Flight operations to resume in Pondicherry from June 7

PONDICHERRY: Commercial flight operations from Pondicherry airport have been planned to be revived from June 7, after 15 years since Vayudoot stopped its flight operations in 1991.

FLIGHT RATES

Pondicherry to Chennai – Rs.1,500

Pondicherry to Bangalore – Rs.2,400

Pondicherry to Tirupati – Rs.2,400

Jagson Airlines, a Delhi-based private operator, has come forward to operate flights to Chennai, Bangalore and Tirupati sector and back.

An 18-seater Dornier 228 aircraft is being flown to Pondicherry on Sunday, which would be used for flight operation to all the three destinations, Vinod Malhotra, General Manager (Marketing) and Business Head of Jagson Airlines, told this website’s newspaper.

“We would be operating the flights to all the three destinations daily but confine it to six days a week. There would be no flights on Sunday which would be kept for maintenance of the aircraft. A maintenance unit under H R Sharma, Maintenance Engineer, has been set up to keep the aircraft in good condition,” he said.

The ground clearance from Bangalore and Tirupati has been given but the landing rights from Chennai Airport are awaited. The operator is expecting to get the clearance in the next couple of days.

“As far as Pondicherry airport is concerned, we have received all the clearances from the DGCA and we are ready to operate the flights from June 7,” said Malhotra.

The government has assured guarantee for the sale of 50 percent of the tickets (nine seats) as per the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Jagson Airlines with the Government of Pondicherry earlier.

The Pondicherry Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) would sell nine tickets on behalf of the government, while the tickets for the remaining seats would be sold by the travel agent, Bon Jour Bon Heur Travels.

“Once the green signal is given by the operator, the sale of tickets would begin,” said Abhimookh Patel, Head of Bon Jour Bon Heur Travels.

The airport has been made ready by upgrading and modifying the facilities as per the directions given by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

A team comprising Regional Controller of Air Safety Bir Singh Rai and Regional Deputy Commissioner, Civil Aviation Security, P Gauri Shankar, after assessing the facilities at the airport on February 24, issued the directions.

According to officials of the Airport Authority of India (AAI), the airport already had the logistic support machinery and the 4,000 feet runway was in good shape and did not require any re-laying or repairs.

The airport has been handling trainer aircraft from Orient Flight School and NCC and occasionally some chartered flights.

The Territorial Administration has agreed to provide the manpower required for airport security.

The aircraft security has however, been arranged by the airline operator.

Separate counters for Chennai, Bangalore and Tirupati have been put up by the operator. The airport is now ready after the completion of the work last month.

However, there are still some problems as the airport is manned only up to 1 pm. Since three flights are being operated, the schedules are tight.

“If the flights get delayed beyond 1 pm, the operator has to pay an additional amount to the AAI for extended services,” said Malhotra.

Moreover, there was no night landing facilities.

The other drawback is that Pondicherry does not have refuelling facilities and the operator was dependent on Chennai or Bangalore for refuelling. “We have requested oil companies like Indian Oil and others to open a unit here,” said Malhotra.

COURTESY - INDIAN EXPRESS - June 4TH

Developements in the proposed Cuddalore - Chennai rail project

For more than eight months there was no talk about the proposed Cuddalore and Chennai rail project until Union Minister of State of Railways R Velu broke the silence.Chennai- Mahabalipuram- Pondicherry- Cuddalore project is much anticipated by the people of Cuddalore and Pondicherry.

There was a proposal to connect Cuddalore-Pondicherry-Thindivanam and thus Chennai thereafter.This wont be a prefered route from Cuddalore to Chennai because of the travel time.Somehow the proposal got droped.

Later Pondicherry government put forward a proposal to connect Chennai (I suppose through Mahabalipuram) and Pondicherry thus leaving out Cuddalore.When Pondicherry government brought up the issue in 23rd Southern Zonal Council meeting, then Chief Minister Ms.J.Jayalalitha had promised to give the land along Buckingham canal.This proposal also seems to have failed the feasibility test.

Finally Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-Pondicherry conducted a survey by itself. CII survey results showed the essential return could be got only if the railway line started from Cuddalore. So understanding necessitivity, Cuddalore was also include in the project and the survey findings where submitted to Southern Railways. It seems Southern Railways submitted (by the end of October 2005) the proposal to Railway Board for further proceedings.

This being the scenario, Mr.Velu he himself came forward and said that "a survey had been commissioned with regard to a railway line to link Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry and Cuddalore."
while inspecting the ongoing works on MRTS in Perungudi.

Railway projects in Tamil Nadu were never given prefernce by successive governments. Since parties from Tamil Nadu has a stronger vioce this time, many railway projects are sanctioned here.A total of 80 new Railway Over Bridges are to be constructed in Tamil Nadu.The project must be sanctioned before the end of this term.If not it is less likely that the project will get the approval, especially because Tamil Nadu really got much in the present term.

As of now it appears that the MRTS will be extended along the Old Mahabalipuram Road upto Mahabalipuram, to provide the necessary support for the IT Corridor .So once Cuddalore-Pondicherry-Mahabalipuram line is laid it will make a complete the connection to Chennai.Old Mahabalipuram Road being the prefered destination IT firms this railway project once completed will get competitive advantage to both Pondicherry and Cuddalore.

It is interesting to note that work on Velachery-St.Thomas Mount is to start soon and is expected to be completed in four years.So making it easy for the tourists (from the Air Port) to reach places of touristic importance along the east coast.

Let us put aside our assertions and wait for the survey results of Department of Railways.

News reports from Sipcot Area Community Monitors

Fire at Indag; TNPCB not to be found

A fire at the premises of the now-abandoned Coromandel Indag factory in SIPCOT, Cuddalore, spread thick white smoke and panic among local residents. Lakshmi (35), wife of Rajiv, reportedly fainted, upon which the villagers alerted the SIPCOT Area Community Environmental Monitors. Lakshmi was admitted to Surendra Hospital. The breeze blowing from the Southeast to the Northwest carried the smoke from the fire as far away as the Cuddalore Old Town, about 3 km away.

SACEM estimates that the fire started at around 4.30 p.m. “It was very less at the time, and not many people knew. There was not much of a flame. There was a low blue flame, but a lot of smoke. There was an acid-like smell. We couldn’t go near the smoke,” said SIPCOT monitor S. Ramanathan, who reached the spot by 6 p.m. and alerted the Fire Services. The fire tenders that arrived by 8 p.m. eventually put the fire out by 9 p.m. SACEM has taken an air sample using the bucket.

According to Ramanathan, the Fire Service personnel were hesitant to use water because they did not know the nature of the chemical that was burning and did not want to aggravate the situation. TNPCB Assistant Engineer said he was on leave, and the District Environmental Engineer was not reachable. The factory is under lock-out, and the premises are under the control of the Court. A police complaint has been filed.

Besides Indag, hazardous wastes are stored in several other closed units including JK Pharma, Maruti Synthetics, Oswali Chemicals, Maruti Labs, Kumaran Carbonates, Pentafour and Tamilnadu Pigments. As early as in January, 2005, SACEM brought the matter of hazardous wastes stored in SIPCOT factories to the notice of the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee and the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board. But no action has been taken on the matter by either.

A copy of the report titled “Groundtruths” is available at:
http://www.sipcotcuddalore.com/downloads/SCMC_report_submission_Jan2005.pdf


Industries continue to poison Cuddalore
This news item contains a detailed tabulation of pollution patrol report.


Accident at Pioneer Miyagi; One worker seriously injured

Cuddalore, 28 May 2006: 35 year old J. Kaliamurthy of Periya Karaikadu sustained a severe head injury and fractured both hands after falling from a height on the third floor of an unapproved construction within Pioneer Miyagi Chemicals. The mishap took place at 7:45 am on 28 May, 2006. Mr. Kaliamurthy’s friend rushed him to Krishna Hospital with no assistance from the company. SIPCOT monitors who were at the spot within 30 minutes said none of the company officials accompanied the victim, and worked continued apace even after the accident. The victim was not given first aid in the company, and he was able to reach the hospital after a car obligingly stopped on the highway to take him. SACEM confirms that construction work resumed on 29 May. The DEE has been informed of this development as well.

SACEM informed the District Environment Engineer (DEE) of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and the Deputy Inspector of Factories immediately. The TNPCB official confirmed that Pioneer did not have a Consent to Establish for the construction in question. According to Mr. Karthikeyan, the DEE of TNPCB, the company was issued a letter directing it to not engage in any construction activity until clearance was given. The company chose to ignore the letter and continued to build. The Plant Supervisor Mr. M. Ramaiah also confirmed that the company did not have a Consent to Establish from the TNPCB.

DEE along with the SACEM members inspected the site of the accident, accompanied by Mr. Ramaiah. According to SACEM, the construction site was strewn with rods and pipes, and the conditions and work practices were inherently unsafe. The third floor of the unit was flooded with water, increasing the vulnerability of workers. The DEE has promised to take strict action against the unit for violating the Board's order. The Deputy Inspector of Factories has also promised to look into the matter.

However, going by previous experience, the DEE’s actions and recommendations will not be followed by the Board. If the Board’s track record is anything to go by, Pioneer Miyagi’s construction schedule will suffer a slight delay, but the company’s illegal construction will be legalized by the Board without levying even a token fine for having commenced construction without permission.

No new construction can be undertaken without permission from both the TNPCB and the Inspector of Factories. However, the TNPCB routinely condones illegal construction, especially for companies that are politically well connected. Recently, it accorded post-facto clearance to Tagros Chemicals – a notorious polluter and one of the more unsafe units in SIPCOT – after the company had illegally constructed an entire factory and operated the factory for several years. The company had been ordered shut for a month, after which the company resumed operations upon receipt of post-facto clearance.

Pioneer Miyagi manufactures gelatin from cow and camel bones for export, among other places, to Japan. Known as a notorious polluter, the company’s emissions smell of rotting carcasses. SACEM members have also identified Pioneer as a routine discharger or illegal effluents through streams and illegal channels to the River Uppanar.

Lanco buys Nagarjuna power project

Hyderabad-based Lanco buys Nagarjuna power project-DNA Money

The Nagarjuna Group has given up control of the Rs 4,300 crore power plant in Mangalore to the Hyderabad-based Lanco Group.
Lanco has picked up 74% equity in the 1,015 mw coal-fired thermal power project that has been hanging fire for a decade now.

...As to the reason for hiving off the majority stake in the project, which is at an advanced stage of implementation, Sinha said the group, which is also implementing an ambitious 6 million tonnes per annum refinery project at Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu, did not have the requisite funds to put into the power project.

“Therefore it felt it had to offload equity,” he added.

The Cuddalore refinery, which, too, has been under implementation for almost a decade now, is slated to cost Rs 4,500 crore. full story>>

Lanco takes control of Nagarjuna Power- The Telegraph

The Lanco group has picked up a controlling stake in Nagarjuna Power Company Ltd, which is setting up a power plant near Mangalore.

The Nagarjuna group, which is the promoter of the power company, has been forced to sell the majority stake for lack of funds. The group had suffered a setback after the collapse of Nagarjuna Finance Ltd.

....He said the group was implementing a 6-million-tpa refinery project at Cuddalore and, therefore, felt it necessary to offload its stake in the power project. The Cuddalore refinery will cost Rs 4,500 crore. full story>>

News item from THE DAILY YOMIURI

News item from THE DAILY YOMIURI

Nissan Motor Co., World Vision Japan and World Vision India have announced the completion of six child care centers in India for children affected by the 2004 tsunami. The project, implemented by World Vision, was funded with a 10 million yen contribution from Nissan. Two of the centers are located in the Cuddalore district and the other four are located in the Nagapatinam district. Two of the centers in Nagapatinam will be run by schools in the region. The remaining centers in Nagapatinam, as well as the centers in Cuddalore, were handed over to the Integrated Child Development Services, an Indian government organization.

Original location of the article: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/20060530TDY11001.htm

Also see Nissan, World Vision set up child care centres

IT park in Cuddalore - a retrospective

When Mr.Dayanidhi Maran arrived Cuddalore for inagurating a new post office, he announced that he will bring up an IT park in Cuddalore provided 25 acres of land was allocated for the purpose. He also set a short time frame within which he wanted the land to be allocated.

It was all on the pre-election scenario, when his opposition party was on the power in the state. His department might accuse incumbents (then) for preventing land procurement and thus preventing the park being established at Cuddalore.

After the assembly election, power shifted hands, Mr.Maran's party has come to power. Now, if he is really commited, nothing would stop him from bringing up the park.

Mr.Maran announced the same for Pondicherry and now the government in Union Territory is ready with 25 acres of land. When I wrote IT park in Cuddalore, there were comments that Cuddalore need not have a IT park, because it is near Chennai. Now if a IT park comes up in Pondicherry it will be reason for eliminating one such in Cuddalore forever.

Considering the present trend, one cannot argue that a new IT park in Cuddalore will not attract IT industries, provided proper infrastructure is established. IT park isnt just a symbol of pride, generating just a few jobs.It will make higher income group people to reside here, which mean an increase in the spending capacity of the people. People with higher spending capacity would lead to increased business activities, a rise in land value, thus paving a way for overall developement of economic condition of the region.So it is the work of the representatives from here to put a strong voice to bring up the park here.

Mr.Maran's office has provisions to get messages directly from general public. I have provided a link for the page below. Make use of it in a constructive and in a ethical way.

Contact The Office Of The Minister

SP transfered, Collector spared

Two weeks back I have written Gagandeep Singh Bedi likely to be transfered. Fortunately District Collector Mr. Gagandeep Singh Bedi was not transfered.But Superintendent of Police Mr.Paneerselvam was transfered. Immediately on knowing about his transfer what stuck me was the promise he had made while inagurating the automated traffic signal at Lawrence Road-Imperial junction.

Then, he promised for two more such signals. He did not keep up his promise, though I am not aware if he took any sincere effort to do the same.

Photo Courtesy of Narendar Kumar

Mild downpour in Cuddalore

Most parts of Cuddalore experienced mild downpour on Friday evening.

Above are the photographs of Lawrence Road after the rain.














PHOTO COURTESY: Elangovan

Cuddalore in the news

Leading the way

Shasun means leadership in Hindi. True to its name, the company, Shasun Chemicals and Drugs Limited aims to be the leader in the CRAMS segment.

......As a leading supplier of CGMP pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediaries, the company has got production facilities in Pondicherry and Cuddalore..... full story>>

Nissan, World Vision set up child care centres

Automotive major Nissan Motor Co Ltd, World Vision India and World Vision Japan on Friday announced the completion of their joint mission of setting up six centers in India for children affected by the 2004, Tsunami.

The project, which was implemented by World Vision was funded by Nissan which donated Rs 48.4 lakh for it.

At a function here, L R Joshi, Group Executive for World Vision India's field operation said that two of the six Child Care centers were located in Cuddalore district. "Two centers in Nagapattinam have been handed over to the public schools. The remaining centres in Nagapattinam and Cuddalore were handed over to the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), an Indian governmental organisation," he said full story>>

Telemedicine for mental illness

.....A project of the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) and funded by Deutsche Bank, the telemedicine facility was started in the tsunami-hit areas to cater for people whose lives went awry after the killer waves hit the coast. Large numbers of people were affected, and telemedicine seemed the best way of "meeting" patients and following up without involving huge infrastructure costs.

While the project was conceived immediately after the tsunami, the first centre was opened in Dharmakulam, Karaikal, in June 2005, says Sujit John, co-ordinator of the programme. A unit is being set up at Thiruporur, and two more are coming up at Cuddalore and Nagapattinam.... full story>>

Gagandeep Singh Bedi likely to be transfered

New government assumed power, already there were shuffle in top-level bureaucracies, next step would be to shuffle District Collectors and Police Service officers. We are likely to lose District Collector Mr.Gagandeep Singh Bedi, who was with us during the period of great distresses. He as a sole man took great pains in transforming Cuddalore. But three years is a smaller period to transform a town which has faced centuries of discrimination. Cuddalore is mentioned as 'Black Town' even in the history. An unfortunate town. It has every potential to grow into a metropolitan, but due to discrimination and "unsympathetic government policies" it lacks the development it deserves.Gagandeep Singh Bedi was the man who came to rescue. Unfortunately he is likely to be transfered.

Its worthwhile to recall Prime Miniter Dr.Manmohan Singh called District Collectors as "critical agents" for ensuring a new deal to rural India, on the District Collectors meet held on May 19 & 20, 2005. In the meet Prime Minister strongly insisted that District Collectors should not be transfered often, as it prevents them from effectively carrying out the developmental activities.He reiterated the same atleast on three other occassions.

Let us see whether the new government in the state which is in coalition with Manmohan Singh's Congress party abides to this.

TAKE ACTION

Industries caught emitting toxic gases in the night - SACEM

Industries caught emitting toxic gases in the night

SACEM monitors report that most of the factories on the SIPCOT industrial estate including TANFAC, Tagros, Tantech and SPIC were engulfed in a heavy cloud of smoke around the midnight of May 4. The monitors who were on their way back from a wedding described the smell as intense and about 7 on a scale of 10. The odours were typical to each company but unusually intense.

The monitors who were traveling by autorikshaw experienced giddiness and headache and stated that the visibility in the industrial complex and on the highway was extremely poor.

Uppanar Pollution: Fishermen suffer, repeated complaints of pollution ignored by TNPCB -SACEM

Uppanar Pollution: Fishermen suffer, repeated complaints of pollution ignored by TNPCB

Pugazendhi, a fisherman and a SACEM member, reports that the stream near Arekema Peroxide which has been a source of problem for the local fishermen for a long time especially the resident fisherfolks of Sangolikuppam. Several complaints have been lodged but the situation remains unchanged. Fisherfolks of Sangolikuppam fish very close to the this stream and are often in neck deep water to retrieve the nets. These are the fishermen without Catamarams (boats) and hence come in contact with the contaminated water. They have serious skin ailments while the ones that use the Catamarams (boats) are fine.

Corrections to History:Cuddalore under British Regime

The following corrections are made to the article History:Cuddalore under British Regime

Fort St.David was built in 1653 A.D. by Elihu Yale (instead of Eligu El).The fort was renovated and restrengthened on 1693,1698,1702,1725,1740 and on 1745 (instead of 1975:excuse me - a blunder).

Until 1758 Cuddalore was the capital to South Indian territories which was under British control then (instead of capital of Tamil Nadu.NOTE:Tamil Nadu as a state was yet to be formed ).

Nawab Umdat-ul-Umara built Gadilam Castle in.....(instead of Uthulla).

Oberoi's orphanage

Vivek Oberoi's orphanage construction in Cuddalore makes a slow but steady progress.

Sanitary condition of fishing hamlets

Tens of hundreds of crores flowed in through governments and NGOs around the world, after tsunami,but nothing notable has been done to improve the sanitary condition of the fishing villages. Fisheries still stick on to age old way of doing things, irrespective of their economic background. They may be preoccupied, still isn't it the responsibility of the government to build toilets for the commuinity and educate them to use it properly.

More photographs of Cuddalore added

More photographs of Cuddalore are added to the 'Photos' section of the CuddaloreOnline group.They are added under the 'Cuddalore Streets & Buildings' album.These photographs are of resolution greater than 1024x768.Some of them can make good desktop wallpapers.

--
Jean Claude Brisseau.

Fleecing the public to increase the revenue - A frustrating experience on my journey by TNSTC bus.

I was waiting to catch the bus for Pondy at Koyambedu Bus terminus on Saturday-29/4/06. Due to holidays ahead there was a huge crowd waiting to catch the bus. Finally at 5.15 p.m. one bus with route board reading “PP Cuddalore” reached the bay. Many people rushed inside to catch their seats. Then came a surprise announcement from the conductor. The bus is “Express service to Cuddalore” and normal fares does not apply and only passengers bound to Pondy and Cuddalore would be allowed to travel. We were surprised to see a sticker pasted by the conductor to the front glass of the bus which reads “EXP”. The PP service was changed to EXP instantaneously.

All the buses which were bound to Chidambaram and Cuddalore parked adjacent to our bus were found to be given a similar treatment.

The fare increase works out to additional 6Rupees for Pondy and 8 Rupees for Cuddalore. When the conductor was asked about this, his prompt reply was that this is as per the instruction from his superior.

The registration of the bus is TN 32 Y 2246 bound to Cuddalore. The bus left Koyambedu bus stand at 5.45 p.m. Although it was claimed to be an Express Service no much difference could be felt on the service offered, which stopped at all places i.e at Tambaram, Melmaruvathur,Tindivanam and reached the nearby of Pondy at about 9.45 p.m. . As many as 15 passengers were bound to Tindivanam. Although the bus was packed to the full with passengers standing at the footboard too, the crew were still trying to add some more passengers by stopping at Melmaruvathur which caused further frustrations to the already irritated passengers.

Just by simply pasting a sticker “EXP” the TNSTC is making an additional revenue of more than Rs600 to the exchequer without any additional benefit to the passenger.

Is this an ethical way??.

Will the concerned authorities please give a look and save the public.

SIFFS` rehab of tsunami-hit fishermen earns laurels - Business Standard

Almost a year-and-a-half after the deadly tsunami struck, the fishermen in the disaster zones are fast regaining confidence, thanks to the dedicated efforts initiated by SIFFS. The major gainers are the fishermen in worst-affected Nagapattinam, Cuddalore and Villupuram in Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Pondicherry full story>>

CitiFinancial to invest in Cuddalore

CitiFinancial targets the large un-banked segment comprising small businessmen, small traders, maids and drivers in metros and also large population masses in small towns like Cuddalore and Tuticorin full story>>

Signs of sunrise-Frontline

An excerpt from Frontline

Fresh incentives and a series of policy initiatives from the Ministry of Textiles have brightened the growth prospects of the textile industry.

.......The scheme, which welcomes public-private partnership, targets industrial clusters and locations with high growth potential. It envisages engaging a professional agency for project execution. So far, nine projects have been sanctioned under the scheme - at Cuddalore, Perundurai and Palladam in Tamil Nadu, the Surat and Mundra Special Economic Zones in Gujarat, Kohlapur, Ichalkaranji and Thane in Maharashtra and Kishangarh in Rajasthan fullstory>>

Cuddalore Wallpapers

Dear Viewers,
Browse through the Photos section of the CuddaloreOnline group for desktop wallpapers(800x600) taken in Silver Beach,Cuddalore.

Hope you will love these wallpapers. Also share it with your friends.

--
Jean Claude Brisseau.

No More Bhopals. Justice Now

Last month Bhopal gas victims marched from Bhopal to Delhi on foot.They reached New Delhi by the end of the March and started indefinite hunger strike till their demands are being met.

Victims of the disaster filed suit against Union Carbide and its former CEO, Warren Anderson, in federal court in New York. The leak has killed over 5,000 people immediately, and death toll rose to around 20000 due to various related illness.

After a long legal battle the court has ordered for a compensation of Rs.1500 crores.This is a measly small compensation for an accident in which 5,73,816 people were affected.Many lost their entire livelihood and homes due to ill health.Money from the compensation would be the only source to support these families. bhopal.net reckons this amount will get just Rs.3.40 for a person/day, which will not even be sufficient for a meal.

The site around the former Union Carbide factory in Bhopal remains severely contaminated, even after two decades.More than 20,000 people are being forced to drink water contaminated by chemicals leaking from the abandoned Union Carbide factory. The levels of mercury found in a sample taken inside the factory were between 20,000 and six million times higher than the background levels to be expected in uncontaminated soils according to Greenpeace.It also reports the presence of organochlorines, a class of chemicals which includes DDT(which travels up the food chain causing genetic damage in some organisms) and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls).The ground water of the contaminated site also contains trichlorobenzene, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride, a carcinogen.

According to law, polluter must clean-up the contaminated site, but the Dow Chemicals fails to adhere to this.What is shameful is that, Indian government instead of holding Dow Chemicals accountable and pressurizing the company to clean the contaminated site, its is facilitating the Dow Chemicals to invest more in India. Prime Minister, who had no time to meet padayatris who came all the way from Bhopal on foot, had time to meet Andrew N Liveris the present CEO of Dow Chemicals twice earlier.

After lots of protest, and days and days of hunger strike, PM finally agreed to meet the representatives of the victims.Out of six demands four were met.

Among the demands agreed are
*a time-bound plan for the delivery of safe drinking water to communities affected by contamination of water,
*scientific assessment of the depth and spread of toxic contamination in and around the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, and
*funds to address all health issues related to contamination.

Visit http://bhopal.net/march which has well documented the entire course of events.The page also has truck loads of photographs.

The power of the blogger

Bloggers and Internet pundits are exerting a "disproportionately large influence" on society, according to a report by a technology research company. Its study suggests that although "active" web users make up only a small proportion of Europe's online population, they are increasingly dominating public conversations and creating business trends.

More than half of the Internet users on the continent are passive and do not contribute to the web at all, while a further 23 per cent only respond when prompted. But the remainder who do engage with the net — through messageboards, websites and blogs — are helping change national conversations.

"We're seeing this growing," said Julian Smith, an online advertising analyst with Jupiter Research and author of the report. "The strongest part of their influence is on the media: if something online suddenly becomes a story in the local press, then it matters."

Although unprompted contributors are generally younger and more vocal than the wider online population, they are increasingly important as opinion formers and trend-setters. Mr. Smith says businesses, media organisations and advertisers reading blogs should be wary of making assumptions about their wider significance, but that their muscle cannot be ignored.

"They're not representative of the larger audience, but what they're saying does matter," he said. "It's a good straw poll — a snapshot of the verbal conversations going on that we can't measure."

"That's exactly right," said Glenn Reynolds, author of An Army of Davids, which explores the explosion in web punditry. "Bloggers and blog-readers are `influentials' — the minority that pays attention to events outside of political and news cycles. They also tend on average to be better off, better educated and, more importantly, employed."

There are now more than 35 million blogs around the world full story>>

A large number of people from all around the district come to General Hospital, Cuddalore for treatment. Many of these people rely on public transport system to reach and leave from here. But the bus stop near the hospital is too small to accommodate the number of people the hospital handles.Many of those waiting for a bus have stand in hot sun.This makes the people to find an alternate location by themself.

Many have choosen to wait in front of the Gate 2 of the hospital instead of making their way to the bus stop.They use parapet of the nearby roadside park to seat themselves.Result, they break the parapet so often.I have written Park outside Cuddalore General Hospital earlier.After a few days the parapet was repaired and reconstructed (probably by municipality),but now again the wall is broken.

Recently when CM arrived Cuddalore as a part of election campaign municipality was proud to display boards written 'Cuddalore Municipality' on the road side parks.Even the parapet of this park was repainted without rebuilding the broken parts of the wall.The municipality wanted to send a signal to the visitor as if they are being maintained properly.But the truth is that the plants here were not watered for atleast past one year.

After the tsunami - reconstruction work completed in Pudhupettai

Fifteen months after the tsunami, reconstruction of the South Indian village of Pudhupettai in the district of Cuddalore has been completed. At a festive ceremony, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe (German Agro Action) and its Indian partner organisation Life Help Centre (LHC) officially handed over the village to its inhabitants on 17th March. 45 new houses, a school and a community building have been erected.

A net-mending hall and a fish-drying facility have also been created. 58 fishing families were provided with new or repaired boats and appropriate equipment. After the terrible events of the flood disaster, a degree of normality has been restored to the lives of local inhabitants.

Today, there is little evidence of the extent of devastation caused by the flood in December 2004. Fishermen resumed their work several months ago and are now able to support themselves and their families again. From 17 neighbouring villages, children meet for lessons in the newly erected school. Actively involved in the reconstruction work were the city of Bonn and the daily newspaper Bonner General-Anzeiger, which entered into a partnership with Deutsche Welthungerhilfe under the motto "Bonn helps Cuddalore".

Over 500,000 euro were raised for flood victims in numerous campaigns organised by local citizens and companies "'Bonn helps Cuddalore'" is not just a slogan that appears on banners. It is a genuine declaration of solidarity which has found its way into the hearts of the people here in Pudhupettai," claims Axel Weiser, who supervised the reconstruction project for Welthungerhilfe in Cuddalore.

At the handing-over ceremony, the inhabitants of Pudhupettai celebrated with music and a firework display. Hundreds of people came to express their joy. "It is a miracle that so much has been reconstructed in such a short time," said Gagandeep Singh Bedi, senior government official in the district of Cuddalore.

Yet another post on Cuddalore

Recently I have come across this post about Cuddalore and I like to share it with you Cuddalore Periya Kuppam

A Great Story Of Caring

Here is a A Great Story Of Caring ,which really moved me.

Is SIPCOT Safe?

Here is an excerpt from NEWS TODAY'S news item 'Report paints a a gloomy picture'.

A report titled 'Is SIPCOT Safe?', a scorecard on the environment that documents at least 45 incidents of environmental pollution and/or workplace incidents involving environmental damage, and/or injury or death of workers and residents in the last 17 months, from October 2004 to February 2006 was released in Cuddalore yesterday.

And the report debunks the government's claim that conditions in SIPCOT Cuddalore have improved. The report has been compiled by SIPCOT Area Community Environmental Monitors (SACEM).

Shweta Narayan of SACEM said there were at least 17 incidents of illegal effluent discharge, eight instances of gas leaks, 10 instances of industrial accidents that killed two and injured nine, and seven instances of illegal dumping of hazardous waste in the area full story>>

Coca Cola and groundwater

Water Wars and Bottle Battles
By Nityanand Jayaraman

Recently in the news
Science Forum protest against Coca Cola

CuddaloreOnline-The discussion group

Dear Viewers, I have started a Yahoo group by name CuddaloreOnline (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cuddaloreonline)

The paramount purpose of this group is to encourage open discussion on topics posted in CuddaloreOnline blog. Though blogspot itself has provision for viewer comments and there by providing chances for an open debate, the problem of tracking back is acute. This group is a supplement but not substitute for blogspot's commenting system.

The activities of the group include / intended for,

*commenting about the articles posted in the CuddaloreOnline blog and expressing alternate views and ideas in the context of the article,

*pointing out misinformation (if any) in the article posted (though utmost care is taken to avoid mistakes, there are huge chances of mistakes in 'Citizen Journalism'. So pointing out mistakes out will greatly help to provide more accurate information),

*suggesting to post article on some specific topic,

*suggesting new weblinks to the blog,

*reporting the negligence of civic authorities (especially municipal authorities), negligence of various departments(especially Revenue Dept. and PWD),PCB and that of policy makers,

*bringing into light of problems faced by people in your immediate surrounding (as you have seen articles posted earlier were repeatedly focused on few important areas in Cuddalore, altogether neglecting the interior parts of Cuddalore. Your effort to report the problem faced by people of your immediate surrounding will help me to bring up articles on a variety of issues covering different parts of Cuddalore),

*contributing your idea to bring up a project that would lead to development and continuous betterment of Cuddalore region,

*sharing the news items you have read about Cuddalore,

*sharing information about important public events/engagement in Cuddalore (you can also share some important events like exhibitions, book fairs,seminars,workshops in Pondicherry region too), and

*sharing photographs (of Cuddalore) with other members of the group.

Group members can also make their contributions to the blog (contribution can be anything like article, photographs, etc., )

This group will also serve as a good source of information for the journalists.

Regards,
Jean Claude Brisseau.

New bridge to connect Devanampattinam

Two bridges over Uppanar connecting Devanam- pattinam with Cuddalore main land are in dilapidated state for decades. Presumably, these bridges were been built during the British rule in India.They are too narrow to cope with present needs. Things remained unchanged for more than half a century.





Among the two bridges the one on the north was badly damaged and so people did not use it for more than five years.

The bridge on the south which is en route to Silver Beach, Periyar College of Arts and Science (and other historical monuments like Fort St.David, White House, Marine House,Parry House, Director's Bungalow, New Life Centre) is also ageing week.But the government was unwilling to spend it.

Thanks to tsunami and to the thoughtful district adminis- trator.A portion tsunami relief fund is being utilised to construct a new bridge near the existing one.

Constituency funds of MPs from West Bengal is being utilised for the project .The entire project is estimated at a cost just less than one crore rupees.

Water is being drained to allow construction process and to keep the water off from entering the work zone a large heap of red soil is dumped across the backwater on either side of the worksite.

Above are some of the photographs of bridge and the makeshift barrier,taken when the work started.

Roller skating

Roller skating is getting increasingly popular among kids in India both as a recreational sport and as a serious sport.Many from metros like Chennai participated in international competitions and have won prizes.

This sport is no more alien for the rural population.It is intresting to come to know that a division level roller skating competition was held in Kovilpatti (must be somewhere in interior TamilNadu).This shows a brighter future for the sport in this country.

Like most other sport skating needs years of dedicated practice.What really prevents from getting into this sport is the non-availability of smooth rolling floor.There are only handful of rinks in entire the state I suppose.Chennai Corporation has rink at several places like Marina Beach,Veshweshwaraya Park-Anna Nagar.But such facility is not available in others places.

To encourage the sport in Cuddalore region,a rink must be built in Anna Stadium and another in Silver Beach.Also coaches must be appointed to train the children.So that kids from Cuddalore region does not lag behind in this sport.

EID Parry to expand sugar biz

EID Parry to expand sugar biz

Padayatra taken for Bhopal survivors

Padayatra taken for Bhopal survivors

Human rights, environmental and youth groups in the city Thursday took out a rally in support of the survivors of the December 1984 Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal. The groups are on an 800-km padayatra to New Delhi demanding justice and a life of dignity.

Representatives from pollution-hit communities in Mettur, Cuddalore and Gummidipoondi also participated in the Chennai rally from Monroe Statue to Chepauk Guest House.

A delegation of supporters from Tamilnadu will join them in the last stage of the padayatra.

More than 130 survivors of the Bhopal gas disaster began a march on foot to New Delhi on 20 February, 2006.

The walk was undertaken to demand clean water, clean environment, medical assistance and compensation.

On 10 March, members of Chennai-based youth collective 'We Feel Responsible' met the Tamilnadu Governor and handed over a petition addressed to the Prime Minister with signatures collected in support of the demands of the Bhopalis, Nityanand Jayaraman of Corporate Accountability Desk said.

Representatives from Human Rights - Tamilnadu Initiative, Penn Thozhilalar Sangam, Corporate Accountability Desk, Tamilnadu Dalit Women's Movement, Alliance for People's Movement, Tamilnadu Women's Forum, We Feel Responsible - A Youth Initiative and other organisation took part.

New refinery projects to raise capacity to 210 mt -Business Standard

New refinery projects to raise capacity to 210 mt

With a slew of greenfield refinery projects expected to be set up in the country, the crude oil refining capacity will surge to 210 million tonne (mt) per year by 2010. At present, the country’s refining capacity is 127.37 mt from 18 refineries.

Over six greenfield refinery projects are at different stages of development, while two capacity expansion projects are under way. Reliance Industries (RIL) will be a major contributor through its arm Reliance Petroleum, with a refining capacity of 60 mt in four years, industry experts said.

“Apart from RIL, Nagarjuna Oil Corporation, Essar Oil, Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) are in the fray to build-up refineries. Both IOC and RIL have started expansion in their existing refineries as well,” Deepak Mahurkar, principal consultant - oil and gas, PricewaterhouseCoopers, said.

RIL has the third largest single location refinery in the world at Jamnagar with a capacity of 33 million tonne per annum (mtpa) and accounts for 26 per cent of the country’s refining capacity.

With the new project it plans to increase capacity to 60 mtpa. Reliance Petroleum has announced its pubic issue to fund a new project in Jamnagar. The total project cost will be $6 billion.

Nagarjuna is a new entrant into the petroleum sector with their refinery at Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu. It will have a capacity of 6 mtpa and the commercial production is expected to start in 2008.

The investment for the project is Rs 4,000 crore. The refinery will have the flexibility to process different types of crude oil and produce multiple grade products. full story>>

BBC organises tsunami cricket match in India-TelevisionPoint

BBC organises tsunami cricket match in India

Is there a better way to help the tsunami survivors overcome their trauma than by organising a cricket match between a host of celebrities from England and the youth of fishing hamlets for whom cricket is not just a game but religion and cricketers are not players but demigods?

Understanding this rather well, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) hosted a cricket match at Samiyarpettai fishing village, about 20 km from Chennai, on Sunday for the UK-based Charity Comic Relief, between fisher folk drawn from half-a-dozen tsunami-hit coastal hamlets in Cuddalore district and British players comprising celebrities from various fields. Leading the celebrities as their coach is none other than the West Indian legend Alvin Kallicharan.

Even Kalli could not do much against the spirited local boys, who spend most of their spare time when not at sea playing barefooted cricket with tennis balls on the beach. The 'New Indian Tsunami Team' hammered the 'English attack' for 176 runs in just 20 overs losing only five wickets and thereafter bundled out the visitors for 119 in 12 overs.

Who really cared for the result when all that really mattered was the spirit of camaraderie across continents? Reflecting just that mood, the little hamlet of Samiyarpettai was decked up like a high-profile cricket Test center with banners inviting the locals to the great event.

The British team included one of the fine wicketkeepers of our times, Jack Russel and retired left arm spinner and reality television character Phil Tufnell, member of the current England women's cricket team Rosalie Birch, county cricketer Mark Chapman, broadcaster Chris Evans, BBC's anchor Jake Humphrey and popular comedian Patrick Kielty. Also there were Harry Judd, drummer for Mcfly and musician Jay Sean. The contest, watched by over 500 villagers, was done in collaboration with an Indian NGO, 'New Hope'.

"One of the objectives of the contest is to entertain the local crowd and support relief work on the less emotive side," said New Hope director Eliazar T Rose. The English visitors had arrived a couple of days ago and moved around interacting with the enthusiastic local youth in Cuddalore, a town that had witnessed over 600 deaths in the tsunami.

"We never expected that such a big event would be hosted in a small place like ours. Enthusiastic people came from several coastal villages to witness the match," said local youth Prakash. The UK team gifted the winners with a cricket kit before driving to Chennai, where it would play against the tsunami kids at Royapuram on Tuesday and move on to Mumbai to play another match against a celebrity Indian/Bollywood cricket team just before the tmillions of pounds, 66 million pounds last year, to be spent on a wide range of charity projects across the world. Every other year, Comic Relief runs a campaign titled 'Sport Relief' focusing on using sport for raising money for international children's charities.

TNPCB Orders Tagros Chemical Shut; Cuts Electricity Connection -SACEM

TNPCB Orders Tagros Chemical Shut; Cuts Electricity Connection

Cuddalore, 6 March, 2006 – The Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board at 4.30 p.m. issued closure orders and disconnected the electricity to Tagros Chemicals, a manufacturer of synthetic pyrethroids, a class of highly toxic pesticides. The company, which is located in Pachaiyankuppam village, had expanded capacity illegally, and was manufacturing and exporting products that it was not authorised to produce. On November 27, 2005, the company was found dumping toxic effluents on a farmer’s land in Poondiyankuppam, a nearby village within the Semmankuppam Panchayat.

The president of the Panchayat had in December 2005 invoked a seldom used clause under the Environmental Protection Act, 1986, and written to the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board and the Ministry of Environment & Forests -- “Since the Ministry of Environment & Forests and the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board seem incapable or unwilling to take any action to implement the law, I intend to prosecute Tagros Chemicals and its contractor Mr. Senthil Velan under Section 15 of the Environmental Protection Act, 1986, and under Sections 6 and 16 of the Hazardous Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 1989. I request the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board to provide us with all the reports relating to Tagros in its possession to us. Please let us know who the occupier of the facility is, as he/she is liable under Section 16 of the Hazardous Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 1989.”

Indian law allows citizens to write to the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board requesting it to prosecute the offender within 60 days, failing which the citizen can step in the shoes of the regulator and conduct the prosecution.

Tagros Chemicals claims to be “India’s leading manufacturer exporters of various Synthetic Pyrethroids like Cypermethrin, Permethrin, Alpha cypermethrin, Deltamethrin and various other products like Imidachloprid, Hexaconazole, Propiconazole.” This was brought to the notice of the TNPCB in August 2004, less than a month before the company was to have a statutory public hearing to seek permission for expanding capacity and introducing new products.

According to SACEM, as early as in 2004, reports from workers and residents of SIPCOT indicated that not only had Tagros completed construction for the expanded capacity, but also engaged in production, including of new products. The matter was brought to the notice of the TNPCB and the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee on Hazardous Wastes in September 2004, and subsequently at the public hearing on September 7, 2004. No action was taken by the TNPCB, and the company continued to manufacture and export the unauthorised products in the illegally expanded factory. In February 2005, the SCMC recommended its closure to TNPCB. The company continued to operate illegally until it was shut-down today, a year later.

In the 17 month period that it operated illegally, and despite the knowledge of the Inspector of Factories, the District Collector of Cuddalore, and the TNPCB, 6 people were injured and one killed in four serious accidents in Tagros, according to SACEM records. During the same period, the company illegally dumped toxic wastes on open land on two separate occasions.

“Gas Trouble” – a September 2004 SACEM study on SIPCOT’s air quality – reports finding 14 chemicals in one air sample taken downwind of Tagros. Cancer-causing chemicals like Carbon Tetrachloride and ethylene dichloride were found at levels 11,538 and 22,973 times higher than levels considered safe by US EPA’s Region 6 screening levels.

Interestingly, the Union Ministry of Environment & Forests seems unconcerned about the illegal expansion, or the SCMC’s recommendations for closure. A senior bureaucrat from MoEF also serves as member secretary of the SCMC. Ignoring SCMC’s recommendations, Tagros had directly submitted its application for environmental clearance to the Union Ministry, by-passing the TNPCB. Rather than take action, the MoEF is actively considering the file. Conditionally cleared by the technical committee, the MoEF currently has the “file under process.”

Tagros is not the only offender in SIPCOT, Cuddalore. The SCMC had also recommended closure orders for TANFAC, and similar complaints of toxic waste dumping and effluent spills are pending for months against Pondicherry Alum, SPIC, Loyal Super Fabrics and CUSECS.

The TNPCB remains highly inconsistent and arbitrary in the manner in which it applies the law. Tuticorin-based Sterlite Industries is operating an entire illegally constructed factory complex consisting of a 300,000 tonnes/year copper smelter, a 1,25,000 tonnes/year refiner, a power plant, an oxygen plant, and a Continuous Cast Rod unit.

But Sterlite is too well-connected to suffer Tagros’ fate. Despite repeated emphasis by the SCMC that Sterlite has both illegally expanded and endangered the environment, the TNPCB and MoEF have regularised the violation.

Sterlite’s Tuticorin smelter complex has a disturbing track record of safety. Between 1996 and 2004, at least 139 people have reportedly been injured and 13 have lost their lives in 15 incidents.

Related stories

1. Tagros Chemicals caught red handed dumping hazardous waste in SIPCOT area
http://www.sipcotcuddalore.com/updates_061205.html

2. Two more industrial accidents reported from Tagros Chemicals in SIPCOThttp://www.sipcotcuddalore.com/updates_311005.html

Our Opportunity With India

Our Opportunity With India

By Condoleezza Rice
Monday, March 13, 2006;

The week before last President Bush concluded a historic agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation with India, a rising democratic power in a dynamic Asia. This agreement is a strategic achievement: It will strengthen international security. It will enhance energy security and environmental protection. It will foster economic and technological development. And it will help transform the partnership between the world's oldest and the world's largest democracy.

First, our agreement with India will make our future more secure, by expanding the reach of the international nonproliferation regime. The International Atomic Energy Agency would gain access to India's civilian nuclear program that it currently does not have. Recognizing this, the IAEA's director general, Mohamed ElBaradei, has joined leaders in France and the United Kingdom to welcome our agreement. He called it "a milestone, timely for ongoing efforts to consolidate the non-proliferation regime, combat nuclear terrorism and strengthen nuclear safety." full story>>

Chemical company ordered to be closed

Chemical company ordered to be closedTuesday March 7 2006 00:00 IST
CUDDALORE: The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has ordered closure of a chemical firm on charges of violating the norms of the TNPCB in the SIPCOT complex here on Monday. The power supply to the firm has also been snapped this evening.

According to sources, the TNPCB had granted permission to Tagros Chemicals India Ltd for the production of pesticide, which included alpha methrin, cyper methrin and per methrin. The firm had obtained licence for a generation capacity of 30 tonnes of the pesticide permonth (1,000 kg per day).

Violating the provisions, the plant had been producing two new products clandestinely. The unit had been developing pesticides - hexaconazole and delta methrin- without the knowledge of TNPCB at the plant. The plant was also generating pesticide more than the prescribed capacity of 1,000 kg of pesticide per day for the past few weeks.

Besides, a contractor of the unit had transported spent hydrochloric acid from the firm and dumped it on an arable land in Poondiyankuppam recently. As a result of this the fertility of the land had been severely affected .

Following intervention of local people and others the plant had extended a relief of Rs 2 lakh to the farmer.

However, the sources said, the unit was held responsible for discarding the acid on the fertile land.

The district unit of TNPCB had conducted an investigation and submitted a detailed report to the TNPCB chairman.

On Monday, the chairman gave necessary directions to the concerned officials to shut the firm immediately.

A team comprising District Environmental Engineer, TNPCB, Ka Karthikeyan, Assistant Engineer, M Malaiyandi, Assistant Executive Engineer, TNEB, Kumarasamy and Assistant Executive Engineer Adhi Moolam visited the firm and served the order.

Source: http://www.newindpress.com/

All out for charity- BBC Sport 1

All out for charity||

With England are taking on India in the Test series, a celebrity team has set off for the sub-continent to take on the stars of Bollywood.

The Sport Releief Red Socks including former England spin bowler Phil Tufnell, McFly's Harry Judd and radio Dj Chris Evans.

They will also be witnessing at first hand how money raised through Sport Relief is being spent in India.

The trip is being filmed by the BBC and will be shown at the end of May.

Other cricket-mad celebrities in the Red Socks team include hip hop artist Jay Sean and television presenters Dermot O'Leary and Patrick Kielty.

And former England wicket-keeper Jack Russell and Rosalie Birch of the England women's team are also on the week-long trip, which will see them visit Chennai (Madras), Mumbai (Bombay) and Cuddalore.

You can follow their progress by logging on to www.alloutforindia.net

Sport Relief raised £16.5m 2004. This year's event will take place on 15 July.

Celebrity cricket team sets off for India

Celebrity cricket team sets off for India

A celebrity cricket team - comprising such luminaries as Phil Tufnell, Jack Russell and Harry Judd, the drummer from the pop group, McFly - has set off for India to take on the stars of Bollywood and raise money for Sport Relief.

The Red Socks team will be captained by Tufnell and managed by the former West Indian cricketer, Alvin Kallicharran. In addition to their match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, they will be visiting Chennai and Cuddalore. The trip is being filmed by the BBC, and will be shown on British television at the end of May.

In 2004, Sport Relief raised £16.5m, and the team members will be able to witness at first hand how the money is being spent. This year's event will take place on July 15.

For further details on the trip, visit alloutforindia.net

© Cricinfo

Link suggested by Mr.Krishnakumar B.

She will run on memory rails henceforth -Newindpress

She will run on memory rails henceforth
‘Good bye faithful. Henceforth you will run on our memory rails.’

This was how a large number of commuters and railway employees who thronged the Salem Town Railway Station seemed to bid adieu to the Salem-Virudhachalam meter gauge train as they watched intently the bogies and its diesel engine being wheeled away on a special carrier.

One of the oldest train service in the country, it eventually came to an end four months ago due to gauge conversion between Salem-Cuddalore. Neither the stationmaster nor the Public Relations Officer of the Tiruchy Division (This sector comes under Tiruchy division) were able to tell when the service was introduced in the sector.

V M Ramasamy (75), president of the Salem Theater Owner’s Association and former councillor estimates that the service was introduced in 1921 between Salem and Attur and further extended to Virudhachalam and Cuddalore later.

But the Town Railway Station is much older, started on January 1, 1917. When Rajagopalachari was the Chairman of the Salem Municipality and E W Leigh was the Collector, train service was extended from Salem Junction at Sooramangalam to the Town Railway Station.

Another septuagenarian C Vayapuri, president of the United Farmers Association was active in the Salem-Virudhachalam Meter Gauge Train Commuters Association.

He had participated in several protests to improve the service like adding more boggies, more stops, more trips and extension of the service to port towns as a large numbers of farmers from Attur and Thalaivasal used the service to transport vegetables to port towns.

There are seven station master-managed stations, one run by clerks and five run by halt agents.

But Vayapuri was at pains when he was told that the trains were dismantled and taken away by the railway authorities. He remembered vividly his daily trips to Salem when the sky line was once open and one had the breathtaking views of the Shevroy Hills till Valapadi. But now the concrete jungles have marred those views, he lamented.

The Town Railway Station is still wrapped with vintage though surrounded by modernity. Time machine seem to wind backwards as one enters the shady premises.

The station master still sits in his old cabin in front of the old clock and the ageing block machines used to pull out balls that authorises the driver to go to the next station.

With the mechanical signal arm (called lower quadrant signal lighted with kerosene lamp once) still standing there, the station with old shady trees and concrete benches is irresistible for time killers and oldies.

The groundnut seller continue to do brisk business. But only the train is no more to chug in and out.

Cuddalore in the news

State railway projects to benefit from budget

.....other major conversion projects to be completed in the next financial year are Cuddalore-Salem and Madurai-Manamdaurai-Rameswaram. In the Cuddalore-Salem project, for which the State Government is sharing 50 per cent of the cost, the section between Cuddalore and Attur has been converted. The remaining stretch will be completed in the current financial year. This project will be executed by RYNL and Rs. 80 crore had been sanctioned...


Call for simpler procedures to import looms -The Hindu

.....To meet the increasing demand, the Government had taken initiatives to set up a processing park at Cuddalore.....


Marriage in sea -The Times of India

...Premanandhan shot to fame with his long-distance swimming efforts to highlight various public issues. On the first anniversary of tsunami on December 26 last year, he swam for 24 kms from here to Devanpattinam in neighbouring Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu....

Swimmer chooses sea to get married -ChennaiOnline

...on the first anniversary of tsunami on December 26 last year, he swam for a distance of 24 kms from behind the Mahatma Gandhi statue here to Devanpattinam in neighbouring Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu to bring to focus awareness about the killer waves. ...

High Court's direction to District Collector -New Kerala

The Madras High Court today directed the Cuddalore District Collector to inquire into an allegation by an advocate pertaining to non-distribution of flood relief to farmers in two talukas in the district for not having paid "gratification" to revenue department officials.

"It is clear that there are very serious allegations against revenue officials. The Cuddalore District Collector is directed to go through the representations and conduct an inquiry," a Division Bench comprising Justice M Karpagavinayagam and Justice A R Ramalingam said while disposing of a PIL filed by a city advocate C Palanimurugan.......

Construction of retaining wall in progress

Work on construction of Retaining Wall in Silver Beach is on progress.

Work is in good progress,the photograph show the status of the work,a couple of weeks back.

Drainage outside Municipal Office building

The photograph shows the drainage outside Municipal Office building-left untouched during the road extension process.

Photograph was taken a couple of weeks back.

Piecemeal treatment

A tall structure(probably an outpost) that is being buit in Cuddalore busstand receives a piecemeal treatment.

Poor quality mortar used

This picture shows the crumbled median in Hospital Road.This betrays the quality of the mortar used in the construction process.

Dyeing, bleaching units asked to display green measures -Business Standard

Dyeing, bleaching units asked to display green measures

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has tightened its noose around the dyeing and bleaching units located at the Sipcot Industrial Estate in Cuddalore and Tirupur. The board has ordered the installation of an electronic display system to ensure transparency in pollution control measures full story>>

Caritas-India Gives Houses to Tsunami Victims

Caritas-India Gives Houses to Tsunami Victims

DEVANAMPATTINAM, India, MARCH 6, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Caritas-India is turning over 648 new houses to families as part of its ongoing relief efforts in the wake of the December 2004 tsunami.

The Catholic aid organization and other ecclesial entities raced to the aid of the tsunami victims and planned their relief efforts by focusing on medium- and long-term reconstruction.

Caritas-India is working with 300 village communities in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and the Andaman and Nicobar islands to build more than 17,000 homes, in addition to providing livelihood to affected families.

The Catholic bishops' conference of India confirmed that Shri Surjit Singh Barnala, governor of the state of Tamil Nadu, had handed over 648 houses in the tsunami-affected coastal village of Devanampattinam, built by the Pondicherry Multipurpose Social Service Society in partnership with Caritas-India.

"Caritas-India has done this for the affected families of the tsunami, as a mark of selfless and compassionate love," said Father John Noronha, executive director of Caritas-India, during the handover ceremony.

The tsunami claimed 101 lives in Davanampattinam, on the coast of Cuddalore, and destroyed huge amounts of property.

The bishops' conference emphasized the cooperation of the state government with the efforts of Caritas-India and other aid organizations.

© Innovative Media, Inc.

Online Grievance System - Govt of India

Can you imagine this happening in INDIA ?

I came across this vital information from one of my friends. Just pass on this message if someone wants to clear any grievance.


Government of India has a online Grievance forum at
<http://darpg-grievance.nic.in/
The government wants people to use this tool to highlight the problems they faced while dealing with Government officials or departments like Passport Office, Electricity board, BSNL/MTNL, Railways etc etc. I know many people will say that these things don't work in India, but this actually works as one of our colleague in CSC found. The guy I'm talking about lives in Faridabad. Couple of months back, the Faridabad Municipal corporation laid new ro ads in his area and the residents were very happy about it. But 2 weeks later, BSNL dugged up the newly laid roads to install new cables which annoyed all the residents including this guy. But it was only this guy who used the above listed grievance forum to highlight his concern. And to his surprise, BSNL and Municipal corporation of faridabad was served a show cause notice and the guy received a copy of the notice in one week. Government has asked the MC and BSNL about the goof up as its clear that both the government departments were not in sync at all. So use this grievance forum and educate others who don't know about this facility. This way we can at least raise our concerns instead of just talking about the 'System' in India.

Rain water stagnates in Nethaji Road

Few months back pedastrian footpath was laid in Nethaji Road.While laying no proper arrangement were made for the rain water to drain.As a result water stagnates after rain.Nethaji Road is one of the busiest road in Cuddalore.Stagnation water during rains heavily interrupt the traffic flow.Especially commuters and school going children are put in great trouble.Till date no steps have been take to set the things right.

In addition road extension process has been started in Nethaji Road and the work is nearing completion.During the process of extension,the edges of the footpath were broken and the tiles were disaplaced at several locations.If these weren't set right at the earliest,the entire footpath will disintegrate into rubbles in a very near future.

Since drilling a hole in platform for the rain water in the road to reach the drainage and the reintegration of tiles in the platform are related process,they must done in immediate sucession.

India Tsunami Project-Plenty

India Tsunami Project, Quarterly Report
Prepared for the Plenty Board by David Purviance

....I met the founder of a UK-based NGO called Wherever the Need (WTN) and accompanied him to Pondicherry and Cuddalore where I introduced him to the executive director of BLESS. As a result of that meeting Gayatri developed a proposal for BLESS which was submitted to WTN and consequently approved. This $15,000 project is providing drinking water and sanitation to a large (2,500) village of tribal people. Next week I will visit that village accompanied by the WTN head......
full story>>

Asia Tsunami Response

World Vision's Asia Tsunami Response web site has their program overview and various other functions of their mission.Regular 'Tsunami Response Updates' can be viewed at this site.Here is the URL of the site http://www.wvtsunami.org/tsunami.htm

Financial assistance for Cuddalore Govt. Hospital

Central Government has sanctioned Rs.1.50 crores for Cuddalore Government General Hospital.This fund fund would be utilised to improve infrastructure and basic aminities and to buy ambulances.

GPS devices for tsunami-affected fishermen-(Tsunami Response Update) WorldVision

GPS devices for tsunami-affected fishermen

Fishermen in India can now navigate the seas with ease and mark fishing spots thanks to Global Positioning System(GPS) devices provided by World Vision. World Vision distributed 200 instruments to fishermen from 13 Cuddalore villages as part of the tsunami livelihood recovery program's ICT- 4D (Information Communication Technology for Development) initiative. World Vision had already provided these fishermen with boats and nets. “A GPS will facilitate easy navigation for the fishermen,” said World Vision's Samuel Jesudasan. “Once they mark a fishing spot, they can easily return to the same spot the next day and save fuel, time and man power.” The GPS uses coordinates from 12 satellites to create a 3-D map of a location. It can lock on locations and calculate distances and speed of travel. Fisherman Vinayakamoorthi from Cuddalore said, “Earlier, when we had a good catch, we would find it difficult locating the exact spot the next day. This was time consuming, but now, I can locate and record all my favourable spots and get there the next day without any hassle.”

INDIA: Cuddalore agriculturists receive livelihood assistance Agriculturists in Cuddalore, whose farmlands had been inundated by the tsunami are benefiting from new livelihood recovery programs implemented by World Vision . Farming communities in Pichavaram, along the coastline of Cuddalore produce rice, groundnuts, and vegetables; but received little assistance after the tsunami devastated their land. They were also affected by floods late in 2005. World Vision has since identified the community for agricultural interventions and provided tractors, tillers and hydraulic dippers. Close to 900 sets of spades, crowbars and pickaxes, as well as paddy seeds have been provided. Earlier, World Vision helped deepen 20 kilometre-long canals, and desalinate 144 hectares of agricultural land. INDONESIA: ‘Aceh in Colour’: an opportunity for children’s expression Two hundred children’s paintings were recently exhibited in the tsunami-recovering province of Aceh, Indonesia in a collaborative effort between World Vision and an Achenese non-government organisation, ‘La Kaspia Institute’. More than 600 children and government representatives attended the "Aceh in Colour" event after 1,200 children from 21 of World Vision’s Child Friendly Spaces in Aceh participated in drawing training. There was a notable change in the content of children’s drawings exhibited. During the first months after the tsunami, the wave and its devastation featured in most drawings. Now, children preferred to draw their post-tsunami situation. At the exhibition, few drawings featured the tsunami. Sixteen-year-old Vida, noticed this: “Maybe the children don’t want to look back or think of the past. What they want to see is the future,” she said. “Hopefully by conducting the event, more attention will be given to children,” said World Vision's Elfrieda Sinaga. “Let’s create a space for the children to express their opinions and make a better future,” she said. The La Kaspia Institute, based in Banda Aceh was destroyed by the tsunami. The institute is recreating itself after losing everything: its building, staff, equipment and data. World Vision has worked with the institute since March 2005, collaborating on a series of art-focused activities for tsunami-affected children.

© Reuters Foundation.

'.........Maduvapalam in Cuddalore district has become the first and the only village where people have gone for fishing with own boats after tsunami. This was done through the efforts of the Sumanahalli Society, which was the first external group that reached Cuddalore for the relief work reaching on the 28th morning. They have been able to provide relief to 23 villages ........' full story>>

Uppanar showing signs of pollution

By Nityanand Jayaraman

Inland fisherfolk who fish in the River Uppanar are reporting a marked increase in river pollution over the last 6 months. "We have been noticing an increase in various kinds of diseases afflicting the fish. Things had improved after the 2002 Pioneer incident, and particularly after the first Local Area Committee was formed under Mr. Mohan. Industries were scared then, and incidents were few and far between. Ever since the LAEC was reconstituted, industries have begun to feel that they can get away with anything," says S. Pugazhenthi, an inland fisherman and SIPCOT Area Monitor. In September 2002, a massive discharge of acidic effluents into the River allegedly by Pioneer prevented fishermen from entering the river for over a month. Those who did suffered serious burn injuries that didn't heal quickly.

This morning, Pugazhenthi and his fishing partner returned home by 4 a.m., cutting short their fishing time by several hours, after suffering from intense itching upon entering the water. They entered the River near Sangolikuppam.

According to security personnel in the industries who spoke to the monitors on condition of anonymity, SIPCOT industries routinely discharge effluents directly into the river using pumpsets and hose-pipes that can be removed after the operation. Hotspots include the area behind Pioneer, Arkema Peroxides and TANFAC.

According to fisherfolk, only bottom-dwelling fish are showing signs of disease. "That's because the sludge is seriously contaminated," says Pugazhenthi. The kinds of abnormalities in fish reported by fishermen regularly include:

1. Skin disease: Open sores on the skin, particularly of the Madavai fish. The fish can grow to a maximum of 1.5 feet or 18 inches. Fishermen say that these fish cannot be sold because it is disgusting to look at, and consumers are likely to be turned off by the sores.
2. Stone-like formation in throat: Noticed in fishes such as Seththa Kendai and Madavai, these stone-like formations are naturally found in marine fish such as the Vaalai. When crushed, the stones crumble into a calcareous (limestone-like) substance akin to coral pieces, the fisherfolk say.
3. Eyes: Many fish are being found with tiny lesions (like pin-heads) above the eyes.
4. Tail: Tail deformities have also been reported, although less frequently.

Such observations by fisherfolk are routinely ignored by regulators and special scientific committees, who dismiss them as coming from lay and illiterate people who don't know better. The Supreme Court Monitoring Committee on Hazardous Wastes, for instance, prides in being a scientific body, so much so that it unquestioningly excludes local communities and workers from environmental decision-making because the latter are deemed to be unqualified. The Community Environmental Monitoring program, of which Pugazhenthi is a part, aims to bring common sense back into science by articulating observations by lay people in a language that even scientists can understand.

For more information, visit http://www.sipcotcuddalore.com/

New highway projects proposed

Link suggested by Mr.Krishnakumar B.

Re-laying precedes digging

The following article which appeared THE HINDU clearly picturizes the lack of co-ordination between various departments.This is not a problem confined to Coimbatore alone(as the article focuses on Coimbatore) entire country faces this very same problem.

Where re-laying precedes digging

Multiple agency control over services plays havoc on people

he Coimbatore Corporation or the Department of Highways re-lays a road. Soon, it is dug for laying a telephone cable or to erect electric poles and the stretch turns a mess. This is a very common sight across the city where agencies providing various amenities work without coordination and the public suffer.

Many main and sub-roads in the city have borne the brunt of such a lack of co-ordination among the agencies.

Pits of all sizes and shapes devour road users.

While this is treated as just another civic issue, it was pointed out as a major impediment to development full story>>

George Bush go home - Arundhati Roy

An article worth reading

George Bush go home
||Arundhati Roy

It's not in our power to stop Bush's visit. It is in our power to protest it, and we will.

"When George Bush places flowers on that famous slab of highly polished stone, millions of Indians will wince."

ON HIS triumphalist tour of this part of the world, where he hopes to wave imperiously at people he considers potential subjects, President Bush's itinerary is getting curiouser and curiouser. For his 2nd of March pit stop in New Delhi, the Indian Government tried very hard to have him address our Parliament. A not inconsequential number of MPs threatened to heckle him, so Plan One was hastily shelved. Plan Two was that he address the masses from the ramparts of the magnificent Red Fort where the Indian Prime Minister traditionally delivers his Independence Day address. But the Red Fort, surrounded as it is by the predominantly Muslim population of Old Delhi, was considered a security nightmare. So now we're into Plan Three: President George Bush speaks from Purana Qila, the Old Fort.

Ironic isn't it, that the only safe public space for a man who has recently been so enthusiastic about India's modernity, should be a crumbling medieval fort?

Since the Purana Qila also houses the Delhi zoo, George Bush's audience will be a few hundred caged animals and an approved list of caged human beings who in India go under the category of "eminent persons." They're mostly rich folk who live in our poor country like captive animals, incarcerated by their own wealth, locked and barred in their gilded cages, protecting themselves from the threat of the vulgar and unruly multitudes whom they have systematically dispossessed over the centuries.

So what's going to happen to George W Bush? Will the gorillas cheer him on? Will the gibbons curl their lips? Will the brow-antlered deer sneer? Will the chimps make rude noises? Will the owls hoot? Will the lions yawn and the giraffes bat their beautiful eyelashes? Will the crocs recognise a kindred soul? Will the quails give thanks that Bush isn't travelling with Dick Cheney, his hunting partner with the notoriously bad aim? Will the CEOs agree?

Oh, and on the 2nd of March, Bush will be taken to visit Gandhi's memorial in Rajghat. He's by no means the only war criminal who has been invited by the Indian Government to lay flowers at Rajghat. (Only recently we had the Burmese dictator General Than Shwe — no shrinking violet himself.) But when George Bush places flowers on that famous slab of highly polished stone, millions of Indians will wince. It will be as though he has poured a pint of blood on the memory of Gandhi.

We really would prefer that he didn't.

It's not in our power to stop Bush's visit. It is in our power to protest it, and we will. The Government, the Police and the Corporate Press will do everything they can to minimise the extent of our outrage. Nothing the Happynews Papers say can change the fact that all over India from the biggest cities to the smallest villages, in public places and private homes — George W. Bush, incumbent President of the United States of America, world nightmare incarnate, is just not welcome. — © Arundhati Roy