The Hindu : Kerala News : Kalam calls for smart waterways

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Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007
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Kalam calls for smart waterways

Staff Reporter

Inaugurates jubilee fete of TKM College of Engineering

GOING HITECH: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam inaugurating the golden jubilee celebrations of TKM College of Engineering in Kollam through video-conferencing from Rastrapathi Bhavan on Tuesday.

KOLLAM: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has said that an institution is judged by the level and extent of research it accomplishes.

He was inaugurating the 15-month golden jubilee celebrations of the T.K.M. College of Engineering here through video-conferencing from the Rashtrapathi Bhavan on Tuesday. Dr. Kalam said his inaugural speech was mainly dedicated to discussing “How technology leads to non-linear economic growth.”

He said good teaching emanated from research. A love for research among teachers and their experience in it were vital for the growth of any institution. Experience of research led to quality teaching, which enriched research when imparted to the young.

He was confident that the college would generate a large number of innovators, social transformers and entrepreneurs to promote economic development and prosperity in Kollam, elsewhere in Kerala and other parts of the country.

Recalling his July 2005 speech in the Assembly suggesting 10 missions to be undertaken by Kerala for transforming it into a prosperous and safe State by 2010, the President highlighted some of them in which the students and faculty of the college could make significant contributions.

‘Develop plan’

On the development of smart waterways, he said that what Kerala needed was a major waterway from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod. It would have many advantages, and hence, there was a need to embark on a mission mode to make the waterways operational through a public-private partnership. He suggested that the college, in association with State organisations, undertake a study and evolve a techno-economic plan for building smart waterways.

Dr. Kalam said that while studying primary processing of making natural rubber, he had found the need for improving quality to promote cost competitiveness. The students and faculty members could suggest creation of industries near rubber farms so that latex could be directly used by the industry instead of the rubber grower producing intermediate sheets.

The President said that though Kerala had tremendous potential in deep-sea fishing, the State had still not gone far in it. Deep-sea fishing would give a whole new dimension to the fishing industry of Kerala. At present, the State got a fish yield of about 8-lakh tonnes a year. The students and faculty members could work upon it and suggest a plan for increasing the yield to 15-lakh tonnes by 2010.

Highlighting Iceland’s development in fishing, the President said that country had a fishing holiday every year, and this led to big catch during the rest of the year.

The President stressed the need for improving competitiveness of the traditional industries of Kollam region, making special mention of cashew, coir and fisheries. These industries could be improved through the use of modern technology enabled by the college for better productivity, quality and working conditions.

Innovation in teaching

In his presidential address, Governor R.L. Bhatia said that conventional classrooms were giving way to new methods. It would not be far when textbooks and test tubes would become obsolete. The aim of the education system should be achieving a vibrant democracy based on human values, he said.

Mayor N. Padmalochanan launched the jubilee web site of the college. Chief Postmaster-General of Kerala Circle Uday Balakrishnan released a special postal cover. Shahal Hassan Musaliar, chairman of the college governing body, welcomed the gathering and presented a memento to the Governor. Principal M.C. Philipose proposed a vote of thanks.

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