Samba cultivation

Cuddalore: With the release of water from Mettur dam, preparation for samba cultivation has started in full swing in the district. Agriculture Department has kept adequate stocks of fine variety of paddy seeds, fertilizers and other inputs, according to T. Gunasekaran, Joint Director of Agriculture. A total of 958 tonnes of paddy seeds had been kept ready in the 30 agriculture extension centres. Farmers can contact: Joint Director – 94142-290658, and Assistant Directors at Cuddalore – 94142-2900076, Panruti: 94434 01094, Chidambaram: 04144-230079, Kattumannarkoil – 94434 91094, Vriddhachalam: 94143-238749, and, Thittakudi: 9345625225.

Veeranan water level declining

Cuddalore:The Veeranam tank whose water level is declining.The level in the Veeranam tank is fast declining, thereby exposing a vast stretch of grassy land on the tank bed. Only a small stream of water is visible from Lalpet at the Kattumannarkoil-end to Boothangudi, the point where water is being tapped for Chennai.

Since the inflow has virtually ceased, continued supply to Chennai is facing uncertainty. According to official sources, the present level is less than 40 feet, as against the full level of 47.50 feet.Misleading figure
But the level as presented by the officials is quite misleading. Unlike in the reservoir, where the storage would be quite widespread, water is seen only as a tiny stream from the Lalpet-Boothangudi side of the bund.
Since the gauge is located on this side, the official level is being taken at the face value, and as such it does not reflect the reality. Moreover, there is heavy deposit of moss on the water surface.

According to K.V. Elangeeran of Vettuvaikkal-Naraikkal Eri Paasana Vivasayigal Sangham, the present storage could hardly sustain water supply to Chennai for next 10 days.The tank used to get the flow mainly from the Vadavar that in turn was being fed by the Kollidam. Whenever water was discharged from Mettur Dam, the Kollidam would get its supply as the Vadavar.

But as the dam was not opened on June 12 as expected, the flow in the Vadavar canal had become a trickle. Above all, there was no rain in the catchment areas and hence, the tank has now become an ideal grazing ground for cattle and goats.With the dwindling water-level, the fishermen who are eking out a living from the meagre catch too are facing a difficulty. It is learnt that the officials have scaled down the drawal (for Chennai) from 70 cusecs to 40 cusecs, and the situation might not improve in the near future.

Mr. Elangeeran said given the vagaries of weather, the aycutdars had been saying that the Veeranam water supply scheme was not sustainable, and now their stand was vindicated.He stressed the point that the officials should not overlook the irrigation requirements of the ayacutdars, and should give reassurance to the farmers in this regard.

Mock drill on disaster preparedness

Cuddalore:The Fire Service and Rescue Department, along with locals, organised a mock rescue operation in Periakuppam coastal village near here on Tuesday.Collector Rajendra Ratnoo, who witnessed the operation, told the people that after the 2004 tsunami, there was an increased awareness among the people, particularly those residing along coast, of how to safeguard themselves.The demonstration, presented by the Fire Service personnel, would give them an insight into steps to be taken at the time of natural disasters such as cyclone, floods and tsunami.Even locally available floating mediums such as banana trees, sealed water cans and drums and gunny bags filled with un-husked coconuts could act as life-saving devices in hours of emergency.

Lawrence road railway crossing closed

Cuddalore: With the gauge conversion works on the Cuddalore - Salem section nearing completion, the permanent closure of the railway crossing on Lawrence Road, a commercial hub here, is imminent.But the move has met with opposition from traders who say the closure will hamper commuter movement and hit their business.The traders have also suggested an alternative, in the form of a diagonal subway linking the newly constructed flyover to the railway station.

But the suggestion does not seem to have found favour with railway officials and the Highways Department. The Highways Department has drafted a plan for constructing a subway that requires digging the road for a depth of 10 metres, with steep gradients on either side.There is fear that structures would have to be pulled down for about 1.5 metres on either side of the road. Given the narrow stretch of Lawrence Road, the plan seems unlikely.As the conversion work is likely to be completed by June-end, the district administration is hardpressed to find a solution that will not inconvenience any section.

District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo convened a meeting of the stakeholders here on Monday to discuss the issue. Cuddalore Chamber of Commerce president V.P.S. Ganesan told The Hindu that the Chamber insisted that the railway crossing should not be closed.Railway officials felt that if the subway works were taken up along with gauge conversion, it would cause less inconvenience to commuters.The Highways Department has been asked to re-design its plan within 20 days, after which a decision would be taken.

Summer Festival @ Cuddalore

Cuddalore:A woman `karagam' artist demonstrating her skills on the Silver Beach on the opening day of the Summer Festival.The inauguration of the summer festival on Silver Beach here on Wednesday was a tame affair. The menacing rain clouds and the delayed start sent a lot of people scurrying home.The fete, organised to promote the folk arts, appears to have neither benefited the artists nor the general public.The artistes were made to wait hours on end, and owing to the late commencement, they had to cut short their presentations.

Physically challenged persons, drawn from far off places such as Parangipettai, Khammapuram and Vriddhachalam on the promise of given tri-wheelers, were made to wait at the venue from the afternoon.The function scheduled to start at 4.30 p.m. began only at 8.30 p.m. owing to the delayed arrival of Backward Class Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam and Fisheries Minister K.P.P. Sami.Mr. Panneerselvam inaugurated the boat yard set up by the Cuddalore Municipality at a cost of Rs. 25 lakh in the night.The supporters, who accompanied the Minister, pushed around even the thin crowd present there.

Though 70 stalls had been set up at the venue to highlight the achievements of the Government Departments, half of them remained empty, and the Ministers took a long time to inspect them. For the arrival of the Ministers' convoy, the policemen posted at various points en route to the beach had been diverting the traffic. The holiday crowd, which had decided to get to the beach, were disappointed. Mr. Panneerselvam said he was scared of the thunder and lightning, and doubted whether the inauguration could take place at all.

He said, on the request of Cuddalore MLA G. Aiyappan made in the Assembly, a Rs 1.20-crore proposal for the development of Silver Beach had been sent to the Centre.Mr. Sami said the Government had proposed to give away equipment worth Rs.110 crore to tsunami-hit fishermen.It had disbursed Rs.86 crore as revolving funds to the 30,000 self-help groups formed in the 13 coastal districts.Mr. Aiyappan said the Tourism Minister had agreed to sanction Rs.10 lakh either for setting up a park or a hotel at the beach. District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo, Superintendent of Police Pradip Kumar, Municipal Chairman T. Thangaraju, Vice-Chairman P. Thamarai Selvan, and Saba. Rajendran, MLA, participated.

Signature campaign by Bank Staffs

Cuddalore: The bank employees will launch a nationwide campaign from June to August to urge the nationalised banks to recover Rs.1,00,000 crore in "bad debts" and fulfil the objectives for which they have been formed.During the campaign, to be launched under the All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA), over one crore signatures will be collected from the public and handed over to the Prime Minister, according to C.H. Venkatachalam, general secretary of the AIBEA.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Mr. Venkatachalam said the bank deposits, amounting to Rs.25,00,000 crore, should be utilised for the welfare of the people.But the banks seemed to be pampering the big industrialists and political class, and because of their clouts, the banks found it difficult to recover the advances from them.Thus, they were saddled with bad debts or non-performing assets to the tune of Rs.1,00,000 crore.While the banks had pegged the interest rate on savings bank accounts at 3.5 per cent and 7-8 per cent on fixed deposits, they were offering 12.5 per cent interest on deposits from the affluent sections.

Mr. Venkatachalam said this was a clear case of disparity and discrimination. Though it was enjoined upon the banks to allocate 40 per cent of the advances to the priority sectors, including 18 per cent to the farm sector, they hardly complied with it.Hence, the banks' share in the farm sector had come down to 13 per cent.Moreover, the high rate of interest at 8 per cent on farm loans had a deleterious impact on the farm sector, which had stunted its annual growth at around 2.7 per cent.It was a sad commentary that the banks, which triggered the Green and White revolutions, had started relegating agriculture to the background.Despite writing off Rs.9,000 crore in bad debts last year, the banks had made profits owing to efficient staff.

Even while one-lakh vacancies existed, the banks were keen on outsourcing manpower, a move that would affect the confidentiality clause, Mr. Venkatachalam said. Once the foreign direct investment was allowed, the sway of the private banks over the monetary policy would be unchallenged.If there were any attempt to privatise the banks, the bank employees would go on a strike, Mr. Venkatachalam noted.

"Neithal: 2007 Summer Beach Fest" going to celebrate

Cuddalore: The annual summer festival will be celebrated on Silver Beach here from May 23 to 27. The fete has been given a unique name — "Neithal: 2007 Summer Beach Fest," according to Rajendra Ratnoo, District Collector.The Tamil term "Neithal" signified sea and its environments. A special logo — carrying the symbols of a folk artist, a coconut tree and the blue waters of the sea — too had been formulated for the festival, he said.

Folk dances and music and variety events would dominate the five-day fete, in tune with the Government's directive to preserve the folk art forms. Folk artists from States such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Orissa, besides Tamil Nadu, would participate. The Tamil Nadu Cultural Centre had been coordinating with these troupes. The programmes would go on from 4.30 p.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Rs. 25-lakh building for HIV Positive Circle soon

CUDDALORE:The HIV Positive Circle, consisting of persons afflicted with the Human Immuno Deficiency Virus (HIV), will soon have a building. The building, to be constructed at a cost of Rs. 25 lakh, will be located in Cuddalore, according to Rajendra Ratnoo, District Collector. The funds for the construction would be mobilised through non-governmental organisations.

The Collector made this announcement at a meeting convened by the Circle at Vadalur. Mr. Ratnoo said of the 1,716 persons tested HIV positive, 982 were men and 780 women.Of them, 800 had enrolled themselves as members of the Circle, and the Collector exhorted others to become members to avail of the various Government benefits.An ambulance would be provided to take patients to Chennai to undergo the HAART therapy. Depending upon the educational qualification and physical ability, the widows of those, who died of HIV, would be given jobs through employment office.

Age relaxation would be given to the elderly persons to avail themselves of old age pension. House site pattas would be given away to the members under the Indira Awas Yojana.The Collector called upon the pregnant women to register with the Government hospitals to undergo necessary treatments to ensure HIV-free births. Project officer of the State Circle K. Senthilkumar, district president P. Dhanapal participated.

Barnala inaugurated an orphanage and community hall

Governor Surjit Singh Barnala on Saturday inaugurated an orphanage and a community hall on the premises of the Seva Illam here at a cost of Rs. 2 crore to accommodate 70 children rendered orphans by the tsunami.The orphanage, built by the India Heritage Research Foundation of Swami Chidanand Saraswati under Project Hope, also houses a computer centre with 20 personal computers, a vocational centre equipped with 20 sewing machines, a medical centre, a dormitory, a kitchen and a dining hall.

During an interaction with the Governor, the inmates stated that they wanted to take up careers such as doctors, engineers, collectors and police officers. But none of them preferred to pursue the family avocation of fishing. The orphaned girls presented cultural programmes.The Governor said Indian sub-continent was vulnerable to earthquakes, cyclones and floods.Of the 10,740 lives lost in the country in the December 26, 2004 tsunami, Tamil Nadu accounted for 8,010 deaths. It was high time the country evolved strategies for improving preparedness and possible prevention of natural disasters.

The common misbelieve that nothing could be done about disaster must be shunned and the non-governmental organisations and social service agencies must join hands with the administration in disaster mitigation exercise.Educational institutions should instruct students on the do's and don'ts at the time of disaster. Mr. Barnala said all religions preached peace, brotherhood and humaneness and hence, the religious organisations should be for the welfare of the people. By rendering timely services in the tsunami-hit areas, the Foundation had become a role model to others in extending helping hand to the people in distress, he said.

The Governor also inaugurated 108 houses and two community halls built by the Alternative for India Development at a cost of Rs. 2.30 crore at Killai, and the hostel for adolescent girls built by the Italian Association for Aid to Children at a cost of Rs. 72 lakh.District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo said 2,323 permanent houses had been handed over to the victims and 2,348 houses were in various stages of construction.Swami Chidanand Saraswathi chose to call the inmates as "divine children" and not as orphans. T.Thangarasu, Municipal Chairman, and K. Ravichandran, Chairman of Killai Town Panchayat, participated.