Zero Waste Management Initiative at Coimbatore Airport

Coimbatore International Airport, Coimbatore Corporation and Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC) have initiated zero waste management at the airport premises, from Monday.

“About 900 kilograms of garbage is generated at the airport here daily. More than 85 per cent of it comes from 25 domestic and two international flights that land here every day. The rest is the waste produced by eateries, etc at the airport,” says Airport Director G. Prakash Reddy.

The waste is in huge volumes and comprises mostly of plastic bottles, cartons and carry bags, besides food waste. It is all dumped in an open yard close to the cargo section. Corporation trucks collect the garbage from there once a day in the morning or afternoon.

As it is just once a day, the garbage is accessible to stray animals, vermin and birds that scatter the litter across the nearby areas. This attracts the bigger birds posing a danger of bird hits.

“We realised that stopping the food chain would put an end to entry of stray animals to the airport,” adds the airport director.

The initiative was inaugurated by the Corporation Commissioner K. Vijayakarthikeyan on Monday. Now, the airlines will collect the wastes from the aircraft and deposit it into a kiosk near the terminal building. Persons deployed by RAAC will collect the garbage twice a day from the kiosk and take it to a segregation unit that has been lying unused for eight months since it was established. 

There, the waste will be segregated into degradable, non-degradable, recyclable and non-recyclable wastes.“They will segregate it from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and again from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and sell the recyclable materials to recycling units. Degradable and non-recyclable wastes will be collected by the corporation. It will put an end to the garbage menace without any expense to the airport,” says Terminal Manager Vanaja Sole.

According to Mr. Prakash Reddy the Airport Authority of India (AAI) is also planning to establish a biogas plant at the airport later this year after studying the volume of degradable wastes generated at the airport.

[Source]

Coimbatore Corp bags National Award for Solar Power Usage

Coimbatore Corporation has won a Central Government award for tapping solar power to use in its establishments, the civic body was the only one in Tamil Nadu and one among the few in the country to win the award – a prize of Rs. 10 lakh and a shield Government of India - Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Resources will give the award soon in New Delhi, as told by the Corporation Commissioner K. Vijayakarthikeyan told monday.

The Corporation has installed solar power plants at its main office in Town Hall in 2014-15, and at other places in 2015-16. Five zonal offices, a few schools and maternity centres. 

The installed capacity of solar panels in the five zonal offices was 37.5 kw, six maternity centres was 45 kw, the main office was 50 kw, 15 schools was 112.5 kw and other establishments was another 12 kw,  the civic body met most of its requirements.

Consequent to the award, the Corporation has asked the Central Government for Rs. 2 crore to install more solar panels. 

[Source]

500 Cr Fund to Cbe To Strengthen The Power Sub-transmission

Under the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme initiated by the central government along with the state, Rs 500 crore will be spent in ten towns in Coimbatore region to strengthen and upgrade the power sub-transmission and distribution system.Chief engineer of TANGEDCO, Coimbatore region, A Thangavel said, "The basic objectives of reducing Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses, commercial viability, reducing outages and interruption and increasing consumer satisfaction will be met under the project."

The selected towns include Udumalpet, Coimbatore urban conglomeration, Palladam, Ooty, Cuddalore, Coonoor, Mettupalayam, Pollachi, Valparai and Dharapuram.In Coimbatore urban area the work would be carried out at a total cost of Rs 319.39 crore, which would include construction of the new Sahara substation, erection of a new feeder for a 23 kilometre radius, 545km line strengthening, 350km underground cable works and 712 new distribution transformers. In Udumalpet, the work would be carried out at a total estimated cost of Rs 14.49 crore, which would include laying of the line for 10.9km, strengthening of line for 8.8km and sanctioning of 15 new distribution transformers.

In Palladam, work would be carried out at a total cost of Rs11.2 crore. Additional power transformers will be constructed in Palladam substation at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. A new distributor would come up at a cost of Rs 8.1 crore. The Ooty town project will see new feeders for 60km and strengthening of line for 18.9km, totalling Rs14.49 crore. In Cuddalore, a new feeder for 32km at an overall cost of 6.6crore will come up. New feeders for 16.25 km and strengthening of line for an area of 8.2km at an overall estimated cost of Rs 9.8 crore will come up in Coonoor.

Similar projects will also come up in Mettupalayam, Pollachi, Valparai and Dharapuram areas.
Programme modernization, extension of life, revamping old thermal and hydel plants, strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution networks (below 33 kV or 66 kV), including energy accounting and metering in the distribution circles, will be undertaken as part of the project works. These measures will help reduce power loss during transmission and distribution, which currently varies between 15 and 20 per cent, depending on the area. "The target to curtail the loss has been fixed at 3% per year. The objective is to reduce loss from 20 to 8 percent in the next few years. These measures would help save approximately 200 MW of power," said Thangavel. If the project fails, the funds will be considered as loans, which has to be repaid along with penalty, he added.

A 250kv substation at a total cost of Rs 45 crore is coming up in Coimbatore. The works would be completed soon, said Thangavel. Another 20 MW micro hydel project is likely to come up in Mettupalayam across Bhvani River, which will be sanctioned by the end of June or July, he concluded.

Agricultural trade fair "Agri Intex 2012" started

A five day agricultural trade fair, 'Agri Intex 2012' began on Wednesday at CODISSIA in the city. Firms exhibited agricultural equipment designed to reduce the use of labour in agriculture. Farmers at the exhibition said that due to severe labour shortage, they would consider buying such machines. P Aruchamy, from Udayampalayam who owns 2 acres of land, said that though he cannot afford the machines, the acute labour shortage is forcing him to think about procuring suitable machines.

Officials from firms which develop agricultural infrastructure say that it may take time to convince farmers to buy such machines, but eventually they believed that they would come around. Rajesh Chikkara, assistant manager of 'Class' an agricultural machinery manufacturer, said that these are products which can reduce dependence on labour and increase the efficiency. "We have a machine called the 'Paddy Panther 14', which can eliminate labour to a great extend. Planting an acre of land with paddy will take 3 to 4 labourers a full day. This machine can plant 3 to 4 acres of land in a day," he said.

For many companies, the focus is on attracting the young. S Muralitharan, an official of 'Redlands' another agricultural manufacturer, said that their firm is planning to make an air conditioned cabin for their machines. "This will appeal to youth," he said. Syntek Xtreme Fuel Treatment, a liquid which its manufacturers say will increase fuel efficiency and performance of vehicles. Mohan Murali, an executive of the firm said that if a millilitre is mixed with four litres of fuel, this would increase the mileage by 10 to 15 percent.

The exhibition also included show pieces made from coconut products.

MG Prabhakaran, an official from the coconut board said that they conduct free training programmes for those interested in developing products from coconuts. Ravindran said that art work is in great demand. Though there are many artists who make such products in Kerala and Orissa, not many people in Coimbatore develop such products, he said. "Coimbatore is an ideal city to make such products as it is filled with coconut farms," an official said.

Robbery @ Podanur Railway Station

Passengers at the Podanur railway station witnessed a gory scene early Wednesday morning when a five-member gang robbed a jaggery merchant to the tune of Rs 9.25 lakh, sprinkling chilly powder on his face and attacking him with a sickle before fleeing with his suitcase containing the money. The incident occurred at the ticket counter in full public view.

According to railway police and witnesses at the station, the gang had targeted Zaheer Hussain (46) of Neyakarapathi near Palani at around 6.10 am as soon as he alighted from the Chennai bound West Coast Express. Both Zaheer Hussain and his staff Faizal Rahman (29) were walking towards the station's exit when they were confronted by the gang in front of the ticket counter.

While one gang member sprinkled his face with chilly powder, another attacked him with a sickle. Debilitated and writhing in pain, the culprits were able to easily snatch his suitcase filled with money, escaping the scene by jumping the station wall. Zaheer, who had sustained a deep cut injury on his thigh, collapsed. "The whole incident took place in a matter of seconds. When a few of us who witnessed the crime attempted to help Zaheer, the thieves threatened to attack us," said Faizal. A few other passengers chased the culprits but they managed to escape by scaling the station wall where a car was waiting for them. The station is an isolated area. There were very few passengers and hardly any cops on patrol at the junction, making it easy for the robbers to escape.

Police suspect that the culprits may have known the victim, as they had followed the jaggery merchants to rob them, well aware that they had huge amounts of cash in hand. The money in the suitcase was payment Zaheer had received for supplying jaggery in Thalassery and Kannur, North Kerala. A couple of witnesses told the police that the car they escaped in had a Kerala registration number. Police have started studying the CCTV images recorded to get vital clues.

Zaheer said he travelled between Coimbatore and Kannur at least three times a week. Almost always, he availed the night bus services. This was the first time he travelled by train. Jaggery merchants Mahendrakumar, Madurai Nhanasekharan and Abu Tahir were also with Zaheer and Faizal but the gang only targeted him. All of them were carrying huge amounts of cash.Railway police have handed over the case to Podanur police for effective coordination and investigation. This is the first time that the railway station is witnessing a robbery of this magnitude in broad daylight. Zaheer is presently receiving treatment at a private hospital.

New Vegitable Market @ MTP road

The Coimbatore Corporation will initiate efforts build a new vegetable market in the city, on the lines of Koyambedu in Chennai, said Mayor S.M. Velusamy. Speaking while placing a resolution before the Council at the urgent meeting on Wednesday, he said that the civic body would initiate efforts to bring together the MGR Wholesale Market and the Anna Retail Market, which is next to the Saibaba Colony Police Station, and build a new market with all facilities.

The civic body had been receiving complaints, particularly from the police, saying that the presence of the markets on the Mettupalayam Road was causing traffic problem because of the frequent movement of lorries and other goods carriers.Councillors welcomed the Mayor's announcement with the thumping of desks.Incidentally, the Mayor address at the 2012-13 Budget speech says that since there was insufficient space at the Anna Wholesale Market to accommodate both wholesale and retail vegetable business the Corporation proposed to build a new market at its place in Kavundampalayam.

Sources in the Corporation said that though the announcement had been made the civic body was yet to initiate the process of shift the market. The resolution the Council passed with the regard to the market was for reducing the proposed increase in rent by 25 per cent. The subject tabled reasoned that the vegetable dealers at the market complained that the infrastructure at the market did not warrant such an increase. The Corporation had raised the rent to make it on a par with the rent fixed at private establishments. The other resolutions passed at the urgent Council meeting include extension of contract on temporary basis for street light maintenance, approval of tender for various commercial establishments, acceptance of bids for building bodies for lorries carrying solid waste and fixing deposit and rent for various establishments.

Osteoporosis cause of 83 per cent of all spinal fractures

Osteoporosis, a disorder characterised by decrease in the density of bone and bone mass resulting in fragile and weak bones, is of late proving to be one of the major 'silent killer diseases,' in the country, a specialist said today. According to various studies, osteoporosis-affected population in India would be around 28 million, with 20 per cent of women and 10 to 15 per cent of men aged above 50 becoming osteoporotic, Dr S Rajasekaran, Director, Ganga Hospital and President of Association of Spine Surgeons of India (ASSI) told reporters here. Stating that the osteoporotic fractures occured in the spine, wrist and the hip bones, were largedly under-diagnosed and undere-treated in India, he said the problem was particularly worse in rural and semi-urban areas.

In urban areas, this was widely prevalent due to poor lifestyle pattern of the people and in general, 83 per cent of all spinal fractures were caused by Osteoporosis, which could be treated if the patient reached the surgeon on time with procedures such as Kyphoplasty and vertbroplasty, Rajasekaran said. The most important preventive measures are lifestyle change including quitting cigarette smoking, curtailing excessive alcohol intake, exercising regularly and consuming a balanced diet with adequate calcium and vitamin D. The World Osteroporosis day is being observed today, with the theme 'Don't bend to Osteoporosis,' Rajasekaran added.

Indian navy felicitate shooters !

he Indian Navy on Thursday felicitated ace shooters Omkar Singh and Harpreet Singh, who won gold medals in the recently concluded XIXth Commonwealth Games, in a ceremony held at INS Agrani base station in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore city.

Harpreet Singh, who was in high spirits on the occasion, said that he is now sweating hard to bag more medals for India in the upcoming Asian Games, which is scheduled to take place in China's Guangzhou city from November 12 to 27.

"Now I am focusing on the forthcoming Asian Games. I am preparing well and hoping to win medal also," said Harpreet Singh.

Omkar Singh said that the gold medals won by him at the Delhi Commonwealth Games, have encouraged many people, who are now showing immense interest in sport of shooting.

"Now a lot of guys and the family members and the children and even old people, who are having some power to hold the pistol have become interested in shooting," said Omkar Singh.

Both the gold medallists believe that India still lacks stars in the sport of shooting and the Central Government should therefore build more shooting ranges and provide better infrastructure to support such players

Voters strength goes up by 9%

The number voters in Coimbatore District has gone up by nine per cent following admission of 1,68, 135 applications (Form 6 for inclusion of names in electoral rolls) out of the total of 1,80,730 forms (excluding the other applications such as form 7, 8 and 8 A) submitted during the revision exercise, said Collector P. Umanath on Friday.

Prior to the revision, the electorate strength in the district was 18,81,516 and with the inclusion of nine per cent claims the total electorate strength has increased to 20,49,651. Mr. Umanath released the supplementary final electoral rolls for the 10 Assembly segments in the district. While all the districts in the State released the list on September 15, it was delayed by two days in respect of Coimbatore and Tirupur district owing to technical problems.

The Collector said that electors' database for the Assembly segments in Coimbatore and Tirupur districts remained common. Tirupur was earlier part of the composite Coimbatore district.

The massive transfer of data caused server problems and two days time was sought from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer for resolving the same. As many as 879 applications under Form Number 7 for removal of names were received and 804 of them were admitted.

As many as 6,482 Form 8 were received for amendments in voter rolls such as photograph and address change, the authorities admitted as many as 4,926 forms. Of the 4,140 Form 8 A received for change of address within the constituency 1,036 forms were entertained.

The photo voters' list will be on display for the public at the corporation office and taluk offices and RDO offices in the district from Monday (September 20).

Of the inclusion of names in the rolls, Kavundampalayam and Coimbatore North Assembly constituencies witnessed a highest inclusion of 29,420 and 22,779 voters respectively and Valparai witnessed the lowest inclusion of 8,286.

There had not been any bulk or en-masse submission of applications for inclusion since the Election Commission has warned against such practices and there was no bulk rejection of forms as well, Mr. Umanath said.

The numbers of new voters in the other Assembly segments are as follows: Mettupalayam 14,408, Sulur 16,376, Thondamuthur 19,282, Coimbatore South 13,611, Singanallur 18,256, Kinathukkadavu 16,302, and Pollachi 11,904.

Nuts 'n' Spices plansto enter cbe !

Nuts 'n' Spices, the Chennai-based chain of grocery stores, is planing to launch its first store in Coimbatore post Diwali. This would be the company's first store outside Chennai, where it currently operates 15 stores.

Confirming the development to ImagesFood, Sunil Sanklecha, founder and managing director, Nuts ‘n' Spices, said, “The store will be spread over an area of 1,500 sq ft, with a merchandise mix of 4,000 SKUs.”

The product portfolio of Nuts 'n' Spices – founded in 1999 – includes a range of dry fruits, spices, tea, beverages, mouth fresheners, sugar-free products, imported food products, frozen foods and snacks.

Anna Univ Coimbatore Results for B.Tech/B.Arch May 2010

Much awaited students waiting for results of B.Arch/B.E/B.Tech for the session May-June’2010 from Anna University, Coimbatore, can breathe a sigh of relief as the results have been declared.

The Anna University Coimbatore results 2010 for B.E/B.Tech/B.Arch-May/June'2010 Examinations can be accessed from its official website.[http://www.annauniv.ac.in]

For B.E/B.Tech/B.Arch-May/June'2010 Examinations result visit the following link: [http://results.annauniv.ac.in/result_BEBTech.html] Apart from this, the B.Sc/BCA/M.Sc(5yrs) May/June' 2010 Examination result is also available on the website.

The interview schedule for PhD course is also published on the website. Anna University Coimbatore establihed 2007, is the pioneer technical institute in the state, which believes in excellence education.

உலகத் தமிழ் செம்மொழி மாநாடு - மைய நோக்க பாடல்

Semmozhiyaana Tamizh Mozhiyaam - World Classical Tamil Conference - Theme Song

Lyrics: Kalaingar M.Karunanidhi, CM, TamilNadu

Music: AR.Rahman

Direction: Gowtham Vasudev Menon

Lead Singers:
1. A. R. Rahman
2. T. M. Sounderajan
3. T. L. Maharajan
4. P. Susheela
5. Hariharan
6. Nithyasree Mahadevan
7. Chinna Ponnu
8. Srinivas
9. Blaaze
10. Karthik
11. Naresh Iyer
12. Chinmayi
13. Sweatha Mohan
14. Harini
15. Shruthi Hassan
16. Yuvan Shankar Raja
17. Vijay Yesudas
18. Gunasekaran
19. T. M. Krishnan
20. Aruna Sairam
21. Sowmya
22. G. V. Prakash
23. Raihanah
24. Susheela Raman
25. Kash
26. Bombay Jayashree
27. Nagoor Brothers

உலகத் தமிழ் செம்மொழி மாநாடு - 5 நாள் நிகழ்ச்சி நிரல்

23ம் தேதி - நாள்: 1

காலை :

தொடக்க விழா கோவை மாநாட்டு அரங்கில் 23-ந்தேதி காலை 10.30 மணிக்கு நடக்கிறது. முதல்வர் கருணாநிதி தலைமை தாங்குகிறார். துணை முதல்வர் மு.க. ஸ்டாலின் வரவேற்று பேசுகிறார்.

குடியரசுத் தலைவர் பிரதீபா பட்டீல் மாநாட்டை தொடங்கி வைத்து, “கலைஞர் மு. கருணாநிதி செம்மொழி தமிழ் விருதை” பின்லாந்தைச் சேர்ந்த பேராசிரியர் அஸ்கோ பர்போலாவுக்கு வழங்குகிறார். தமிழக ஆளுநர் பர்னாலா மாநாட்டு சிறப்பு மலரை வெளியிடுகிறார். அமைச்சர் அன்பழகன் தகுதியுரை நிகழ்த்துகிறார்.

பேராசிரியர் ஜார்ஜ் ஹார்ட் (அமெரிக்கா), வா.செ. குழந்தைசாமி, கா. சிவத்தம்பி (இலங்கை) ஆகியோர் வாழ்த்தி பேசுகிறார்கள். தலைமை செயலாளர் ஸ்ரீபதி நன்றி கூறுகிறார்.

மாலை:

பிரமாண்டப் பேரணி
23-ந்தேதி மாலை 4 மணிக்கு உலகத்தமிழ் செம்மொழி மாநாட்டு பேரணி நடைபெறுகிறது. இது கோவை வ.உ.சி. மைதானத்தில் தொடங்கி, அவினாசி சாலை வழியாக சென்று மாநாட்டு வளாகத்தை அடைகிறது.
“இனியவை நாற்பது” என்ற தலைப்பில் இந்த பேரணி நடைபெறுகிறது. இதில் இலக்கியம், கலை, வரலாறு ஆகியவற்றை நினைவூட்டும் அலங்கார வண்டிகள், கலை நிகழ்ச்சிகள் இடம் பெறுகின்றன.

24ம் தேதி - நாள்: 2
காலை:
மாற்றுத் திறனாளிகளின் கலை நிகழ்ச்சி
24-ந்தேதி காலை 10.30 மணிக்கு லாரன்ஸ் குழுவின் மாற்று திறனாளிகள் வழங்கும் கலை நிகழ்ச்சிகள் இடம் பெறுகிறது. பகல் 12 மணிக்கு பொது கண்காட்சியை மத்திய அமைச்சர் மு.க. அழகிரி திறந்து வைக்கிறார். மலேசிய மந்திரி சுப்பிரமணியம் சிறப்பு விருந்தினராக பங்கேற்கிறார்.
புத்தக கண்காட்சியை ஜி.கே. வாசன் திறந்து வைக்கிறார். மாலத்தீவு அமைச்சர் அகமது நசீர் சிறப்பு விருந்தினராக கலந்து கொள்கிறார். இணைய தள கண்காட்சியும் திறக்கப்படுகிறது.

அப்துல் ரகுமான் தலைமையில் கவியரங்கம்
பிற்பகல் 2.30 மணிக்கு “புதியதோர் உலகம் செய்வோம்” என்ற தலைப்பில் கவியரங்கம் நடக்கிறது. கவிஞர் அப்துல் ரகுமான் தலைமை தாங்குகிறார். வ.மு. சேதுராமன், பொன்னடியான், ஆண்டாள் பிரியதர்சினி, வின்சென்ட் சின்னத்துரை, கவிதை பித்தன் உள்பட பலர் பங்கேற்கிறார்கள்.

மாலை 4 மணிக்கு “சமயம் வளர்த்த தமிழ்” என்ற தலைப்பில் கருத்தரங்கம் நடக்கிறது. இதற்கு சுந்தரலிங்க சாமியடிகளார் தலைமை தாங்குகிறார். பேராயர் சின்னப்பா, ஸ்ரீபால், சாரதாநம்பி ஆரூரான், காதர் மொய்தீன் உள்பட பலர் பேசுகிறார்கள். இரவு முதல்-அமைச்சர் கருணாநிதி எழுதிய “போர் வாளும் பூவிதழும் நாட்டிய நிகழ்ச்சியை பத்மா சுப்பிரமணியம் குழுவினர் வழங்குகிறார்கள். நடனம், நாடகம், இசை நிகழ்ச்சிகளும் இடம் பெறுகின்றன.

25ம் தேதி - நாள்: 3

காலை:

கிளம்பிற்று காண் தமிழ்ச் சிங்க கூட்டம்
காலை 10 மணிக்கு “கிளம்பிற்று காண் தமிழ்ச்சிங்க கூட்டம்” என்ற தலைப்பில் கவியரங்கம் நடக்கிறது. கவிஞர் வைரமுத்து தலைமை தாங்குகிறார். ஈரோடு தமிழன்பன், தமிழச்சி தங்கபாண்டியன் உள்பட பலர் கவிதை படைக்கிறார்கள்.

11.30 மணிக்கு “தமிழர் வாழ்வோடு பெரிதும் சார்ந்திருப்பது சங்க இலக்கியமே, இடைக்கால இலக்கியமே, இன்றைய இலக்கியமே என்ற தலைப்பில் பட்டிமன்றம் நடக்கிறது. சோ. சத்தியசீலன் நடுவராக பங்கேற்கிறார். குமரி அனந்தன் உள்பட பலர் பேசுகிறார்கள்.

25ம் தேதி கருணாநிதி தலைமையில் கருத்தரங்கம்
மாலை 4 மணிக்கு “எங்கும் தமிழ் எதிலும் தமிழ்” என்ற தலைப்பில் சிறப்பு கருத்தரங்கம் நடக்கிறது. இதற்கு முதல்வர் கருணாநிதி தலைமை தாங்குகிறார்.

இதில் தங்கபாலு, சீத்தாராம் யெச்சூரி எம்.பி., கி. வீரமணி, டாக்டர் ராமதாஸ், இல. கணேசன், டி. ராஜா எம்.பி., ஆர்.எம். வீரப்பன், திருமாவளவன், ஸ்ரீதர் வாண்டையார், காதர் மொய்தீன், ஜெகன்மூர்த்தி, செல்லமுத்து, தாவூத் மியாகான், திருப்பூர் அல்தாப், சந்தானம் பஷீர் அகமது ஆகியோர் கலந்து கொள்கிறார்கள். இதையடுத்து கலை நிகழ்ச்சிகள் இடம் பெறுகின்றன.

26ம் தேதி - நாள்: 4

காலை

வாலி தலைமையில் கவியரங்கம்
26-ந்தேதி “தமிழுக்கும் அமுதென்று பேர்” என்ற தலைப்பில் கவியரங்கம் நடக்கிறது. இதற்கு கவிஞர் வாலி தலைமை தாங்குகிறார். கவிஞர்கள் மு. மேத்தா, பா. விஜய் உள்பட பலர் பங்கேற்கிறார்கள்.

அடுத்து வா.செ. குழந்தைசாமி தலைமையில் “செம்மொழி தகுதி” என்ற தலைமையில் கருத்தரங்கம் நடக்கிறது. குன்றக்குடி பொன்னம்பல அடிகளார் உள்பட பலர் பேசுகிறார்கள். இதையடுத்து க.ப. அறவாணன் தலைமையில் “கடல் கடந்த தமிழும் தமிழரும்” என்ற தலைப்பில் கருத்தரங்கம் நடக்கிறது.
நடிகை ரோகினியின் நாட்டிய நாடகம்

மாலை 4.30 மணிக்கு சாலமன் பாப்பையா நடுவராக பங்கேற்கும் பட்டிமன்றம் “தமிழ் வளர்க்கும் பெரும் பொறுப்பு வெள்ளித் திரைக்கே, சின்னத்திரைக்கே, அச்சுத்துறைக்கே” என்ற தலைப்பில் நடக்கிறது. இதில் பாரதிராஜா, நடிகர் சந்திரசேகர், லியோனி, எஸ்.வி. சேகர், நக்கீரன் கோபால் உள்பட பலர் பங்கேற்கிறார்கள். இரவு கொடிசியா வளாகத்தில் நடிகை ரோகிணி நடிக்கும் “பாஞ்சாலி சபதம்” நாடகம் நடக்கிறது.

27ம் தேதி - நாள்: 5

நிறைவு
காலை :27-ந்தேதி காலை 10 மணிக்கு “வித்தாக விளங்கும் மொழி” என்ற தலைப்பில் நடைபெறும் கருத்தரங்கத்துக்கு நடிகர் சிவக்குமார் தலைமை தாங்குகிறார். சுப. வீரபாண்டியன், திருச்சி செல்வேந்திரன், ஜெகத்கஸ்பார் உள்பட பலர் பங்கேற்கிறார்கள். இதையடுத்து கலை நிகழ்ச்சிகள் இடம் பெறுகின்றன.

பிரணாப் தலைமையில் நிறைவு விழா

மாலை 4 மணிக்கு மாநாட்டு நிறைவு விழா நடக்கிறது. மத்திய அமைச்சர் பிரணாப் முகர்ஜி தலைமை தாங்குகிறார். ப. சிதம்பரம் முன்னிலை வகிக்கிறார். சிறப்பு தபால் தலையை மத்திய அமைச்சர் ராசா வெளியிடுகிறார்.

முதல்வர் கருணாநிதி, “சிறந்த தமிழ் மென் பொருளை உருவாக் கியதற்கான “கணியன் பூங்குன்றனார்” விருது வழங்கி மாநாட்டு நிறைவுரை ஆற்றுகிறார். முன்னதாக தலைமை செயலாளர் ஸ்ரீபதி வரவேற்கிறார்.

முடிவில் உலகத்தமிழ் செம்மொழி மாநாட்டு தனி அதிகாரி அலாவுதீன் நன்றி கூறுகிறார்.

‘Manage the present industrial scenario well’

Speakers at the Young Leaders Global Conclave 2010 on Saturday said that if India’s past industrial scenario can be considered ‘good’, to make the future ‘beautiful’, the present scenario should be managed well.Speakers Arvind Kaul, Chief Executive of Vestas and Manickam Ramaswami, Chairman of Loyal Textiles made this observation and spoke on ‘What should young leaders do to achieve this’ at the plenary session I held at PSG College of Technology.

Addressing students, Mr. Kaul recalled his student days and said now youngsters are more independent, take decisions on their own and are able to decide the path they want to choose unlike in the past when decisions were made by parents and elders in the family.Calling upon students to have a vision and clarity to achieve their goal, he stressed the importance of team work and the need for sharpening communication and presentation skills. The country needs good leaders to move forward in its growth path.

“Life may not be smooth, but my experience outside India has showed that Indians manage pressures much better than others”.“Indians learn the hard way, but have risen to great heights,” Mr. Kaul said and advised the students to make sure that they understand what job they were looking for, before jumping the gun.Mr. Ramaswami, on the other hand, took the students through the current politico-economic situation.

Asking the students to visualise a truly developed India, free from poverty and hunger, excellent education and infrastructure, he said “to support this, a rapid pace of growth, a transformation in the real sense is necessary.’” He pointed out that to achieve 8-9 per cent growth in GDP, industry and services would have to grow 12 – 13 per cent. “Country needs a sustained growth rate with a good tax regime. It is a delicate balance, but not impossible,” Mr. Ramaswami said, before adding “we have strengths, but the system is highly corrupt.”

Highlighting the strengths, he said “human resource is our greatest strength, followed by a stable government. Mobilisation of resources would therefore not be an issue. The weak point though is our infrastructure and logistics cost,” observed Mr. Ramaswami.

He urged the students to tap the domestic market opportunities both in the manufacturing and services sector. “One should use imagination and change the style of lobbying by being more creative. Don’t ape the West. Instead rediscover the indigenous Indian concepts and come out with compatible solution.”

Consumer body opposes ‘illegal, excess bus fare’

Coimbatore Consumer Cause has “strongly opposed” the strategy of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation in collecting more revenue against the interests of the people, by introducing over 200 semi-low-floor buses.These buses, flagged off recently, collect “exorbitant and illegal excess fare” more than twice that of the ordinary fare, it was pointed out.

In a memorandum to the Chief Minister, the Secretary of CCC, K. Kathirmathiyon said that the Chief Minister had said that despite severe financial constraints to the Transport Department the Government never wanted to increase the bus fare since 2001.It is a fact that the bus fare is lower compared to that in many other States.

It is a policy decision taken by the Government in the interest of the people.But unfortunately TNSTC officials were collecting “excess bus fare” from the people in recent days by adopting different “unethical, illegal and unfair methods”.By mere replacement of existing vehicles, they had started collecting more than double the regular fare.As on date more than 200 buses are already collecting such “illegal fare”.

By merely claiming the buses as ‘Deluxe’, fare collected is close to 250 per cent more.If buses were to be operated as ‘Luxury’, permit for the same has to be obtained from Regional Transport Authority (RTA) for the same.

Replacement

The Regional Transport Officers had said that they had not issued any new permit for the buses and all the buses were only replacement for old vehicles and only ordinary permits were issued for those buses.If the same irregularity had been done by a private operator, the permits would have been cancelled.Unfortunately this unethical practice is being adopted by TNSTC buses and hence officials are not taking any action on the same.

As per the Motor Vehicle Rules the buses have to be operated as per the condition of the permit issued.Many old buses are being regularly replaced with new ones, both by TNSTC and by private operators.But now TNSTC is in the habit of claiming all the new buses as ‘Luxury’ for the sake of collecting excess fare.

In such case, private operators might also start claiming luxury fare since they too have new buses.The people are totally against the action of TNSTC, since their interests are affected.The association had been continuously representing the matter for the last two years.The issue has emerged as widespread agitation because more buses were named as semi low floor and luxury buses.

Coimbatore Consumer Cause had specifically pointed out that the officials were not bothered about the disrepute caused to the Government.The Government could verify the complaint by calling for a white paper from all Regional Transport Officers and District Collectors (Regional Transport Authorities) in respect of the “illegal excess fare” being collected now. Coimbatore Consumer Cause has urged the Chief Minister to intervene and stop this practice.

Coimbatore identified for lean manufacturing programme

Coimbatore is among the 60 clusters identified for the National Programme on Lean Manufacturing for micro, small and medium-scale units.Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Micro and Small and Medium Enterprises (FISME) Anil Bhardwaj told here on Wednesday that the Union Government launched the National Programme in 2009 and issued detailed guidelines about a couple of months ago.

The FISME, which was a member in the steering committee for the programme, in association with the Southern India Engineering Manufacturers’ Association (SIEMA) had recommended that Coimbatore should be among the first 100 clusters for the programme and Coimbatore was among the 60 approved.

Of the approved projects, six were under different stages of implementation.The scheme was designed for mini clusters of 10 to 12 units each.The units should form a special purpose vehicle and identify a consultant to implement the lean manufacturing programme in the cluster for a year.The National Productivity Council was the nodal agency for disbursement of funds to the clusters.

Each cluster would get Rs.10 lakh to Rs. 24 lakh for a year as subsidy and 20 per cent of the project cost would be borne by the units.Mr. Bhardwaj said lean manufacturing was a continuous programme that was accepted globally to reduce cost and improve quality.It was adopted by automobile component manufacturing units and was yet to be implemented widely in industries manufacturing capital goods, engineering products and machinery.

On the need for such practices, he said the Indian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) were exposed to phenomenal competition because of trade agreements the country had and lowering of import duties on a number of products.“We have to be cost-wise competitive and improve quality to take advantage of opportunities in the Indian market,” he said.

Jayakumar Ramdass, president of the SIEMA, said it organised a meeting on Wednesday for its members on the scheme to create awareness on lean manufacturing and about the opportunities available under the programme for the MSMEs here.The association proposed a special purpose vehicle to implement lean manufacturing programme for a group of units here.

Trial run on New Irugur - N.cbe Track !!

To check track stability of the newly-laid second railway line on the Coimbatore North – Pilamedu – Irugur section, a loco trial run was conducted on Wednesday.The single line between Irugur and Coimbatore North had been a major bottleneck leading to increased pathway congestion.As a result, all along the Southern Railway administration was handling some of the important trains on the Kerala – Chennai sector via Podanur and Irugur sections skipping Coimbatore Junction, which had been a major revenue spinner next only to Chennai in the Southern Railway.

The single line bottleneck not only led to trains skipping Coimbatore Junction but also hampered timely operation of trains departing from and arriving at Coimbatore Junction. During peak hours, there had been instances of trains being held up at Junction.Hence, the second line had been a major demand for several years. Initiated about two decades ago, the project is almost nearing completion. While lines had been laid, connecting them at a few places and installation of new manual signal points and linking them to stations are pending.

The authorities hope to complete the same within another 45 to 60 days, so that the second line could become fully operational.Only a couple of days ago, the authorities constructed a local trial run on the Coimbatore Junction – Podanur second line.On Wednesday, the loco trial run was initiated from Coimbatore Junction and it covered a distance of 6.7 km from Coimbatore North to Pilamedu and another 4.8 km from Irugur – Pilamedu. The loco trial run was specifically for the Pilamedu – Irugur section.

The Deputy Chief Engineer, Construction, Rajagopal, Pilamedu Station Inspector Thomas and a couple of other officials supervised the trial run.Authorities plan to complete even the other remaining works so that the entire stretch of the second line from Irugur – Pilamedu – Coimbatore North – Coimbatore Junction and Podanur could be put into use well ahead of the World Classical Tamil Conference in June 2010 thereby ensuring timely operation of trains besides handling more trains without facing pathway congestion.

‘Medical Transcription Outsourcing Capital !

There is more to Coimbatore than just being the ‘Manchester of South India' with its burgeoning textile and engineering industries. This third largest city in Tamil Nadu and home to the Formula 3 circuit has, over the years, emerged as one of the top destinations for the IT-BPO industry.

In fact, according to a recent study by Cyber Media's Global Services and investment advisory firm Tholons, Coimbatore has been ranked in the 17th position in the list of the top 50 Emerging Global Outsourcing cities. Industry associations have been making concerted efforts to turn this industrial hub into another Silicon Valley. The Coimbatore zone of the CII has been, for nearly a decade now, promoting this industrial hub as an ‘ideal IT destination' for engineering process outsourcing (EPO), among others. The region has carved a niche for itself in engineering, auto components and machine tools space.

Industry experts say the locational advantage that the city enjoys, its proximity to Chennai and Bangalore, the huge talent pool and its entrepreneurial culture differentiates Coimbatore from other destinations. A number of companies across the gamut of outsourcing (from EPO to legal and medical transcription) have started their operations to capitalise on the rich pool of talent and resources readily available here.

Statistics reveal that there are over 27 engineering colleges, 70+ arts and science colleges and 18 polytechnics in and around here, making it an ideal recruitment destination as well. Retention of talent pool has been a strong point for most of the players establishing a presence here.

IT major Cognizant, for instance, was one of the first major players to start a development centre here and has since expanded rapidly. Its Vice-President and Head, Vishnu Potty, admits to Coimbatore being a strong sourcing base for its operations across India. Cognizant's Coimbatore centre focuses on financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and retail, media and entertainment.The city is set to emerge as the ‘Medical Transcription Outsourcing Capital of India', say leaders in the medical transcription space.

Players such as CBay Systems and Spheris have expanded their operations here rapidly. CBay, for instance, has its largest facility here in an area of about 20,000 sq.ft. The company has, in the last eight months, opened up two centres, initiated tie-ups with local colleges to rope in students. A few others are exploring opportunities across the landscape as this (medical transcription) industry is predominantly South-based.

Being the chosen hub for MT, the city also has a number of people travelling from smaller towns such as Salem, Erode, Pollachi and Udhagamandalam attracted towards this steadily growing industry.

“The availability of quality manpower, large talent pool of almost 28,000 non-graduate engineers passing out every year from the 260-odd institutions has made Coimbatore an attractive destination for us,” says Suresh Nair, CEO and Managing Director, Spheris.

Industry leaders believe that with requisite training, the prospective candidates could be groomed to become world class medical transcriptionists to cater to the $200-billion healthcare outsourcing business world-wide.

Residential space: Coimbatore spins a growth story

The textile city of Coimbatore is witnessing initial signs of surge in demand for residential space. The pleasant climate and sweet Siruvani water had turned this centrally-located industrial city in Tamil Nadu into a retirement haven. But today the culture is changing and more people are buying homes here as an investment option.

Renowned for its cosmopolitan outlook due to influx of north Indians generations ago, the people in the city were mainly dependent on manufacturing industries. But with the development of infrastructure in IT space and enormous growth in retail, a huge flow of population is expected to come into Coimbatore in the next few years.

“The Tidel Park, which will be ready in 2010, is expected to bring in direct employment for 12,000 people and at least half of them will require residential space,” said Builders’ Association of India (BAI) Coimbatore chapter’s vice-chairman C T Narayanan.

He expects demand for residential space to improve drastically in the coming years. “By January 2011, the industry will be back to its good days,” he said.

Sankar Foundation, MD, Omkar Sankar, too painted a positive picture “The sector is slowly getting better as investor confidence has come back. We are seeing a lot of confirmations unlike a few months ago,” he said, adding that the builders were quoting 10% less on the price front compared to last year.

“The land rates are still high but we are trying to move ahead in business by reducing our profit margin,” said Mr Narayanan. He added that the prices never dropped in Coimbatore on the realty front even during the recessionary phase.

“Coimbatore’s property market is showing signs of recovery with several companies seeking a presence in the city. However, the word of caution is that prices should remain reasonable due to sustained demand and more investments,” said Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj MD Ramesh Nair. He told SundayET that the year 2010 definitely looks better than 2008 and 2009. “Compared to other cities in the tier II and III arena, prices were realistic in Coimbatore and there wasn’t any major downward trend seen during recession,” he added.

Sreevatsa Real Estates MD C S Ramaswamy said, enquiries have increased and conversions are happening now. Even big players in the realty segment like Sahara, which announced projects long back in Coimbatore, have expedited construction activity, he added. Recently, Rakindo too announced the starting of Kovai Hills project in the city. The residential projects are mainly taking place in the outskirts of the city like Saravanampatti, Vadavalli and Mettupalayam Road as the main areas such as Race Course cannot support anymore projects.

“The increasing enquiry in the last three months doesn’t mean that the industry has recovered from recession. The enquiries will have to be converted into sales or occupancy,” Mr Nair cautioned. He, however, credited the city for its adaptability to changing market conditions. “The builders reduced the sizes of apartments and cut down on amenities to make sure apartments are more affordable,” he said.

BAI Coimbatore chapter chairman D R Sekar added, the houses in the Rs 20-40 lakh range are moving well. “It is only the higher budget ones that are seeing sluggish movement,” he added. The enquiries on the commercial front are yet to pick up, added Mr Nair. “Most of the SEZ projects planned in Coimbatore haven’t taken off. But we expect demand for office space to grow in the coming months,” he sai

Industrial estates for smaller units sought

The Coimbatore Tirupur District Micro and Cottage Entrepreneurs’ Association has appealed to the Coimbatore Corporation to relax the punitive action taken on micro and cottage industries based on complaints from residents of a locality against the units.Association president S. Ravikumar has said in a release that recently the Corporation asked a few units to shift operations from a residential area as there were complaints against the establishments.

The Corporation should give time to the units move out as the Government had announced the establishment of industrial estates for micro and cottage enterprises.Most of these complaints were regarding noise pollution.

Machines

A large number of micro and cottage industries here had just one or two machines and were functioning in residential areas. The workers of these units were also residing in nearby areas.Representatives of the association had met the Deputy Chief Minister and Rural Industries Minister and appealed to them to expedite the process of setting up industrial estates for the smaller units.

In the wake of complaints, the officials should form a team with industrial representatives too and study the complaint before initiating action on the units, said M. Loganathan, secretary of the association.