The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Road blacktopping

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Monday, Aug 18, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Road blacktopping

The road between Mysore Trunk Road and Thippusulthan Road opposite the fire station should be blacktopped as other cross roads in Sathyamangalam. Houses, handloom weaving units, temples, schools, shops, fire station, apartments etc., are situated in this area.

G.N. Devaraj,

Bhavanisagar.

Cell phones while driving

A driver using the cell phone while driving on busy roads has become a common sight these days.

A considerable number of people on two-wheelers are holding the mobiles on one hand and trying to keep pace with traffic.

Even the four-wheeler drivers use mobiles and sometimes cause hindrance to the smooth flow of traffic.

What is alarming is that even drivers of the government and private transport buses are using the cell phones while driving thus putting the lives of passengers at risk.

I request the law enforcement officials to take serious note of this.G.J.Gnanaprakasam,

Salem.

Acceptable

Recently a patient was treated for fever and pain in joints in a private hospital at Erode.

It seems that the doctor concerned based on symptoms and laboratory results, had diagnosed the case as ‘dengue’ fever.

Despite the best treatment the patient died.

Health authorities visited the patient’s village and conducted an inquiry.

They also examined a few other patients who suffered from fever.

They however reported to their higher officials that there was no outbreak of dengue in that locality.

A patient need not suffer from a disease as per the text book description such as signs, symptoms and laboratory investigations. It is just a guideline.

No two patients need to have the same symptoms identically for the same disease.

As per a Supreme Court judgement, even an error in diagnosis is acceptable one.

In the above circumstances, the doctor and hospital authorities cannot be blamed.

Dr. B. R. Ramasubramanian,

Salem

Battery car

It is indeed a very good gesture of AIRTEL to ply a Battery Car at Chennai Central Station to help the physically challenged, aged and invalid persons by taking them up to the Prepaid Auto/Taxi stand when they arrive at Chennai after a tiresome journey.

Since these persons sit in the same position for some hours they may find it very difficult to have free mobility to walk on the lengthy platforms after the long journey in the mist of trolleys and heavy crowd.

This should be followed by many other companies at various other railway stations where people have to walk a long distance.

S. Lakshmi Narasimhan.

Salem

Train stops

Salem, the fifth largest city in the state, got its first direct train to the state capital a few days ago.

This train will take the load off Yercaud Express and many bus travellers will use this train as it is faster and cheaper than the bus service.

The train passes through the heart of Salem city with stops at Salem Town station, Ayyodhiyapatinam. Salem Market station, which is near Shevapet/Leigh Bazaar, Arisipalaiyam, 4 Roads/Angamal Colony/Swaminathapuram, has the potential to attract people for the new Chennai-Egmore Express.

I, therefore, request the Southern Railways to provide a stop at Salem Market station which will benefit the adjoining areas of the station in the city.

This will in turn develop the Salem Market station and in future there will be scope for operating EMU/DEMU trains from Mettur Dam to Attur through city stations like Salem Junction, Salem Market RS, Salem Town RS and Salem East station.

N.J. Arulmurugan,

Salem.

Politicians’ games

I refer to the news item ‘Fund allocation has increased, says Minister’.

It seems our politicians will never see Indians as Indians but only as belonging to this caste or that religion.

It is these politicians who rob the Indians of their ‘Indianness’ by branding them as forward, backward, minorities, etc. so that they could remain in power.

They never think in terms of welfare of the people of India but make sure that the communal rivalries continue for ever so that they can make capital out of it.

P. U. Krishnan,

Udhagamandalam.

Retrograde step

Education Minister’s announcement that when Coimbatore Government Arts College is converted into a unitary university the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar there will be selected on seniority basis in the college will make any academician wonder whether the government has given a serious thought to the age-old norms of academic excellence and sanctity of higher education.

A person who tops the seniority list of the college may not necessarily have the distinction of reputed publications to his credit or even a Ph.D to deserve appointment as the Vice-Chancellor of the proposed unitary university.

A person without any academic excellence can top the seniority list.

A Registrar can be appointed on seniority basis, but not the VC.

VCs for the proposed unitary university must be chosen from retired professors of the college with academic excellence and publications to their credit.

As an old student and a teacher in the institution for decades, I can say that autonomy thrust on it in 1987 without serious thought has already done irreparable damage to the quality of education in the college.

Now the proposal to convert it into a unitary university will in no way improve the quality of education in the college.

Government colleges in Tamil Nadu face numerous problems like any other government department and granting unitary university status to any of these colleges, including Presidency College, Chennai, is not advisable or reasonable. Therefore, I strongly appeal to the Govenment to abandon its proposal to convert any of the government colleges in Tamil Nadu into unitary universities.

Raj Sethu,

Coimbatore.

Regulating traffic

I was riding my bike on Avinashi Road recently.

At the Krishnammal College junction, I saw a person in civil dress in the middle of the road stopping traffic.

The man was standing in my way and I could not stop my vehicle.

However, I managed to avert a major accident.

I request the authorities concerned to deploy a well-trained person in pucca uniform at the junction to man traffic during peak hours.

N. Sabarish,

Coimbatore. (Readers can mail to cbereaders@thehindu.co.in with address and phone number)

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