Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

Reporter's Diary

The State Government has set up thrashing floors for the benefit of farmers but farmers use bridges to thrash their produce.

The operation of buses and mini-buses come in handy for them. With the harvest of samba crop being brisk in Tiruchi district, bridges and culverts are the much sought after places in rural areas.

Farmers do not mind taking a little effort to take heavy bundles of paddy from fields to a nearby bridge.

`Wastage of paddy is avoided due to concrete flooring of bridges,' say villagers of Andhanallur block.

Interestingly, the State Government has not set up thrashing floors wherever bridges are available, they say.

The heavy loss of human lives when the killer tsunami struck the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu is still lingering in the minds of the people.

Death of many children in the worst ever tragedy in the State has sent shockwaves among the entire student and teaching community.

Condolence meetings were held across the State in various educational institutions, which also mobilised contributions for relief fund to bring succour to the affected.

Some institutions in Tiruchi district went a step further to condole the tragedy by not conducting school anniversaries with the usual pomp and gaiety this year.

On these occasions, VIPs used to distribute prizes to students who topped in the academic and extracurricular activities. The only agenda listed for the School Day this year was honouring academic toppers by the heads themselves without inviting the VIPs.

Their action formed a double-pronged strategy — creating an awareness among the students on the plight of tsunami victims and recognition in the right earnest of the outstanding students.

Indication of speed limits by the roadsides at heavy traffic zones, no doubt, leads the legs to the brakes. Such indications are common near bus stands and school zones.

But, more often, motorists can conform to stipulated speed limits only depending on the speed of vehicles going in front and coming behind them.

They find it quite impossible to bring their vehicles to a grinding halt, particularly if a very low speed limit is specified along busy stretches.

This 20-km per hour speed limit indication at Kattur, along the busy Tiruchi-Thanjavur Highway, appears to be followed more in breach than in practice.

The presence of a college and a school on either side of the road might have prompted the authorities concerned to specify the speed limit.

But, as far as the motorists are concerned, a sudden slowing of speed might also lead to an unpleasant situation of collision by vehicles from behind.

They also feel that the ominous `danger signal' besides the speed limit inscription is a veritable cause for distraction.

They are, however, game to the idea of having noticeable speed breakers at such zones.

Despite a hue and cry raised by animal lovers over transport of cattle in pathetic conditions, the practice continues unabated, causing consternation among the public.

The cattle are tied and made to stand in miserable conditions.

Moreover, they are transported without food and water over long distances.

Also, the lorries transporting them go at break-neck speed, unmindful of the jerks caused to the standing animals.

The destination of these cattle, which have crossed the reproductive age, is common knowledge.

The concern of the public is that the apparent agony experienced by these hapless animals before meeting their fate is worse than the death itself.

Transacting currency notes in the denomination of Rs. 500 might not be quite to the liking of a section of traders in Tiruchi.

In fact, a few private telephone firms, while collecting monthly rentals, insist customers transacting such currency notes to leave behind their particulars, including their signature.

Though prohibited by law, the signatures of customers are obtained on such currency notes also.

Their refrain is that it is the only way to track the source of the currency, in case, they happen to be counterfeit ones.

Not to be outsmarted, customers have also begun to take note of the serial numbers of the currency they transact, to be on the safer side, as also to assert their dynamism.

Their reasoning is that they will be in a better position to trace the origin of the currency themselves, in case accusing fingers are pointed at them.

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Around the City
In Tiruchi Today
Reporter's Diary

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