The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Rice through PDS

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Monday, Jan 14, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Rice through PDS

Ration card holders in this area have not been getting their eligible quota of raw rice for a long time. They get only five kg. The reason given is that there is shortage of this variety. But earlier both varieties of rice were available.

Complaints to officials did not yield fruit. The Food Minister is requested to ensure that the eligible quantity of raw rice is made available to the card holders without any hitch. Moreover, ration shops should function on Sundays too as before.

A.D. Rangaswamy Iyengar,

Navavur Pirivu.

Harassed pensioners

About 42 railway pensioners and widows have been denied monthly pension by the manager of State Bank of India, Podanur, on the ground that their pension records and documents are not available in the bank and that they are missing. We were receiving the pension regularly till November 30 with the available records in the bank without any hitch. Pensioners are not at all responsible for loss of records in the bank.

The bank can get full details of the missing records from the railway divisional office, Palakkad or from Chennai. State Bank of India should look into this and arrange for immediate payment of the pension. We should not be harassed by withholding our pension.

Philomena Rathy,

Podanur.

Rural service

This is with reference to the letter ‘Nurses as doctors’ (January 7). Rural people are not second class citizens. They require full-fledged doctors. The difference between nursing and M.B.B.S. is not “one year”, it is the syllabus which is different. A nurse is trained to nurse the patient and a doctor is trained to diagnose and treat. Software Mycin cannot diagnose. For example, an MRI or a CT scan will give findings, the result is interpreted by the human brain.

I have three decades of service in the medical profession. Once I was posted in a rural area. To reach there I had to walk 10 km. as there was no transport facility.

There was no electricity. The Government should give minimum facilities to the doctors to work in rural areas. They are also human beings with families.

V. Radhakrishnan,

Coimbatore.

TV in railway station

Recently, I went to the Coimbatore railway station to see off my father who was leaving for Chennai by Nilgiris Express. Before the arrival of trains, coach position from the engine is announced for the convenience of passengers.

At the same time, television sets installed in the platforms broadcast commercial advertisements in high volume causing inconvenience to the passengers who want to know the coach position.

I request the railway authorities to look into this and advise the people concerned to switch off the TV sets or reduce the volume at the time of announcement of the coach position.

R. Ragavan,

Nalvar Nagar.

Video in buses

Most private buses play ‘A’ film video songs, especially in the morning school/office trips. This disturbs passengers most of whom have no courage to tell the driver or the conductor to stop this. On occasions I have told the conductors to switch off the system but they don’t heed my request. In the late evening and night hours, they increase the volume of the system, which is a mental torture. I request authorities to take immediate action to stop this.

Udhaya Kumar,

Vadavalli.

Skewed priority

The State Government has been distributing colour TVs and LPG gas connections with gas stoves free of cost to poor people (incidentally, they are given to all and sundry irrespective of economic status) and people have benefited by this.

However, there are many remote villages in Tamil Nadu without proper roads or bus facilities. In suburbs, buses are overloaded and people travel on footboards, endangering their lives, because of inadequate bus facilities. Will the Government look into this problem urgently instead of wasting money on free colour TVs and gas connection?

Ganapathy Subramaniam,

Ganapathy.

Sore thumb

Our lovely city of Kovai is sprouting all types of ugly poles. Round, square, angular – they come in all shapes and sizes bearing electrical and communication cables. Like some giant web, miles of cables connect these poles to present a most ungainly sight.

With trees being chopped down these poles now stick out like sore thumbs.

Surely the district administration has the authority to discipline the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, sundry internet and cable providers or their ilk who ruin the image of our city.

M. Vania,

Sowripalayam.

Irregular water supply

Our colony, Narayana Avenue, is a part of Krishna Colony on Trichy Road. We get Corporation water once in 10 days. Our best efforts to get the water supply streamlined before summer have failed to bear fruits. Rural Industries Minister Pongalur Palaniswamy is a resident of the colony.

I hope the authorities concerned will take action.

R. Chandra Mohan,

Krishna Colony.

Commendable

The programme titled ‘Makkalai Thedi’ launched by Coimbatore Corporation is commendable and it will surely boost the image of the civic body.

B. Sripada Rajan,

NGGO Colony.

Vote for the uncorrupt

It is unfortunate that the administration slept over 60 years before it started clearing encroachments and allotting sites at over Rs. 70,000. The administration is misusing taxpayers’ money. It is time politicians realised that voters have become more educated and are aware of their rights. In Gujarat, for example, Hindutva, secularism or banners of political parties could not woo the voters. They voted for development of the state. Let us take a vow in the New Year that we will vote only for the uncorrupt politicians.

K.K. Lakshmanan,

Coimbatore.

Good move

The report ‘Got a civic problem, call up your councillor’ (Jan. 3) should make Coimbatore citizens happy. Supply of mobile phones to the councillors will benefit both the councillors and the citizens. Citizens can now call the ward councillors and explain to them their civic problems.

A. Ranganathan,

NGGO Colony.

Glass facades

Of late, it has become a fashion to construct buildings with glass facades. No doubt, the glass facades make buildings look ultramodern. They may be cheaper than concrete buildings. But this contributes to global warming directly. In temperate countries it is good to have glass as it lets in sunlight and heat.

But in tropical countries we need airconditioners to keep temperature comfortable. Glass facades let in more sunlight and heat which has to be removed by air conditioners.

This leads to extra airconditioning costs and power.

I hope builders will realise this and go in for eco-friendly building designs.

A.P. Suresh,

Coimbatore.

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

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