the crowded Gandhipuram bus terminal.

With a bag tucked in their hands, three persons descended on the bus stop near the government hospital around noon and the city police swooped down on them. The trio, Ravi, Buvaneshwar and Vinoth, from Namakkal district were taken into custody and one kilo of heroin was seized from them. During interrogation, they revealed that five more drug traffickers were doing the rounds in the city. They were arrested on Tuesday morning and another one kilo of heroin was seized from them.

A few hours later, the NIB sleuths picked up two persons, Thangaraj (38) and Loganathan (44), who hail from Tiruchengode taluk of Namakkal district and seized about 4.5 kgs of heroin valued at Rs. 4.5 crore in the international market. In suburban Coimbatore, Kavundampalayam and Thudiyalur areas are known ganja dens where drug sellers are said to have a free run.

NREGS implementation gets going good !

From being way behind in implementing the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme that aims to provide livelihood to the poor, Coimbatore District has now bettered the State’s overall performance in implementing the scheme, according to Collector P. Umanath.

The implementation of this scheme had been a problem in Coimbatore because of its economic status being better than that of the other regions in the State. Therefore, only 18 per cent to 20 per cent of the funds were used compared to 70 per cent to 75 per cent in the rest of the State, the Collector told presspersons on Sunday.

For the last one-and-a-half months, the administration had identified areas that were suitable for the beneficiaries, given Coimbatore’s economic status. As a result, Coimbatore’s utilisation of the allocated funds rose from 20 per cent to 80 per cent during this period.

As much as 95 per cent of the works were de-silting of ponds and canals and widening of existing roads or laying of new ones.

Welfare schemes

The Collector said 1.54 lakh colour television sets were distributed from January till this month under the free colour television scheme. This had achieved despite the process having been halted by the Lok Sabha eletions in April-May and the byelections to the Thondamuthur Assembly seat in August.As for the distribution of free gas stoves to the below poverty line families, 11,500 had been given away as against a target of 15,000 till this month.

Ration cards

Dr. Umanath said he would look into complaints of supply of items being stopped for some ration card holders though they had not been informed of the stop supply order of the Government for cards whose holders were not traceable during verification.As per Government instructions, stop supply order had been issued on 1.5 lakh cards and time had been given to the card holders to appeal against the order.The administration received 63,000 appeals, out of which about 10,000 were rejected. When the cards of those who did not respond to the opportunity to appeal were also rejected, some people appealed for more time.

An extension till June 30 this year led to 22,000 appeals being filed. Further extension by a month yielded only 2,000 appeals.Finally, 14,000 of those who appealed and the 60,000 who did not respond at all had their supplies stopped.A list of cardholders, those who appealed for the continuation of supply, those whose appeals were rejected and those who did not appeal at all would be displayed at the respective ration shops.

Health insurance

Dr. Umanath said that so far 39,000 people in the district had registered for coverage under the Kalaignar Health Insurance Scheme for Life –Saving Treatment.

Change in exam venue !

The examination venue for selection of Assistant Elementary Education Officer(AEEO) scheduled for October 4 has been changed.The examination will be held at the Corporation Girls Higher Secondary School, Oppanakkara Street instead of the Government Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore.

The examination venue had been changed due to unavoidable circumstances.

The written examination is for the selection of candidates for the post of AEEOs who had opted for Mathematics subject.

NEPC sets up a SEZ at Palladam !!

Natural Energy Processing Company (NEPC) India Ltd is planning to set up a special economic zone (SEZ) at Palladam near Coimbatore with an investment of around Rs 2,000 crore. The company is also talking to private equity investors to fund the project.

Ravi Prakash Khemka, chairman NEPC India Ltd said that the company is planning to set up solar and Photo Voltaic plant in the SEZ, to which the construction is expected commence from January 2009. Total investment would be around Rs 2,000 crore.

All the approvals from the state and central governments are being obtained. The proposed investment will be funded through debt and equity. “We are talking to a few private equity investors to fund the project,” said Khemka.

While NEPC’s land requirement would be only 25 acre for setting up the facility, the remaining would be given to other non-conventional energy players, added Khemka. Once the project takes shape, the company is expecting Rs 4,000-5,000 crore from investors and would provide employment to 5,000-6,000 people both directly and indirectly. Almost 360 days solar energy is available in the country, he added, considering which the company has embarked into manufacturing Solar Dual Power System, UPS.

Essay Competition

Sri Krishna Arts and Science College will conduct on September 29 a regional-level essay writing competition on issues facing elders. It will be held at the college at 11 a.m. The essay can be written in English or Tamil.

Students from colleges in Coimbatore, Erode, Tirupur and the Nilgiris can participate. For details, contact: Phone numbers: 98427-29127 or 98947-86395.

Coimbatore likely to get Passport Seva Kendra

The passport office here is likely to get a Passport Seva Kendra, manned by a private agency, by 2010. It will receive applications and processing the same. It will ensure speedy processing of applications.The Passport Officer, Coimbatore, B. Balamurugan, said that in the first phase the Kendra would come up in Bangalore. Coimbatore’s request for the same would be taken up in the second phase by 2010.

The Kendra will interact with passport applicants and scan documents required. Staff from the Ministry in the rank of Assistant or Deputy Passport Officers or Superintendents would coordinate the works.The Ministry staff would do Pison checking, indexing, granting, allotment, printing and despatch. Crucial and confidential works would continue to remain with the Ministry staff. The Passport Office here would provice 4,000 sq ft for the Kendra.

Mr. Balamurugan said that in coordination with the National Informatics Centre the Passport Office here would instal the necessary equipment and gadgets for introducing the system of status enquiry through Short Message Service (SMS) on mobile phones. A passport applicant could send in the file number as SMS and know the status.

The Passport Office would soon get ten more staff. The passport office has cleared applications pending till July.Works relating to despatch of passports for applications filed in August and September have begun, he added.

Pricol Top management met CM !

In the wake of a major labour unrest and the murder of a top official, the top management of Pricol met chief minister M Karunanidhi at the secretariat on Monday. The company has been facing labour unrest for the past 2 ½ years that took a turn for the worse when its vice president, human resources (HR) Roy J George was allegedly killed by workers.

“We had a brief interaction and gave the facts of the case. We made a representation to the government requesting them to solve the problem at the earliest,” executive director, Pricol, Vanitha Mohan, said. She, along with Vijay Mohan, Pricol chairman, and some representatives of the CII, met Karunanidhi. Pricol had dismissed 42 employees at its Kuniamuthur unit for indiscipline following which workers assaulted Roy with iron rods at its main unit in Periyanaickanpalayam on September 21. He succumbed to injuries a day later at a private hospital. Top company officials said they were open to government mediation and that they were willing to hold talks with the “real representatives” of unions to resolve the labour tangle.
Denying charges that the management was not willing to negotiate with the workers in the past, Pricol director Vikram Mohan said talks were initiated with office bearers of the AICCTU (All India Central Council of Trade Union) affiliated unions, which commands the support of a majority of the workforce. However, the office bearers were removed from their positions as the “hardcore elements” didn’t believe in negotiations, he said.

Refuting the allegations made by unions,company officials said only 150 permanent workers were dismissed in past three years. Even the latest dismissal at Kuniamuthur was not illegal, they said. “Show cause notices were issued to them for their continuous low productivity. Their explanations were not satisfactory. After complying with all necessary legal formalities and affording full opportunity, they were lawfully dismissed,” Vijay Mohan said. The issue is now pending before the labour court in Coimbatore.

Pointing out that the unions indulged in violence on the premises on three previous occasions, officials contended that the attack on Roy was a “pre-planned” one. The labour unrest began after Pricol, which makes auto instruments, transferred some workers to its Uttarakhand plant.
Two unions affiliated to AICCTU, which according to the management has Marxist-Leninist (ML) leanings, went on a strike demanding recognition and withdrawal of transfer orders for three months in 2007. About 1000 permanent workers including around 150 “hardcore activists” are associated with the union.

The continuing labour strife has hit the company, which has 1500 permanent employees and an equal number of temporary workers in Coimbatore, severely. Capacity utilisation at Coimbatore plants slipped to 33% but its units in north have been operating at more than 70% of their capacities. As a result the company had moved about 20% of its critical production to its Pune, Manesar and Pantnagar units. The plants in Coimbatore contribute about 50% of the company’s Rs 614 crore topline

Wipro caonduct Campus Interview !

Wipro will conduct a campus interview at Karpagam University at Eachanari here on September 29, according to a press release issued by the university.

The interview for the post of Technical Support Officer is open to students of all colleges, the release said. It would begin at 9 a.m. Candidates from all undergraduate streams, B.E, B.Tech and post-graduate diploma courses could attend.

Objective test and two to three rounds of interview would be held.

Registration would be on-the-spot, by mail and over phone (0422-2611082/97891-34388). The first come, first served procedure would be followed.

Textile sector needs to move up value chain

he Indian textile and clothing sector needs to move up the value chain, especially in apparels, to be competitive in the export market, T.C. Venkat Subramanian, Chairman and Managing Director of Export-Import Bank of India, said here recently.Inaugurating a CEO conference organised by the Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA), he said Indian units were losing their competitive edge in low-value apparel.

Most of the textile goods manufactured in the country were commodities–yarn, fabric and unbranded products – and, these were vulnerable to cyclical trends. Probably, the units would be able to improve their competitiveness if they were able to increase production and reduce the prices. “We have to cut costs, be energy efficient and rationalise many things to regain the lost markets,” he suggested. According to studies done by the bank, globally about 12 per cent of export volume was lost with the recession.

The United States and the European Union were major engines of global trade and these two markets should revive for exports to look up.These two markets were also the world’s major consumers of textile and clothing products.Nearly 38 per cent of India’s textile exports were to the U.S. and the European Union.Mr. Subramanian also urged the textile units to look at projects available overseas.He gave away SIMA Tchno Facts awards to 10 companies for their operational efficiency.

S.V. Arumugam, vice-chairman of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry, said the industry faced problems on all fronts – raw material, labour, finance and energy.The captive power project proposed by the SIMA a couple of years ago could be revived depending on the response from the members. The State Government was expected to issue guidelines soon enabling the industries in the State to purchase power from the power exchanges in Mumbai and Delhi.

Eco-tourism initiatives being pursued in ooty

In line with the recommendations of the Forest Commission led by retired IAS officer, P.V. Rajaraman, the State Government is embarking on an ambitious programme to renew the forest cover in the State, said N. Selvaraj, Minister for Forests on Thursday.The Minister, accompanied by the Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore Circle, R. Kannan and District Forest Officer, I. Anwardeen, visited Devayampalayam and Pudhupudur at Periyanaickenpalayam area to review the ongoing scheme Tree Cultivation in Private Lands (TCPL). The project is aimed at increasing the planting of saplings outside the forests to achieve 33 per cent green cover.

Talking to reporters after visiting the project sites, Mr. Selvaraj said that the Rajaraman Commission had submitted its report on September 21, 2009 in which it had quoted the Forest Survey report of 2005 and had pointed out that 12,30,000 hectares of forest in Tamil Nadu stand degraded due to many reasons including felling of trees.Under the first phase of afforestation drive, the Government had planted saplings in 6,50,000 hectares for reviving the degraded forests. A blanket ban had been imposed on cutting of trees inside the forest areas. Even transportation of wooden logs from the State to other States (irrespective of whether the trees were fell inside the forests or outsides the forests) had been banned. Measures were being taken to protect the existing trees and to renew the degraded forests besides enhancing the green cover.

Mr. Selvaraj said that 3,70,000 saplings were being raised at nurseries in Coimbatore for planting them in Coimbatore and the Nilgiris districts and these saplings would be used for planting in lands outside the forests as well. Teak and ‘vembu’ saplings were being given to the farmers for growing trees outside the forests.Later, the Minister visited the eco-tourism works implemented by the Forest Department at Chadivayal, near Kovai Coutrallam.

Mr. Selvaraj said that four rest houses had been constructed for the tourists at an outlay of Rs. 63 lakh and a tree top rest house had been constructed for the nature lovers.In addition, elevated canopy walkway, watch towers, dining place, resting places have been created for the benefit of tourists. This would also help the tribals in their economic emancipation.

Mr. Selvaraj said that such eco-tourism initiatives are being pursued in Udhagamandalam, Mudumalai, Top Slip near Pollachi. With regard to man – animal conflict i.e., straying of wild elephants, the Minister said that besides erecting solar electric fencing even elephant proof trenches were being dug up.Farmers were being sensitised to change their cropping pattern by avoiding crops such as plantain, maize and sugarcane. Consistent efforts were being taken to improve the habitats in terms of water and fodder availability to prevent straying or migration of elephants in search of food and water.

The Government with the help of the Centre had embarked on a programme to acquire patta lands along the fringe areas of the forest to connect the missing link in elephant migratory corridors. At five places, 400 acres had been identified for acquisition to link the migratory corridors and in the first phase the Government had allocated Rs. 2.65 crore for acquisition 62.5 acres. Such measures would mitigate the man-animal conflicts, he said.

Coimbatore - Irugur second line to be ready by January ?

Mr. Ram said that the inspection and review of works on Tuesday were aimed at ensuring timely The ongoing works for doubling the railway line between Coimbatore and Irugur are expected to be over by December. After inspection and clearance by the Commissioner of Rail Safety, it will be thrown open for traffic by January, said Divisional Railway Manager, Salem Division, P.N. Ram here on Tuesday. He told after inspecting the works at Hope College Junction and Peelamedu Railway Station. completion of works relating to re-grading and lifting the existing railway line and reconnecting it besides bringing down the old bridge structure at the Hope College Junction.To enable these works, trains had been re-routed on September 22 for 24 hours skipping Coimbatore Junction via Irugur and Podanur. Works relating to re-modelling of the Peelamedu and Irugur railway yards and the one at Podanur were also on.

The second line was almost ready in the entire stretch of Coimbatore and Irugur as well as between Coimbatore and Podanur and only the lines needed to be connected. These works would be over by December. Opening of these lines was expected to ease pathway congestion and ensure timely operation of trains. Mr. Ram then visited the Coimbatore Junction for reviewing the works.

Mr. Ram said that the works related to passenger amenities were in progress while works relating to improvements to the frontage of the junction would be taken up soon. An elevator would also come up at the junction for platform number 1 with connectivity to platform numbers three and four.On the appeal for new train services, the feasibility of the demands and their potential patronage would be studied and proposals would be sent to headquarters, he added.

Pricol V.P dies after attack ...

Labour unrest at Coimbatore-based auto instruments maker, Pricol, took an ugly turn on Tuesday with the company’s vice-president(human resources) Roy J George succumbing to injuries he sustained after he was allegedly assaulted by a section of agitating workers.

Roy (47) had suffered multiple head injuries after the workers reportedly attacked him with iron rods at the company’s Periyanaickanpalayam unit on Monday. He died at a private hospital on Tuesday. Four staff members were also injured.Pricol had on Saturday dismissed 42 workers at its Kuniamuthur unit for indiscipline. The company said that capacity utilization slipped to 10% as a group of workers were not allowing others to work.

12 workers held for V-P murder

Labour unrest took a bloody turn when a section of agitating workers killing a Coimbatore-based firm’s vice-president (human resources) Roy J George. "Despite constant warnings and a showcause notice, they (workers) didn’t shape up,’’ Pricol executive director Vanitha Mohan said.

Roy, an alumnus of IIM-Calcutta, was spearheading efforts to bring operations back on track by initiating a dialogue with the agitating labourers. "The workers attacked Roy using iron rods and wooden sticks,’’ Coimbatore SP N Kannan said. The police arrested nine workers from the Periyanaickanpalayam unit and three workers of Chinnamadhampalayam unit.

A repeat of Greater Noida case?

In the last week of November 2007, trouble began brewing at the Graziano Transmissioni (India) unit at Greater Noida. What began as a "small dispute" between the management and employees, police said, led to a sit-in over the dismissal of a few labourers. Almost a year later, on September 22, 2008, workers marched into the office of CEO L K Choudhury to demand reinstatement of some workers. Argument turned to violence and within minutes, Choudhury was beaten to death. A Noida court sent 76 employees to jail on murder charges; another 74 were jailed for rioting. The case is pending trial.

Meanwhile, shocked over the death, industry lobby Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Southern Region, strongly condemned the attack on George.In a statement here, C.R. Swaminathan, chairman CII Southern Region, said any labour issue would need to be resolved through consensus only and not through violence.

Concerned with the increasing incidents of labour unrest, Swaminathan urged the Tamil Nadu government to take firm action against those who had taken law in their hands.In his message, C.K. Ranganathan, chairman, CII-Tamil Nadu, appealed to the state government for its intervention in protecting the interests of labour and management.

When contacted by IANS, state Labour Minister T.M. Anbarasan was not available for comment on the increasing labour unrest in the state.

KMCH Gets battery car for patients

Kovai Medical Center and Hospital has acquired a battery-operated car to transport patients from the bus stop to the hospital building. While a trial of the car is on, the hospital plans to buy six more – one for each floor – to help patients cover long distances between their rooms/wards to the various diagnosis wings, chairman of the hospital Nalla G. Palaniswami told recently.Apart from ramps, stairs and elevators, the car would add another dimension for easy movement of patients inside the hospital.

Demonstrating the operation of the three-and-a-half-ft-wide car on 10-ft-wide corridors of the hospital, Dr. Palaniswami said: “Our new blocks under construction will have 600-ft-wide corridors. It will be difficult for elderly patients to cover this distance on foot, if their room was at one end and the diagnostic wing (such as scan room) at the other. So, we feel this battery-operated car, costing Rs.5 lakh, would be of help to them”.The cars would be operated mostly on the ramps to each floor, but it could also be accommodated in an elevator. It would be of immense help to elderly and disabled patients who come by bus to the hospital for a first-time check-up or follow-up.

Usually, these patients sit at the entrance while an accompanying relative have to look for a wheel chair and a hospital attendant to take the persons inside. The attendants also found it difficult to wheel the patients over a stretch of 800 ft from the gate to the hospital building. Pointing at a small pothole, a hospital authority said this would impede smooth transportation of the patient and they could even experience pain or discomfort if the chair was pushed forcefully on unfriendly surface. “This is a free service for all in-patients and out-patients. The size of the building should not render movement difficult for patients,” Dr. Palaniswami said.

Mock drill at Airport !!

A mock drill was conducted at the Coimbatore Airport on Tuesday evening to assess the efficacy, efficiency and response systems at the airport in the event of an aircraft accident.

Airport Director M.R. Vasudeva told that the drill was aimed at assessing the strength and weakness of the response system of various agencies. When an aircraft accident call was raised in the evening, the Airport Fire Station and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) turned up immediately.

Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services, local police personnel, ambulances, doctors and paramedical staff with ambulances along with ambulance from the Emergency Medical Research Institute (EMRI) were immediately alerted. The response and reaction was well within the required reaction time. A debriefing session followed the drill where strengths and weaknesses were discussed.

Much-awaited drainage scheme works take off

The much-awaited works to lay sewage lines for the Rs.377-crore underground drainage scheme took off in the city on Monday after a delay of 10 years.The Corporation also made it clear that the public would have to brace for some inconvenience as roads would have to be dug to lay the lines. But, the best of efforts would be made to reduce the inconvenience.

Rural Industries Minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy launched the works to lay the pipes and construct sewage chambers in the presence of Mayor R. Venkatachalam, Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra, Deputy Mayor N. Karthik and councillors and officials of the civic body.The Commissioner said that the works begun on Monday were for six of the eight zones for which the sewers scheme was being implemented. The cost of these works was estimated at Rs.191 crore.

In the phase just begun, the contractor would lay 510 km of main lines, out of the total 635 km under the scheme. Another 680 km of lines for house connections (from the main lines) would also be laid. This phase would cover 53 out of the total 72 wards in the city.“Out of the total 30 months for the project implementation, two have already elapsed. The aim is to complete the project within the time-frame,” Mr. Mishra said.

“The scheme is important from the point of view of hygiene as people in many areas are connecting their toilet lines to the storm water drains,” he said.

Appeal

The Commissioner requested the public to show some patience during the implementation period.“This is a kind of project that will cause inconvenience, but will provide a permanent solution to the present problems in sewage disposal,” he said.

The Corporation would have a sub-plan to minimise inconvenience to the people. “We will involve residents’ welfare associations, councillors and the contractor in every area covered under the scheme to devise ways to avoid problems. They can decide on which area should be taken up first so that vehicle and pedestrian movement is not affected,” Mr. Mishra said. Discussions would be held with the traffic police also on digging roads without impeding traffic flow.

Top Pricol official injured in an Attack

A top HR official of Pricol Ltd, Periyanaickenpalayam sustained severe head injuries in an attack on Monday by a section of workers over the dismissal of 42 employees of one of its units. Roy J George, vice-president (Human Resources), was very critical and on ventilator after a major brain surgery, inquiries with a private hospital here revealed.

Apart from the police already posted at the factory, the Coimbatore Rural Police deployed huge reinforcements in and around all the units of the company that manufactures automobile components.The company on Monday issued dismissal orders to the employees of its unit at Kuniamuthur in view of the low productivity. The management had already given several warnings and show cause notices.

Irked by the orders, some of the striking employees were said to have attacked Mr. George and three other staff members with iron rods and sticks at the factory’s unit at Periyanaickenplayam.In a complaint lodged with the police, the management alleged that “outsiders” had instigated the workers.

Superintendent of Police N. Kannan said six persons, believed to be part of the group that involved in the attack, were taken into custody. Efforts were on to secure the others. Mr. Kannan said all relevant sections relating to unlawful assembly, causing grievous hurt, attempt to murder and damage to properties would be invoked against the assailants.

Death of goats triggers agitation

Members of the public in the Annur area on Monday evening staged a road blockade following the death in the morning of more than 180 goats that had allegedly consumed stagnant water in a pond, which according to them was polluted by discharge of industrial waste from a nearby private casting unit, also involved in the manufacture of automobile chains.As people stood on the road with the dead goats lying all over, traffic stopped on the Sathyamangalam-Coimbatore Road. Police diverted traffic.

The people continued the agitation for hours demanding action against the industrial unit and also other units. They demanded relief and compensation for the goats that died. According to police, the goats had died at Oraikkalpalayam, Ganeshapuram and Kunnathur in the Annur police limits. Villagers said a number of casting units in the area were polluting water bodies and groundwater resources. They wanted pollution control measures to be initiated before the entire groundwater table got polluted.

Revenue officials, legislators from Mettupalayam and Avanashi, police officers and other officials held talks with the villagers and assured them that action would be initiated against the particular unit and that compliance with pollution control norms would be ensured.N. Kannan, Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore Rural, said doctors would determine the cause of the deaths in post-mortem examinations. Legal action would be initiated.

Police reinforcements were deployed in the area.

Fund raising music programme

Youth Helping Hands (YHH), a social welfare movement to help orphaned children, will conduct a music programme here on to raise funds for these children. There are 48 orphanages in Coimbatore and a lot has been done to help the orphans in the past two years by the organisation started three years ago, according to its Chairman R. Arun. Many youth had joined this organisation in the uplift of these children.At present, YHH and VOYCE (Voice of Youth For Clean Environment) have proposed to organise the music programme. The funds collected will be used to meet the children’s basic needs. Orphanages that were in dire need of funds will be given priority. Prominent singers such as Prasanna, Mukesh, Roshni and Divya will share the stage with orphaned children who are good at singing. The organisation has called upon the public to support this venture. For details, contact Mr. Arun : 93455 59815, 98945 56734.

A walk to stress environment protection

Members of Parampariyam, an organisation that promotes traditional methods of production that do not harm the environment, began here on Monday a walk to Poompuhar in Nagapattinam District to stress concerted efforts to protect the Earth.

Issues such as global warming, pollution of water resources and the impact such as damage to marine ecology, poor rainfall and slump in agricultural production will be highlighted throughout the more than 550 km walk, led by Muthu Murugan of Parampariyam. The Tamil Nadu Natural Resources Protection Movement, Tamil Ilaignar Mandram are among the organisations supporting the walk.

Effluents

Mr. Murugan said in a release that effluents from tanneries, dyeing units and nuclear plants were polluting water resources.In cities with a huge population, sewage was let into small rivers or canals. This led to the pollution of ground water.It was important that people avoided activities that harmed the environment and thereby threatened their very existence.

World Tamil Conference venue yet to be identiified

The district administration has begun efforts to identify a venue for the World Tamil Conference that will be held here from January 21 to 24 next year, Collector P.Umanath told presspersons on Sunday.While the administration was looking for massive sites, either belonging to the government or private organisations, it would also be prepared to look for smaller sites for more venues if various sessions were to be held simultaneously at different locations, the Collector said.

“Details yet to come”

“As of now, we have been told about the conference dates. The other details are yet to come. We will have to examine the sites from various requirements pertaining to the conference, such as accessibility, space to accommodate a large number of people and also facilities such as power and water supply,” Dr.Umanath said.The inspection of sites could be done only after knowing from the government what the requirements were, especially whether all events related to the meeting would be held at one place or at different places.

Once that was known, the administration could have a list of options for the government to choose from.

To involve civil society

While the government would have a State-level co-ordination committee to conduct the meet, there would be one at the district level also to make the arrangements.“We can involve the civil society such as non-governmental organisations and associations promoting Tamil in the arrangements.”“We are also doing a stock taking of the facilities available in and around the city for the participants to stay. The conference venue must be easily accessible from these areas,” Dr.Umanath said.

Asked whether Coimbatore had the infrastructure facilities to handle a huge inflow of delegates from within the country and other parts of the world, the Collector said: “The present Coimbatore has better facilities than what Thanjavur and Madurai had while hosting the earlier conferences.”

Anna University admissions for M.E

Applications for M.E./M.Tech. full-time and part-time course of Anna University-Coimbatore can be submitted online on September 23 and 24 by candidates who have not applied earlier.

The details are available on the website of the university, a press release from its Registrar has said. Online test would be conducted at the university on September 25 at 10 a.m. based on the TANCET syllabus. The counselling would be held at 2 p.m. The details were also available on the website.

Build expo 2009 !

Build Expo 2009, a building exhibition organised by Prompt Publication and Trade Fair, is on at CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex till September 21.E. Udayakumar, organiser of the event, told that the exhibition had about 180 participants, including those from Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. Property promoters, financial institutions and banks had put up stalls at the event displaying their projects.

Pre-engineered steel structures, solar water heaters and lantern, tiles, furniture, construction and designing software, wooden and steel doors and windows, modular furniture and bathroom fittings were some of the exhibits.Apart from domestic customers, the event had products for industrial and commercial buildings too.

Construction projects coming up in nearby towns and cities such as Chennai were displayed. Kitchen accessories, interior products such as paintings, window coverings, pumps, roofing and flooring solutions were exhibited.According to a release from the organiser, builders and land promoters had an opportunity at the fair to meet those interested in investing in land.Apart from consumers, builders, engineers and architects would also benefit from the event. The latest trends and products in the sector were displayed.

This is the 39th event organised by Prompt Publication and Trade Fair. The exhibition would remain open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Explosive substance found in ice-cream container

A ball-shaped ice cream container was found packed with explosive substance used in firecrackers at a house off Avinashi Road in the city on Sunday.

According to a complaint lodged with the Race Course Police, the container was found on the compound wall of the house owned by Shyam, a mill owner.Vignesh (11), son of Muthulakshmi, the maidservant at the house, had gone to the terrace to play.

Noticing a bag on the wall, he handed it over to Shyam’s wife Priya.On seeing that it resembled an explosive, she informed the Race Course Police. Investigation is on.

Interest for jewel loan reduced

Repco Bank has reduced the interest rate for jewel loans by one per cent, bringing it to 12 per cent.

According to a release from the bank, the special rate will be applicable to loans taken till January 31, 2010.

Interest for jewel loan reduced

Repco Bank has reduced the interest rate for jewel loans by one per cent, bringing it to 12 per cent.

According to a release from the bank, the special rate will be applicable to loans taken till January 31, 2010.

Industries urged to make “informed decisions”

Industries should make “informed decisions” while going in for insurance products for different risks, according to representatives of the insurance companies.At a meeting organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry here on “Protecting Business from Physical and Export Risk Exposures”, S.V. Mony, Chairman of Chola MS General Insurance, said that in mature markets, industries discussed the quality of the insurance products and the coverage details rather than just the prices.

He spoke on “Emerging Trends in Insurance Industry”. In general, there was a constructed move against any form of intermediaries. However, brokerage houses had an important role to play in developing such discussions. Industries could also constitute a research group to study product adequacy for various risks, he said.G. Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director of United India Insurance Company Limited, who spoke on the “Paradigm Shift in the Property Insurance Scenario”, said that paradigm shift had to happen in property insurance that covered fire, industrial and engineering policies. The general insurance industry was affected after September last year and had started growing only from July–August 2009. There were positive signs of revival in many sectors.

New product variations were coming and premium rates were hardening in the property insurance segment. Cross-subsidisation was almost not there. However, customer awareness should improve. Industries should make informed decisions. There was a need to understand the risks exposed to properties insured etc. Risk management would become an important factor soon, he said.

Speaking on “Current Economic Downturn Can Insurance Be Leveraged”, S. Narayanan, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of IFFCO Tokio General Insurance, said that industries should look at factors such as the financial strength of the insurance company and ability to deal with claims. May be insurance companies would have to start disclosing the speed at which they settled claims and redressed grievances.

They should move to an era of disclosures and enlightenment so that customers could make informed choices.The industries should look at future capacities and track record of the insurance company when transferring risks, he said.

Arrear exam schedule for BU students

The theory examinations for students pursuing B.E., B. Tech., M.E., B. Sc., M. Sc. Applied Sciences (all branches) and M. Sc. Software Engineering and having arrears will be held in December 2009.

According to a release from Bharathiar University, details are available in the university website www.b-u.ac.in or at the respective engineering colleges. This is the last chance for the candidates with arrears and no further extension will be given.

Effectiveness programm fro HR executives

The KEAS Centre for Learning, the training division of KCS Controls, will conduct a one-day organisational effectiveness programme for human resource executives on September 28.

According to a release, the programme will be on “Role of HR Executives in Facing Challenges of Slow Down and Get Prepared for the Post Recession”. The registration is limited to 20 participants.

Those interested can register at nasser@keascontrol.com or call 0422-4297603 / 4297617.

Productivity need to improved in teaching !

The term ‘productivity’ is usually associated with industry and agriculture. Rarely is it linked with the teaching and learning process. For the growth of all these areas, a nation has to concentrate on the productivity in teaching and learning processes, said R. Vasudevan, former General Manager, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Tiruchi, and former Director, School of Energy, Bharathidasan University.

He was delivering the graduation address at Sri Ramalinga Sowdambigai College of Science and Commerce. He said use of effective new technology teaching aids would increase productivity in teaching. But poor printing of textbooks was a cause for concern. He also said that charts and models took resources and money to prepare them and storage and retrieval of them presented a formidable problem. Later, the entry of Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) projectors was seen. Due to high costs, only a few schools and colleges could afford them. A good substitute was the power point presentation.

He pointed out the various advantages of such presentations from the point of preparing as well as using them. “The use of new technologies like good 3D models can be prepared using AutoCad of Solid Works or ProE or Unigraphics. The drawings and models can be animated using Macromedia Flash, 3D Max and similar animation softwares,” said Mr. Vasudevan.

Virtual laboratories were another aid he recommended. “Virtual laboratories duplicate real laboratories. Virtual laboratories are extremely useful for teaching physics and chemistry experiments. They are absolutely safe and cost almost nothing.”

Mr. Vasudevan said that once a technology was found to work well, it should be made a national standard. Anyone who came out with an alternative or a better method should be encouraged to do so.

Re-routing of trains today

In order to facilitate limited use sub-way work between Kalligudi and Virudhunagar on September 20, certain changes are made in the movement of trains.

Train Number 788 Sengottai-Madurai passenger will be rescheduled to leave Sengottai at 13.45 hours instead of 12 hours on Sunday. Similarly, Train Number 384 Coimbatore – Nagercoil passenger will be rescheduled to leave Coimbatore at 8.30 hours instead of 7.10 hours.

Modernisation of non-metro airports in 2 yrs

Expansion and modernisation work on 35 non-metro airports in the country is on schedule and would be completed in two years,Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said here today.
"Everything is on schedule. Progress is there and we will complete it in two years," he told reporters at the airport here during his brief halt on his return from Tirunallar, famous for the Lord Saneeswaran temple.

The non-metro airports included two in Tamil Nadu- Madurai and Coimbatore, he said.Patel said the economic recession has resulted in a 30 per cent decline in passenger traffic, but in the last one or two months, "it is improving and returning to normal.

Stem cell therapy cures girl of thalassemia

Coimbatore-based Senthil Kumar's eight-year-old daughter Thamirabharuni had been cured of thalassemia - a genetic defect - through cord blood stem cell transplantation. For six-and-a-half years Thamirabharuni suffered from this fatal disease, going through painful blood transfusion and medication until stem cell transplantation using cord blood stem cells gave.

A newborn sibling's umbilical cord blood provides a better chance of HLA matching as there is a 25 per cent chance for a perfect match, and 50 per cent chance for a partial match. Also using a sibling's cord blood for transplant lowers the chances of donor rejection, and is therefore considered as a preferred source for transplantation compared to using stem cells from a non-related source.

Dr. Revathy Raj who examined Thamirabharuni, had recommended her to start on iron reducing medication initially. She had asked Senthil Kumar and his wife to consider another pregnancy and go for umbilical cord blood stem cell banking. With a pre-natal test it was also confirmed that the foetus was not affected with thalassemia. For a year, the extracted cord blood stem cells were preserved under specific conditions. HLA test was done which proved that the tissues of both the children matched and the treatment could proceed. The first step was to destroy all the existing bone marrow cells for which chemotherapy was used. Then the donor's stem cells were injected in the patient body. The procedure requires no surgery, said Dr Raj.

In March 2009, the stem cells transplantation was done by Dr. Revathy Raj at the Apollo Hospital Chennai and it helped Thamirabharuni get rid of thalassemia. The stem cells that were transplanted came from her brother's cord blood and his bone marrow as there was deficient amount of stem cells in Pugazhendhi cord blood.

"We at LifeCell would like to congratulate Senthil Kumar and his family on Thamirabharuni's triumph over thalassemia. This success I am sure will give new hope to thousands of families whose children are unfortunately the victim of this dreadful disease. It feels very fulfilling that LifeCell could make an impact in a child's life… we are very happy to be a part of this success story," said Mayur Abhaya, president and executive director of LifeCell International.

BSNL to Launch 3G service by Oct

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Coimbatore, has announced that the 3G technology in its mobile phone services will be launched by the end of October, Principal General Manager of BSNL, P.T. Mathew said on Friday.

Talking to reporters, Mr. Mathew said that the soft launch of the 3G services will be done first. Mobile subscribers have been already asked to register for availing the services by calling 94875 80000 or by sending an SMS 3G to 53733. Mr. Mathew addressed the media on the plans of the BSNL along with G. Muralidharan, General Manager (Operations), K. Francis Jacob, Deputy General Manager (Planning), R. Pandian, Deputy General Manager (Telecom Revenue), S. Karthikeyan, Deputy General Manager (Finance) and S. Chinnasamy, Deputy General Manger (Administration).

For BSNL mobile subscribers who are facing indoor coverage issue, calls to their mobile phones could be diverted to a chosen landline number, free of cost. The facility is launched with effect from September 18.BSNL was keenly focusing on promoting its broadband services.As of now, broadband services are available on demand in more than 161 exchanges serving 45,000 customers. BSNL also intends to release another 25,000 new broadband connections during this year and tariff plans are available from Rs. 99.

On the mobile front, BSNL at present has 313 GSM Base Transmission Stations (BTS) and it proposes to add 242 new GSM BTS sites during the current year to have carpet coverage throughout Coimbatore and Tirupur. BSNL Coimbatore will be providing 1.5 lakh new mobile connections during this year.

On the performance front, Mr. Mathew said that the trend of landline connections being surrendered has decreased substantially since subscribers feel the necessity for a landline connection for broadband. During the current year alone, 50,000 new Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards have been issued and 25,000 new landline connections have been released.BSNL has plans to open new exchanges for Information Technology Park at Peelamedu and two more exchanges for new gated community residential colonies that are coming up around Coimbatore.

Mr. Mathew also announced the launch of facilities for fault booking by sending SMS to 94422-94423. The customer could type FLT space and the STD code of the area and the faulty phone number. To know the current bill status, they could type BILL space STD code of the area and then the number.Focus is also on promoting the newly introduced Gulf country Call Now cards that offers ISD at Rs. 4 and Rs. 4.25 to destinations in Middle East.

Payment of landline bills could be done through VISA debit cards and subscribers could avail 5 per cent cash back offer.Customers paying their bills online at www.bsnl.co.in or www.tamilnadu.bsnl.co.in are entitled to one per cent discount.Another mode of payment has been introduced wherein payment through Electronic Clearance Scheme (ECS) would fetch one per cent discount besides voluntary deposit scheme (advance payment) wherein the payment would fetch 7 per cent interest.

Sale of CDMA WLL EVDO cards with 2.4 mbps are being promoted and the services are now available at Race Course, Ganapathy, Ram Nagar, Peelamedu, Saravanampatty, Kovaipudur, Kurichi, Thudialur, Periyanaickenpalayam, Cheran Maanagar, Mettuppalayam, Udumalpet. The services would be soon launched at Navavur pirivu, Selvapuram, Sai Baba Colony, Somanur, Navakkarai, Arulpuram, Tirupur main, PP Pudur and Pollachi main.Mr. Mathew said that in rural areas broadband connections under Universal Service Obligation Fund with two plans Rural USOF 99 and Rural USOF 150 without security deposit, installation fee, registration charges and modem charges.

In Coimbatore 23 rural exchanges in the first phase and 30 exchanges in the second phase would get this scheme and tie-up for the same had been entered into with Nova PC and HCLThe man power is also being subjected to training to bring in an attitudinal change, he added. For complaints, aggrieved subscribers could send mails to pg.cbt@bsnl.co.in

Endoscopy used to remove bone piece from man's throat

A bite of a chicken dish turned out to be a nightmarish experience for a 53-year old man as a one-inch long bone piece got stuck in his throat, threatening his life before doctors at a hospital here removed it in a rare procedure.K P Thangavelu underwent an endoscopic procedure and has completely recovered, Dr C Palanivelu of Gem Hospital and Research here told reporters tonight.

The man, who had developed pain while eating chicken a week ago and unable to hear or move his neck, was referred to the hospital. A barium test revealed a bone piece stuck in the throat, resulting in a cavity of pus surrounding the bone and blocking the airway, Palanivelu said.

A team, led by Dr P S Rajan performed endoscopic drainage of pus and the bone piece was removed after a 15-minute surgery under anaesthesia. Any further delay in the procedure would have compressed the airway and the life of the patient would have been in danger, he said.

He claimed this was one of the rare occasions when pus was drained endoscopically without need for open surgery.

Sabari Inn will open by Jan2010

Leading hotel chains, Sabari Inn Pvt Ltd would add 700 more rooms to the existing 300, with new hotels coming at Bangalore,Coimbatore, Pune and Madurai in two years, a top company official said on Friday.

As the company has already acquired land in Bangalore and Coimbatore with 120 to 130 rooms each, construction of the hotel in this city would be completed by January 2010 and that of Bangalore by early 2011, Ramesh Shiva, CEO, Sabari Inn, told reporters here.An amount of Rs 50 crore each would be invested in developing the hotels in both cities, he said.

Similarly, the company has identified land in Pune and Madurai and modalities about the design, construction and also investment were being worked out, he said, plans are to comple construction by early 2012.
Sabari has already opened a 34-room resort in Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu, Ramesh said.Though the global recession has resulted in a 15 per cent drop in the arrival of tourists and customers in hotels it started picking up from the last four months, Ramesh said.

He said the Coimbatore unit would be ready to welcome the delegates of the proposed World Tamil Conference scheduled in January-February next year.Asked why the chain selected Tier II cities for expansion, he said demand for accommodation was more in these cities, where more of industrialisation was taking place and also because they are IT hubs.

Multi-storeyed buildings zones in other cities to be studied

The Coimbatore Corporation will study the system adopted in other cities in the State for declaring multi-storeyed building zones before implementing it in Coimbatore city.This decision was taken at an all-party meeting held at the Corporation on Thursday.Among other proposals, the meeting was convened to also discuss the one for declaring areas along more than 60 roads in the city as MSB zones.

This proposal was placed in the Corporation Council on September 11 for its approval.But, it ran into resistance from a section of the councillors, chiefly those belonging to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and those in the Town Planning Committee.The members wanted to know why the proposal was placed in the Council directly without routing it through the committee.

Allegation

When they alleged attempts to get approval for the proposal without discussions involving elected representatives, Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra explained that it was placed in the Council only to enable all the councillors to take part in the discussion on the proposal.Mr. Mishra also pointed out that this was not the final list and that the suggestions of the councillors could be considered.This was why the proposal was placed in the Council, he said.The Commissioner also said that a survey could be done to identify more places that could be added to the list.The Commissioner of Town Planning in Chennai had in a letter to the Commissioner said that all areas along 60 ft roads could be declared MSB zones.

This decision was taken following a representation from the Coimbatore Property Developers’ Association.The Commissioner of Town Planning had asked the Corporation Commissioner to submit a list of such roads. Accordingly, the Corporation identified 64 roads. These included key roads such as Tiruchi Road, Cross-Cut Road, D.B. Road, 100 Feet Road, Thadagam Road, Perur Road, Sivananda Colony Road, Dr. Nanjappa Road, State Bank Road, V.K.K. Menon Road, Raja Street and Pollachi Road.

Move welcomed

The Residents’ Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC) has welcomed the Government decision to permit multi-storeyed buildings zones.Honorary secretary of RAAC R.R. Balasundaram said that since its inception, RAAC had been requesting the Corporation, Local Planning Authority and the State Government to permit multi-storeyed buildings only along roads that were 40 ft wide and above.

Draft rules

“In this regard, we have prepared a detailed draft building rules and submitted these to the Government. But, till date no steps have been taken on the revised DCR and Master Plan for Coimbatore, which are a need of the hour,” he said.“We welcome this announcement and request the [Corporation] Commissioner not to permit construction on narrow roads. We also request the Government to publish the new DCR and Master Plan for Coimbatore after getting public opinion,” Mr. Balasundaram said.

LPG cylinders seized in city

Officials from the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) wing of the Indian Oil Corporation and Hindusthan Petroleum Corporation seized 25 cylinders in a drive against the misuse of subsidised domestic LPG cylinders for commercial purposes across the city. Special teams were constituted following information about the misuse of subsidised domestic LPG cylinders. The teams led by D. Suresh, deputy manager and Ramya Nair, assistant manager, Indane and V. Subramaniaya, senior sales officer, S. Muralikrishnan, customer service officer of HPC, conducted raids at Nava India, SNR Junction, Avarampalayam, VK Road, Peelamedu Pudur and Singanallur. During the drive, 25 cylinders were seized. IOCL and HPCL officials said that the drive would be intensified.

World Tamil Conference at kovai !

The next World Tamil Conference will be held in Coimbatore in January-February 2010.A decision to this effect was taken on Thursday by the State government at the conference of District Collectors and Police Officers at the Secretariat here.Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who inaugurated the meet of the Collectors and Police Officers, indicated the plan to host the conference.

The Chief Minister urged the police to monitor the coastal areas of the State. It was the duty of the police personnel to ensure that undesirable elements, in the name of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, did not enter the State.

Expressing satisfaction over law and order, the Chief Minister directed the police to prevent entry of sleeping cells of terrorist organisations and hawala transactions.He reminded the police that it was one of their foremost duties to make sure that no custodial death and illegal detention took place. Expressing concern over the increasing rate of road accidents, he wanted police personnel to analyse the causes of accidents and work for road safety.

In view of the delay in giving compensation to victims of road accidents that involved buses of the State-run Transport Corporations and the high cost, the government decided to insure all buses belonging to the Corporations. This would enable quicker disbursal of compensation.

Noting the increase in the number of farmers covered under an insurance scheme in the last three years, the Chief Minister asked the Collectors to take steps to bring more farmers under the scheme. The number of farmers insured went up from one lakh in 2006-2007 to 9.88 lakh in 2008-2009.

Tusks seized at valparai

The Forests Department has seized two elephant tusks from a man near a tea estate at Valparai and apprehended three persons.Conservator of Forests and Field Director of Anamalai Tiger Reserve S. Basavaraju ordered special patrolling following a tip-off that tusks were being smuggled out of the Valparai area.

During patrolling at the Waverly Junction, Forest Ranger M. Lakshmanaswamy, Forester P. Mohammed Ali and Forest Guard A. Abdul Sattar found C. Jayakumar (36) waiting there with a sack.They opened the sack to find two tusks, one measuring 110 cm and another 108 cm.On being questioned, Jayakumar, who was a temporary driver in a tea estate, said that he had got the tusks from two workers of the estate, S. Ramu (30) and S. Nagarajan (40).

The workers said they found the tusks in the forests while on a search for honey.They brought the tusks to the estate and hid these among tea bushes.They asked Jayakumar to sell these in Pollachi. Jayakumar, however, was caught while heading for Pollachi to sell the tusks.

Exhibition on mental health

Vazhikatti Mental Health Foundation will hold in the city on October 10 and 11 an exhibition on various types of mental illnesses and their management.Director of the foundation K. Selvaraj told presspersons on Thursday that the event was being organised to mark the World Mental Health Day. This was to promote awareness on and understanding of mental health, mental disorders and mental health care.

A number of educational materials in Tamil would be displayed at the exhibition to enable the common people to get credible and scientific information on the aspects focussed on by the foundation.A mental health services directory would be released during the exhibition.

Health care service

It would have the addresses of various mental health care service providers in the State.Dr. Selvaraj, a Professor of Psychiatry, said the foundation would hold this exhibition every year on October 10, the World Mental Health Day.Many people with mental health problems continued to be in distress and with poor functions. This affected their family and social and occupational network.The problems increased the family and social burden and affected the productivity of all those closely connected to the patients.

Many persons opt for non-medical methods of cure that only complicated the problems or delayed recovery, Dr. Selvaraj said to stress the importance of knowledge on proper management.

BU results !

The results of the MBA, M.Ed., B.Ed., and post-graduate courses examinations conducted by the School of Distance Education of Bharathiar University held in May this year will be hosted on the university’s website ( www.b-u.ac.in) and Kalvimalar website ( www.kalvimalar.com) at 10 a.m. on Friday (September 18), a press release said.

Kisan Mela at Sugarcane Breeding Institute

Sugarcane growers from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra got a chance of knowing the latest sugarcane varieties, mechanised implements and an exclusive website at the ‘Kisan Mela’ that is on at the Sugarcane Breeding Institute (SBI) from Wednesday.

Sessions

The three-day mela that includes an exhibition, video shows, interactive sessions with sugarcane technologists and scientists, demonstrations and field visits, was inaugurated by C. Swaminathan, Vice-Chancellor, Bharathiar University.

Productivity

Speaking on the occasion, he urged the sugarcane scientists to improve sugarcane productivity per unit area as the land area for sugarcane expansion was limited.

“Sugar shortage should be taken seriously as the demand for sugar is growing with the growing population. Researchers and scientists should make efforts to stabilise production,” the Vice-Chancellor said.

N. Vijayan Nair, Director, SBI, said the institute was developing new varieties and technologies to improve productivity and reduce cost of cultivation.

“Six new varieties released by the institute through the Central Varietals Release Committee with high yield and quality potential are on display at the expo. The new varieties are also resistant to red rot, drought and salinity,” the Director said.

Demonstration

Growers were not only shown the new varieties at the expo, but also given demonstration on planting them at the fields in the institute. Co 2001-13 and Co 2001-15 for South India, and Co 0118, Co 0232, Co 0233 and Co 238 for North India were the new varieties recommended.

“Besides the new varieties, another attraction is the mini tractor to promote mechanised cultivation of sugarcane. The tractor enables cultivation of sugarcane in wider row spacing, weeding, ridging and furrowing operations, D. Puthira Prathap, Senior Scientist, SBI, said.

Farm equipment

The 32-stalls at the expo did not only have information on sugarcane, but also had Government Departments displaying the latest on plantation crops, tubers, etc. Research institutions, fertilizer and pesticide manufacturers, sugar factories, farm equipment manufacturers and other service providers had displayed their wares.

A prototype of the website ‘CaneInfo’ was on display for the visitors for their feedback. Once it was updated with good suggestions from the sugarcane growers, the site would be hosted on the Internet. Multi-lingual interactive sessions and a visit to a micro-irrigation plot were also organised.

Company secretaryship coaching

The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has empanelled Dr. G.R. Damodaran College of Science as a centre for imparting oral coaching facilities to students pursuing company secretaryship course.

According to a release, coaching will be extended under the Public-Private Partnership Scheme of the ICSI, to those preparing for the foundation, executive / professional programme examinations.The coaching centre will provide library facilities and extend intense coaching with the help of qualified faculty.It shall also obtain feedback from students to improve quality in the coaching.

The partnership scheme shall be operative for a year from August 2009, according to a release.

United India Insurance opens service hub ..

United India Insurance Company will open a service hub here by the end of this month, G. Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director of the company, told presspersons here on Wednesday.The hub would be a one-stop shop to the customers. The company also proposed to open about 100 micro offices across the country.

It currently had nearly 300 micro offices, including 50 in Tamil Nadu.It would introduce two new health products by the end of this year and health and motor vehicle insurance were two areas of focus.It launched My TVS tie-up earlier this year and this would be extended across the State soon.

The company was providing insurance cover to the economically backward sections. In Tamil Nadu, it provided cover for the Vazhundhu Kaatuvom scheme.

The company registered a net profit of Rs. 476.05 crore in 2008-2009.