Pricol's JV company at Iran

Auto components major Pricol has informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that the board of directors of the company has approved the setting up of a joint venture company in Iran with Nava Khodro Plastic Company. Pricol and Nava Khodro Plastic Company will hold 50% each in the share capital of the new JV. The new company will manufacture instrument clusters and speed sensors. The share capital of the said company is $25 lakh and the estimated project cost for Phase 1-3 years is $85 lakh.

PUCL demonstration at Coimbatore

The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) (TN & Pondy) has planned a demonstration in the city on Thursday to condemn the illegal arrest of PUCL general secretary Bineyak Sen in Chhattisgarh on May 14.The demonstration will be held in front of the Red Cross building.A press release issued by PUCL Coimbatore unit coordinator M Mohammed Abubacker called upon all human rights and democratic forces in the country to prevail upon the Government of Chhattisgarh for the unconditional release of Sen.

Coimbatore-Ernakulam Special Train

To clear the extra rush of passengers during summer season, a daytime special train will be run between Ernakulam and Coimbatore from June 3.Train No 02678 Ernakulam - Coimbatore special would leave Ernakulam Junction at 9.15 a.m. and reach Coimbatore at 1.45 p.m., a railway press release said.

In the return direction, Train No 02677 Coimbatore - Ernakulam Special will leave Coimbatore at 1.15 p.m. and reach Ernakulam Junction at 5.45 p.m.The trains would stop at Aluva, Thrissur and Palakkad.The train will have one AC 3 Tier, two second class chair cars, eight sleeper class, one pantry car, 5 general second class compartments and two luggage-cum-brake van coaches.

Coimbatre Co-optex showroom will be modernised

To face the competition from the private sector, Co-optex showrooms in five cities including Vellore will be modernised.Co-optex sources said as a first step, showrooms at Vellore, Chennai, Coimbatore and Mumbai would be modernised at a cost of Rs 20 crore.Tamil Nadu Handloom Minister N K K P Raja and PWD Minister Durai Murugan would take part in the inaugural function of the modernised showroom here next month, the sources added.

TNAU admitting students for Diplomo courses

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) would be admitting students for various diploma programmes in agriculture and horticulture in its different institutes during this academic year.Students for Diploma in Agriculture would be admitted in C Subramaniam Institute of Agriculture, Tindivanam, M S Swaminathan Institute of Agriculture, Bhavanisagar, Institute of Agriculture, Aruppukottai, Institute of Agriculture, Ambasamudram, Sagayathottam Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development, Takkolam (affiliated to TNAU), Dr K Vanangamudi, Dean (Agriculture), TNAU, said in a release today.

Diploma programme in agriculture/ horticulture would be in Thanthai Roever Institute of Agriculture and Rural development Elambalur - Perambalur, Vanangamudi said.A pass in the higher secondary course (10+2) or any other examination recognised as equivalent there to and fulfilling the requirement of HSC/equivalent stream - biology or botany and zoology, physics, chemistry in the qualifying examinations and HSC Vocational stream would be the eligibility criteria.

Vocational stream included crop production, plant protection, sericulture and agriculture, vegetables and fruits, horticulture, dairying, small farm management, agricultural chemistry, spice and plantation crops, floriculture and medicinal plants.Application forms would be issued on June 11 and last date for submitting application would be June 26, with publication of rank list on July 3, counselling on July 7. Registration of courses and classes would begin on July 23.

Huge employment opportunities in health care sector

In an effort to fill the acute shortage in the availability of manpower in the Coimbatore region, health care institutions in Coimbatore have joined hands with the Bharathiar University in offering health education courses from the new academic year.Industry veterans have warned that if the gap in the manpower requirements is not met, the region would face an acute shortage of para-medics and other hospital staff in the coming years.

Speaking to presspersons here, Dr K.S. Ramalingam, Convenor, Healthcare Panel, CII Coimbatore Zone, and Mr U.K. Ananthapadmanabhan, Chairman, Healthcare Sub-Committee, CII (SR), said there were around 5,000 hospital beds in the city alone and 5,000 more hospital beds in adjoining Erode, the Nilgiris and Salem districts. There are around 750 hospitals in the region and the health care industry has been witnessing an annual growth of around 20 per cent.With major industries such as L&T establishing their base in Coimbatore and with the establishment of the Tidel Park, there is an influx in the city population that would require more health care professionals.

But the hospitals are facing a near 40 per cent manpower shortage in different departments.One reason for the shortage of manpower was the lack of awareness about the employment opportunities available in the sector, other than for the doctors or nurses and how to qualify for the available jobs.Dr Ramalingam said under the CII's Industry-Institute partnership, the health care institutions had held parleys with the authorities of Bharathiar University, Avinashilingam University and Tamil Nadu Open University on the issue of designing courses to meet the manpower requirements in the health care field.These courses would be conducted by the hospitals themselves after securing approval from the universities.

The employees also have the opportunity to improve their qualifications even while working to fast-track their career progress.He said the process of launching approved courses had just begun in the city and he expected a total of 500-750 seats being offered by the hospitals in different courses from the coming academic year (2007-08).He did not find any wide variation in the salary levels in a particular job among the hospitals since it was `market-driven'.While the universities would provide the content and syllabus and would do the evaluation, the courses would be conducted by the hospitals and at least 10-15 hospitals would join this collaborative venture.

Asked whether the degrees or diplomas awarded by the universities would be recognised all over the country and whether there would not be any objection from organisations such as the Medical Council of India or the Indian Nursing Council or the Dr M.G.R. Medical University in Tamil Nadu, he said the Bharathiar University here had looked into the issue and was confident that it had the powers to award the degrees for these courses.

However, the Tamil Nadu Dr M.G.R. Medical University in its Web site states that `This is the only Medical University in Tamil Nadu capable of granting affiliation to new medical and paramedical colleges, government or self-financing; and awarding degrees (until 1988, all degrees of Health Sciences were awarded by the University of Madras).Besides medical and paramedical courses, the university also regulates dental education and education in the Indian systems of medicine under a single umbrella to maintain uniform and high standards. The university also promotes research.Mr K. Thangaraj, Chairman, CII, Coimbatore, said his organisation wanted to create awareness about the huge employment opportunities the health care sector offered. He said his organisation was also considering the issue of organising a job fair for health care sector.

CM approved Coimbatore Tidel Park

The long-awaited Government mooted IT Park in Coimbatore is likely to see some shape soon.The Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) Managing Director, Mr C. Umashankar, told Business Line that the State Government has approved the building design and the construction activity would begin by August.

He said the ELCOT board and TIDCO (Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation) shortlisted three designs for the Chief Minister's approval two days back.He has approved one of the three structures."We will float the tender and announce the financial closure shortly,'' Mr Umashankar said.The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone two months ago. Mr Umashankar then indicated that the project would come up within 18 months of finalising the modalities.Initially, an area of 29 acres was transferred from the Health Department to the IT Department for the proposed park.

Thereafter, an additional 33 acres was also acquired near the Coimbatore Medical College campus, with the Government contemplating developing social infrastructure projects.The park is expected to have a built-up area of one million sq.ft. and the estimated investment on this has been pegged at Rs 200 crore to Rs 250 crore."Since it has the Special Economic Zone status, we will be eligible to get a 20 per cent rebate on imported items,'' Mr Umashankar said.Wipro and Tata Consultancy Services, who have been allotted 10 acres and 5 acres respectively for establishing their own campus, are also expected to start work on the project.

U.S. team on a feasibility study for wildlife research

A delegation of four professors from Purdue University, Indiana, the U.S. visited forests in and around Coimbatore for a feasibility study to identify areas where researches could be done. The researches will range from solutions to man-animal conflicts, monitoring of wildlife diseases and their management, management of wildlife health and advisable methodologies in captive breeding.

The delegation comprised professors Peter, Nour, Hugo and Sulma Mohammed and was accompanied by Pradeep K. Mallick of Wildlife Institute of India. Conservator of Forests P.C. Tyagi and District Forest Officer I. Anwardeen deputed a team of officers led by forest veterinarian N.S. Manoharan and Top Slip range officer Thangaraj Panneerselvam. They visited various reserve forests, sanctuaries and national parks in South India.

In Coimbatore the delegation visited Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, Corporation Zoo at VOC Park and reserve forests in Coimbatore. Corporation Zoo director S. Thirukkumaran took the delegation around the zoo. The delegation will also visit the Nilgiris, Mudumalai and Bandipur.
The forest department would identify the areas in which the delegation could deploy its infrastructure and expertise in carrying out researches to supplement the efforts of the department in wildlife and forest management.

Ooty District machinery geared up for monsoon

Udhagamandalam: With the South-West monsoon advancing rapidly steps have been initiated to gear up the district machinery. At a meeting of the Flood Steering Committee held here on Wednesday officials were asked to be in a state of preparedness to meet any eventuality. The District Revenue Officer C. Rajakumar presided.The Personal Assistant (General) to the Collector has been designated as the Emergency Relief Officer and Headquarters Controlling Officer. He can be contacted over telephone number 2444012 or Toll free number 1077 from June 1.

Other Emergency Relief Officers: Coonoor Taluk: Revenue Divisional Officer (Phone number 2206002),Kotagiri: District Supply Officer (271718),Gudalur: Revenue Divisional Officer (261295),Pandhalur: District Adi-dravidar Welfare Officer (220734), Kundah: District Backward Class Welfare Officer (2508123) and Ooty: Additional Personal Assistant to the Collector (2442433).To oversee rescue and relief operations there would be 16 zonal officers in the rank of tahsildar or deputy tahsildar.Steps will be taken to stock essential commodities in all the fair price shops particularly in remote places like Geddhai,Avalanchi and Kinnakorai.

All the control rooms would start functioning by June 1.Wirelesssets will be installed at the Collectorate and the Revenue Divisional Office.A close watch would be kept on landslide and flood prone areas.Roundthe clock patrolling of such areas would be done by the police.Men and machinery would be available at appropriate places to clear road blocks caused by natural calamities like landslides.Drivers would be instructed to be on their toes.The officers incharge of locals bodies would ensure that there was no disruption in water supply while Electricity department workers would look into disruptions in power supply without delay.

Shanthi launched sale of cattle feed

Shanthi Poultry Farm Limited has launched sale of cattle feed in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.Its Managing Director, R. Lakshmanan, said that the company planned to sell 1,500 tonnes to 2,000 tonnes of cattle feed a month initially in these two States. Marketing would be through its existing network that took care of poultry feed sales.

The balanced cattle feed would be sold in the name of "Shanthi". Niswin Enterprises would be dealer for Tamil Nadu. The company was into poultry feed since 1990 and was selling about 20,000 tonnes a month now. It decided to produce balanced cattle feed as part of its plans to expand business.Already about 50,000 tonnes of cattle feed was sold in Kerala market every month by the existing producers. Hence, it had a huge potential, he said.

Girl missing in the city continoues

Holding a photo of his missing daughter, construction worker Sakthivel and relatives squat in front of the Rathinapuram police station in the city on Wednesday demanding steps to trace the girl. Parents and relatives of a 19-year-old girl, who was missing from February 28, squatted in front of the Rathinapuri police station on Wednesday morning demanding `adequate' efforts from the police to trace the girl. The girl, daughter of a construction worker, Sakthivel (42) is a second year student for UG programme in a college on Mettuppalayam Road.They alleged that despite many complaints there had not been any concerted efforts by the police in tracing the girl and the parents feared that the girl might have been abducted.

The parents went to the Collectorate on Monday and presented a memorandum.The police persuaded the agitators to give up the agitation and promised them to make adequate efforts to trace the girl.But the agitators said they would call off the agitation only if the girl was found.
Finally, the police removed the parents and 15 other agitators from the place and they were later released.

Palladam-Mangalam road is getting improved

The State Government will improve 216.6-km stretch on 28 major roads on an outlay of Rs 77.70 crore under the Central Road Fund.The Government will spend the amount and get it reimbursed by the Centre.K. Allaudin, Secretary, Highways Department, said in the order that the cost of the works would be reimbursed by the Union Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways.

The State Government requested the Chief Engineer (National Highways) to accord technical sanction for the works within three months from the date of administrative approval accorded by the Union Ministry in March 2007. The period for completion of the project should not exceed 24 months, including the period of tender. No excess cost beyond 10 per cent of the administrative approval would be permitted and no revised estimates would be considered.
The widening and strengthening works are being taken up on the following major district roads, other district roads and State Highways: Cheyyur-Vandavasi- Polur road (16 km in Tiruvannamalai); Chittur - Tiruttani road (13 km in Vellore);Arcot - Villuppuram road (14 km in Tiruvannamalai); Ponnagaram - Naganmarai road (29.4 km in Dharmapuri); Kadayanallur-Kasidharmam-Achanpudur road (6.4 km in Tirunelveli); Alvarthirunagari - Nazereth-Sathankulam-Ittamozhi-Valliyur road (7 km in Tuticorin-in two phases); Wartap-Maharajapuram-Alagapuri-Virudhunagar road (2 km in Virudhunagar), Sadathangal-Cheyyar-Vandavasi-Polur road (9 km in Tiruvannamalai); Salem-Ponnammapet-Valasaisur road through Veeranam (9.6 km in Salem); Sarugani-Devakottai road (6 km in Sivaganga); Palladam-Mangalam road (5 km in Coimbatore); Keevalur - Kachanam road (18.4 km in Nagapattinam); Mannargudi-Muthupet (retainer wall in Nagapattinam); Tambaram-Somangalam road (9.6 km in Kanchipuram); Pannaikadu road (1.3 km Dindigul); Thiruvalam-Katpadi-Venkatagirikottah road (12 km in Vellore); GNT Road (4 km in Chennai); Thirukattupalli-Pattukotti-Chengipatti road (11.6 km in Thanjavur); Mohanur-Namakkal-Senthamangalam-Rasipuram road (4.2 km in Namakkal); Kallikudi-Kariapatti road (5 km in Madurai); Pullangudi-Sankarankoil-Kalugumalai-Nalattinpudur road (5 km in Tirunelveli); a high-level bridge on Chennai- Tiruttani-Renigunta road (1.2 km in Thiruvallur); a bridge on Thogamalai- Mallampattu road (Karur); Dindigul Manakattur road (4.4 km in Dindigul); Uchipuli-Pudumadam road (4 km in Ramanathapuram); Ullikottai-Thallikottai Vadesery road (7.5 km in Thiruvarur); and Mannargudi-Eyyalur road (10.2 km in Chidambaram).

Hohenstein Institutes opend 2nd contact office in Tirupur

In order to meet the growing demand for independent textile quality testing in India, the Hohenstein Institutes have opened, in addition to their existing agency in Mumbai, a second contact office in Tirupur, a centre of textile production in Southern India. As the second official agency of the International Oeko-Tex Association, the contact office is primarily responsible for the certification of textile products in accordance with Oeko-Tex Standard 100, but will also offer a wide range of standard materials and merchandise testing, as well as carrying out internationally recognised tests of performance and treatment processes.

Thanks to this new foothold in Tirupur, the Hohenstein Institutes are now able to be even more targeted and efficient in supporting European companies which have their products made by Indian manufacturers, with regard to their quality control and product optimisation. In future, the shorter delivery times will mean that test and certification procedures for regionally based suppliers can be handled considerably faster. Shorter journey times will also allow for better customer care and face-to-face advice for companies at their own premises. In order to ensure consistent quality standards, all laboratory testing will continue to be carried out in the long-established way by the laboratories at the main site in Bönnigheim.

Nilgiri Mountain Rail suspended

Road and rail traffic between Coonoor and Metupalayam came to halt as heavy rains which lashed this area on Sunday night triggered minor landslips on the road and railway track.Consequently, the Nilgiri Mountain Rail (NMR) and road traffic between Mettupalayam and Coonoor have been suspended.According to Highways department sources, a heavy boulder rolled down the hills and fell on the road near Marapallam at the ninth hairpin bend on the Mettupalayam-Coonoor NH-67.

Though no one was injured, the road has developed some cracks under the impact of the boulder.Steps were being taken to remove the boulder and the road would be cleared in a couple of days, sources said.All vehicular traffic from Mettupalayam to Coonoor and Ooty have been diverted via Kotagiri.Meanwhile, Southern Railway has suspended NMR service for three days as about 60 metres of tracks between Hillgrove and Coonoor stations as huge boulders fell on the tracks in land slides, which also damaged a bridge (Bridge No 73).

Railway sources said 15 metres of embankments had also been washed away in the flash floods due to the torrential rains.On Monday, the NMR train was backed down from Hillgrove to Mettupalayam as it could not proceed further due to the landslide, and the passengers were transported to Coonoor and Ooty by buses.Railway officials said about 150 persons were engaged in round the clock restoration work.

Cabana Hotel In Ooty

Charles Helm, chairman of Best Western International, with Cabana Group chairman Prabhu Goel in Mumbai.Cabana Hotel Management has signed a master licensee agreement with leading global hotel chain Best Western International. It will invest $1.2 billion to set up over 100 Best Western-branded hotels in the next 7-9 years.

These hotels will come up in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Ooty, Kanyakumari and Jaisalmer. The Cabana group will also develop its own properties for the Best Western brand in India.Cabana has already identified locations for six Best Western hotels and will invest $10 million in each.“We are establishing hotels in Ooty (Udhagamandalam), Bangalore, Kanyakumari, Jaisalmer, Rameshwaram and Bhubaneswar, on which we will start construction soon,” Prabhu Goel, co-chairman of Cabana Group, said.

On revenue expectations, he said, “It depends on market tariffs, but it should be over $10 million per hotel by 2010 for these six locations.” These six properties would complete construction in two years, he said.Apart from developing its own properties, the group would distribute franchises to convert hotels and render the Best Western brand hotels across Tier-I and Tier-II cities in the country.

“Non-availability of land, and tedious paper-work procedures still pose challenges for the domestic hotel management industry. We plan to raise funds through private equity to meet the cost for land acquisition in big cities,” said Goel.

Jayalitha's Ooty estate under Govt's eagle eye

An official team, which attempted to check the Kodanadu estate bungalow near Kothagiri in Nilgiris district, reportedly belonging to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, for alleged building violations, was denied entry by scores of AIADMK workers.The official team, led by Nilgiris district Sub-Collector Samayamurthy and District Revenue Officer Rajkumar, was sent back in the morning by the large number of party cadres present there, seeking a copy of the official order. When the team went back to the 900-acre estate, armed with the order, the activists, led by former Minister A Miller, denied them entry in the absence of an official surveyor.

As the party workers were present in large numbers, the team returned without any objection.The team was expected to make an attempt tomorrow also. The move followed a complaint lodged by Kothagiri Panchayat President Raju that the bungalow had been constructed violating Government rules and regulations. An official team had infact tried to check the plan a few days ago, but without any luck as Ms Jayalalithaa was in the bungalow at that time.

HCL's Digilife Stores @ Coimbatore Soon

HCL Infosystems Limited, an information-enabling and integration company, plans to open 150 to 200 HCL Digilife stores over the next two years, with equal focus on metros, state capitals and tier-II cities.Stating that the current potential of digital lifestyle market was currently pegged at around Rs 2,500 crore and was expected to touch Rs 10,000 crore by 2010, M Ravi Sanker, head (entity) HCL Infosystems, said that the company's Digilife chain was poised to clinch a substantial chunk of this market.

An outlet each are expected to come up at Coimbatore and Salem in six weeks, he said, adding that outlets were planned at Kochi and Kozhikode by middle of July."Each of these stores would entail an investment of around Rs 10 lakh, and is expected to garner business of between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 20 lakh a month," Sanker said.HCL Infosystems currently has 38 Digilife retail outlets across the country. Of these, four are company-owned while the rest are operated through the franchisee route.

In Tamil Nadu alone, the company runs two outlets – one each at Chennai and Madurai. The third franchised store in the state at Trichy on May 30.Besides operating direct, channel and retails sales network across the country, the company has a support with four ISO 9001-certified manufacturing facilities.The company currently maintains service points in 360 locations across the country, with 30 of them being in Tamil Nadu.

CD explaining the ill-effects of tobacco by Ramakrishna

A city-based Oncology Research Institute is in the process of preparing a CD, explaining the ill-effects of tobacco and its harmfulness with different medical experts giving their opinion.The CD would have expert opinions from gynaecologists, neurologists and pulmonologists and would be released in a couple of weeks, free of cost to colleges, schools and social organisations interested in using the facility, Dr P Guhan, Director, Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Oncology and Research, told reporters here today.

With the World Anti-Tobacco Day falling tomorrow, it was proposed to distribute one lakh pamphlets, detailing the ill-effects of tobacco, across the city, Guhan said.Besides, the institute would conduct oral cancer awareness camp in 40 primary health centres of Coimbatore and Tirupur, with the help of more than 80 dental doctors from Sri Ramakrishna Dental College to create awareness among the public, school and college students.

Overall prevalence of current tobacco use was around 56 per cent among males, spread over 25 states in India, Guhan said adding there were 250 million tobacco users aged above 10 years, with 70 per cent prone to tobacco-related diseases, including cancer.

2-day annual research meet on forestry

With immense culinary demands in the hotel industry, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has plans to undertake demonstrations of thornless bamboo variety, suitable for edible purposes, in different districts of the state.

It was also proposed to develop 'business models' with trees specifically meant for energy, food, feed, fodder and timber purposes, which would serve as demonstration plots for the farmers, TNAU Vice-chancellor, Dr C Ramasamy said.Detailing on the thrust areas of research at a two-day annual research meet on forestry, which concluded last evening here, Ramasamy said that with expanding urban sector, this new commodity promised good scope for the farmers living in peri-urban areas for income generation.

However, the underlying condition was that the new models and technologies should be appropriately operationalised to suit the farmers' holdings considering their terms of farming, which basically aimed at income generation and easy adoptability.The university would initiate work to design 'recreational forestry park models,' which presently has much scope. It was also proposed to undertake projects related to sandal and red sanders, which were highly lucrative.Moreover, research on eucalyptus for use as 'biodrainage; in water-logged and effluent discharge areas was also a priority area, Ramasamy said.

Coimbatore Volleyball Academy on the right track

Senior India coach G.E. Sridharan sharing his experience to the Kovai Volleyball Academy wards at Sri Krishna Arts and Science College in Coimbatore.Nine months since its inception and the Kovai Volleyball Academy (KVA) has started to reap rich rewards. The dominating presence of its players in the ninth national youth volleyball championship at Vatakara is a classic example.

Add to it the offers for its players from teams such as Navy and ONGC, to name a few.If KVA is acting as a contributing factor to the State team in such a short period of time it is mainly because of its planning and hard work. Every training hour for its players is planned well in advance. The president of the Academy, R. Govindarajulu, works in tandem with the coaches in monitoring the boys, who feel at home at the Sri Krishna College of Arts and Science.The College, which is backing the efforts of the Academy in a big way, is extremely pleased with the progress. "Without the support of Sri Krishna we certainly wouldn't have climbed this faster," says Mr. Govindarajulu.

He says the college is planning an indoor stadium as well. "It's good for the game as well as the Academy. The boys are indeed lucky. They understand that as well. They know they wouldn't have enjoyed all these facilities if they had joined elsewhere," adds the senior administrator. Senior India coach G.E. Sridharan and former international star V.C. Ramalingam say the boys, who represented the State at the Vatakara nationals, were selected purely based on their performance. "It was there for all to see at Vatakara."

The lucky boys to have made it to Vatakara representing Tamil Nadu were Madan Kumar and Pandiaraj (attackers), Subash Kumar (Universal), Lijo Joseph (blocker) and Hema Kumar (setter/attacker).For the record, two other players K.P. Shaheem and Gautam Raj have also caught the attention of the people. The former represented Tamil Nadu in the senior nationals at Chattisgarh (Raipur) and National Games at Guwahati and the latter a berth for the sub-junior nationals.

"KVA is here to help the Tamil Nadu boys team, right from the sub-junior to the senior level. Its contribution will further boost the image of Tamil Nadu at the national level," says Mr. Sridharan, and assures that by next year the Academy will shoot to the national level. Mr. Govindarajulu says it is teamwork that is working wonders. "It's not only the college and the coaches who are working for the welfare of the Academy but also PSG Hospitals. "As promised they are giving high-level care for our injured boys. They don't compromise on quality for the sake of offering free treatment."

He says the Academy is not aiming for medals or bouquets. "We are more concerned about the future of the boys. We want them to excel in both sports and studies."To give it a professional touch this year, the Academy plans to conduct specific seminars for setters and blockers. "We will bring in Volleyball Federation of India experts to do the job for us, and it will sure benefit the boys in a big way," says Sridharan.He feels that if there are at least six such academies in the country then the future will be bright for the sport.

TTSF staged demonstration

Members of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation Staff Federation (TTSF) staged a demonstration in front of the TNSTC headquarters on Mettupalayam road here on Monday urging the Government to implement the three-year wage accord and various other demands.The demonstration was part of the State-wide agitation call given by the federation.

The members said the Government had failed to implement the wage accord even after one year of assuming office and the non-revision of bus fare despite introducing new services had left the Corporations in a piquant situation.The members accused the Government of having failed to compensate the losses arising out of the introduction of passes for free and concession travel.

They urged the Government to take over the financial administration of the Corporations to stabilise their economic status.They also said job permanency for casual labourers had remained evasive despite court orders and compassionate ground appointment for legal heirs had stopped with mere announcements.Increasing workload for the technical staff and running crew, denial of rest, leave and increasing overtime were some of the issues raised by the members.Resumption of recruitment drives had failed to bring down the workload, they added.

Angry against Housing Board

The Tamil Nadu Housing Board allottees arguing with the officials in the city on Tuesday.Orunkinaintha Tamil Nadu Kovai Veetu Vasathi Variya Pirivu Othukeetalargal Nala Sangham has urged the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) to initiate action against officials for administrative lapses and the resultant delay and denial of sale deeds. They also sought a probe by the CB-CID police into the issue.

D. Perumal and K. Jayachandran, convenor and secretary of the Sangham respectively, in a release said a delegation of allottees went to the TNHB office in Sivananda Colony on Tuesday and presented a memorandum to the authorities. Those who got houses in various schemes of the TNHB across the district had been waiting for their sale deeds for more than 10 years.The authorities had delayed the process of finalising the prices for land owing to disputes over land acquisition and this had resulted in the delay in disbursement of sale deeds to the allottees.

To cover up their administrative lapses, the officials had led to a situation wherein these disputes had turned out to be Land Acquisition Original Petitions. A probe by the State Crime Branch CID should be ordered, they said.The TNHB authorities should honour the written agreement reached between them and the allottees in the presence of the Revenue Divisional Officer on March 21.They should bear the cost escalation arising out of interest for the delayed period, interest accrued on the interest, penal interest and interests added on to the capital arrears, they said.

Unauthorised structures around the Nehru Stadium were removed

Unauthorised structures around the Nehru Stadium in the city that were removed by the Corporation to re-lay footpath.The Coimbatore Corporation has demolished structures of shops that had encroached the pavement around the Nehru Stadium. This has left traders occupying shops in the stadium complex fuming over the damage caused to the drainpipes. Some of them say that the demolition has left sewage flowing in front of their shops and this is causing unhygienic conditions.

More than 10 automobile component shops, a restaurant offering Chinese food, two pizza outlets, two non-vegetarian restaurants, a readymade garment store, a Government handloom items shop and also shops selling fitness equipment, vegetables and fruits and fresh juice and salads are among the commercial establishments that operate from the outer ring of the stadium rented out by the civic body.

The Corporation has refuted the claims by the shops that the pedestrian path has been damaged by the demolition drive and that this has caused inconvenience to the people. It says the traders had extended their shop structures into the pavements and had, actually, reduced the space for pedestrians.

Corporation Commissioner P. Muthuveeran says that some of the shops had created unhygienic conditions around the stadium. "I went around the stadium and noticed these conditions. We want to restore the footpath for pedestrians around the stadium," he says. "There was virtually no space for the pedestrians," says the Commissioner, rejecting the charges of the traders that only the demolition by the civic body has forced people to walk on the roads and risk getting hit by vehicles.The Corporation also plans to improve the V.O.C. Park and its surroundings as a recreation centre. The clean-up drive around the stadium is a part of it. "Even today (Tuesday), a consultant brought sketch of the proposed improvements," the Commissioner said.

Special train to Chennai

To clear the extra rush of passengers, Southern Railway will run a special train from Chennai Central to Coimbatore on May 31.Train No.0676 Chennai Central – Coimbatore Special will leave Central at 22.30 hrs on May 31 and arrive Coimbatore at 08.15 hrs the next day.

The train will stop at Arakkonam, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Salem, Erode and Tirupur.The composition of the train will be one AC 2-tier, two AC 3-tier, 10 Sleeper Class, four general second class and two luggage-cum-brake van coaches.Advance reservation for the above train will commence tomorrow, a Southern Railway press release says.

1000 of peoples demonstrated in Gudalur

Udhagamandalam: Traffic on the Ooty-Mysore road was disrupted for about three hours on Monday following a demonstration staged by thousands of people. They came in a procession from O'Valley and sat on the road.

It was in protest against the denial of permission by the forest department to implement schemes such as putting up constructions on Section 17 lands in O'Valley and surroundings. The demonstrators refused to budge despite a request made by officials. They submitted a memorandum to Central Empowered Committee headed by T.V. Jaikrishnan which was touring various parts of Gudalur.

Strict action from June 1st to reduce accidents

The driving licence of those who indulge in drunken and negligent driving and who are involved in fatal accidents will be cancelled, Transport Commissioner C.P. Singh has warned.The licence will be suspended for six months for the first offence.In the event of second or subsequent offence, it will be cancelled. Action will also be initiated against vehicle owners for failure to discipline their drivers, he told reporters.

Mr. Singh said the Government was striving to reduce accidents. Besides preventive measures such as mandatory seatbelts for car-users and helmets for two-wheeler riders, efforts were being made to enhance the skills of drivers and improve their driving habits. Wearing of seatbelts in cars was being made compulsory from June 1.The Institute of Road Transport had been requested to devise courses for drivers of various types of vehicles, including those that carry inflammable petroleum products and hazardous commodities.

Ashok Leyland and Maruti had opened driving schools. The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation was equipping its 17 driving schools. The feasibility of the public using these schools for a nominal fee was being explored. The Highways Department had been asked to take remedial measures in accident-prone spots on highways.Mr. Singh said dealers would be asked to display the price of quality certified helmets to prevent their sale at inflated rates. Mr. Singh said 92 lakh vehicles, including 71 lakh two-wheelers, plied in the State, and lakhs of new vehicles were being registered every year.

Siruthuli into action @ Chithiraichavadi Anicut

Siruthuli's initiative to desilt the Chithiraichavadi Anicut across the Noyyal began on Monday.Siruthuli, the people's initiative to conserve water resources, began desilting the Chithiraichavadi Anicut on Monday. Siruthuli said the objective was to remove 60,000 cubic metres of silt. One cubic metre could hold 1,000 litres of water, it said. When the entire silt was removed, the anicut could hold more water. This would help recharge the groundwater table over 10 sq.km. The area of irrigation under the anicut and channel was 3,791 acres. The organisation put the cost of the project at Rs.17.50 lakh. It would contribute Rs.5.25 lakh and hoped for the State Government to meet the rest of the cost through the Water Resources Organisation (WRO) of the Public Works Department (PWD).

Siruthuli has already begun the work by using its funds. Chithiraichavadi is a 11-km channel that brings water to the following tanks: Pudukulam, Kolarampathi, Narasampathi, Krishnampathi, Selvampathi, Kumaraswamy and Selvachinthamani. Surplus water from Selvachinthamani used to flow to Big Tank and Valankulam at Ukkadam in Coimbatore, a press release from Siruthuli said.

The anicut was part of the Noyyal river system. The river originated from Vellingiri and the Boluvampatty Hills in the Western Ghats that had a cluster of small rivers and streams such as Chinnar, Periyar, Masaorambu, Mundanthurai and Kanchimaanadi rivers. From here, the river flowed 160 eastward and joined River Cauvery at a village called Noyyal in Erode District. The river system consisted of 20 anicuts and 28 tanks in Coimbatore District. Now, the objective was to remove the silt, strengthen the bunds and also carry out repairs to the sluices and support structures. The entire work was expected to be over in 10 days. Siruthuli Managing Trustee Vanita Mohan said there was overwhelming support from the farmers belonging to the Chithiraichavadi Paasana Vivasayigal Sangham.

Mobile medicare unit of HelpAge inaururated

Mathew Cherian, Chief Executive, HelpAge India, New Delhi (centre), inaugurating a new vehicle of the mobile medicare unit of HelpAge India in the city on Monday.T. Hyrunnisa's crinkled face brightened with a smile as the organisers called out her name. And with good reason, for she was to a get a brand new hearing aid. Hyrunnisa, 65, was one among the many senior citizens who had assembled at the office of the HelpAge India here on Monday to receive hearing aids, walking sticks and eyeglasses.

For those at old age homes who could not make it to the venue, the aids would be sent through staff of the homes who attended the programme organised by HelpAge India."More than 81 million people in India are above the age of 60 and 51 million among them have no access to proper food, clothing or medical care," said Mathew Cherian, Chief Executive of HelpAge India, New Delhi.

Inaugurating a new vehicle of the mobile medicare unit, he said making medical aid available to the elderly who had no access to it is one of the most important services of HelpAge India.Through this mobile unit, those in the rural areas could be reached.The organisation was also negotiating with the Central and State Governments to make the pension available to the elderly through the National Old Age Pension Scheme. The Government was giving Rs.400 as pension to the aged. But, not everyone was getting it, Mr. Cherian observed. The Government was also planning to issue the `Unorganised Workers Social Security Bill,' through which, people above 60, who had been labourers, agriculturists and in similar unorganised sectors would be paid Rs.200 as pension.

Similarly, the country was also not far behind the issuing of the Old Age Protection and Maintenance Bill, according to which children should provide maintenance to their parents, he said."While millions are spent on various things in the country, a few can be spent on looking after the aged too," Mr.Cherian said. HelpAge India also had a `Sponsor a Grandparent' programme in which they urged the wealthy to sponsor one elderly person. "We have over 18,000 sponsored people now."

Oommen George, Head of Medical Services, who distributed the aids to the aged, said one of the greatest problems of old age was deteriorating health. The aged became weaker, develop hearing difficulties, joint pain, bad eyesight and heart diseases. Improving the health condition of the millions of old people was one of the biggest challenges the country faced today, he said. Through the mobile medicare unit, the aged seeking help from the organisation could get access to quality medicines and medical care, said Indrani Rajadurai, Director of the Southern Region of HelpAge India.More than 200 walking sticks, 100 eye glasses and 50 hearing aids were distributed.

Activity room is for the children to play and learn

Kindergarten children at the activity room of G. Ramaswamy Naidu Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Coimbatore.A flurry of colours assails the senses as one enters the activity room in the kindergarten section of G. Ramaswamy Naidu Matriculation Higher Secondary School. It is an activity room in every sense of the term.Little houses built within where children can learn their math or paint a picture or two. A play area, a few fitness equipment stashed away in the corner and a tiny conference table with tinier chairs placed around.

"This activity room is for the children to play and learn while they do so," says Seetha Poovaiah, Principal of the School.The concept of burdening kindergarten children with books is fast dying out with most schools taking to activity-based learning methods. "This way, children learn faster and their retention is much better," she adds.Here the child is exposed to a variety of activities, all of which help in laying a strong foundation in conceptualisation skills. While solving the puzzle the spatial faculty grows and by using the abacus a sense of numbers is developed. They also train them in tying shoelaces and buttoning their clothes.The conventional teaching method involves the use of books and it included very little activity. But this system completely does away with books, says Bharathi Modi, LKG teacher at the school.

"The children seem to be learning much more this way and it trains them to become independent at a very young age" she says. Also, it is possible to identify the areas each child is interested in.Some show a liking for the abacus, some others like the puzzle, some are interested in the drawing games and some other show a clear affinity for alphabets. This method also enables the teacher to identify slow learners."On the whole, activity-based learning helps children develop their personality. It gives them confidence. They grow up to be smarter individuals," Ms. Poovaiah says.The children are introduced to the basics of language, arithmetic, science, logic and even physical development. The gym in the classroom interests most of them and gradually it will become a habit, says Ms. Modi.

The drama is over but the suspense remains

The daylong shootout to pick the two drivers for the scholarship programme for the Chennai-based Gemini Racing team came to an end with more than 20 drivers sweating it out under the scorching sun at the Kari Motor Speedway at Chettipalayam, near Coimbatore, on Sunday.But, the names will be announced only on Monday.The selection and training programme was more of academics and testing in the morning followed by the actual racing in the afternoon.

The chief of jury of the selection committee, Akbar Ebrahim, said the selection was made in a transparent manner."We had more than 30 entries but we narrowed it down to 23 drivers, who knew the basics. We plan to select two out of the 23 and induct them in the team that will participate in the JK Tyre national championship this season. There will also be three standbyes."

The drivers went through the basics like keeping the lines, braking, steering and driving sense.The four-member selection committee comprising Armaan Ebrahim, Ameya Walvalakar, Radha Selvaraj and Akbar also looked for consistency and speed apart from the basics."We expected about ten entries but it was a surprise to see double the crowd contesting. Good start," said Akbar.

The team principal of Gemini Racing, Akkineni, was also pleased with the overwhelming response."I think this will be a great start. I thank all the participants for having found their time to be here and given their best. It has been truly heart warming to observe the great team effort in organising this show.""I found the participants enthusiastic and enterprising. They were ambitious to learn and that is perhaps a good beginning and augurs well for Indian motorsports as well.The boys had really put in their efforts, which were seen on the track.The chosen guys were really good and we also wish the other participants the best," said Akbar.

Naren to lead Indian challenge in Canberra

Naren Karthikayen and co-driver D Ram Kumar, will spearhead Indian challenge at the NEC Rally of Australia in the third round of Asia Pacific Rally Championship since Guarav Gill of Team MRF has been ruled out of the prestigious event. Gill badly damaged his car in a massive shunt in the opening round at New Caledonia. His Mitsubishi EVO 9 could not be repaired in time for the Canberra round which will be held from June 1-3.

"Guarav (Gill) will not be participating in Canberra. The damaged car is in the process of being rectified," informed team manager Anthony Rodricks. The 25-year old Delhite is rated as one of the most talented drivers on the rally circuit. Even during his short stint in APRC he has impressed old hats of the game like Jussi Valimaki of Team MRF. On the other hand for Naren Kumar it's his final fling at glory in this year's APRC calendar. Running on limited budget that he managed to cobble together with the help of his friends, the six-time national rally champion is edging to prove his class on the fast flowing tracks of Canberra dirt.

The Coimbatore driver finished in an impressive fourth place in the opening round in the French principality, but suffered gearbox problems in the next round at Whangarei, New Zealand on the second day that relegated him to the back of the field. Naren ended the super special stages on the first day in third place. "I have hoping for a good result but I lost the fourth gear on the second stage on the second day and then suffered a broken wheel later on. I lost over eight minutes which effectively ended my chances of a good finish," says the metallurgist by profession.

GSI Team at Ooty

Udhagamandalam: With smoke continuing to emanate from a spot in a forest at Neethi near here, a team of experts from Chennai inspected the area on Sunday.A team headed by the senior geologist, Geological Survey of India (GSI), S. Raju made an inspection of the spot. Among those present was the Nilgiris Collector Santosh K.Misra. Later speaking, Dr. Raju said that samples of the charred earth, trees and the gas emanating through the fissures would be taken to Chennai for analysis. He said that the results would be known by Tuesday.

Workshop for leadership and management development

Relations Institute of Development, an agency that helps organisations improve employee relationships and teamwork, offers a one-year leadership and management development workshop for professionals.The workshop, which will be held every Wednesday, will be open to Human Resource Development personnel and will cover eight modules spread over a year.

Communication, leadership, motivation and team building, group dynamics, conflict resolution, creativity and innovation, supervision, and change management will be the topics covered.Through training, counselling and coaching of the employees, organisational development can be achieved, said C. Suriyaprakash, one of the faculties of the workshop.It would also help employees realise their worth and evaluate their professional performance, he added.

The first module on communication would be held on May 30.Behavioural patterns and their impact on the communication process, rules governing communication, and re-establishing effective communication would be some of the concepts that would be discussed.For details, contact Relations Institute of Development at 98652-58463.

Oxford in Coimbatore

Oxford Bookstore, the chain of bookstores from the Apeejay Surendra Group, has opened shop in Coimbatore.Occupying about 3,100 sq.ft. at Red Rose Chambers on the Trichy Road, the book store has over 25,000 titles and also a "cha bar".It has been established at a total cost of about Rs. 80 lakhs.The Chief Executive Officer of the Apeejay Oxford Bookstores Private Limited, Rajiv Chowdhry, told presspersons here on Friday that this is the 12th bookstore of the group in the country.

By the end of this financial year, the group planned to have 30 stores across the country.Apart from tier-two cities, it would also look at opening shops in the suburbs of metros.The stores were designed in such a way that "it is more of a journey, discovering books and thus discovering knowledge."According to Rajeev Kamineni and Priya Kamineni, who head the business of the bookstore here, the shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on all seven days a week.

It will have special events for children and for book lovers.Authors will be visiting the shop. Book signing and interactive sessions with readers will also be organised.They said that the "cha bar" would have nearly 70 different types of tea and snacks.The readers would be able to browse for books, select titles of their choice, go through the books at the cha bar and then buy them.Vanitha Mohan, Managing Trustee of Siruthuli, and Nandini Rangaswamy, Managing Director of the Chandra Group of concerns inaugurated the bookstore and the cha bar.

Pulmonary Critical Care Update - 2007-Inaurgurated

Chairman of Kovai Medical Center and Hospital Nalla G. Palaniswami addressing the inaugural of the `Pulmonary Critical Care Update - 2007' in the city on Sunday.Dissemination of latest information on advances in pulmonary emergencies and periodical update for doctors in handling such situations was stressed at the Pulmonary Critical Care Update organised by Kovai Medical Center and Hospital here on Sunday.

Hospital chairman Nalla G. Palaniswami emphasised the need for updating hospitals and individual doctors in the peripheral areas on the advances made in handling such emergencies.Scientific sessions included one that was addressed by Consultant Intensivist from Sundaram Medical Foundation in Chennai Ram E. Rajagopalan.A release from the hospital said that critical care had its origin during the polio epidemic of 1952 in Copenhagen (capital of Denmark) when patients were shifted to a common location for specialised care, including use of ventilator.

Hundreds of patients were said to have developed respiratory paralysis and the ventilator facilities at the infectious diseases hospital were not sufficient to meet the patient flow.About 200 medical students were called in to provide round-the-clock manual ventilation using a rubber bag attached to a tracheostomy tube.Some patients were ventilated in this way for several weeks.Intensive care management of pulmonary problems still occupied a prime place in the management of critically ill persons.

Rs 3 lak sanctioned for Automatic Traffic Signals

A sum of Rs. 3 lakh has been sanctioned for installing automatic traffic signals in congested pockets in Coimbatore rural district.This was announced at the Road Safety-cum-Traffic Advisory Committee meeting held here recently.District Collector Neeraj Mittal chaired the meeting.Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore rural district, A.T. Duraikumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore City, K. Shanmugavel (Law and Order), Deputy Transport Commissioner, T. Gunasekaran, Regional Transport Officers and Highways officials attended the meeting.

The Collector directed the authorities to provide roofing and adequate lighting on the foot overbridge at Gandhipuram within the next four weeks. The meeting discussed measures to identify accident-prone stretches and initiate remedial measures in terms of road engineering and educate motorists through signboards.It was also decided to conduct awareness programmes for students to enlighten them on road rules.The meeting discussed the scope for publishing articles in newspapers on the causes for accidents and also audio and video programmes to create awareness among the public.It deliberated on organising photo exhibition on accidents at places that are frequented by public.

The Collector asked the authorities concerned to carry out repair works on the battered stretches such as Perur Bypass Road up to Ukkadam, Range Gowder Street, Telugu Brahmin Street and Sir Shanmugam Road.He sought a report on the shifting of Ukkadam lorrypet to a suitable place to ease congestion caused by trucks in the area.It was also decided to construct a median on Palakkad Road from Ukkadam bus stand to Aatuppalam.

Ancient rock art found near Coimbatore

A dolmen found in the backdrop of Anamalai Hills, about a kilometre away from the ancient rock art site discovered near Mavadaippu village in Coimbatore district.A natural cavern with a profusion of ancient rock art, contemporary tribal paintings and even modern-day graffiti has been discovered near Mavadaippu tribal village, about 7 km from the Kadamparai hydel power station in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district.

K.T. Gandhirajan, art historian and explorer, P. Manivannan, K. Natarajan and a group of students from the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai, made the discovery on May 17.They also found about a kilometre away from the site a number of dolmens, called "muni aria" in Tamil, in four different locations in the backdrop of the Anamalai hills. The dolmens are in square, rectangular and even round shapes. Some have compartments inside.According to Mr. Gandhirajan, who is a post-graduate in Art History, "a spectacular feature of the site is that the rock surface is an admixture of ancient rock art and contemporary tribal paintings, showing continuity of tradition as it were."

The paintings have been done on a rock surface that is 40 feet long and 20 feet tall. He and other experts put the date of the ancient rock paintings around 1500 B.C. These paintings include a tiger with its mouth wide open, a deer with straight horns, a porcupine, a wild boar, a peacock and elephants.

EEPC seeks to enhance international dimension

The Engineering Export Promotion Council is exploring possibilities of undertaking joint programmes with international agencies, with some financial assistance as well.C. S. Shukla, the council's advisor, told The Hindu here on Thursday that the council had written to various bodies such as the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries, the European Economic Community, and the Asian Development Bank. Some of these bodies had funds for developing countries.

"This is very much at an initial stage. Only after getting a specific response from them can we submit proposals," he said.Mr. Shukla explained that the council had signed agreements with a number of industrial bodies in Egypt, Ethiopia, Mexico, Germany and China. These were signed during international events such as visit of trade delegation or exhibitions. The objective was to have joint programmes, exchange of trade information and business delegations. Many of these agreements need to be revived and the council was writing to all these associations in this regard. It was trying to have at least a couple of events in a year based on each such agreement.
This would improve the export opportunities for the Indian companies through more export promotional activities.These efforts were part of an initiative to enhance and develop an international dimension to the council, he said.

Confed-ITA and MS joins hands to control piracy

Confed-ITA (earlier known as Tamil Nadu Information Technology Associate, TANITA) and Microsoft have come together to control software piracy in Tamil Nadu. A decision on this was taken in the recently concluded meeting between Confed-ITA, a confederation of all regional channel associations in Tamil Nadu and Microsoft, at Coimbatore. “This is our first step in bringing Microsoft to talk with the association and help control software piracy to protect resellers’ interests, especially against the vendor-initiated piracy raids,” said S Karthikeyan, the newly elected President of Confed-ITA.

“Microsoft is open to talk to anyone who is ready to support and work with us in our anti-piracy initiatives. Channels play a key role in controlling piracy, since they are contact points for customers. Microsoft is working with many regional associations across the country, in a similar kind of exercise,” said an official at Microsoft.

It is understood that Confed-ITA has given some proposals to Microsoft, to control software piracy and assured them of their support in these initiatives. “We are ready to support Microsoft in all their initiatives. We want a conducive business environment in the state. Our only concern is that resellers should not be unnecessarily harassed in the name of raids. Confed-ITA will work closely with all vendors to create a perfect ecosystem in the market,” Karthikeyan added.

Confed-ITA took its new name a couple of weeks back, during a state-level meeting held at Puducherry. More than 10 regional associations across the state participated in the meeting, which also approved the formation of Confed-ITA, an apex body working for the common benefit of channel partners across the state. Presently, 10 regional associations in Tamil Nadu have associated themselves with Confed-ITA, which is the collective voice of 650 resellers across Tamil Nadu.

Agricultural encyclopaedia in Tamil by TNAU

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) is in the process of preparing an agricultural encyclopaedia in Tamil, considering the history of farming in the state.The prime aim of this assignment was to popularise the technologies of agriculture and allied disciplines among the farming community, students and the public, university sources said.

The work would be carried out as a collaborative venture with Tamil University, Thanjavur, and this "milestone" effort would be of immense help to all the readers to understand the basic ideas and importance of agriculture, they said.A standard accepted format for easy understanding by the readers would be adopted while preparing the encyclopaedia, since subjects covered include agronomy, oilseeds, millets, agricultural engineering, home science, forestry, biotechnology, soil science and microbiology.A steering committee comprising university scientists to monitor the activities related to preparation of encyclopaedia has been formed, the sources said.

Fruit show @ Coonoor today

Arrangements being made for the fruit show at Coonoor on Saturday.The Flower Show at the Government Botanical Garden in Udhagamandalam is over, but `show time' continues in the Nilgiris, with the focus shifting to the Sim's Park in Coonoor. The Annual Fruit Show conventionally considered the final tourism-related event of the season would be organised at the Sim's Park by the Nilgiris Flower and Fruit Show Committee on Sunday.The Nilgiris Collector Santosh K.Misra and the Department of Horticulture have made elaborate arrangements.

Pointing out that it will be the 49th Fruit Show, the Sim's Park Manager A.Ramakrishnan told The Hindu at Coonoor on Saturday that no efforts have been spared to make the event a fascinating one. Since Friday, the venue was illuminated.Stating that the main attraction would be a 16-feet revolving fruit tree near the threshold, he said that the objective of conducting the show was to encourage farmers to cultivate fruits and enable tourists to see a wide variety of fruits at a single place.This year about 60,000 persons are expected to witness the show.

The show would be divided into sections like temperate and sub-tropical fruits, tropical fruits, hill vegetables, cut flowers, roses, plants grown in pots, fruit products, spices and condiments, department stalls and private stalls.A stall of the Horticulture Department would display the entire horticultural wealth of the State.The Mushroom Growers Association will showcase various items that could be made with mushrooms.Mr.Ramakrishnan added that on the occasion prizes would be distributed to outstanding fruit gardens.Ten rolling cups, 50 first prizes, 10 second prizes and cash prizes worth Rs. 25,000 are up for grabs.

The Chairman, Coonoor Municipal Council, M.Ramasamy said that the civic administration would join hands with the organisers to ensure that the show went off without a hitch.Pointing out that a long-standing demand of the citizens of Coonoor was that the show should be conducted for two days, he hoped that at least the golden jubilee of the event in 2008 would be commemorated in a fitting manner.Urging the authorities to commence preparations for next year's show immediately, he said that instead of making it the last event of the season, it should be organised before the flower show in Udhagamandalam.Officials of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation said that special buses would ply from various parts of the district and neighbouring districts to Coonoor.

Children missing increased in Coimbatore

Thirteen-year-old Raghav (name changed) was picked up at the Gandhipuram central bus stand by the officials of the Juvenile Aid Police here on Friday.He ran away from his home in Kotagiri and found himself in Coimbatore. He was immediately handed over to the Child Welfare Committee and an inquiry is in progress to trace his family in Kotagiri.Raghav is probably one among the lucky children who are spotted by the police and are restored to their homes.

Many others who run away still roam the streets in strange cities, unable to trace their way back home, while parents anxiously await their return.May 25 was International Missing Children's Day. According to the police, the number of children who were reported missing in the city has increased from 38 in 2005 to 44 in 2006.Till May 2007, the number reported is 21. This year, 16 children have been traced and sent to back to their families."Most of these children are those who run away from their homes," says Fr.John Dharman, Director of Don Bosco Anbu Illam.Pressure to perform in examinations, fear of results prompt them to run away, he adds.The Juvenile Aid Police also rescued more than 135 children this year who were seen roaming the streets, begging and at bus stands or railway stations, said Munira Begam, Inspector of Police, Special Juvenile Unit.

With the aim of helping the parents and the police find missing children, Don Bosco National Forum for Youth at Risk has launched a website, http://www.missingchildsearch.net./ in association with UNICEF.Parents can post the details of the child on the website and a search will be generated simultaneously in more than 40 cities of the country.The Don Bosco at Coimbatore is also planning to send an e-mail to all the Government offices in the State to extend their support for the proper functioning of the website.

From 8.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., more than 50 social service organisations that are part of the website meet online and exchange information on the missing children posted on the website.The police officers have been instructed to take serious notice of such cases irrespective of their jurisdiction, C.K.Gandhirajan, Commissioner of Police, said.

Free workshop on 'Art'

Kalamandir will organise a free art workshop for the children between four and 18 years of age on May 27 and June 2 on its premises on East Bashyakarlu Road at R.S.Puram.It will focus on the concept of how to use art in education and daily life.For registration, contact Kalamandir at 9843071962.

"Inside Prisons"-book authored by City Police Commissioner

Judge of Madras High Court, Justice P.D.Dinakaran (second right) releasing the book `Inside Prisons', authored by the Police Commissioner, C.K.Gandhirajan (right) at the Kovai Book Fair 2007 in the city on Saturday. The Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) R.Sekar(third left) is receiving the first copy. The Principal District & Sessions Judge G. Chockalingam (second left) and the DIG of Prisons (Coimbatore Range) P. Munivelu (left) are in the picture.Prisons are meant for transforming the inmates and not places of punishment, observed the Judge of the Madras High Court, Justice P.D. Dinakaran here on Saturday.

He was speaking at a function organised to release a book authored by City Police Commissioner, C.K. Gandhirajan "Inside Prisons" at a function organised by the publishers Manimegalai Publications at the Kovai Book Fair.Justice Dinakaran released the book and the Additional Director General of Police (Prison) R.Sekar received the first copy.Exhorting the public to erase their misconceptions about prisons, Justice Mr. Dinakaran said, "It is not that every one commits an offence with an intention, but most of them are victims of circumstances."

Referring to Article 21 of the Constitution, Mr.Dinakaran said that right to liberty holds good for every one, even prisoners were entitled to rights prescribed by the law.Freedom, liberty and rights can never be taken away without valid reasons.Prisons could only curtail the freedom of movement and ensure isolation but could not arrest the freedom of thought.Right from womb to tomb, every one goes through imprisonment but only their nature and forms differed.He said that even leaders were imprisoned in their fight for freedom and rights; hence prisons were not places to be seen with a stigma.

Referring to the case of the custodial rape of Reeta Mary, Mr.Dinakaran said that the Government deserved a salute for having come forward to rehabilitate and compensate the victim by conceding all the recommendations including the optional and suggestive ones even at the pre-trial stage.The notion that the executives would always protect their department was proved wrong by a fair investigation in this case, he said.The book by Dr.Gandhirajan dealt with issues such as disbursement of compensation to the victims from the fund created by reserving 20 per cent of the wages earned by the prisoners during their sentence.

The author had pointed out that steps should be taken to fully implement this.Similarly, the author had suggested a revolutionary thought about right to family life for the prisoners so as to prevent consequential crimes.Denial of right to family even for a brief period had resulted in unnatural sex practices and contraction of sexually transmitted diseases.The book needed to be analysed deeply for the lawmakers to bring in changes in rules, Mr.Dinakaran said.The ADGP, Mr.Sekar said that the book was a guide for the prisoners on their rights as well as for the administration.

Days of cellular prisons were over, he said, and noted that prisons have been modernised to make the inmates feel that they were there transformation.The Deputy Inspector-General of Prisons, Coimbatore Range, P. Munivelu said that prison administration always looked at an inmate not at the offences for which they were imprisoned.The objective was to only make them fit for the society on their discharge.In his acceptance speech, Dr.Gandhirajan said that it was an attempt by an outsider to bring out a glimpse of "Inside the prison".The Principal District Sessions Judge, G. Chockalingam and Ravi Tamilvanan offered felicitations.