Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Public Health / Sanitation

Corporation keen on tackling pig menace

Friday, 26 June 2009 10:02 administrator
Print PDF

Source : The Hindu Date : 26.06.2009

Corporation keen on tackling pig menace

Special Correspondent

To move court for a directive: Corporation Commissioner T.T.Balsamy

— PHOTO: R.M.RAJARATHINAM.

Debate: Mayor S.Sujatha chairing a meeting of the Corporation Council in Tiruchi on Thursday.

TIRUCHI: The Tiruchi Corporation has planned to approach the courts to get a directive on tackling the health hazard posed by stray pigs in the city, said Corporation Commissioner T. T. Balsamy.

Since there is Supreme Court verdict against shooting down pigs, the Corporation has been hard-pressed to find a way out. Despite repeated warnings, people rearing pigs were not moving away from the city. There is no other option but to initiate criminal action against those rearing pigs in the interest of public health. “We have decided to take the issue to the court and explain the situation so that a suitable directive could be obtained,” Mr.Balsamy said responding to a flurry of complaints from councillors over the pig menace during an ordinary meeting of the Corporation Council here on Thursday.

The Commissioner said he has already held discussions with the government pleaders and hoped that the problem would be brought to an end soon. A section of the councillors also urged the Corporation to confiscate the stray cattle in the City.

Water source

The Commissioner dismissed fears expressed by the AIADMK floor leader J.Srinivasan over the dependability of the water source for the drinking water supply augmentation scheme being executed in the city. The sites for the collector wells of the scheme on the Coleroon River bed have been identified after extensive tests, he maintained. Once the scheme was implemented, equitable and abundant supply would be ensured to all parts of the city, he maintained. The meeting witnessed a brief exchange of heated words between the AIADMK and DMK councillors.

Earlier, Mayor S.Sujatha, who chaired her first meeting after assuming office, assured the councillors that she would work constructively to bring in more development schemes for the City in consultation with the elected representatives and residents organisations.

Responding to complaints about illegal pumping of water using motors by some residents in the city, Ms.Sujatha said a special drive would be taken up zone-wise to check the practice. Mr.Balsamy instructed the officials to form flying-squads to conduct surprise inspections to check the problem.

Solid Waste Management

An Integrated Solid Waste Management programme for the Tiruchi Corporation and the neighbouring municipalities of Manapparai, Thuvakudi and Kulithalai is likely to be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs.70.13 crores.

The cluster-based solid waste management project will be implemented through the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Ltd., with World Bank assistance. The project is being implemented in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The Tiruchi cluster has been selected for the project in Tamil Nadu, Corporation Commissioner T.T.Balsamy informed the Corporation Council on Thursday.

The Corporation could get a subsidy of up to 30 per cent of the project cost and it would have to contribute 10 per cent from its own funds. Sixty per cent of the project cost would be raised as loan. Alternatively, the project could also be implemented under the build, operate, own and transfer (BOOT) scheme, Mr.Balsamy said. He was speaking after a presentation on the project by the Community Consulting India Private Ltd, a consultant commissioned by the TNUIFSL to prepare the detailed project report.

The project seeks to adopt a regional landfill programme for the towns in the cluster and improve the solid waste handling and management in the urban local bodies. It would bring about a holistic approach to handle about 460 tonnes of solid wastes generated a day in the four local bodies. Of this, nearly 424 tonnes of solid wastes is being generated in Tiruchi city alone. According to consultants, nearly 78 per cent of the solid waste generated in the city could be converted into fertilizer (compost) and another 7.5 per cent could be recycled.

The project would seek to ensure 100 per cent source segregation (of degradable and non-degradable wastes), provision of collection bins at the households, standardised and synchronised transport of the collected waste, creation of an integrated waste management complex and marketing compost. Non-degradable wastes would be disposed through landfill. A waste processing facility would be established under the project besides a regional landfill facility.

Once executed, it would bring in a annual revenue of about Rs.17.93 crores through sale of compost, recycling and carbon credit, according to the project report.

Last Updated on Friday, 26 June 2009 10:06
 

Corporation flays move to shift Siddha units

Tuesday, 23 June 2009 04:02 administrator
Print PDF

Source : The Hindu Date : 23.06.2009

Corporation flays move to shift Siddha units

Staff Reporter

Council passes resolution to this effect

 

Rare medicinal plants collected from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Western Ghats are kept here

Move to shift the “treasures of Tirunelveli” to be resisted with all might: Deputy Mayor

TIRUNELVELI: Flaying the decision of Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha (CCRAS), New Delhi, to “gift” the Survey of Medicinal Plants Unit – Siddha and the Clinical Research Unit – Siddha, both on the premises of Government Siddha Medical College here, to two private institutions, the Tirunelveli Corporation has unanimously resolved to forward memoranda to the State and Central governments urging them to drop the move.

“If the CCRAS enforces its decision forcibly, it will certainly create unrest among the public, students and research scholars of the Siddha College here,” the council noted.

Raising this issue in the council meeting held here on Monday, Palayamkottai Zone chairman Suba. Seetharaman said rare medicinal plants collected from for nearly four decades, particularly from Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Western Ghats, known for its rich medicinal plant wealth, had been kept in the SMP Unit.

“However, the steps taken by the CCRAS, New Delhi to gift away the Survey of Medicinal Plants (SMP) Unit - Siddha and the Clinical Research Unit – Siddha to two private organizations have created serious doubts in the minds of the public. ,” said Mr. Seetharaman, while appealing to Mayor A.L. Subramanian to pass a resolution in this regard.

Accepting Mr. Seetharaman’s submissions, Mr. Subramanian said: “The Tirunelveli Corporation Council unanimously passes the resolution that the CCRAS should immediately give up its move to shift and gift away the siddha units of Government Siddha Medical College here. The council also appeals to the State and Central governments to restrain the officials concerned from gifting away the priceless government properties to private institutions. Otherwise, the CCRAS’s move will certainly result in public unrest here.” Welcoming it, Deputy Mayor K. Muthuramalingam also noted that any move to shift the “treasures of Tirunelveli” from its birthplace would be resisted with all might.

Meanwhile, undergraduate Siddha students, who have been placed under suspension, can be seen sitting in the neighbouring VOC Ground as the college administration has reportedly warned that the suspended students would be arrested if they entered the college premises.

“The post-graduate students withdrew their agitation on Friday after the administration agreed to withdraw the suspension and the indefinite closure of the college. Now, the promise has vanished in thin air,” fumed the suspended students.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 June 2009 04:05
 

Construction of drainage facility begins

Tuesday, 23 June 2009 04:00 administrator
Print PDF

Source : The Hindu Date : 23.06.2009

Construction of drainage facility begins

Staff Reporter

SALEM: The Salem Corporation has begun the construction of a new drainage facility on Ariyagoundampatti main road in Old Sooramangalam in the city.

The work has been taken up as the existing drainage channel in the area got damaged and the flow of wastewater remained affected. This had posed a serious threat to the health of residents in a number of colonies in Old Sooramangalam.

People had made repeated representations about the issue. As a result, the civic administration allotted a sum of Rs. 19 lakh for the construction of the drainage channel with a length of 750 metres.

Officials said that the channel would be brought to public use in the second week of July. Meanwhile, residents in Old Sooramangalam have appealed to the Corporation to ensure regular cleaning of the drainage channels.

The sanitary workers from the Corporation and the Bangalore-based private firm Swatchatha Corporation were rarely visiting the inner streets to carry out the cleaning works.

So, an effective system should be evolved to monitor cleaning works, they said.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 June 2009 04:02
 
More Articles...


Page 197 of 200