The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Reporter's Diary

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 27, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Reporter's Diary

A TWO-DAY national symposium on sago industry, which concluded at the Sona College of Technology in Salem, bared the annihilating practices of a few traders instrumental for the slump in sago industry in Salem.

Apart from the lengthy speeches from researchers, which mainly revolved around the needs of the sagging industry, the special address by the Sagoserve's managing director, Ashok Varadhan Shetty stood apart.

It exposed the unethical practices of a few traders who not only misguided industrialists but also exploited the innocent farmers of tapioca for their gains.

He was forthright in his views. The industry, he said, needed to be transparent. Sustainability and quality should be the "mantra" for survival. Shortcuts should be avoided. The suggestion, of course, was strong and robust. Those concerned should take it in right earnest.

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DHARMAPURI HAS a strong self-help group movement with around 5,545 groups in the district. A recent panchayat-wise survey in every block found that as many as 775 self-help groups had no credit assistance.

The district administration has started the process of filtering self-help groups that have been in existence for over a year but have not received any credit assistance from banks or the Government.

Based on the survey, the active groups that have operational accounts and financial transaction among themselves to sustain their growth and empowerment will be linked to banks for receiving credit assistance. Block-level loan melas will also be conducted to link such groups with banks.

The remaining groups that are dormant will be revitalised within three months for access to loans. The rating of a number of youth groups has already begun with a view to linking them with self-help groups. The assistance to self-help groups is seen as a gleam of hope for revival of the otherwise backward economy.

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"IF ONLY the patient had been rushed to the hospital a bit early... '' has been a refrain heard quite often. Several lives are being lost unnecessarily, courtesy lack of timely medical attention. Towards meeting increased demands for timely medicare, the assistance of voluntary organisations is a necessity.

The Rotary Club of Rasipuram did one such good work recently when it dedicated to the public an ambulance received under the Indo-Italian Rotary Matching Grant project.

The ambulance is stationed at the Aandagalur Gate Junction on the Namakkal-Salem Highway, which is part of the National Highway 7. While the organisers are trying to get a toll-free number to reach the ambulance, the service is now available at 9843067067.

The project envisaged economic assistance from the Governor of the Rotary District 2110 in Italy and was executed with the financial cooperation and logistical support of the Rotary District 2980 here, which encompasses the Rotary Club of Rasipuram.

That this project, costing about Rs. three lakhs, saw the light of day in the centenary of the Rotary movement was all the more an occasion for the Rasipuram Rotarians to cherish.

* * *

ON SATURDAY, bureaucrats and politicians waxed eloquent on the popularity of the Nilgiris as a vacation destination. The occasion was the inauguration of the 2004 Autumn Festival.

Even as they were speaking, some among the audience were wondering whether tourism in the Nilgiris was heading in the right direction.

They pointed out that apart from a few tourism-related functions, organised during the year, there was no evidence of any attempts being made to project this hill station's attributes at the national or international levels. They felt that this was due to the absence of an effective mechanism to obtain dependable feedback from the domestic and foreign tourists.

The maintenance of suggestion/complaints registers at places of interest like the Government Botanical Gardens, Ooty Lake and the Tourist Office served the purpose only to a limited extent.

What was needed was a coordinated approach by various sections of the tourism industry and stakeholders to meet the requirements of visitors. This would go a long way in ensuring that the visitors carried back "the right kind of memories". It would also help in strengthening the plus points and setting right the minus ones.

* * *

OVER THE years, private omnibus companies have been trying out a variety of ways to woo their customers, especially the younger age groups that travel regularly for studies or business, or just for the sheer pleasure of journeying to various places.

When the novelty of push-back seats, more legroom and larger storage space began to fade, the companies introduced video coaches fitted with sound systems that turned the entire bus into a mini theatre.

Even if the clarity of the image and the sound reproduction left much to be desired at first, people were greatly attracted to the buses. In course of time, video compact discs replaced videotapes, but there were hurdles in obtaining and screening new movies. Soon, most passengers seemed to want just peace and quiet, instead of a noisy movie or "music" from a cassette tape.

Not many thought that radio would step in to fill the gap, but that is just what seems to have happened with the advent of frequency modulation (FM) radio stations broadcasting high quality, round-the-clock music that is a mix of the old and the new.

* * *

SKILLS IN using technological advancements has become a necessity in all walks of life. And the police department is no different. With the department embracing technology for its day-to-day affairs, the officials have started taking to the concept of paperless office at a faster pace.

Avoiding the hassle of deputing a constable all the way from various sub-divisions to hand over a "tapal" to the Superintendent of Police at headquarters, police personnel in Coimbatore have become computer savvy. They find it comfortable to handle a mouse and a keyboard to keep their higher-ups posted of the latest developments.

The day for police officers starts with the Daily Situation Report (DSR) and Forecast while some of them are readout over the phone or over the VHF wireless sets. While lengthy communications and reports used to be written and sent either by person or by fax, manpower and time used to be wasted for sending the "tapals."

Of late, tapping the advantages of computers, the officials especially the Deputy Superintendents of Police at Tirupur, Pollachi, Mettuppalayam, Avanashi, Palladam and Podanur are sending their reports by e-mail to the SP and to the Special Branch office.

* * *

(Contributed by

R. Ilangovan in Salem,

S. Prasad in Dharmapuri, L. Renganathan in Namakkal,

D. Radhakrishnan in Udhagamandalam &

A.A. Michael Raj and V.S.Palaniappan in Coimbatore)

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