The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Ration supply

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 24, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Ration supply

Rice, sugar etc to ration card holders are supplied at ration shops only in the morning hours i.e. till 1 p.m. since afternoon is earmarked to sell kerosene. This causes inconvenience to housewives and the aged since they prefer to go to the ration shops in the evening when they are free. Two days in a week (Friday and Saturday) should be to sell only kerosene and four days (Monday to Thursday) for rice, sugar etc. This will reduce crowd at the ration shops.

B.R. Shetty,

Kovaipudur.

Cell phones in schools

School students have been directed not to bring cell phones to schools. This is a sweeping order. Students could be asked to deposit the phones with the principal on arrival at school and collect them after school hours. A fee for this should be levied from the students. There is a positive side to this. It helps parents to be in touch with their children, particularly in emergencies.

Pratap Gokuldas,

R.S. Puram.

Who cares?

The road connecting Ramanathapuram junction and Podanur via Nanjundapuram is in a bad shape. Last month authorities took drastic measures to clear encroachments. Subsequently, road laying went on at a snail’s pace. But now it has come to a halt. It takes half-an-hour to cross this two km stretch in peak hours. Repeated pleas to authorities to complete the road repair have fallen on deaf ears. The stretch is unmotorable.

Krishna Kishor,

Nanjundapuram.

Bad road

The road leading from Marudhamalai Road to Kanuvai at Navavoor Pirivu junction is in a bad shape. Since there are lots of brick manufacturing units at Kanuvai, all lorries going to these units use only this road. Moreover, mini buses ply fast on this route. There is a school here. The road is very narrow. Since this road is under the highways department, may I request the government to widen the road stretching from Marudhamalai Road to Kanuvai and relay it?

R. Ragavan,

Bharathiyar University Post.

A game of intellect

The bridge-at-work picture (Dec. 2) is a master piece. It most eloquently proclaimed: Bridge game is absolutely free of gender hang-up. It transcends generation gap. The spell it casts is magical, divine and a great solace. It is a brain additive. It is superior and sufficient. Now, a glimpse of a bridge lover’s scale of preference: Between a free offer of Scotch whiskey and good food, he will prefer good food. Between a free offer of wild partying and a bridge evening, he will plunge for bridge. This scale is built on every bridge lover’s unshakable faith that bridge has no substitutes and hence no equals.

G.S. Edwin,

Race Course Road.

Rupa Nagar’s woes

Lying behind Ramanathapuram Chinthamani with a one km square area, Rupa Nagar is highly congested. Kamakshi Amman Kovil Street is the only main shopping area and also a passage road from which branch off many narrow lanes. There are only two approach roads, one from Chungam round tana and another 300 metres east of it on Trichy Road, which have a zigzag and circuitous route to reach Rupa Nagar. It is imperative that Kovil Street is extended to the tank bund road (Ukkadam bypass) to provide a third approach to the area. Another bugbear is the non-maintenance of drainage and non-clearance of garbage. Delivery of posts is done only after 4.30 p.m.

M.R. Pillai,

Rupa Nagar.

Music patron

Rajalakshmi Fine Arts Sabha started by Dr. T. Satish Kumar is a boon to the citizens of Coimbatore who are starved of entertainment (‘Personality of the week, Dec. 3). Dr. Kumar’s interest in Carnatic music, initiative to learn it and intention to start the Sabha are laudable. Its growth in a short span is no mean achievement. The ‘September Season’ organised by him is becoming very popular.

B. Sripada Rajan,

NGGO Colony.

Traffic congestion

The arrangement made for parking of vehicles in Cross Cut Road and Oppanakkara Street during Deepavali season should be made permanent. It will help ease traffic congestion and enable the public move freely. As the two prime shopping areas have become very crowded, vehicles coming to the area should move to the parking lots nearby for smooth flow of traffic. Nearby reserve sites or surplus open grounds in the Corporation schools may be utilised for this purpose. This will also generate funds for the Corporation.

M.V. Namby,

Kovaipudur.

Bus route No. 36

The above bus plies between Veeriyampalayam and P.N. Pudur. The bus may be extended up to Marudhamalai to help passengers who want to continue their journey towards Marudhamalai. Otherwise they have to wait for other buses to proceed to places on the western side. This arrangement will naturally save their time and avert mental agony. If the bus is extended, more passengers will be benefitted, as almost all buses plying in this route are always full in both directions. If possible, one more bus can be added in this route. I hope the authorities concerned will make necessary arrangements.

A.D. Rangaswamy Iyengar,

Navavur Pirivu.

Autocratic automen

Three months ago a committee appointed by the government fixed Rs. 14 as the minimum auto fare in mofussil areas. Automen in Coimbatore rejected it. They demand exorbitant fare. This often leads to a war of words between the public and the automen. Unless the Government takes action against the recalcitrant automen there will not be any improvement in the situation. The automen should strictly adhere to the meter fare as the erstwhile drivers of white flag autos did. By doing so they will earn more. In Kerala, where the number of autos is less, the automen are a satisfied lot. Once I happened to travel in an auto in Palghat. The meter showed Rs. 9 and I paid the auto driver Rs. 10 who promptly returned Re. 1 to me. In Karnataka too one does not face any problem from the auto drivers. Will there be a day when the automen in Tamil Nadu behave like their counterparts in Kerala and Karnataka?

N. Natarajan,

K.G. Layout I Cross.

Jumbo menace

Farmers have complained many times to the Collector about the elephant menace but in vain. This is our own making. We destruct forests, ravage lands and cause ponds to dry. Naturally, elephants enter human habitats for food. We can protect our fields by encircling them with big ropes applied with grease and hot chilli powder instead of live wires. Ground glass powder can also be used on the rope to irritate the elephants. The other method to keep them at bay is to place honeybee boxes along the borders.

K.K. Lakshmanan,

Tiruchy Road.

Readers can mail to cbereaders@thehindu.co.in with address and telephone number.

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