Coimbatore Live

Special teams to augment crime detection, recovery

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:03:57 PST

The City Police have formed six special teams to detect the pending cases and to increase the recovery rate from the present 62 per cent to 80 per cent before December end, said P. Sivanandi, City Police Commissioner on Wednesday.The teams would focus on two-wheeler thefts, chain/bag snatching, house breaking and resolve the pending cases.

The teams would be functioning under the direct supervision of the Deputy Commissioners of Police, P. Nagarajan (Law and Order) and N. Kamini (Crime and Traffic).Because of the visible policing and anti-chain snatching squad at over 40 places in the city, the number of incidents of two-wheeler thefts had come down to two per day as against the earlier trend of six to seven per day and incidents of chain snatching cases had come down from 25 per month to 5 per month on an average.

The city accounted for 15 lakh two-wheelers and in many instances, the police had found that the stolen two-wheelers had been used for chain snatching.Three persons S. Premkumar alias Senthilkumar (24), R. Sathishkumar (26) and Jayakumar who were involved in a number of double murder cases have been detained under Goondas Act as part of the crime prevention drive.In a bid to make the Avanashi Road six-lane traffic into a very motorist friendly system, changes are being made.Government had sanctioned funds for repainting the lanes and works would start once rain stops.

The lanes would be repainted and re-organised with the first lane next to the centre median for two-wheeler riders and second lane for cars and the third and last lane close to the road boundary for the buses to steer away at bus stops/bays.A total number of nine cameras would be fitted on the entire stretch of Avanashi Road.Efforts are on to hold discussions with the Transport Department, Transport Corporations, private bus operators, Corporation and Highways Department for shifting five bus stops on Avinashi Road that are proving to be wrongly located either close to a signal or road turning.

Once the lane painting works are completed in the next 15 to 20 days, the new lane system would be enforced.To make the roads more motorist friendly, the speed breakers at places where it was not required had been removed and in places wherever it was required, they have been redone to make it friendly and easy to manoeuvre.

No-Horn Zone

As done in developed countries and metropolitan cities, the City Police have planned to conduct a area-wise study and based on public feedback, suggestions and opinion of motorists some pockets in the city would be turned into a no- horn zone.

TVH Marathon: a show of solidarity

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:47:47 PST

Unity is strength. And, citizens of Coimbatore showed their might in a fitting manner by participating in large numbers in the TVH Marathon held here on Sunday. The weather, unlike the last time around, stood good. And that paved the way for a massive turnout for the marathon specially designed for the cause of educating the girl child. Those who took part were convinced that the message reached every household loud and clear. “It is not about numbers. What really matters is the involvement and the participation. To be frank, I found it overwhelming,” said India’s Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan.

“I had played my part in a couple of marathons in the past but I am happy to see it happening right in my hometown,” added the fastest Indian in the world, who flagged off the boys’ event.Narain said it is only going to get bigger from here as the news would have spread like wildfire by this time. “It is definitely a nice way to the spread the message. The rest is bonus.”

The Race Course Road, considered a ‘Walkers Paradise,’ was closed for once to accommodate the runners. It did upset a chosen few but those who attended it considered it a great privilege to be part of this big event. With billboards and banners practically in every tree and lamppost, and the band playing loud, the entire stretch of the road wore a festive look.The atmosphere was certainly electric. And, that set the tone and the pace for both the young and the aged to last their respective distance.

R. Rajesh of Government Arts College and K. Maheswari of Southern Railway raced to gold and glory in the men’s (10 km) and women’s (5 km) section respectively.P. Dhanapriya of PSGR Krishnammal and P. Karthick of Government Boys HSS, Ondipudur, did likewise in the under-18 girls’ and boys’ section, which stretched a distance of 5 km.There were many who were initially sceptical about the safety aspect of the event as the city had never witnessed a crowd like this before.

It did worry the organisers but at the end they heaved a sigh of relief as there was no real damage done. Cine actor Surya must be convinced as well that all his people came out safe.If an event of this magnitude managed to see the safer side it was mainly due to the large support extended by both the public and the police.The marathon, after close to a two-hour excitement, culminated at the Government Arts College.The top ten winners in each of the four categories were presented with cash awards and certificates by a host of dignitaries.And, those who played their part in the success of the show were also honoured.

Micro Surgery device installed at Vasan eye care !

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:28:07 PST

Vasan Eye Care Hospital, Coimbatore, has commissioned a state-of-the-art Phaco work station—Stellaris Micro Incision Cataract Surgery Platform.According to a hospital release, the micro incision cataract surgery is the latest cutting edge technology in cataract surgery.

This technology is very popular in Western and European countries and proved to give the best post-operative results and quick recovery.Stellar Micro Incision Cataract Surgery platform is the world’s smallest incision surgery ever to reduce incision size from 3.4 mm to 1.8 mm.

It is this small incision size that helps in restoration of patients’ original vision and image clarity under various situations.The facility was dedicated to the public by P.Umanath, District Collector on Thursday.

Crime graph down, accident rate up in West Zone

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:55:03 PST

The crime rate has come down considerably in the West Zone while the fatal accident rate has gone up by 7 per cent during the period from January 1 to October 2009 compared to the corresponding period last year, Pramod Kumar, Inspector-General of Police, West Zone said on Friday.

Mr. Kumar held a review meeting of the performance of unit officers in west zone which was attended by the Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, Salem and Coimbatore ranges and the Superintendents of Police, the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Namakkal, Salem, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri.A review of the statistics with regard to property crimes revealed that murder for gain remained at 22 during both the periods, dacoity had come down by 16 per cent, grouping for dacoity had come down by 56 per cent, robbery was down by 18 per cent, burglary had increased by 2 per cent while theft had come down by 8 per cent. In total, the average fall in crime rate in this category was 5 per cent.

With regard to violent crimes, murder had come down by 15 per cent, attempt to commit murder had come down by 30 per cent, culpable homicide not amounting to murder was up by 13 per cent, injury cases were down by 32 per cent and riot cases were down by 32 per cent.The average fall in crime rate in this category was 27 per cent.With regard to crime against women, rape cases were down by 20 per cent, dowry death by 6 per cent and molestation cases were down by 45 per cent.

Cases of sexual harassment continued to remain at 38 cases in both the periods, cruelty by husband and relatives was down by 35 per cent and kidnapping/abduction of women and girls were down by 9 per cent.The crime against women category was down by 31 per cent in total.In the other major crimes category, kidnapping and abduction was up by 24 per cent, criminal breach of trust was down by 39 per cent, cases of arson was down by 17 per cent, cases of cheating had increased by 10 per cent, cases of counterfeiting had increased by 73 per cent, fatal road accident cases had gone up by seven per cent, non-fatal cases had come down by 3 per cent and other Indian Penal Code related crime cases were down by 29 per cent.

In total, there was a fall of cases by 13 per cent. With regard to IPC cases, there was an overall fall of 16 per cent and cases relating to special legislations were down by 4 per cent.The zone as on date had 17,723 under investigation cases and 52,665 pending trial cases.

SET exam results today

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:51:12 PST

The results of the State Eligibility Test (SET) for Lecturership-Additional Examination 2008, conducted by Bharathiar University in 5 subjects - Law, Philosophy, Management , Library Science and Physical Education on August 16 will be published in the websites: www.b-u.ac.in \ www.kalvimalar.com at 10 a.m. on November 21.

According to a release from B.Krishnamurthy, Secretary, SET, and Controller of Examinations, Bharathiar University, candidates can access their results by giving their roll number. Successful candidates will be intimated individually.

Run Kovai Run - Grand event tomarrow !

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:47:56 PST

The TVH Marathon, a run to educate the girl child, has evoked good response from the public, more particularly the student community.“The entries are flowing in large numbers every day. And, it’s only going to get bigger from here,” said K.N. Manivannan, Director, True Value Homes India Pvt. Ltd., the title sponsors of the show.

“We have already touched the 50,000 mark. And, with two days still to go we are confident of reaching 60,000, which may well prove the unity the city has when it comes to supporting a cause,” said Shekhar J. Manoharan, the Event Coordinator.Jointly presented by the Rotary Club of Coimbatore Texcity and the CRPF, the marathon, titled ‘Run Kovai Run’, was initially scheduled for November 8 but was postponed to November 22 due to heavy rain.

“We were terribly upset when the rain spoilt our original schedule. Now, we are doubly happy that the message of ‘Educating the girl child’ and ‘Staying fit’ has reached every home,” said Mr. Manivannan.With the Fastest Indian in the World, Narain Karthikeyan, endorsing the event in his usual speedy style, the TVH Marathon further gained a strong ground. Narain was so pleased with the event that, despite his busy schedule, he twice obliged to be present at the inaugural event.Cine Actor Surya was pleased as well to hear about the big show. He also had words of advice for the organisers.

“Make it clear to the people it is not winning that matters but participating. If every participant is going to run on these lines then the event is going to be much better and safer as well.”Surya was amazed at the magnitude of the event, but stressed on the safety lines in a strong manner.A fit man as he always is, he came up with a fitting reply to the organisers’ safety measures.

“Whatever you do and however big the crowd is, I want each and every one of you to see that every individual is comfortable and taken care of because they are all my people.”

Initiating them into a learning beyond curriculum

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:00:16 PST

To enable the students of its schools acquire English language skills and enrich their knowledge through newspaper reading, the Coimbatore Corporation launched on Tuesday The Hindu’s Newspaper in Education programme for 26 of its 85 schools.The Hindu is already carrying out this programme in private schools. Under this, resource persons teach students how to make the best out of reading newspapers; where they can find material to improve both knowledge and their resources in English language.

Under the programme launched on Tuesday, each of the 26 Corporation schools will be provided 25 copies of The Hindu every day.Inaugurating the programme by handing over copies of The Hindu to students at the Corporation Higher Secondary School at Sidhapudur, Mayor R. Venkatachalam said the Corporation had allocated Rs.1 lakh for the scheme that was aimed at benefiting the students.

The Education Committee and the Corporation Council cleared the proposal quickly and this reflected the intention of the civic body to raise the standards of the students studying in its schools.

The Mayor said that by improving knowledge through extensive reading, students could not only go on to become civil services officers or top level executives, they could also occupy the very demanding post of a Mayor. “City administration is not an easy task. It requires people with a lot of acumen. You can occupy this post and do well if you use the opportunity given to you now,” he told a gathering of students. Deputy Mayor N. Karthik pointed out that newspapers were a source of knowledge. One could get a lot of information on diverse fields of activity.

The students of Government or Corporation schools were not inferior to those in the private schools. Appreciating The Hindu’s contribution to the field of education in the form of programmes such as NIE, he said this provided immense opportunities to students to learn more than what was taught in classrooms.

Regional General Manager of The Hindu D. Rajkumar said NIE was part of the newspaper’s corporate-social responsibility. The newspaper was being provided at a substantial concession so that it could be an affordable resource for learning for them. The NIE provided knowledge beyond academics, but without affecting the school curriculum, Mr. Rajkumar said.

Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra, Leader of the Opposition V.N. Udayakumar, Education Committee Chairman R. Kalyanasundaram, members P. Shobana, V.K.S.K. Senthilkumar, Thamizhselvi and Meena Loganathan and Corporation Education Officer (in-charge) T. Raju were present.

Mr. Kalyanasundaram and the committee members said later that the committee scrutinised the NIE proposal and found it to be of immense benefit to the students. The committee was focussed on improving the standards of education in the Corporation schools and wanted all the students to scale great heights in their career.

Ms. Shobana was already taking spoken English classes for Corporation school students. Mr. Senthilkumar, Ms. Thamizhselvi and Ms. Loganathan said the NIE programme was one of the many initiatives the Corporation and the Education Committee were taking up to build academic and co-curricular skills in students.

SISPA seeks ban on cotton exports

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:55:35 PST

The South India Spinners Association has sought a ban on cotton exports.

Association president G. Soundararajan said in a release that cotton prices had soared during the last two months though the new season had just begun. Cotton production in the country had been affected this year because of drought in some States and heavy rains in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

This had hit the quality of cotton too. By allowing export of cotton at the beginning of the season, the domestic textile industry would not get the advantage of home-grown cotton as the quality cotton would be covered for exports.Mr. Soundararajan said large-scale traders were covering large quantities of the cotton, thus pushing the prices up for the domestic textile industry.

The Government should ensure that quality cotton was available to the domestic industry at affordable prices by banning cotton exports, he said.

Meet on Nov. 24 to discuss BU’s role in Tamil Conference

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:51:54 PST

Principals, administrators of the colleges affiliated to Bharathiar University (BU) and Anna University will meet the Pro-Chancellor and Education Minister K. Ponmudi on November 24 to discuss the role of Bharathiar University in hosting the World Classical Tamil Conference in June 2010.

BU Vice-Chancellor C. Swaminathan told journalists that the meeting would discuss how students, teaching and non-teaching staff could help in making the meet successful. The university was contemplating working on Kongu Tamil for the ensuing conference.

A total of 4,000 staff members and 2 lakh students would contribute to the World Classical Tamil Conference. The university would be a part of various committees.Mr. Swaminathan said that his predecessor had arranged for translating the books authored by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi by forming a committee of experts. As many as 12 books had been translated into English. They were: Tholkappiya Poonga, Kavithai Mazhai, Kavithai Mazhai I and III, Sangha Tamil, Ponnar Sankar, Thenpandi Singam, Anarkali, Paayumpuli Pandaravanniyan, Urainadaigal, Parasakthi-Manohara and Sirukathaigal.

The books would be released either in December or January at the Madras University Centenary Auditorium. The university had received 15 applications for starting new arts and science colleges in the region.The applications were under consideration. On the issue of granting autonomous and deemed university status,

Mr. Swaminathan said that the Government was keen on increasing the gross enrolment ratio from 11 per cent to 15 per cent. In developed countries it was 30 to 40 per cent. BU had received applications for autonomous status from four colleges. In the past, universities had succeeded in retaining their hold over colleges which acquired autonomous status but controlling the functioning of colleges with deemed-university status had proved difficult. Following complaints, the University Grants Commission once undertook a review of the functioning of deemed universities, which was followed by a review by Human Resource Ministry. A decision was pending in this regard.

Transit home

A transit home for scientists was being constructed at the university with funding from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Rs. 5 crore. The transit home would have three floors and 20 to 30 rooms.The university was also holding talks with the DRDO to offer a course on Snow Physics from the next academic year, if possible. The new course would have classes for half of the duration in Chandigarh.

Dhanalakshmi Bank to distribute coupons for aravana!

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:44:15 PST

Dhanalakshmi Bank will distribute coupons for aravana, ghee abhishekam and other prasadam to Sabarimala pilgrims from all of its branches, said General Manager P.G.Jayakumar and General Manager (HR) Manish Kumar.The bank has opened 24 counters at Sannidhanam too. It would open additional counters at Pamba for the exclusive distribution of modakam.

The bank would open temporary business transaction centres at Erumeli and Nilakkal. These would be in addition to the bank’s regular branch located at Pamba.The bank would maintain an offsite ATM at Sabarimala and an onsite ATM at Pamba branch. Pilgrims can use any ATM card of any bank to avail themselves the services of the ATMs free of cost. Almost 700 staff/1000 volunteers would be working over the 70-day period 24 hours.

Counting machines

The bank has installed cash and coin sorting/counting machines at Sannidhanam. It has come up with an accident insurance cover for the pilgrims at a nominal cost of Rs.50 a person. It would provide death cover to the tune of Rs.1 lakh and an accident benefit of Rs. 25000. For over three decades, the bank has been servicing the needs of the Devaswom board in its 1208 temples.

Laser assisted spine surgery !

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:35:52 PST

A laser-assisted endoscopic surgery was performed on a woman for a prolapsed disc at the Kovai Medical Center and Hospital (KMCH) here recently. A press release from the hospital has said the laser surgery for a spinal disc problem was a rare procedure. It was being done only in two or three centres in the country, it said.

Spine surgeon Sreedharan Namboothiri performed the surgery on Manimegalai (38) of Rasipuram, who was suffering from pain in the back and leg for the past couple of years. When she consulted the local doctors they advised her to undergo spinal surgery but Manimegalai feared post-surgical complications.

But, she was brought to KMCH where a magnetic resonance imaging revealed a large disc prolapse and it was compressing the nerve route.A local anaesthesia was given to the woman and a 0.2 mm incision was made using an endoscope.“We used Holnium Yag laser to remove the disc and the entire procedure lasted only one hour,” Dr. Namboothiri said in the release. The woman got immediate relief from the acute pain that gave her sleepless nights, he said. Manimegalai could not have even dreamt of quick relief, but for such modern treatment procedures, he added.

Such a large disc prolapse could not be treated in the conventional method as it involved making a large incision to remove the disc. This would lead to complications, he said.Laser assisted endoscopic discectomy was a boon to people suffering from this kind of disorders, he claimed.

“Yag laser will help in doing a very high precision surgery, especially working inside a spinal canal with very high anatomical constraint” he pointed out. The laser beams could vaporise even very tough tissues and it helped operate with an accuracy of 0.2mm. The post-operative result was excellent, he said.KMCH Chairman Nalla G Palaniswami said that even though laser had been used in many other areas of the medicine, its introduction in spine surgery had been very late because of the highly complex spine structure.This was a path-breaking spine surgery with a really good social impact because many patients suffering from spinal disorders did not seek treatment fearing complications.

The release quoted Manimegalai as saying that she felt better now and was able to have normal sleep. Before the surgery, she used to take some medicines for temporary relief. But when the pain became unbearable, she was told that surgery was the only way out.

Demand for scheme roads in Coimbatore city

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:14:10 PST

Councillors of the Coimabatore Corporation and a citizens’ group have demanded scheme roads in the city to match the increase in the number of vehicles.While some councillors made this demand at a Council meeting two weeks ago, the Residents’ Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC) has appealed for some speedy measures to provide the city with some scheme roads and its existing thoroughfares from relief from a huge volume of traffic.

Though the demands appeared to have been timed with the preparations for the World Classical Tamil Conference in June next year, the elected members and the association wanted the facilities as a long-term solution.Making this demand at the Council meeting, Communist Party of India (Marxist) councilor C. Padmanabhan lamented that no scheme road project had been implemented for over a decade.

“I have been a councillor for the last 13 years. I have seen a single scheme road project being implemented during this period,” he said. The councillor urged the Corporation to take up such road projects immediately.All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam councillor P. Rajkumar said Rs.30 crore to Rs.40 crore of the Coimbatore Corporation was with the Local Planning Authority. The fund was meant for development works such as scheme roads in the city. Scheme roads must be laid to decongest the existing roads in the city, he said.

Outside the Council, the RAAC gave a similar call. Vice-President of the association R.R. Balasundaram pointed out that Coimbatore was a major manufacturing city in the country. It was witnessing a rapid growth in the economic activity.The roads were already congested and the number of vehicles was certain to increase.Ring roads and more than 100 scheme roads were planned in 1994 Master Plan of Coimbatore.But, unfortunately, nothing much had happened so far. In 1997, the Director of Town and Country Planning had commissioned the then Pallavan Transport Corporation to carry out a Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Study for Coimbatore Local Planning Area. The study suggested various facilities such as roads and ring roads. But, none was taken up.

Suggestions

When the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) schemes were announced, RAAC made various suggestions on road traffic improvement. Many of these were included in the JNNURM.These included 13 missing link roads that were expected to decongest the arterial roads. These and the proposed outer ring and inner ring roads must be laid to provide a long-term solution to the present traffic congestion.

M&M opened Pre owened car showroom !!

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:13:05 PST

Mahindra & Mahindra's pre-owned cars sales arm Mahindra First Choice has shared plans that it targets to sell at least 1 lakh used cars by the year 2014. The announcement was made by Mahindra First Choice CEO Shubhabrata Saha at a press conference in Coimbatore, where he had made an appearance to inaugurate the city's first Mahindra dealership.

Currently the unit has 60 outlets across India and last year alone had sold as many as 10,250 used cars. This year's target by the company has been set at 18,000, and over 9,000 have already been sold at various cities across the sub-continent.

Pre-owned or used cars reportedly have a market of 1.5 million vehicles a year, with a scope of 20% annual growth, a sector with a tremendous growth opportunity. More and more people are now coming forward to buy used cars, especially in Tamil Nadu.

CEO Saha also shared that the firm plans to open as many as 300 more outlets across the nation in order to fuel its attempts to achieve the 1 lakh sales by 2014 target.

Rotary stresses routine immunisation against polio

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:49:15 PST

Rotary International District 3210 has emphasised the importance of routine immunisation to prevent polio in children even as it highlighted the benefits of the National Immunisation Days (NIDs) on which oral polio vaccines were administered to children in the 0-5 age group. The next NIDs would be observed on January 10 and February 7 next year.

Playing a major role in awareness generation ahead of the immunisation days and assisting the Government agencies with manpower and material across Coimbatore and other districts in western Tamil Nadu and Kerala, RI District 3210 has said in a release that routine immunisation was the best way to build individual immunity against the polio virus. But, unfortunately, the percentage of children who should get at least three doses of oral polio vaccine was much below satisfactory level.

Polio endemic States

In high polio endemic States such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the number of immunised children was almost negligible.After small pox was eradicated, the Rotary initiated the movement against polio. But, routine immunisation under the Universal Immunisation Programme was not strong enough to help international health players in achieving the objective of eradicating poliomyelitis.Therefore, it required a strategy of mass immunisation and the National Immunisation Day concept was introduced.Parents could bring their children to several fixed and mobile booths for administering the oral vaccine to them.

Misconception

Under the Universal Immunisation Programme that stressed routine immunisation, five doses of the vaccine were mandatory for all children up to the age of two.Though optional, the first dose was administered on completion of or within one month after the birth of a child.The other four doses were to be administered at one-and-a-half, two-and-a-half, three-and-a-half and 18 or 24 months.But, the misconception about NIDs being a replacement had brought down coverage under routine immunisation.

With the passing of years, immunisation at the booths on NIDs lost its charm and the coverage dipped owing to complacency and fatigue.Though this was a serious setback, the pioneers of the polio eradication movement did not lose hope.

House-to-house immunisation

They came up with the strategy of house-to-house immunisation in 1999.Religious beliefs in States such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh had impeded coverage.

Religious leaders

The Rotary got the assistance of religious leaders in combating rumours about the programme and improving immunisation.Now, the four basic strategies against polio were: routine immunisation by providing every child aged under one with at least three doses of oral polio vaccine; conduct NIDs to cover children in the 0-5 age group; surveillance of acute flaccid paralysis to identify all reservoirs of wild polio virus transmission and extensive door-to-door drive in the final stages in focal areas where the virus transmission persisted, the release said.

Tier II and Tier III cities witnessing real estate boom

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:11:28 PST

The coming of affordable housing has meant a booster shot for many of the Tier II and Tier III cities. While earlier Tier I cities and theirsuburbs were looked upon as the best bet in real estate, large scale development in affordable constructions is now translating into high interest levels for Tier II cities as well.A number of these cities such as Bhubaneshwar, Coimbatore, Vadodara, Ghaziabad, Indore and Jaipur have witnessed remarkable development over the last few years.

Ashutosh Limaye, associate director, strategic consulting, Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, says that the common features of affordable housing — low-priced land, larger unit numbers to achieve economy of scale, smaller product sizes and reduction of aspiration-driven features are applicable in smaller cities, as well. “Affordable housing is easier in Tier II cities because the land rates are relatively low and the distance of city centres from such projectsis generally manageable. Earlier, developers in Tier II cities also aspired to deliver products that reflected Tier I lifestyles. Now, they have adapted their formats to dovetail with Tier II city requirements.

Tier III cities continue to display a preference for self-built properties, and organized developer penetration is relatively low,” he says.

Realty development has indeed meant a push for many of these cities. A number of developers, including the big names such as DLF, Unitech and Omaxe have upcoming projects in these cities. Rohtas Goel, CMD, Omaxe feels the growth has been tremendous in Tier II cities owing to the real estate industry. The developer is looking at a number of mid-segment and affordable projects in the residential segment in these cities.

“Indore, Lucknow, Sonepat, Jaipur, Rohtak and Allahabad have witnessed quite a push. Right now, it is 20% investors and 80% end users in these markets,” says Goel. Similarly, Unitech also has residential projects coming up in Mohali, Lucknow, Rewari and Bhopal among others.Going forward, these cities will be hubs of development and growth, feel experts. Cities worthy of consideration for serious long-term investors would include Nasik, Nagpur, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Pune and Coimbatore, according to JLLM

Form development authority for Coimbatore - RACC

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:28:03 PST

The Residents’ Awareness Association (RAAC) of Coimbatore has appealed to the State Government to constitute soon a Coimbatore Urban Development Authority, on the lines of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority.Such an agency is needed to review and revise the Master Plan and the Development Control Rules (DCR) of Coimbatore, president of RAAC C.R. Swaminathan has said in a press release.

The first Master Plan was drawn up in 1994, followed by several Detailed Development Plans. However, there were schemes for Coimbatore even before these plans had been drawn up, the release said.Coimbatore’s first town planning schemes or plans were cleared in a Government Order issued on November 30, 1933 by the Local Self-Government Department of the Government of Madras.

Objective

The objective was to ensure orderly and controlled land development of the town, keeping in view the social and economic uplift of the people. Each scheme had maps and plans for the formation of new streets, widening of existing ones and land development.An important aspect was the Development Control Rules for specified buildings and layouts.The location of the houses of huts, reserved sites, shops, business premises and industries was earmarked.Six schemes were sanctioned for the town prior to Independence, between 1933 and 1947. And, seven were cleared from then till now. The association contended that 19 other schemes were in use now, but were not approved ones.

The fully developed parts of the town such as Oppanakara Street, N.H. Road, Range Gowder Street, Sukkrawarpet and Edayar Street did not have approved schemes even now.In view of the non-uniformity of rules and norms, standardisation was the need of the hour.The revision should be incorporated in a new DCR for Coimbatore. It should be the only reference area.

Therefore, a new Master Plan should be formulated soon, the release said

Handloom exhibition to be held in January

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:47:23 PST

Hi-Tech International Trade Fair India Limited will organise a handloom exhibition (Grand Handloom Expo 2010) here from January 8 to 16.Chairman of Hi-Tech M.A. Rayappan told that the exhibition would have about 250 participants from the handloom societies across the country and nearly 50 retailers.

The event was organised in association with the Textiles Committee. The aim was to improve public awareness about handloom products and about the handloom mark.A model handloom village would be established at the venue displaying the loom and the process of producing a handloom product. Weavers from different parts of the country were expected to participate.

The exhibition would occupy a display area of 60,000 sq.ft at the Vijaya Fair Grounds.Various types of handloom products, including the traditional attire of all the States and sarees and made-ups made of cotton, silk, jute and kora would be some of the products exhibited.The organisers proposed to involve the State Governments and organise similar events in different centres – Madurai, Chennai, Panipet, etc.

Contest

PSG College of Technology would organise Fashion Fest, a contest for students, as part of the exhibition. Nearly 300 students were expected to take part. The participating colleges should send at least three entries of handloom products each.

A. Sakthivel, president of the Tirupur Exporters’ Association, launched the brochure for the exhibition at a function held here on Thursday. He said the initiative was needed now as handloom products were slowly losing market.He urged the organisers to conduct similar exhibitions in other States also. The fashion contest would help the weavers get new designs, he said.

Corpn. removes encroachment on reserve site

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:34:28 PST

The Coimbatore Corporation authorities on Saturday removed an unauthorised makeshift structure put up on a reserve site in Meena Estate area of Coimbatore City. Following reports about unauthorised utilisation of the reserve site and construction of structures without prior plan approval, the officials swung into action.Corporation officials reached the scene with truck, earthmovers and personnel for razing down the structures. The makeshift structure was removed by the officials.

Following request from the occupants of the reserve site where a temple is located, a house constructed for the stay of the priest was left.The officials gave the occupants time to vacate and sought the removal of the concrete structure. They said that across the city such unauthorised structures were being listed out and stringent action would be initiated against the persons involved.

ASICON 2009 at cbe !!

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:22:07 PST

New surgical techniques, modern technology, safe surgery and ethical practices will be the main themes of the annual conference of the Association of Surgeons of India – ASICON 2009 – to be held at the CODISSIA trade fair complex here from December 25 to 30.

Announcing this on Thursday, president of the association and Chairman of Gem Hospital C. Palanivelu said national and international faculties would perform surgeries at various hospitals in the city and these would be beamed live to the conference venue. Open and laparoscopic surgeries would be performed. A continuous medical education programme would be held ahead of the inauguration of the main conference on December 27.

This would be the biggest medical conference to be ever held in Coimbatore, with about 5,000 surgeons in diverse specialities participating. Earlier, the ASI’s conferences were held in metropolitan cities. This was the first time the association had chosen Coimbatore as the venue.

Private sector employment mela

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:11:02 PST

Interviews for recruitment of employees in private sector will be held at the District Employment Exchange on November 13 (Friday) at 10.30 a.m. in ITI campus, GN Mills post on Mettupalayam Road.

There will be no Travelling Allowance or DA for the candidates. Major corporate houses, insurance firms and BPO firms are taking part in the recruitment drive. Candidates with SSLC, HSLC, graduates, computer literates, ITI pass outs, diploma holders, handicapped persons and those with basic literacy levels could avail of this opportunity, according to a press release here.

yoga for school children !!

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:04:47 PST

Along with the efforts to improve hygiene in its schools, the Coimbatore Corporation has begun an exercise simultaneously for the good health of the teachers and students.In association with Isha Yoga Centre, the Corporation has drawn up a plan for yoga training for the teachers and students.

The first phase of the yoga and meditation programme for about 550 teachers began on Monday. The training for the teachers is being given at three schools: the Corporation Higher Secondary School at Sidhapudur, the Girls’ Higher Secondary School at Ramakrishnapuram and the Girls’ High School at R.S. Puram. The training will be provided for one-and-a-half hours after class hours on working days and for seven hours on Saturday. The next phase of training for about 300 teachers will be held in January or February next year. “We will begin the training for the students in the third week of this month,” Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra said on Wednesday. “We will start with about 2,000 students. And, the entire strength of 30,000 students [in 85 schools] will be covered in phases,” he said. Chairman of the Corporation Council’s Standing Committee on Education, Parks and Playgrounds R. Kalyanasundaram said the yoga programme had been approved by the committee last year. But, it did not progress beyond some sessions in a couple of schools.

After Mr. Mishra took over as the Commissioner, the scheme was given a fresh impetus, Mr. Kalyanasundaram said.The Commissioner said the training could be given to the teachers first, so that they could, in turn, train the students.

Model entrance exam for IAS aspirants

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:45:35 PST

A model entrance examination for the IAS aspirants will be conducted here on November 22 by the Shunmugam’s IAS Study Circle.

According to a release from U.Shunmugam, director of the circle , this study circle is run by people who have made it to the IAS interview stage and it has been functioning since 2006. It has so far trained about 250 candidates for civil service examinations, TNPSC and banking.

Around 500 candidates in and around Coimbatore have applied for the exam to be held at the Suburban Matriculation School, Ram Nagar, from9.30 a.m. to 12 noon.

Max newyork wins award !

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:07:31 PST

Max New York Life Insurance Company Limited, one of India’s leading life insurance companies, won the coveted Asia Insurance Industry ‘Innovation of the Year’ Award 2009 instituted by Asia Insurance Review. Rajesh Sud, CEO & Managing Director, Max New York Life, received the award at a ceremony in Singapore.

The award is in recognition of the company’s innovative business concept, ‘Max Vijay’, that offers a unique opportunity to the millions of underserved in the country to save and insure at their terms.Receiving the award, Mr. Rajesh Sud said:“With this award we have now created a place for ourselves in the Asian insurance markets.”

Max Vijay was launched in October 2008.It has been able to provide financial inclusion to over 75,000 underserved households touching over 3.5 lakhs lives. The awards are bestowed annually and are designed to recognise and encourage various aspects of the insurance business. A judging panel of 22 eminent industry leaders, practitioners and regulators from the markets in Asia and from around the globe evaluate the participating entries through a rigorous selection process,select the winning entries that capture the spirit of innovation and professional derring-do in the market.

Tamil marimony opens office at cbe !

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:03:45 PST

TamilMatrimony of BharatMatrimony has opened its offices in Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and Madurai, a release from Murugavel Janakiraman, founder and CEO of BharatMatrimony said.

TamilMatrimony offices would serve as a one-stop-solution for those seeking a life partner not just from the Tamil community but from any caste or community in India. Tamil matrimony is a part of a larger service, BharatMatrimony that offers 15 regional matrimony service covering almost all communities in India.

At the offices, customers would be guided by professionally trained customer care team who would assist them in finding a suitable life partner. The service offered is very simple, walk in at your convenience, get assisted by professionals and walk out with contact details of matching alliances. More offices are to be launched across Tamil Nadu. The Coimbatore Office is located on NSR Road.

BU convocation on 24th

admin.coimbatorelive@gmail.com (Coimbatore Live Team) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:55:21 PST

The 25th convocation of the Bharathiar University will be held on November 24.

According to a release, Surjit Singh Barnala, Governor of Tamil Nadu and Chancellor of Bharathiar University, will preside and Minister for Higher Education K. Ponmudy will be the guest of honour.

E. Balagurusamy, Member of the Union Public Service Commission, will be the chief guest and deliver the convocation address.