Tiruchi marathon: Participants go the extra mile to grab slots

TIRUCHI: The Tiruchi marathon on Sunday saw participants giving their best in the quest for glory.


Organised by the Tiruchi-unit of Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), the district-level marathon attracted about 1500 participants.


Mayor S. Sujatha flagged off the marathon from the Anna Stadium here.


For men and women (open category), the race was held for 21 km and 10 km respectively.


Men and women (below 20 years of age) covered a distance of 10 km and 5 km respectively. For boys and girls (below 16 years of age) the race was for 5 km.


“The response for the marathon was very good. More than winning, the spirit of participation is what that counts,” said P. Kalaiselvan, District Sports Officer.


Winners


Open category: Men: 1. N. Prabhu (Home Guard), 2. K. Suresh (TNSP), 3. P. Gopi (Customs); Women: M. Vidhya (Thottiyam), 2. R. Nachiar (Crawford), 3. B. Ramya (UDV Higher Secondary School).


Under-20 age category: Men: I. Albert Raj (St. Joseph's College), 2. S. Palaniappan (St. Joseph's College), 3. R. Anburaj (E.R. HSS); Women: 1. T. Maria Philomena Rani (Holy Cross HSS), 2. S. Mythili (Srirangam Girls HSS), 3. T. Rahini (Srirangam Girls HSS).


Under-16 age category: Boys: 1. A. Prabhakaran (Tiruchi Sports Hostel), 2. R. Rajarajan (UDV HSS), 3. S. Vignesh (UDV HSS); Girls: 1. T. Akilandeswari (Boiler Plant Girls HSS), 2. J. Anjana (Periyar Maniammai Girls HSS), 3. S. Kamali (Periyar Maniammai Girls HSS).


Thomas Gnanaraj, joint secretary, Tamil Nadu Basketball Association and S. Panneerselvam, Regional Senior Manager, Tiruchi-unit of SDAT gave away the prizes.


The top ten finishers in each category have qualified to take part in the Chennai marathon.

National College to offer diploma course in Factory Management

National College has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the BHEL Small and Medium Industries Association (BHELSIA) to offer a diploma course in Factory Management.

The MoU was signed here on Friday by K. Anbarasu, principal, National College, and Rajappa Rajkumar, president, BHELSIA, in the presence of A.V. Krishnan, Executive Director, BHEL, Tiruchi complex. The course content includes three major components – office management, labour laws, and English proficiency.

The course was intended to tide over the manpower shortage faced by the member units of BHELSIA and the industry at large. Faculty members of the college, and experts from the industry would handle the classes.

Inaugurating the programme, Mr. Krishnan said that apart from producing trained managers for the industry, the course would help in fostering budding entrepreneurs. While production was the core activity of any company, labour, office, inventory, and safety managements have to be handled properly to ensure the success of business.

The industry in Tiruchi, which has emerged as hub of power plant equipment manufacturing in the country, required trained technical and managerial manpower to meet the changing business environment, and the course would help meet the demand, he observed.

Mr.Rajkumar said given the BHEL's rising output and growth rate, the ancillary units were facing shortage of manpower, both technical and managerial. As of now, the ancillary units required about 6,000 additional trained manpower. The BHELSIA was addressing the issue by conducting such programmes in collaboration with educational institutions, he added.

Mr. Anbarasu said this was the second MoU signed between the college and BHELSIA. The college was already offering a diploma course in fabrication engineering under the previous MoU. Though the diploma in fabrication engineering was started under the self-financing stream, the University Grants Commission has approved it as a career oriented programme and granted Rs.10 lakh for conducting it. The college was hopeful of getting the UGC approval for the factory management course too, he said.

V. Selvaraj, Joint Chief Inspector of Factories, and K. Raghunathan, college secretary, spoke.

Rs.5.15-crore additional fund for roads scheme

TIRUCHI: The State government has sanctioned an additional allocation of Rs.5.15 crore to the Tiruchi Corporation under the Special Roads Scheme 2010-11.

The government has allocated Rs.25 crore under the scheme to the civic body a few months ago. The Corporation has taken up 286 works for strengthening and developing 127 black-topped roads and 159 cement concrete roads, in the city. Priority is given for relaying or strengthening of roads that have not been re-laid over the past five years or those damaged owing to natural calamities. Contracts for the works have been awarded in 15 packages.

Works finalised

With the sanction of additional funds, the Corporation has finalised a few more works. Cement concrete roads for a stretch of 4.20 km and black-topped roads for a distance of 13.46 km will be strengthened utilising the additional funds.

On Tuesday, Corporation Commissioner T.T.Balsamy convened a meeting with the contractors ahead of the tenders to be called on January 31. The meeting was attended by City Engineer S.Raja Mohamed, Executive Engineers R.Chandran and S.Arunachalam.

Haphazard parking takes a toll on city roads

TIRUCHI: In recent years, Tiruchi city has witnessed a considerable development in its infrastructure facilities particularly roads whether National Highways, State Highways or Corporation roads.

The conversion of Tiruchi-Chennai National Highway into a four-lane road, and expansion and widening of major thoroughfares in the city by the Corporation are a gift to road-users. Incidentally, the development and expansion took place almost simultaneously in the last two to three years. The Thillai Nagar main road, Collector office road, Williams road, Bharathiar road, Salai road, Sastri road, and Madurai road were developed and strengthened over the last few years . This has ensured free flow of traffic to a major extent.

However, the presence of automobile workshops, shops selling decorative stickers for four-wheelers and more importantly, haphazard parking on both sides of the road by omnibuses in the busy roads continues to create traffic bottlenecks much to the chagrin of road-users enforcement agencies and traffic authorities.

Consumer activists say that the stretch from State Express Transport Corporation bus stand to R.C.School junction becomes a convenient spot for drivers to park lorries, vans and omnibuses on either side of the Mcdonalds road. This has almost become a daily phenomenon causing serious inconvenience to pedestrians.

The problem on Bharathidasan road, especially the stretch between Mutharaiyar statue junction to cantonment police station is the parking of cars, auto rickshaws and other vehicles during peak hours in the mornings and evenings causing extreme hardship to the other vehicle- users. The cars are parked haphazardly blocking free flow of traffic, consumer activists say.

Collector Office road, which sports a new look, has also not been spared. Omnibuses, parcel lorries are parked in front of the Raja Colony in a row. At Periamilaguparai area, heavy vehicles are found parked on the left side of the road, waiting to be repaired at workshops located on the right side of the road. The trouble is palpable even at the entrance of KAP Viswanatham Government Medical College. Birds road – a narrow stretch – accounts for a row of automobile workshops, and lot of three and four-wheelers are seen parked here, causing traffic bottleneck.

Schools, central government offices, cinema halls, residential apartments are situated on the Williams road. Four wheelers are found parked throughout the day in front of the car accessories stores, and sticker shops situated on the road.

Notwithstanding the removal of encroachments, haphazard parking of vehicles along the city roads persists, calling for greater attention on the part of the enforcement authorities in ensuring better traffic management, say city residents in unison. The parking of vehicles along these stretches shrinks the road space, causing traffic hold up and makes the zone accident- prone.

With the number of light, medium and heavy vehicles increasing day by day, long time residents of the city feel that the authorities concerned should earmark specific areas for parking of omnibuses, lorries, and other light vehicles. Given the burgeoning vehicle population, it is high time that steps should be taken for the construction of an integrated bus stand with immediate effect, with a separate area earmarked for parking omnibuses.

According to C.Balasubramanian, president, district Exnora, the operators of tourist cars, contract buses, omnibuses should be directed to park their vehicles in their own premises to ensure that the common man has a safe drive.

Opportunities at MRF TYRES

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For the requirements of the proposed expansion project near Trichy, we require dynamic and result oriented professionals in the following disciplines at various levels.

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Candidates should be Engineering Graduates / Diploma Holders in Mechanical Engineering with 5 to 15 years experience in projects / maintenance of machinery in a large manufacturing industry.

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Candidates should be Engineering Graduates/ Diploma Holders in Electrical & Electronics Instrumentation with 5 to 15 years experience in Industrial Automation, PLC Systems and AC & DC Drives in a large manufacturing industry. Experience in operation and maintenance of HT / LT Switch -gears, Transformers, Motors, Generators, Substation, etc. is preferred.

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Candidates should be Graduates in Science or Diploma Holders in Mechanical Engineering with 5 to 10 years relevant experience in a large manufacturing industry.

The compensation package will commensurate with qualification and experience. Company offers challenging career opportunities. Candidates may forward their detailed resumes along with recent passport size photograph indicating the salary drawn / expected and superscribing the post applied for to:

The Human Resources Department
MRF Limited,
124 Greams Road, Chennai -600 006

Veteran hockey players delighted with synthetic turf in Tiruchi

DOUBLE-DRIBBLE:Former Indian hockey team goalkeepers Leslie Fernandez, left, and Charles Cornelius on the hockey ground in Anna Stadium in Tiruchi.


TIRUCHI: Former Indian hockey team goalkeepers Charles Cornelius and Leslie Fernandez were excited about Tiruchi getting a synthetic hockey turf. On Sunday, the duo visited the hockey ground at the Anna Stadium complex where the synthetic turf is being laid. “To make it big in hockey, it is essential that players practice on the turf from a young age. The facility will be a boon for youngsters,” observed Mr. Cornelius, who was part of the bronze medal winning Indian hockey team at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

He stressed the need for the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) to set up a hockey academy here.

“Creation of synthetic turf facility is important. Of higher importance is its utilisation. By setting up an academy, young talent can be spotted and nurtured,” felt Mr. Cornelius, who was also a member of the Indian team that won silver in the 1973 Amsterdam World Cup.

Meanwhile, Mr. Fernandez was happy that his hometown was getting such a facility. “This will be a big boost to hockey in Tiruchi and neighbouring districts. Playing on the synthetic turf is a different ball game as speed and strength matters more.”

Mr. Fernandez, who was part of the World Cup winning Indian team in 1975, felt that tournaments featuring top teams needed to be conducted on a regular basis to attract more youth towards hockey.

The veterans also had words of advice for budding hockey players. “Youngsters should concentrate more on their fitness. A player needs to be ultra-fit while playing on the synthetic turf. They should aim big and work hard to achieve their goals.”

West Boulevard Road to get a facelift

TIRUCHI: The West Boulevard Road, an arterial road in the city, will get a facelift soon with the Tiruchi Corporation having decided to widen and strengthen it at an estimated cost of Rs.2.97 crore.

The Corporation has evicted encroachments along the road over the past three months. With educational institutions, commercial establishments and major city bus-halts lining up the entire road, the need for widening the road has been felt . The Corporation has planned to relay the road end-to-end. The widening of the road is expected to ease the traffic congestion on the road.



The entire stretch from Teppakulam to Vellamandi Road will be widened and re-laid, and works will be taken in three packages. According to Corporation Commissioner T.T.Balsamy the stretch between Vellamandi Road Junction and Kodumal Hospital will be strengthened at a cost of Rs.73 lakh and the stretch from Kodumal Hospital to Kamarajar Arch near Singarathope would be developed at an investment of Rs.70.50 lakh. The third package sanctioned at a cost of Rs.69.75 envisages development of the road stretch between Teppakulam and Kamarajar Arch.

Road median would be constructed between the Kamarajar Arch and Vellamandi Road Junction at a cost of Rs.16.20 lakh. Storm water drains and pedestrian pavements would be built along the entire road from the Main Guard Gate to Vellamandi Junction. The work has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs.48.50 lakh.

The Corporation would also spend about Rs.20 lakh for installing sodium vapour lamps on the road stretch, Mr.Balsamy said.

Work on the construction of storm water drains along the road has already begun. Mayor S.Sujatha and Mr.Balsamy, who inspected the work on Wednesday, told the Corporation engineers to expedite the project. City Engineer S.Raja Mohamed was present.

“CONSULT PEOPLE :THEN FINALISE WORKS ”

TIRUCHI: With the Tiruchi Corporation poised to get some capital infusion
under various development projects of the State and Central governments over
the next one year, priorities of the civic body have come in for scrutiny
again among civic activists and welfare organisations.

*It has been common plaint of residents and welfare organisations that the
corporation hardly takes them into confidence when major development
projects are initiated.* The last serious discussion ? with stakeholders
comprising representatives of residents and service organisations was held
by the corporation when a City Development Plan was prepared a few years
back.* But nothing concrete has come out of the “vision document” till now.*

The corporation is expecting about Rs.1,000 crores under the Jawaharlal
Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) next financial year. Even 
before that materialises, it was expected to get about Rs.100 crores from
the Tamil Nadu Urban Road Infrastructure Project. This apart, an integrated
solid waste management project for Tiruchi and a few other neighbouring
urban local bodies are expected to be implemented at an estimate of Rs.70
crores. The Union government assistance is also expected under another
project to establish decentralised waste water treatment plants in various
parts of the city.

Though corporation officials were preparing proposals for most of these
projects, there has not been any attempt so far towards a consultative
exercise, though the consultant appointed to oversee TURIP is expected to
meet stakeholders before finalising the works to be taken up in the city.
“It is essential that the corporation adopt a consultative approach before
finalising the development works to be taken up under major projects. It
could even be a participatory approach as there will be donors and residents
willing to contribute for development of the city,” feels N. Ramakrishnan,
civic activist and founder MGR Narpani Mandram.

A chat with a cross-section of representations of service organisations
brought forth a slew of suggestions, which they believe, should be
priorities for the corporation.
Topping the list is sanitation. Improving road /traffic infrastructure and
the drainage system come next. “Sanitation, no doubt, should be the priority
of the corporation, given the sorry state of affairs in the city,” observes
Sakunthala Srinivasan, president, Payaneetalar Iyyakkam.


Apart from
strengthening the system of garbage collection, sanitation in places of
public congregation such as the Central and Chathram Bus Stands and the city
markets needs urgent attention, she says. The city badly needs some good
toilets, with proper maintenance, adds Mr. Ramakrishnan.
The corporation should think ahead keeping in mind the requirements of
increasing population and burgeoning colonies when working out plans for
strengthening the road infrastructure, say many civic activists. It is time
the city got new ring and links roads, says G. Subramanian, president,
District Exnora.
For instance, the corporation could think of a semi-ring road to connect
Karumandapam, Srinivasa Nagar and Kuzhumani and another to link Devadhanam,
Varaganeri, Melakalkandarkottai, Ponmalaipatti, Edamalaipattipudur and
Dheeran Nagar, he says.
The banks of rivers and major drainage channels including Koraiyar,
Uyyakondan, Kudamuritti, and Rettaivaikkal could be strengthened so as to
accommodate traffic. The city’s traffic woes could be solved by providing
such alternative routes to the existing three main arterial routes of
Thillai Nagar, Woraiyur and Palakkarai in the city. 

Some others feel that the corporation should think of developing a road
between East Boulevard Road to the Chennai By-pass Road/Thanjavur Road. They
need for pedestrian sub-ways and fly-overs in places such as the highly
congested West Boulevard Road is highlighted by many residents’
organisations.

A separate bus stand for omni buses and improving the traffic
junctions in the city are other major demands.

A proposal on construction of
a fly-over along the Mainguard Gate has failed to take off. Neither has the
corporation managed to get through its plans for pedestrian sub-ways. The
Exnora has been pressing for green tracks to provide the much needed lung
space for the city, a demand supported by many other organisations. “It is
high time that the corporation turned attention towards environmental
pollution and protecting the cities resources,” says Mr.Ramakrishnan.
Another prominent compliant from residents’ organisations has been neglect
of the newly added colonies in the city suburbs. Despite the oft repeated
promise to focus on suburbs, colonies languish without proper amenities
including roads, drainages and lighting. “The newly added colonies require
urgent attention. Solid waste management is also poor in the suburbs,” says
C.Balasubramanian, secretary, District Exnora.

Three refurbished diesel locomotives for Myanmar

TIRUCHI: Three in-service metre gauge diesel locomotives were exported to Myanmar on Tuesday after being refurbished at the Golden Rock Railway Workshop here.

A technical team, from the over 80-year-old workshop, will be deputed to Myanmar to commission these engines. Various modifications were carried out in the locomotives to suit the operational requirements of the Myanmar Railways.



The renovated locos have been provided with twin beam headlights for better luminosity and visibility besides being fitted with Light-Emitting-Diodide (LED) type classification light. The loco pilot's cabin has been ergonomically designed with sleek control stand and LED reading lamp.

Roof mounted cabin fan; stainless steel perforated roof sheet; cushioned driver seat with swivelling type arrangement, and driver's tool cupboard with flush type arrangement are the other facilities incorporated in the driver's cabin. The exterior portions of the engines have been given a fresh coat of polyurethane painting.

The locos have been refurbished at a cost of Rs.2.64 crore. The Chief Workshop Manager of the Golden Rock Railway Workshop, D. Shunmuganandam, flagged off the locomotives at a brief function held on the workshop premises in the presence of officers, supervisors, and staff.

Based on the satisfactory performance of 10 locos supplied to the Myanmar Railways in the year 2000, it has sought 20 more for its traffic needs through Rail India Technical and Economic Services Limited (RITES), a Government of India Enterprise. With the dispatch of three more engines on Tuesday, the workshop has so far exported 126 locomotives to Malaysia, Tanzania, Myanmar, Sudan, Senegal, Mali, and Mozambique through RITES and IRCON Limited, a release here said.

அதிமுகவுக்கு எதிராக ரஜினிகாந்த் ரசிகர்களை வளைக்கும் முயற்சியில் திமுக

திருச்சி: சட்டசபைத் தேர்தல் நெருங்கி வருவதையொட்டி தனக்கு ஆதரவான வாக்குகளை தக்க வைக்கும் முயற்சிகளில் திமுக தீவிரமாகியுள்ளது. அதில் ஒரு முயற்சியாக ரஜினிகாந்த் ரசிகர்களை திமுகவுக்கு சாதகமாக திருப்பும் முயற்சிகள் நடந்து வருகிறதாம். அனைத்து மாவட்டங்களிலும் இந்த முயற்சிகள் நடந்து வருவதாக கூறப்பட்டாலும் திருச்சியில் பகிரங்கமாகவே இது நடைபெறுகிறது. அமைச்சர் கே.என்.நேரு இந்த முயற்சியில் தீவிர கவனம் செலுத்தி வருகிறார்.

ரஜினிகாந்த் இதுவரை தீவிர அரசியலில் ஈடுபடவில்லை என்றாலும் அவரும் தமிழக அரசியலில் ஒரு அங்கமாக மாறி பல வருடங்களாகி விட்டது. அவரை வைத்து அரசியல் நடந்து வருவதை அவரும் உணர்ந்திருக்கிறார், அவரது ரசிகர்களும் உணர்ந்துள்ளனர்.



தேர்தல் சமயங்களில் ரஜினி வாய்ஸ் யாருக்கு என்ற கேள்வி வழக்கமாக எழும். ஆனால் தான் யாரையும் ஆதரிக்கவில்லை என்றும், ரசிகர்கள் தங்கள் மனசாட்சிப்படி யாருக்கு வேண்டுமானாலும் வாக்களிக்கலாம் என்றும் ரஜினி கூறி வருகிறார்.

இந்த நிலையில் தமிழகத்தில் உள்ள முக்கிய வாக்கு வங்கிகளில் ஒன்றாக மாறியுள்ள ரஜினி ரசிகர்களின் வாக்குகளை கவர அரசியல் கட்சிகள் பல விதங்களில் முயல்வது ஒரு வழக்கமாக மாறியுள்ளது. அந்த அடிப்படையில் தற்போதைய தேர்தலில் ரஜினி ரசிகர்களின் வாக்குகளை தங்களுக்கு ஆதரவாக வளைக்கும் முயற்சியில், கட்சிகள் இறங்கியுள்ளன. குறிப்பாக திமுக இறங்கியுள்ளதாம்.

முதல்வர் கருணாநிதியின் பல்வேறு நிகழ்ச்சிகளில் ரஜினிகாந்த் தொடர்நது பங்கேற்று வருவதை ரசிகர்களிடம் கூறி ரஜினி, திமுகவுக்கு ஆதரவாக இருப்பதாக கூறுகிறார்கள் திமுகவினர் என்று கூறப்படுகிறது.

இதை நிரூபிக்கும் வகையில்,திருச்சியில் ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமையன்று திமுகவும், ரஜினி ரசிகர் மன்றமும் இணைந்து பொங்கல் விழாவை நடத்தியுள்ளன.

திருச்சி திருவானைக்காவல்-கொள்ளிடம் சோதனைச் சாவடி அருகேயுள்ள அழகிரிபுரத்தில் திமுகவினரும், புரட்சி மாவீரன் ரஜினிகாந்த் ரசிகர் நற்பணி மன்றத்தினரும் இணைந்து ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை மாலை பொங்கல் விளையாட்டு விழாவை நடத்தினர்.

இதில் அமைச்சர் கே.என். நேரு கலந்து கொண்டார். அவர் விழாவில் பேசுகையில், விழாவை திமுகவினரும், ரஜினி ரசிகர் மன்றத்தினரும் இணைந்து நடத்துவது மகிழ்ச்சி அளிக்கிறது. ரஜினி சிறந்த ஆன்மிகவாதி; நல்ல மனித நேயமிக்கவர்.

திருச்சியில் சிவாஜி கணேசன் சிலைத் திறப்பு விழா அடுத்த மாதம் நடைபெறவுள்ளது. இந்த விழாவில் பங்கேற்க ரஜினிகாந்துக்கும், கமலஹாசனுக்கும் அழைப்பு விடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. அவர்களும் வருவதாக ஒப்புதல் அளித்துள்ளனர் என்றார் நேரு.]

விழா நடந்த இடம் அதிமுக சற்று பலமாக உள்ள பகுதியாம். இந்த இடத்தில் வைத்து ரஜினி ரசிகர்களை இணைத்துக் கொண்டு திமுக விழா நடத்தியுள்ளதால் அதிமுவுக்கு எதிராக ரஜினி ரசிகர்களை திருப்பும் செயலாக இது பார்க்கப்படுகிறது.

மேலும், சிவாஜி கணேசன் சிலைத் திறப்பு விழாவுக்கு எப்படியாவது ரஜினியை வரவழைத்து விட்டால் திருச்சியில் ரஜினி ரசிகர்கள் வாக்கு திமுகவுக்குத்தான் என்ற எண்ணமும் திமுகவினர் மத்தியில் பரவியுள்ளது.

ரஜினியை வைத்து நடத்தும் இந்த அரசியல், திமுகவுக்கு தேர்தலில் எந்த அளவுக்கு உதவப் போகிறது என்பது போகப் போகத்தான் தெரியும்.

Tourists visit Mukkombu on Kaanum Pongal day

Camaraderie Men, women and children, who had come from different parts of the district as well as neighbouring districts, exchanged greetings. A few women were seen preparing food at Mukkombu. Elaborate security arrangements were made by the police for the safety of tourists.

TIRUCHI: A large number of tourists visited Mukkombu, the upper anicut, near here, on the occasion of ‘Kaanum Pongal' on Monday. The amusement park at Mukkombu was the centre of attraction while water gushing in the Cauvery added to the delight of the tourists.

Experts suggest changes to Trichy zoological park layout

Modified master plan to be forwarded to CZA


* Compound wall constructed at a cost of Rs.81 lakh
* Zoological park would house over 500 animals of 50 species

TIRUCHI: In deference to suggestions offered by experts representing the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), the Forest Department will modify the layout and master plan for the upcoming zoological park at M.R.Palayam abutting the Tiruchi-Chennai National Highway, off the city.

The modified layout and master plan will be forwarded by this month-end through the State government to the CZA, an autonomous statutory body under the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests which regulates the functioning of zoos across the country, Forest Department officials here said.

Expressing satisfaction over the location of the zoological park , the experts advocated retention of maximum greenery inside the sprawling reserve forest area where the zoo is to come up. The zoological park sprawling over 60 hectares would house over 500 animals of 50 species. The landscaping will be based on six diverse ecosystems - ‘kurinji', ‘mullai', ‘neithal, ‘paalai', ‘marudham' and ‘yavanam'.

The ‘kurinji' enclosure housing carnivores such as lion, tiger and panther should be in the front portion of the zoo to generate interest among the visitors, the expert team has suggested. While suggesting composite enclosures for each ecosystem, the experts have also advised keeping of exotic species such as kangaroo, malay tapie, white ant gibbon and orangutan inside the ‘yavanam' type ecosystem. Establishment of recycling plant to treat waste water for reuse, tie up with a veterinary institution and taking the assistance of an architect for landscaping and enclosure designs were among the other suggestions.


The visit by Dr. S.C. Sharma, former Additional Director General (Wild Life), Government of India, and Braj Kishore Gupta, a Scientist on Wild Life matters, both team members of the CZA, comes at a time when the comprehensive master plan for the zoo prepared by the Forest Department has been submitted for final approval by the Authority.

The Conservator of Forests, Tiruchi Circle, Ramachandrapathi and Divisional Forest Officer, Social Forestry, Tiruchi, Deepak Srivasthava, accompanied the experts . The experts also held discussions with the Chief Wildlife Warden at Chennai .The Forest Department has already constructed compound wall with chain link fencing along the five kilometre zoo boundary at a cost of Rs.81 lakh shared equally by the CZA and the State government.

A proposal seeking Rs.2 crore has already been forwarded to the State government for laying of roads , construction of administrative office, and check dams.

Vehicles plying the wrong side flash ominous signs

Trichy,jan.15:
The sights of speeding vehicles, both four-wheelers and two-wheelers, plying down on the wrong side of the city roads are not uncommon. The problem seems to be that a section of motorists choose to use the wrong lane even on two-way roads in order to enter side streets much to the chagrin of traffic policemen and public.

In fact, the widened national highways with flyovers cutting through the city limits has helped the public in no small measure to reach their destinations . Initially, compliance with the one-way norms lessened the burden of traffic police. But the flouting of rules on the service roads by irresponsible motorists along the Tiruchi – Chennai, Tiruchi – Madurai and Tiruchi – Thanjavur highways is now causing a nightmare for the police. All that the erring motorists need to do is to take a detour for a kilometre or two and take the ‘U' turn, to prevent the avoidable risk to their own lives and those of fellow road users.

Haphazard parking of vehicles on service lanes is only adding to the problem. For instance, heavy tankers could be found parked on the service road leading to Ponmalai road over bridge from TVS Tollgate and from Mannarpuram junction to TVS Tollgate. Even the vehicles belonging to government departments are no exception. “This only shows the laxity on the part of vehicle users, despite the warning boards put up by the NHAI and erection of barricades by the police,” a cross section of people say.

Karan Singha, IG of Police, Central Zone who is holding additional charge of the City Police Commisioner says he has already instructed the traffic police to check this violation.

Flouting of norms is rampant at the flyovers in Palakkarai and Tennur . Those proceeding to Bheemanagar from Palakkarai take a right turn on the Palakkarai flyover, unmindful of the barricades put up by the police. Vehicles taking sudden ‘U' turn at Marakkadai junction and on the Tennur highway to proceed on the Tennur flyover pose a grave danger to the on coming vehicles. Again the people proceeding to Marakkadai from Tennur via the Tennur flyover suddenly take a right turn at the Ramakrishna theatre junction, whenever traffic policeman is not there.

“It is sad that even educated and senior citizens don't hesitate to jump a signal if a policeman is not manning the junction,” police personnel say, calling for an attitudinal change in the motorists. Consumer organisations, voluntary associations, should take a lead in educating people on the dangers of using wrong side, says Like Ali, a retired private sector officer.
-- News Courtesy= Trichyportal

Tourists savour harvest celebration

Around 50 foreign tourists get a glimpse of Tamil culture
Sharing the joy: Foreign tourists preparing Pongal at the tourism festival organised by the Tiruchi Travel Federation and Department of Tourism and Culture on Thursday



TIRUCHI: A bumpy bullock cart ride, the traditional ‘melam', a diffusion of intricate kolams, a cocktail of folk arts and martial arts, and the spill over of sweet pongal. The concoction of celebratory gestures brewed by Tiruchi Travel Federation (TTF) and the Department of Tourism and Culture at the Pongal Tourism Festival was an attempt to replicate a rural ambience for foreign tourists at Mukkombu on Thursday.

Around 50 foreign tourists hailing from England, France, Italy, South Africa Sweden and the U.S.A had a foretaste of the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu and a glimpse into the rich tapestry of Indian culture. While some carried off the sari elegantly, a few took on the reins of the bullock cart, others shook a leg with ‘karagams' perched on their heads and all joined in the chorus of ‘Happy Pongal' when the pongal spilled over.

T.H.Radhakrishnan, Media Coordinator, TTF said the festival intended to promote Tiruchi as a centre for culture tourism and showcase Indian culture.

The complimentary package for the visitors kickstarted with a bullock cart ride and traditional welcome with garlands and ‘arathi'.

Preparation of Pongal was the highlight of the event and the spillover of pongal cooked in brightly painted earthenware was greeted with enthusiastic cries. Folk artistes from Thanjai Kalaimagal Nadaga Mandram notched up the celebratory mood with folk music to the tune of nadaswaram, thavil and other instruments.

A spate of folk arts like oyilattam, thapattam, kavadi and karagattam, to the accompaniment of rhythmic beats had the tourists in a thrall. And euphoria mingled with excitement as the guest tried their hands at ‘uriyadi' or pot breaking.

“What I love best about India is the warmth of the people. They make immediate eye-contact and you feel an instant connection with them,” said Paul, an American tourist, while Katie Langdon who was enamoured by the drums as much as the sugarcane juice, had this to say, “You can see that people are proud of their culture and very eager to showcase it. It is was festive and fun.”

A rangoli competition, keeping with the spirit of the festival was organised and women from various self help groups who assisted in preparing Pongal participated. Collector Mahesan Kasirajan, the chief guest welcomed the foreign tourists and gave away mementoes.

V.Vasudevan, president, M.A.Maluk Mohamed, joint secretary N.Rathnakumar, treasurer, were among those present on the occasion. Members from the TTF felt that monetary support from the government could have made it possible for the event on a bigger scale.

Procedure for Porting Mobile Number in India..!!

Procedure for Porting Mobile Number in India:

Send an SMS: PORTMobile Number (that is to be ported) to 1900
For ex. PORT 9812345678

Your existing operator will immediately provide you with a 8 digit alpha-numeric porting code that you need to submit to the operator you wish to opt to along with relevant documents. (The unique porting code will be valid only for 24 hours)
After consulting with your existing operator, new operator will move your number in a maximum of 4 days.

Charges for Porting Mobile Number:

As per TRAI, any telecom operator can charge a maximum of Rs. 19 towards porting charges.

FAQs related to Mobile Number Portability:

When will Mobile Number Portability Services be introduced pan-India?
As per union minister of Telecommunications & IT, Mr. Kapil Sibal, MNP will be introduced pan-India by January 20, 2011.

What are the minimum and maximum time specified for porting number from one operator to another?
Porting time could be anything between 24 hours to 4 days.

What are the charges for Porting to another operator?
As mentioned above, service providers can charge a maximum of Rs. 19 for porting a number .

Who is eligible for availing mobile number portability?
Any customer having a mobile number older than 90 days can migrate to another operator with the same number. He/She will have to wait for another 90 days before being able to port their number again.

Will my number be dead during the porting process?
As per the details available, a number will remain dead for 2 hours approximately during the porting process. Fortunately, the 2 hours downtime will be between 10 PM and 5 AM IST.

Can I migrate my post-paid number to another operator with prepaid services or vice-versa?
Yes, that can be done once you clear off all pending dues with the current operator.

Will my prepaid balance carry-forward to new operator?
Unfortunately not. All remaining balance on your mobile will get lapsed and will not be carried-forward to the new operator. Thus, its advisable to completely use the available talk-time before moving to another operator.

Can I port my number from one circle (state) to another?
Retaining same number while moving from one state to another is not possible unless MNP services are launched pan-India.

Can I port my CDMA number to GSM operator or vice versa?
Yes, with the introduction of MNP, moving from CDMA to GSM or vice-versa is possible too, but your existing mobile will be rendered useless if you opt to move from CDMA to GSM technology.

Can I port my landline number to a mobile service provider?
Porting a landline number to a mobile operator is possible in countries like US though, for now, Indian govt. has planned to
launch MNP only for mobile phone users. India might witness landline number portability in the future.

Will I get any freebies from the operator I am porting my number to?
Keeping in mind the bottle-neck competition in Indian telecom arena, you can definitely expect some freebies and goodies from your new operator. In fact, BSNL and TATA Docomo have already announced various freebies for subscribers porting to them.