Coimbatoreian in international Nomura cup

With the Indian competitive golf season ready to tee off in October, international competition also hots up as the Indian national amateur team heads to Taiwan for the prestigious Asia-Pacific Amateur Cham-pionship or Nomura Cup. This is an annual four man team tourna-ment and is considered the most prestigious of all international ama-teur tournaments in the region. The Indian team heading to the tournament consists of four young men – 22 year old senior Joseph Chakola of Coimbatore, 20 year old Anirban Lahiri of Hyderabad , 17 year old Chandigarh lad Rahul Bakshi and 14 year old Bangalorean Chikarangappa. This is easily the youngest Indian team ever and their ages are a significant indicator of how the sport has evolved in this country. In 1980 when I first broke onto the men’s team, after the team selection trials for the World Amateur Championship , as a teenager, I was the youngest among the qualifiers by a minimum of 10 years. At that time my inexperience and youth was considered a huge negative ! Today Chikarangappa, the youngster from Eagleton Golf Resort, Ban-galore, is still a week shy of his 14th birthday and is easily the youngest to have ever played for the Indian mens’ national team. He is also likely to be the youngest player in the tournament in Taiwan. The average age of this Indian team is 18 years, down further from the 20 year average of the Indian Asian Games silver medal winning team at Doha in 2006.

This augurs well for the sport in India – as our best players are getting younger. It shows that Indian players are reaching international competitive levels at younger ages than ever before thus emphasizing that golf is no more an old man’s game but one that is increasingly popular among youngsters. This Indian team’s composition also points to another significant break from a long standing trend. Whereas for many years Indian teams used to be dominated by players from North India, the team now features players from Bangalore, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and only one Chandigarh boy making up the team. Three players from South India is unprecedented and is certain to encourage more youngsters to take up the game. Its no wonder that the final coaching camp was held in Bangalore.

Coaching plays a huge part at this age and credit for producing a youngster like Chikarangappa must go to his coach, Vijay Divecha who has done a stellar job in Bangalore getting hordes of youngsters taking up the game. It is only a matter of time before we have the first Indian national champion from South India. The absence of players from the country’s major Delhi clubs in the national team should also jolt coaches and administrators at these elite golf clubs in the capital from their complacency. Just having the best facilities ( by far) does not ensure success in competition. Obviously the intangibles are missing right now in the capital’s international quality golf clubs. Indeed there was a time in the early 90’s when all the top 10 men, juniors and sub juniors hailed form Delhi – particularly the Delhi GC. Where are those talents now? Golf aficionados have asked that after Shiv kapur and Ashok Kumar – the two top Indian pro talents in their mid 20’s ( Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, Gaurav Ghei and Arjun Atwal are all in their mid 30’s) who is next ? The answer seems to be – watch out for Gaganjeet Bhullar of Kapurthala, ( Punjab) who turned pro last season and for the 20 yr old Anirban Lahiri . Indeed Gaganjeet has ended his first full season as a pro ranked in the top 5 on the money list. These two boys are expected to go a long way.

Samayalar Sangham appealed to the Chief Minister

The Culinary Workers Association (Samayalar Sangham) has appealed to the Chief Minister to form a welfare board for those in the cooking and catering professions. The President of the Sangham, Topaz Iyer in a memorandum thanked the Chief Minister for including the cooks and catering industry workers in the unorganised workers category in 1996-97.The South Indian Samayal Thozhilalar Munnetra Sangham of Chennai, Tamil Nadu Samayal Thozhilalar Welfare Association of Tiruchi and the Coimbatore City Samayal Kalaingargal Sangham and the Samayalar Sangham have passed a resolution urging the Government to form a welfare board for them.

Winter special train from Coimbatore

The Southern Railway will run a winter special train on the Chennai–Coimbatore– Chennai sector during the festive season from this October to February 2008 to clear extra rush of passengers in view of Ramzan, Pooja holidays, Deepavali, Christmas and New Year.Train number 0625 will leave Chennai Central at 22.20 hours on all Wednesdays and Fridays to reach Coimbatore at 8.15 hours the next day.In the return direction, train number 0626 would leave Coimbatore at 23.45 hours on all Thursdays and Saturdays to reach Chennai at 9.15 hours the next day.

The first service from Chennai will be on October 3 and the last service will be on February 6, 2008. The first service from Coimbatore will be on October 4 and the last service will be on February 7, 2008.The train will have one AC two-tier coach, two AC three-tier coaches, 10 sleeper class coaches, one first class coach, three general second class coaches and two luggage-cum-brake vans. The train would stop at Arakkonam, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Salem, Erode, Tirupur and train number 0626 would stop at Perambur also.The South Western Railway will run a winter special train on the Hubli-Kochuveli-Hubli sector from this October to January next.

A release from the Southern Railway–Palakkad division said train number 0671 Hubli-Kochuveli special would leave Hubli at 13.45 hours on all Tuesdays to reach Kochuveli at 16.30 hours the next day.In the return direction, train number 0672 Kochuveli–Hubli special would leave Kochuveli at 12.45 hours on all Thursdays to reach Hubli at 13.50 hours the next day.The first service from Hubli would be on October 2 and the last service would be on January 29, 2008.The first service from Kochuveli would be on October 4 and the last service would on January 31, 2008, the release said.The train would have one AC two-tier coach, one AC three-tier coach, six sleeper class coaches and four general second class coaches and two luggage-cum-brake vans.The special train would stop at Tiruvananthapuram, Varkala, Quilon, Kayamkulam, Mavelikara, Chengannur, Tiruvalla, Changanacherry, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Alwaye, Thrissur, Ottappalam, Palakkad, Podanur, Erode, Salem, Dharmapuri, Hosur, Banasawadi, Yeswanthpur, Tumkur, Tiptur, Ariskere, Birur, Devangere, Harihar, Ranibennur and Haveli.

“Mega Blood Donation Awareness Rally”

Lions International District 324 B1 will organise a “Mega Blood Donation Awareness Rally” on Sunday (September 30) in connection with the world blood donation day observed on October 1.The rally is to underline the importance of blood donation. Lions International District will create a database of all the participants and release a blood donors list, which will be circulated to all the blood banks of Coimbatore.

The rally will be flagged off by C.K.Gandhirajan, Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore city, at the Nehru Stadium.A.Selvaraj, Lions District Governor, R.Saroja Prabhakaran, Vice Chancellor, Avinashilingam University, R.Venkatachalam, Mayor, Sainath Rajagopal, Reliance Mobile Sales Head, and G.Thiruvasagam, Vice Chancellor, Bharathiar University, will participate.Reliance Mobile, Suryan FM, The Hindu, ITC-Sunfeast and King Aqua Mineral Water are the sponsors.

New library inaugurated

Pongalur N.Palanisamy, Rural Industries Minister, inaugurating new library buildings for Coimbatore, Erode and the Nilgiris region in Coimbatore on Saturday. Thangam Thennarasu (left), Minister for School Education, is in the picture.Book exhibitions conducted by the Department of Public Libraries along with publishers associations will be extended to rural areas this year, Thangam Thennarasu, Minister for School Education, said here on Saturday.Inaugurating a conference organised by the Department of Public Libraries, he said the exhibition was held in a big way in Chennai followed by Coimbatore and Madurai.

Most of the libraries in the Coimbatore-Erode-the Nilgiris region were lacking in facilities. This year, Rs.2.28 crore had been earmarked for public libraries. Steps to initiate modernisation of libraries would also be taken.Unlike the step-motherly treatment accorded to the department earlier, efforts were on by the Government to strengthen it. During the last three to four years, no books had been purchased. But, this year, the libraries have been asked to buy at least 1,000 books. Books worth Rs.10.75 crore had already been purchased. A public library of international standards was coming up at Chennai on nine acres of land, he added.

The vacancies in libraries would also be filled up in due course, Mr. Thennarasu said. He announced that Rs.10 lakh would be allotted to Valparai for putting in place mobile libraries. The conference covering Coimbatore, Erode and the Nilgiris districts would help focus attention on the way public libraries functioned, he added.Rural Industries Minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy said modern facilities should be introduced in libraries. Public libraries, especially those in the Coimbatore region needed a facelift. They should be air-conditioned and be provided new furniture. The libraries should also provide material for those preparing for civil service examinations, he added. A website on Government Public Libraries was also launched at the conference.

Under ground drainage scheme

The Coimbatore Corporation plans to make a fervent appeal to the State Government to provide a grant for meeting 20 per cent of the cost of the Rs.377-crore underground drainage scheme.With only 20 per cent of the city having underground sewers, the rest is to be covered by this scheme under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. The mission says that the Central Government will provide 50 per cent of the project cost as grant and the State Government 20 per cent. The civic body will have to fork out the rest. But, the Corporation has been witnessing resentment among the Opposition parties over the State Government saying that it can provide only an interest-free loan and not a 20 per cent grant.

The parties have already said they were upset with the State Government’s decision to provide only an interest-free loan to meet 20 per cent of the cost of the Rs.113-crore Pilloor Phase II drinking water scheme that is also to be implemented under the mission. The Corporation has drawn up more than 10 major infrastructure development schemes with an outlay of Rs.3,100 crore. If all these were to get only an interest-free loan from the State Government, its financial burden will be more than Rs.1,500 crore. The civic body will have to raise loans for its share of 30 per cent of the project cost.

Its earlier appeal for 20 per cent grant for the water scheme was rejected by the State Government. And, Corporation sources said that the Government feared a huge financial burden if it were to provide grants, especially when three cities (Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai) had been included under the mission for infrastructures schemes worth thousands of crores. Therefore, the Corporation Council recently moved a resolution to appeal to the State Government to provide the 20 per cent funds for the drainage scheme as a grant and not loan.The Corporation’s 30 per cent share of the drainage scheme cost is Rs.113 crore. The Centre will provide Rs.188 crore as its 50 per cent grant.The State Government has decided to provide more than Rs.75 as loan. This amount and the loan that the Corporation may avail itself of to meet its 30 per cent commitment will have to be repaid in seven years.

Export package ready

Union Minister of State for Textiles E V K S Elangovan on Friday suggested that textile mill owners explore the possibility of exporting to European countries to cope with the crisis arising from the appreciation of the rupee against the US dollar.Addressing the second CEOs conference organised by the Southern India Mills Association (SIMA) here, he said that the government had already announced an export package comprising relief measures to help the exporters tide over the issue.However, with the textile industry going global, the government would not remain a silent spectator, the Minister assured and added that further steps were under consideration to ameliorate the exporters’ grievances.Stating that the crisis was a temporary phenomenon, Elangovan noted that the industry’s need for electricity could be solved if the Indo-US nuclear deal materialised.

On the performance of the National Textiles Corporation (NTC) mills, he said that he was yet to study the problems of the NTC units.The Minister pointed out that the textile industry had been projected to grow at the rate of 16 percent in the next five years to reach the market size of US $ 115 billion and attract an investment of Rs 1,15,600 crore. He noted that the Integrated Textile Park Scheme, for which the funds had been increased from Rs 189 crore in 2006- ’07 to Rs 425 crore in 2007- ’08, would be extended during the Eleventh Five Year Plan to cover more textile parks.Similarly, the Technology Upgradation Fund (TUF) scheme had also been extended for five more years, he said.

98 Bomb blast case-41 sentenced

The special court here today sentenced 41 of 168 persons convicted in the Coimbatore serial blasts case to prison terms varying from three years to nine years. But the sentences have been set off against the period of more than nine years they have already spent in jail as undertrials.The Special Court Judge K Uthirapathy who commenced the pronouncement of sentences formally recorded the acquital of Madhani, the leader of Kerala-based People’s Democratic Party, and seven others—Army Raju, Subair, Naushad, Sardar, Mohammed Ashraf, Sivakumar and Sivakumar alias Akoji since the charges against them were earlier pronounced by the court as ‘not proved.’

The judge, who started pronouncing sentences for the 88 accused against whom minor charges were proved, completed delivering sentences for 41 of them when the court wound up proceedings for the day.The charges against the convicted persons include promoting commmunal hatred, unlawful assembly with deadly weapons, attempt to murder and manufacture and possession of explosives. They were awarded sentences of three years rigorous imprisonment for charges like promoting communal hatred, while for charges like possession of explosive substances a maximum of nine years rigorous imprisonment was awarded, all sentences to run concurrently.Though the judge posted the next hearing for October 3, the pronouncement on sentences will resume only on October 8.Of the 168 persons convicted in the case, serious charges including that of conspiracy were proved against 70, including S A Basha, the leader of the banned outfit Al-Umma. The pronouncement of their sentences is expected on a later date.Meanwhile, the prosecution, according to sources, may go on appeal against the acquittal of Madhani and seven others in the High court after getting a copy of the judgement.

Goethe-Zentrum's Coimbatore centre opend

The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to India, Bernd Muetzelburg (third right), at the inauguration of the Coimbatore centre of Goethe-Zentrum on Friday.For Germans, India has become a wonderful economy. It has always meant much. Now its importance is increasing day by day, Bernd Muetzelburg, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to India, said here on Friday.Inaugurating the Coimbatore centre of Goethe-Zentrum, an institut to promote German language and culture, he said language was something very special.

“If you do not understand the language of a country, you cannot understand the people.”The inauguration on the GD Charities premises was jointly organised by the Goethe-Zentrum, and the Coimbatore Indo-German Cultural Association.The venture was to mark the 75th year of the relationship the GD Naidu family had with Germany.The centre would operate under the aegis of Goethe Institut, New Delhi.Mr. Muetzelburg said that 2006 was observed as the “Year of India” in Germany. Many events were conducted throughout the year. More than the economic and other relationships both the countries held, the most important was the people to people relationship. Such a relationship could be created only through culture, he said.

Stefan Dreyer, Director, Goethe-Zentrum, South Asia, said that a strategic partnership existed between the two countries in culture and language.“We see a great love for the German language in India. It is considered a major foreign language. The need for more German teachers is on the rise. We are spreading our network of teaching centres.”B.K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, Chairman, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Coimbatore Kendra, spoke.The programme began with a performance by a German music band ‘Fun Horns’.The German classes would begin in the first week of October. The teachers would be from Germany. A short-term course called “Fit for Germany” for business people would also be held.The association would offer memberships to students, individuals and corporates.The membership would give members access to watch films and exhibitions, use library resources, and view German television channels.

Employability Test for BPO

National Employability Test for the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry will be conducted by MeritTrac Services, a skills assessments company. It will be held across 11 cities in three phases, the first one being in Indore and Coimbatore on October 7.Companies are looking at hiring talent from colleges all over the country.The test helps them in identifying talent even from smaller cities and not just the metros, says Madan Padaki, Chief Executive Officer of MeritTrac Services.

It aims at providing equal opportunity to all fresh graduates to demonstrate their skills, especially those in Tier II cities such as Coimbatore.The second phase of the test will be held in Nagpur, Kochi, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mangalore and the third phase in Pune, Chennai, Aurangabad and Jaipur.Any graduate of 2007 and 2008 batches looking for a BPO/Information Technology Enabled Services job from any of these 11 cities could take the test by paying a nominal fee.Prominent BPO players in the country such as Firstsource, Patni, Reuters, Mphasis and Wipro BPO will be endorsing the programme.

Candidates making the cut-off criteria of the endorsing companies will have their scores showcased to the company and will be short-listed for further selection based on the company’s requirements.Candidates will also get a scorecard validating their skills and also listing the areas where they need to improve. Understanding their weak areas will help them focus on those aspects.Candidates could visit http://www.tracskills.com/ for registration.

Workshop on ‘Grooming and Manners in Everyday Life’

G.Karthikeyan (right), Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore Range, releasing a handbook on ‘Grooming and Manners in Everyday Life’ at the AJK College of Arts and Science in Coimbatore. Ajeet Kumar Lal Mohan, Secretary and Managing Trustee of the college, is receiving the copy.A three-day workshop on ‘Grooming and Manners in Everyday Life’ that was organised at the AJK College of Arts and Science here aimed to impress upon students that academic excellence was not the only objective of education.

Inaugurating the workshop, G.Karthikeyan, Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore Range, said the students should identify the specific skills they would require in their careers and develop them while they were in college. One’s personality was what mattered ultimately, he added.
Elsie Dhas, Aviation Consultant-Cabin Crew Training, Chennai, the chief resource person for the workshop, said in today’s world where every area of activity was fraught with competition, self confidence was extremely important.

Good interpersonal relationships, good health, and fitness were also important in developing one’s personality, she added.However, grooming and personality development sessions did not only concentrate on external appearance, even though it formed a chunk of the subject.But, maintaining an orderly appearance every day, certain changes happen within too, she said.The Secretary and Managing Trustee of the college, Ajeet Kumar Lal Mohan, said that the programme would benefit not just the students, but the teachers too.The faculty would have a special session with the expert, he said. The college would conduct such camps every three months. The programme would include yoga, diet and fitness. Interview and communication skills too would be part of the programmes.A handbook on “Grooming and Manners in Everyday Life” was also released.

New chairman for SIMA

K. V. Srinivasan, Managing Director of Sree Narasimha Textiles, Sulur, Coimbatore district, has been elected Chairman of the Southern India Mills’ Association for 2007-2008.The other office-bearers of the association are: J. Thulasidharan, Managing Director of Rajaratna Mills, Neikarapatti, Palani taluk (deputy chairman) and S. Dinakaran, Joint Managing Director of Sambandam Spinning Mills, Salem (vice-chairman).The newly elected office-bearers told media persons that some of the key areas that the association would focus on would be power and skill development for the workforce. “These are some of the areas of concern that need to be addressed for the industry to move forward and continue with investments,” said Mr. Srinivasan.

Interface meeting for auto fare

President of Joint Committee of Coimbatore Autorickshaw Workers’ Unions P. K. Sukumaran (left) answering questions from the public at an interface on meter fare organised by Kural at the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry auditorium on Friday. Kural vice-president D. Balasundaram (second left), chairman Jaykumar Ramdass (third left), secretary N. Krishnakumar (fourth left) and joint committee secretary Anwar Basha (right) are in the picture.An interface between autorickshaw unions and the public over meter fare in the city on Friday saw leaders of the unions vehemently protesting against the opinion that the drivers were always on a collision course with the passengers.

Representatives of the unions even went to the extent of seeking the support of the public and voluntary organisations for their demand for Rs.20 as the minimum fare up to one-and-a-half km and Rs.10 for every subsequent km.“We are not enemies of passengers. We want to charge a meter fare, but fix one that will provide a decent living for the drivers,” president of the Joint Action Committee of Coimbatore District Autorickshaw Workers’ Unions P.K. Sukumaran said.Kural, a public movement for the development of Coimbatore, and the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised the interface to enable the unions to explain why the rejected the new fare of Rs.14 and the public to express their resentment over the fleecing so far.

Questions from the public were given in writing and read out by Kural chairman Jaykumar Ramdass so that a verbal exchange between the two sections was avoided. The questions covered all aspects of the fare issue and the functioning of the autorickshaws and even their stands.Mr. Ramdass began the meeting by explaining that its objective was to get to the root cause of a fixed fare not being charged in Coimbatore. “There is a maximum retail price displayed on all products. The buyers get to know the price and decide whether to buy the products or not. But, no passenger in Coimbatore knows what fare he or she will have to pay.”

Mr. Sukumaran said: “We also want this issue resolved. No driver or union opposes meter fare. But, it has to be reasonable.” The committee presidents noted that the fare issue cropped up only when a new Government or an official assumed charge. He pointed out that there was no sustained focus on resolving this issue.“We believe that a uniform fare cannot be fixed for the entire State. Chennai city cannot be the basis for fixing a fare for the entire State. The passenger flow in Chennai is huge. There are not many people visiting Coimbatore city, as there are in Chennai,” he argued. What Mr. Sukumaran implied was that with the local population having other options, the drivers were justified in asking for a higher fare for better income.

Mr. Sukumaran claimed that the drivers were willing to charge Rs.12 as minimum fare a few years ago. But, there was no support from the public and the transport officials.To a public opinion that autorickshaw stands were the cause for fleecing, Mr. Sukumaran said the stands had been instructed to charge reasonably. “We also need to earn the respect of the public.”Secretary of the committee Anwar Basha regretted “unfair” criticism of the unions in the media by some organisations. “When the core city area within which passengers travel is just four sq.km., how will Rs.14 be sufficient for us?”

Autorickshaws were already being marginalised by the rising number call taxis that were an unauthorised mode of public transport.To a question how autorickshaws charged meter rates in Kerala, Mr. Sukumaran claimed that the rates in towns and cities in that State varied with the local conditions.When the union office-bearers refuted charges of harassment of passengers, Mr. Ramdass said there was a strong public opinion on this and that the unions should take a serious view of it.

An element of uncertainty over a change crept in when Mr. Sukumaran said even if Rs.20 were to be fixed as meter fare, its acceptance by the drivers would depend on public support. Mr. Sukumaran was indicating that if very few passengers hired autorickshaws, the drivers would find even Rs.20 unaffordable.Vice-President of Kural D. Balasundaram said transportation was vital in a developing industrial city. Stand-off between drivers and passengers should be avoided and union should negotiate with the Government on the fare. “When you go on strike, only the public are affected and not the Government,” he pointed out.Kural secretary N. Krishnakumar appreciated the unions’ response to the call to discuss issues surrounding the fare directly with the public. “This helps in knowing each other’s problems better,” he said.

Training programme

The Coimbatore Productivity Council will conduct a training programme on “supervisory skills development” for 12 days from October 4, for operations managers, shop floor supervisors, senior technicians and polytechnic students. For details and registration, contact: R.R. Ranghanathen, Secretary, The Coimbatore Productivity Council, Vyshnav Buildings, 95-A, Race Course, Coimbatore – 641018.Telephone numbers: 0422-2215727, 4393727. Fax: 0422-2213762, 4394727. email: cpccbe@airtelbroadband.in

Graduation ceremony @ PSG

The PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research will hold graduation ceremony on September 30.A release said that Dr. Amar Jesani, founder trustee, Centre for Studies in Ethics and Rights, Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes and the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics will deliver the convocation address.A total of 102 MBBS graduates and 12 post graduates will receive course completion certificates.

Overflow from Vellalore Tank

Water overflowing from the Vellalore Tank near the city floods a residential colony on Thursday.Heavy inflow in the Vellalore Canal has led to water overflowing again from the Vellalore Tank here.The overflow is said to have affected farms and flooded residential layouts near the tank.Farmers dependent on water from this resource had been happy when the tank filled up after a gap of more than 25 years.But, they were upset on Thursday at the overflow throwing life out of gear in some layouts.

The 99-acre tank got filled up only this year because of the removal of encroachments in the canal and also some structural changes to the Vellalore Anicut.The anicut level was slightly below that of the canal and this restricted flow of water from River Noyyal into the canal.For a year, efforts are on to remove encroachments from the canal and unauthorised diversion of water to farms along its course.The Public Works Department and the Revenue Department carried out the removal of encroachments along with Siruthuli, a public initiative to revive and conserve water resources.

A fresh effort at removing the encroachments over a stretch of six km was underway.Buildings, sheds and even a more than 400-ft long wall were the alleged encroachments targeted by the drive. Owners of a couple of structures had asked for time to remove these.Structures over a km were being removed. Sources in Siruthuli said that if the work went on at the present pace, half the drive would be completed in 15 days. The rest could be covered in another 15 days.Meanwhile, with the overflow from the tank inundating paddy fields and residential areas, efforts were on to stop heavy inflow from the canal.

President of the Vellalore Farmers’ Association R.A. Gopalakrishnan said that with heavy rain and the removal of encroachments, there was massive inflow and this had resulted in frequent overflow of water from the tank into the fields and residential colonies.“But, we now fear that this may lead to the breaching of the bund. While we are happy on the one hand that the tank is full after many years, we are worried that the weak bunds may get damaged and result in the flooding of our colonies,” he said.Mr. Gopalakrishnan said that the authorities concerned should take steps immediately to strengthen the bund.The Vellalore Town Panchayat would provide Rs.5 lakh for some emergency measures, he said.

MoU signed

Anne Mary Fernandez, Vice-Chancellor in-charge, Karunya University, exchanging an MoU with Andrzej Szelc, vice- president for International Relations, University of Information Technology and Management, Rzeszow, Poland (second right), at the university in the city on Wednesday.Karunya University and University of Information Technology and Management, Rzesz’ow, Poland, signed a memorandum of understanding to establish academic linkages and contacts between the universities, here on Wednesday.

According to a release, the MoU signed by Anne Mary Fernandez, Vice-Chancellor (in-charge), Karunya University, and Andrzej Szelc, vice-president for International Relations of the Poland university, would facilitate the exchange of faculty and students for training, conducting academic courses and research.

It would also help organise workshops, seminars, conferences and sharing teaching and research experiences.The universities would strive for the creation of Centres of Excellence in science, engineering, technology, management and humanities.Possibilities of conducting twinning programmes in inter-disciplinary areas of specialisation would be explored.

Traffic diversion in city today

In view of the commencement of pronouncement of sentences by the Special Court in the serial blasts case, the city police have announced certain changes in the traffic pattern for Friday.According to a release from the city police, the stretch of LIC Road from the Avanashi Road Junction to Dr. Nanjappa Road (Park Gate) via Jail Road and Officers Club (near VOC Park) would be closed for vehicular traffic from 8 a.m., since the stretch housed the Special Court. Tight security cordon would be thrown around the court premises.

Buses from Tiruchi and Palladam would have to take the Huzur Road and proceed via Anna Statue, Dr. Balasundaram Road (Regional Transport Office road) and Women’s Polytechnic to reach Gandhipuram bus stand. Similarly, vehicles and buses from Salem and Erode would be diverted at Anna Statue via Dr.Balasundaram Road to proceed to Women’s Polytechnic and Bharatiar Road to reach Gandhipuram.Vehicles from Gandhipuram on Dr.Nanjappa Road would have to avoid LIC Road and take Dr.Nanjappa Road to reach Anupparpalayam and Avanashi Road to proceed further.Vehicles from Town Hall would have to take the Avanashi Road old flyover and enter Dr.Nanjappa Road to reach Gandhipuram. The city police have sought the cooperation of the motorists.

Drive against violations by omni buses

The Coimbatore Circle of the Transport Department in a drive against overloading and violations by omni buses during the weekend checked 1,341 vehicles and registered 189 cases.In a release issued here, the Deputy Transport Commissioner, T. Gunasekaran, said that the check was conducted at nine places on all arterial and feeder roads in Coimbatore City, Coimbatore District, Erode and the Nilgiris.During the drive conducted by the respective Regional Transport Officers and Motor Vehicle Inspectors, 46 cases were registered for overloading of goods, four cases for overloading by persons, six for exceeding the height restriction and speed, 52 for parcels and goods not accompanied by passengers, eight cases for tax evasion, five cases for plying without driving licence, 10 for plying without pollution under control certificate, one for not having a valid insurance cover, two for plying without permit, 14 cases for dazzling headlights, four cases for misuse of permit conditions and four cases for use of air horns, the release said.

The authorities detained one vehicle and also retained the records of another vehicle.As many as 63 cases of other violations were also registered.A sum of Rs. 3,100 was proposed as tax while the tax collected was Rs. 66,280.Compounding fee collected for the violations was Rs. 55,860 and the compounding fee proposed was Rs. 1,42,050.The tax and compounding fee proposed for the violations would be collected by the respective registering authorities after adhering to the procedures including serving of notices calling for explanations.

Interface between the autorickshaw drivers and the public

Kural, a public initiative for city development, has organised for Friday an interface between the autorickshaw drivers and the public on the meter fare. It will be held at the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry auditorium on Avanashi Road at 5.30 p.m.Sources in Kural said this was the first direct interface between the drivers and the public on the issue of a meter fare remaining elusive in Coimbatore. The event is being organised in the backdrop of the drivers’ unions rejecting the Government-fixed Rs.14 as the minimum meter fare.

The enforcement of the fare was withdrawn when a driver set himself ablaze allegedly in protest against it. A committee comprising representatives of the unions, consumer bodies and officials would go into various issues that the drivers are raising to justify their demand for Rs.20 as the minimum fare for the first one-and-a-half km and Rs.10 for every subsequent km.The sources said that the interface would serve as a platform for both sides to air their grievances, but would certainly not provide any opportunity for a confrontation. The organisers were aware of the people’s grouse against the drivers, but the interaction should not be converted into a sabre-rattling session. People might have to write their questions and give it to the moderators and the union representatives would explain their stand on various issues related to the fare.

The Joint Committee of Coimbatore District Autorickshaw Workers’ Unions has sought public support for moves to have a meter fare in the district.Accused of scuttling moves so far to enforce meter fare, the committee appealed for public support in a press release issued on Thursday.President of the committee P.K. Sukumaran said in the release that autorickshaw drivers were tired of the charges that they were greedy and were not satisfied with any meter fare and also that they harassed and robbed passengers of their money. The drivers were also human beings and also worked to help the common public, he argued in the release.

Explaining what the drivers demanded, Mr. Sukumaran pointed out that the Rs.7 (for first two km) minimum fare was fixed in 1996 when a litre of fuel and lubricant cost Rs.29. The cost of these had been revised 38 times since then and it was Rs.60 now.The statement blamed the Government for the problems in implementing a meter fare. The Government should have revised it whenever the price of fuel increased, it said.Apparently seeing a pressing need to win the faith of the public, the committee president said consumer welfare bodies were not seeing the reason behind the demand for a higher fare, but were only keen on criticising the autorickshaw drivers.Therefore, the public should examine why the drivers were demanding a higher fare and support them.

Avanashi Road to be ready in nine months

The Rs. 27-crore six-laning of the Avanashi Road is progressing smoothly, District Collector Neeraj Mittal told a press conference here on Tuesday.The first phase had been completed with the removal of trees and encroachments on the Salem-Kochi Road from Neelambur to Thandumariamman Temple and finalisation of tenders. “Now the work of utilities like laying the underground pipes should be taken up.” The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board had also started re-locating its poles to the sides of the road. Based on the report of infrastructure consultants Wilbur Smith, who had suggested measures to decongest the city, four panels had been formed.

One of the measures under consideration was the staggering of timings of schools on Avanashi Road. Besides, “no parking area” should be decided and alternatives for parking should be finalised. Whether bylanes could be used for the purpose was under consideration.Besides, as a number of bus stops were close to the traffic signals, they would have to be “re-positioned.” “We are waiting for the committee report.”He was confident that the entire work could be completed in eight to nine months including widening of the Hope College Bridge.Responding to a question on the Valankulam overbridge, that would considerably decongest the city but whose construction was dragging on for quite some time, he said he was certain that the entire work would be completed by the end of next month. “The slippage is only by days (as against his recent announcement of October middle),” he added.

The congestion on various roads was mainly due to encroachments. Already a survey of the Nanjundapuram Road and the Thadagam Road had been completed. And the former would be four-laned at a cost of Rs.93 lakh.For the Thadagam Road, up to Anaikatti, Rs.1 crore had been sanctioned. During October it had been planned to remove the encroachments from Ramanthapuram to Nanjundapuram and Gandhi Park to Kovilmedu. All the encroachments on the highways would be removed by December.The Collector said that Coimbatore Highway Division that comprised Coimbatore and Tirupur Revenue Divisions had been sanctioned Rs.127 crore for various developmental works. Of that, so far Rs.53 crore had been spent.

To a question, he said the roads under the jurisdiction of the State Highways had been prioritised for the widening and improvement. There were about 20 roads which had no links.“If these links were to be provided, the traffic velocity would go up.” As this exercise involved acquisition of land, proposals were getting ready.Besides, a 100-ft scheme road linking Mettupalayam Road (from Thudilyalur junction) with Palakkad Road for a distance of about 25 km was contemplated.“This looks pretty nice on the map and would substantially decongest the city roads if it were to come through.” But the administration was trying to ascertain how much of the stretch was with the local bodies and how much was with the State Highways so that a concrete proposal could be evolved.

Steet light now after garbage

Next to garbage, poor maintenance of street lights across the city evoked strong protests from councillors at the Coimbatore Corporation’s Council meeting on Monday.The members accused contractors in charge of maintenance of not doing their job. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) member and Corporation West Zone Chairman V.P. Selvaraj was the first among the many upset councillors to highlight the problem. “At least 25 per cent of the lights are not functioning in all the 18 wards under my zone,” he told Mayor R. Venkatachalam.

P. Dhanraj of the DMK said close to 150 lights did not function at all in his Ward 10. “Stray dogs and snakes pose a great amount of risk to the people in these areas. No one dares walk the streets at night,” he said.Responding to this, the Mayor asked the officials to keep a close watch on the maintenance of the lights. “There is no point in blaming the contractors alone,” he said, drawing a comment from All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam member M. Natarajan that the Mayor should not defend errant contractors. Mr. Venkatachalam clarified that he was not trying to protect them. But, the officials should assess the situation in all the 72 wards and set right the problems. Leader of the Communist Party of India in the Council, K. Purushothaman, said 49 lights did not function from the Thadagam Road junction to Avila Convent and also from the junction to the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

“When I enquired with the contractors, they said the Corporation owed them huge arrears,” he said. The Mayor said the civic body owed no dues to any contractor in charge of the maintenance of street lights.With some other councillors also making complaints of poor maintenance, the Mayor directed the officials to take remedial measures immediately and on a large scale across the city so that this issue was not raised at the next council meeting.

Escape from telemarketing calls for BSNL users

Coimbatore: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has announced that basic phone (bfone) i.e., landline customers who do not wish to receive telemarketing calls can register their request for including their number in the “Do Not Call Register” available with the BSNL.A release from the BSNL said that under the service, customers could bar the unsolicited commercial calls/SMS by registering under the head “Customer Care Portal” in the website http://www.tamilnadu.bsnl.co.in/.

To access this service, customers had to register by entering their telephone number and e-mail ID. The system would mail the unique password allotted to the customers to their given e-mail address.By using the user ID and password, the customers could open the service. To activate the service the subscribers should click “Add my Phone in Do Not Call ME” and then enter the phone details under the head “Add Phone Account”. Customers could also register via phone by dialling the Call Centre’s Toll Free Number 1500.

The facility could be availed by mobile customers by sending an SMS. The customers could send an SMS “DNC ACT” (for adding the mobile number in the DNC registry) or “DNC DEACT” (for removing the mobile number from the DNC registry) to 53733 or 3733.The BSNL has announced that the cash collection counters accepting telephone/mobile bills at Central Telegraph Office, Coimbatore 641 018, hitherto functioning from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., will function up to 4 p.m. from September 24.

AIADMk Joins with BJP against DMK Govt

Cadres of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam staging a demonstration opposite Tirupur Municipal Office (left) and Gandhipuram (right) in the city on Wednesday demanding the dismissal of the DMK Government alleging that Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had hurt the sentiments of Hindus through his remarks on Ramar Sethu.A large number of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) cadres on Wednesday staged a demonstration in the city demanding that the DMK Government led by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi should quit.

The demonstration led by State Minorities Wing Secretary of the Party, Liyakath Ali Khan, was attended by former Ministers and members of the party’s district unit. The demonstrators accused the Chief Minister of having acted against the Constitution by making statements that would hurt the religious sentiments. The Government should quit failing which the Centre should dismiss it, they said.The Hindu Munnani and other Hindu outfit activists who attempted to stage a demonstration without permission at Sundarapuram were removed by the police. The Dalit Panthers of India cadres staged a demonstration in front of the Red Cross Society Building on Huzur Road demanding the speedy completion of the Sethusamudram Project.



Thousands of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam activists staged a demonstration in Pollachi and Tirupur in protest against the remarks by the Chief Minister on Lord Rama.Pollachi V. Jayaraman, Election Wing Secretary of the AIADMK led the demonstration in Pollachi, while T.C. Sivasamy, district secretary of the party presided over the agitation in Tirupur.

Measures to prevent road accidents

Dr. Michael Parr, Director of Intensive Care at Liverpool and Campbelltown Hospitals at Sydney in Australia (left), and Dr. S. Rajasekaran, president of World Orthopaedic Concern and Director of Ganga Hospital, explaining measures to prevent road accidents.The setting seems perfect. The city is hosting a course and a conference in trauma care. The Ganga Hospital where these are held also teams up with the Rotary and launches a people’s movement to prevent road accidents.

Amid five days of these programmes held recently to have minute focus on every aspect of trauma care, past president of the International Trauma and Critical Care Society Michael Parr takes some time off from training doctors to tell this reporter that preventive strategies are vital for bringing down the rate of accidents on Indian roads.Visiting India every year to teach trauma care to doctors from all specialities, Dr. Parr observes: “We live in times when society accepts accidents on the roads. But, it has acquired the proportions of a major public health issue”.

Both he and president of the World Orthopaedic Concern and Director of Ganga Hospital S. Rajasekaran point out that an error of will in obeying traffic rules and adhering to safety norms contribute heavily to mortality on the roads.“The causes are the same everywhere. But, the severity of the problem or the number of instances vary with the strategies adopted to prevent accidents,” says Dr. Parr, who is Senior Staff Specialist and Director of Intensive Care at Liverpool and Campbelltown Hospitals in Sydney, Australia.

“Prevention of road accidents has to be part of a large public health initiative. Use whatever tools that can be used, such as helmets, seat belts and also laws on speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol,” he explains. These tools are not all that complicated.A British, Dr. Parr’s experience in trauma care in the United Kingdom, the United States and now in Australia reveals that awareness on all these have helped in bringing down the number of fatal cases, preventing permanent disability or for that matter even reducing the number of accidents. Speed is a major cause, he says.

Dr. Rajasekaran explains there is always the tendency in a driver to accelerate once he moves into a broad road from a very narrow one. So, good roads also cause accidents, but because of the drivers’ attitude.Both of them agree that counselling by doctors can also help.Usually, the doctors are the last persons in the line to see these cases. They are saddled with the task of saving the lives involved in the accidents. But, at Auckland in New Zealand, the doctors educated patients in the intensive care unit on road rules and dangers of drunken driving. “This is like cardio-thoracic surgeons advising heart patients not to smoke,” says Dr. Parr. “In Australia, a doctor took up the campaign and people sat up and took note of it.”

Dr. Rajasekaran says half the accident deaths occur on-the-spot. The rest of the victims come with injuries that can cause permanent or temporary disability. Psychotherapy comes into play.“We need to talk to the distraught relatives on the disabilities that they and the victim have to cope with and the impact on finances,” says Dr. Parr. “Trauma brings about a major economic crisis. Many do not have even insurance.” Therefore, prevention is the only way out.Both surgeons say that the task of accident prevention is a shared public responsibility, a social commitment from various sections.

Conference on transactional analysis

Fr. George Kandathil S.J., Founder Director, Institute for Counselling and Transactional Analysis, Ernakulam, addressing a conference on transactional analysis at SITRA in the city on Wednesday.In the materialistic world we understand transactional analysis in a different way. In industry it is more of trying to balance the polarities that exist in the workplace, Arindam Basu, Director, South India Textile Research Association (SITRA), said here on Wednesday.

Speaking at the inauguration of the five-day conference and workshop of the South Asian Association of Transactional Analysts (SAATA) organised by the Nitya Gurukula on the SITRA premises, he underlined the need for adopting the Japanese model of work culture. “Every single person working in an organisation wears the same dress. They have a drop box where grievances and suggestions are dropped. They are read everyday, discussed and viable decisions are arrived at for the benefit of the employees and the organisation.”

The inaugural dealt with the topic “In/Out…This/That…..We/Them…..Balancing Polarities”.Fr. George Kandathil, S.J., Founder Director, Institute for Counselling and Transactional Analysis, Ernakulam, spoke on the three ego states– parent, adult, child, and the three urges – to develop, to relate and to affirm, of the human being.“Growth processes come from relationships. The more you relate the more you develop. The urge of a child to develop is however restricted by the parent. There is no joy without a child. There is no morality without a parent. The three ego states together form an integrated person. Likewise, the three urges should be balanced,” he said.

On love, Fr. George said that it should not be limited to one person. What was limited to one person was passion, not love. “Real love is universal. There is love for the Earth, for the plants, for the animals, and then for humans. From among humans there is somebody special, a single person. This universal love is called love of God”.Experts and participants would discuss transactional analysis with regard to fields of academia, counselling, psychotherapy, organisation and also spiritualism.

Stringent action against misuse of water connections

District Collector Neeraj Mittal has warned of stringent action against unauthorised persons promising drinking water connections to people in town panchayats.The Collector said in a release that he had received complaints of plumbers approaching house owners with such assurances.He said people should follow certain procedures such as directly applying to the town panchayats in the prescribed form.

Receipts would be issued on paying connection deposit and other charges. Town panchayats had bylaws governing the release of water connections.People should apply to the Executive Officer in any town panchayat for the connections with a copy of the Property Tax receipt.The form could be obtained on paying a charge fixed for it. After obtaining the estimates, a list of the charges should be got from the Executive Officer.These should be paid to the wing concerned at the local body.Pipes, flow control valves and meter should be purchased by the house owner.After the issue of work order by the Executive Officer, the plumbers would complete the work.

After the officer received all the details of the work completion in writing, he would release the connection.People who had obtained the connections should preserve details/documents such as connection number, order copy, receipt for charges paid while applying for the connection and also the receipt for water consumption charges.If people did not possess these, their connections would deemed as unauthorised, the release said.

TNAU is ranked 1st

A candidate being interviewed by representatives from a private bank at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in the city.“The Agricultural Scientists’ Recruitment Board, New Delhi, has indicated that among the top 10 agricultural universities in the country, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University is ranked first in terms of the number of graduates being recruited as agricultural scientists,” said C. Ramasamy, Vice-Chancellor, TNAU, here.

Addressing the short-listed candidates who were attending a campus interview at the university for the post of “Field Officer – Junior Manager Cadre, Grade I” of a private bank, he underlined the importance of being competitive. “Some of the professors in the United States have observed that Indian students are better skilled in writing when compared to their U.S. counterparts who are better skilled in speaking. TNAU makes special efforts to train students in communication skills.”

He mentioned the various changes the university had made to bring about a good learning environment, such as better laboratory facilities, online teaching and virtual classrooms. Also, the Directorate of Students Welfare had been strengthened for better placement of students, to facilitate higher education abroad and offer special coaching classes.From the 48 short-listed candidates, 20 graduates were expected to be recruited by the bank.

Coimbatore’s Srinivas Hospital nears sell-out

Action in the healthcare sector is turning to tier-II centres as they are proving to be the hotspots for investors. A Chennai-based entity is in the last lap of acquiring a 30-bed hospital at Sirumugai, 40 km away from Coimbatore. Due diligence process for the decade old Srinivas Hospital is on and the deal is expected to be finalised soon, sources close to the development told EThere on Tuesday.The suitor is said to be a first-generation entrepreneur having diverse interests in pharma and clinical research outsourcing businesses. Based on its monthly turnover of Rs 48 lakh, the hospital valuation is around Rs 2 crore, sources said. Srinivas Hospital, spread over 10,000 sq ft, is owned and managed by Dr Renuka Devi and her husband K Manoharan.

When contacted, Manoharan confirmed the hospital is in talks with the Chennai-based entity for a buy-out. “We were the first to set up a hospital in this rural area, which did not have even basic medical infrastructure. People had to go to town for their medical needs. Our aim was to offer quality healthcare at a centralised location surrounded by 33 villages,” he said. Started with an initial capital of Rs 13 lakh borrowed from Canara Bank, it turned into a multi-speciality hospital with add-ons like scanning and other equipment. An additional sum of Rs 6.5 lakh was spent on medical equipment, he added. Manoharan said the hospital gets 50 to 70 patients every day.

2nd CEO's Conference

The Second CEOs' Conference of Textile Mills here on September 28 would take stock of the situation in the textile industry and formulate strategy to sustain growth of the sector. Despite the industry achieving substantial growth in the last three years, of late, it has been encountering issues like Rupee appreciation, increase in finance and raw material cost and poor quality power supply, according to Southern India Mills' Association (SIMA), organisors of the conference. The industry, therefore, was in a critical situation, where it needed to take stock of ground realities and formulate a strategy to sustain the growth, SIMA said. Experts from across the country and abroad would deliberate on the issues confronting the sector and suggest ways to overcome the current crisis and make the textile entrepreneurs in the country globally competitive, it said.

The Conference titled +Recipe for Enhancing Competitivenes of the Textile Industry,+ would have sub-themes like success stories with specific reference to technologhy, marketing, branding, vertical integration and capacity building, raw material resource with particular reference to cotton, poleyster and viscose and resource management pertaining to retaining talents, finance and value addition. Union Minister of State for Textiles, E V K S Elangovan would inaugurate the conference, in the presence of Tamil Nadu Rural Industries minister, Pongalur N Palanisami and Handlooms and Textile Minister, N K K P Raja.

Worst infrastructure at Walayar

An earth mover pushing a truck that broke down owing to a crater on National Highway- 47 at Walayar. (Right) Vehicles struggling to wade through craters on the road.Traffic between Tamil Nadu and Kerala is continuing to suffer for the last 15 days with torrential rain turning potholes into “ponds” and craters near Walayar on National Highway-47. A short stretch of the National Highway, near the State border, looks like a ploughed paddy field. Big potholes ensure a bumpy ride for motorists for over 7 km from Ettimadai.

If one passes the test without any accidents, a pond on the middle of the road will check your negotiating skills.Efforts by truck operators and shop keepers to make the road motorable by dumping gravel and debris have gone in vain because of the traffic density and continuing rain.With Western Ghats continuing to get heavy rain, water continues to flow down towards the Walayar tank eroding a stretch of the National Highway hardly few hundred feet from the bridge (across the river Walayar) that marks the border for both the States.Local residents and regular users of the road say that lack of provision for the water to flow across the road from the hilly terrain to the tank has led to battering of the road completely.

What remained as a pothole last month has become a “pond” today owing to lack of regular maintenance. Since a motorist takes at least two to three minutes to get past the crater, traffic inches along one side at a time resulting in the formation of a winding queue of vehicles for nearly 3 km.If any impatient driver tries to outsmart others, the whole vehicular movement comes to a standstill.On Tuesday, only one earth mover was deployed to clear the stagnant water in the “pond.” Later, the Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore Rural District, G. Karthikeyan, deployed a patrol vehicle with adequate strength for regulating the traffic.The District Collector, Neeraj Mittal, said the attention of the National Highways Authority of India had been drawn and that efforts were on to set right at least 20 potholes identified so far. He said that the battered stretch would be made motorable within 72 hours.

Air Marshal visits 5 BRD, Sulur

Air Marshal J.S. Apte, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command, Indian Air Force, receiving a general salute at the 5 Base Repair Depot, Sulur, in Coimbatore, on Tuesday.Air Marshal J.S. Apte, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command, Indian Air Force, received a general salute at a ceremonial parade of the 5 Base Repair Depot personnel here on Tuesday. The parade was commanded by Air Commodore P.K. Srivastava, Air Officer Commanding, 5 BRD, Sulur. The Air Marshal also inspected maintenance tasks carried out at the Depot and interacted with uniformed personnel and civilian employees. This is his first visit to the Depot after taking over as AOC-in-C of Maintenance Command, IAF.Uma Apte, president of the regional chapter of Air Force Wives’ Welfare Association (AFWWA) took stock of welfare activities undertaken by the local chapter.

Shopping complexes with multi-tier parking

New project aims at eliminating congestion along the city roads.The Coimbatore Corporation has begun moves to have shopping complexes with multi-tier parking lots in order to eliminate congestion along the city roads.The Corporation Council passed on Tuesday a resolution for inviting expression of interest from private parties for building these structures on a design-build-operate-transfer basis. The civic body has planned multi-tier lots at busy commercial centres in the city as there is scarcity of space for parking in these areas.

This is a project under the Central Government’s infrastructure development programme -- Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.Actually, it is a part of the traffic engineering project under the mission. This component of the mission involves providing wide roads, modern traffic systems and also centralised multi-tier parking lots that will prevent parked vehicles from restricting space for driving.The Corporation has identified sites on Cross Cut Road and D.B. Road for the project. Both are popular shopping centres on which there is a battle for parking space.

The Corporation has already begun creating parking space for 200 cars on its site along Cross Cut Road.Apart from catering to the rising vehicle population, the Corporation’s project is to contain the damage already caused by the construction of multi-storeyed commercial complexes without providing space for parking vehicles.At present, people visiting most of the complexes are forced to park their vehicles along arterial roads.Though the district administration, the Local Planning Authority and the Coimbatore Corporation have begun efforts to prevent unauthorised structures on spaces meant for parking in buildings, the damage already done requires remedy in the form of the multi-tier lots.

Corporation Commissioner P. Muthuveeran said at the meeting that these were two sites identified initially, but certainly not the only two spots for such facilities in the city.If councillors came across sites where more parking lots were needed, they could bring these to the notice of the Corporation.As for the period of DBOT, the Commissioner said it would be decided after scrutinising the expression of interest.

Digital video conferenca at GRD

Theodore G. Osius, Minister Counselor for Political Affairs, U.S. Embassy, New Delhi, addressing a gathering at the GRD College of Science in Coimbatore via digital video conference on Tuesday.The gradual removal of obstacles to a natural partnership between the United States and India was a process punctuated by four particularly noteworthy milestones, Theodore G. Osius, Minister Counselor for Political Affairs, U.S. Embassy, New Delhi, said on Tuesday.

He was speaking on “The Future of Indo-U.S. Relations” to a gathering at the GRD College of Science via digital video conference from New Delhi. The programme was organised as part of the three-day event to mark 60 years of the Indo-U.S. friendship. The four milestones were the end of the Cold War, the Clinton era, the September 11 tragedy and the Indo-U.S. Civil Nuclear Co-operation Agreement. “With each passing day it is clear that our interests are converging; be it in democracy, counter-terrorism or deriving advantages from global economy. Also, continually expanding people-to-people ties will bolster the already solid foundations for wider bilateral ties.”

Mr. Osius said that the momentary lapses of cordiality could not be avoided. But, any exchanges of acrimony should not be a major cause for concern as they were merely the manifestation of the people exercising their will through the representative governments.He believed that though the relationship had seen turbulent times, it was at present on an upward trajectory. “It is with these thoughts that the U.S. welcomes and encourages India’s rise to become a global power. This will happen,” he said.

Clash at Coimbatre Corp

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) clashed with allies Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Communist Party of India (CPI) at the Coimbatore Corporation Council meeting on Tuesday over the Left parties’ protest against the introduction of a garbage collection fee on Monday.Councillors belonging to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the Communist parties, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) staged a sit-in till late Monday night to oppose the fee after the Council’s Ordinary Meeting that day.

This protest drew flak from the DMK at the Council’s Urgent Meeting on Tuesday. CPI (M) member S. Velmurugan got the second warning of eviction from Mayor R. Venkatachalam when he advanced from his seat towards the Mayor alleging murder of democracy in the Council. Mr. Velmurugan said the passing of resolutions without discussions on Monday was proof of this. The councillor was warned of eviction on Monday also when he walked up to the Mayor and accused him of running away from issues.

The sparring between the DMK and the Left parties continued for sometime over Mr. Velmurugan’s remarks. The DMK members were joined by the Mayor’s party colleagues in the Congress.The CPI’s K. Purushothaman said the councillors staged a sit-in because they did not want the Congress and the DMK to pass all the resolutions capitalising on a walkout by the other parties. He was referring to what happened at a Council meeting some months ago. “We did not want you to announce ‘all pass’ and approve all the resolutions without giving all the parties equal opportunity to debate them,” he said.

But, the situation turned into vociferous trading of charges when Leader of the Opposition and DMK member V.N. Udayakumar looked at the CPI and CPI (M) members and asked them: “Do you think we will watch you disrupt the Council proceedings with your protests? It pains to see allies attack us.”This remark triggered a protest from the Communist parties and the AIADMK. Nearly 30 minutes of the meeting were consumed by this protest. It ended when these two parties and the MDMK and DMDK staged a walkout in retaliation to the Mayor rejecting AIADMK member P. Rajkumar’s demand for a fresh discussion of the more than 50 resolutions passed on Monday.But, before they walked out no member of any of these parties made even the slightest reaction to a sharp criticism by DMK member Meena Loganathan that they were trying to create an impression among the public that her party was committing a fraud on the people.

National conf on “Pharmaceutical Biotechnology”

The Department of Biotechnology of the Karpagam Arts and Science College will organise a national conference on “Pharmaceutical Biotechnology” on September 27 and 28. It will focus on the application of biotechnology in the production of natural products and possible product modifications in medicinal plants.

State-wide Thirukkural Oratorical competition

Three students from Coimbatore have won prizes at the State-wide Thirukkural Oratorical competition held by the Shriram Ilakkiya Kazhagam, a literary wing of the Sriram Group.G. Nirmala, Sri Ramakrishna Matriculation Higher Secondary School, won the second place at the junior level. K. Karthika, Srinivasa Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Udumalpet won the third place at the super senior level and B. Dhayalini of Alagappa Chettiyar Engineering College, Karaikudi, won the second place at the college level.All prize winners would be given a shield and a certificate in addition to cash awards. They would be given away at the Aram Award ceremony to be held in May 2008.A total of 1,802 students participated in the competition which were held at Chennai, Vellore, Coimbtaore, Sellam, Nellai, Madurai, Trichy and Puducherry.

New association to promote German culture and language

'Goethe-Zentrum’, a new association to promote German culture and language, will be inaugurated here on September 28 at the GD Charities premises.According to a release, the association has been formed to mark the 75th year of the relationship the GD Naidu family has with Germany. The association will operate under the aegis of Goethe Institut, New Delhi.It will be inaugurated by the German Ambassador for India Bernd Mutzelburg. Stefan Dreyer, Regional Director, South Asia, Goethe Institute, will preside over the function. B.K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, Chairman, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Coimbatore Kendra, will offer felicitations.

The programme that will begin at 2 p.m. will see a host of events – performance by a German music band “Fun Horns”, a spread of German food and screening of German films – that will be open to the public. German classes will begin in the first week of October. The teachers will be from Germany. A short-term course called “Fit for Germany” for business people will also be held.The association will also offer memberships to students, individuals and corporates. The membership will give members access to watch films and exhibitions, use library resources and view German television channels.

MoU signed

Kumaraguru College of Technology has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Interlace Knits and M.S. Kaarthikeyan Garments for effective utilisation of manpower, materials and machinery resources for the benefit of the apparel industry, a release said.

Symposium on September 26

The Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering of V.L.B. Janakiammal College of Engineering and Technology will conduct “FLASH 07”, the Fifth national technical symposium on September 26.The symposium will provide a platform for electrical engineering students to showcase their ingenious and creative ideas.

“Experience America” event

The image of India has been transformed, literally, acquiring a new ‘face’ in the last 20 years. Instead of an abstraction, India now has a visible and tangible presence in the United States, through the 1.5 million-strong Indian-American community, G. Thiruvasagam, Vice-Chancellor, Bharathiar University, said here on Monday.Inaugurating “Experience America,” a three-day event organised by the U.S. Consulate General, Chennai, and the GRD College of Science, to commemorate 60 years of Indo-U.S. friendship, he said that the influence of the Indian-American community on American images of India and the Indian images of the U.S. had generally been positive and was likely to have an enduring impact on the bilateral relationship.

“Sixty years of friendship and mutual co-operation between the two democratic countries are matters of pride and joy for the citizens of both the countries,” Dr. Thiruvasagam said.He, however, he expressed the concern over the American practice of linking human rights’ issues with economic policies, the question of child labour, disappearance of Indian brands and danger of a political backlash from uneven economic growth within India.He was happy that both the countries were more actively engaged in a wide range of issues, mainly educational partnerships. “Students are clamouring for greater access to higher educational institutions in the U.S. Our goal is to build on the tradition of Indian and American students studying side-by-side. We believe that education and exchange programmes are natural bridges and the best thing about them is that one can cross them both ways.”

India and the United States had been building a constructive cooperation over an ever widening range of issues and areas – economic, political, cultural and human interactions.This happy and promising evolution, so steadily sought by well wishers on both sides, was seen as the realisation of one of the major features of the new century, the Vice-Chancellor said.Wesley Robertson, Information Officer, U.S. Consulate General, Chennai, and D. Padmanabhan, Chairman, GRD Institutions, spoke.

Programmes for the hearing impaired

Family Care, a voluntary organisation, will conduct a series of programmes for the hearing impaired in connection with the 50th International Week for the Deaf.It will tie up with organisations working for the hearing impaired in the city and organise seminars and competitions for them including excursions for the students and workshops for the youth.The organisation has been conducting programmes in this connection since July. Training camps were held at Nagerkoil and Kanyakumari. About 75 hearing impaired people from 13 cities of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka attended the camp.

It included sessions, group discussions, songs, dance, drama, games and an excursion too.Classes on work ethics, choice and decision-making, positive outlook and fighting negative peer pressure were conducted by the hearing impaired people themselves. The group discussions and open forums gave many of them an opportunity to express their needs, says Daniel Rameshan, Co-ordinator of Family Care.The organisation also conducted seminars for teachers of the schools for the deaf in Coimbatore.About 30 teachers from various schools participated. The sessions outlined the skills required for teachers in handling students with hearing impairment.

The ultimate aim of organising these programmes is to create awareness in the community about the hearing impaired and their needs and expose their talents and capabilities, says Renu Rameshan, Project Director.Those who wish to extend help to the organisation can contact: Family Care, Chennys Chambers, 9/36 A, Dr.Nanjappa Road, Coimbatore.Phone: 2380002, 2380410 or 98422-44680.