The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Swine flu

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Tuesday, Sep 08, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Swine flu

Dengue, bird’s flu and now swine flu – all taking a toll of human lives. It is not known whether a donkey flu will succeed them. But the present concern is the fast spreading of swine flu in our country. It is the paramount duty of the governments and the medical fraternity to take steps to eliminate the scourge completely.

M.R. Pillai,

Rupa Nagar.

Many people in the industrial city of Coimbatore are suspected to have contracted swine flu. Those with symptoms of flu and fever have been asked to go to Coimbatore Medical College. Throat swabs and blood samples of the patients are sent to Chennai or Delhi for tests. Everyone knows how fast the government hospitals act. People prefer to go to private hospitals where there are no facilities for tests. The government should request the four leading hospitals in and around Coimbatore – K.G. Hospital, PSG, Ramakrishna and KMCH – to set up testing laboratories and provide them necessary equipment.

V.G. Mahadevan,

Coimbatore.

Welcome change

There is a discernible improvement in the collection and clearance of solid waste in Kovai. While complimenting the civic authorities on this welcome change a note of caution is also warranted. It does not take very long for garbage to pile up, for drains to be choked and for water bodies to dry up again. We, the citizens, are responsible for this state of affairs and have failed to appreciate that Kovai is our city. But the civic authorities are partly to blame for not enforcing existing laws and rules on pollution.

M. Vania,

Sowripalayam.

Open fish stalls

Fish consumption is increasing in Coimbatore town. Coimbatore people like fresh water air-breathing fishes like viral, vilangu, keluthi and marine fishes vanjiram, mathi and pomfret. Sometimes marine crabs, prawns and lobsters are also preferred. In Coimbatore marine fish sales and distribution is exclusively a monopoly of private fish traders. They fix the rate as they like it. For example, vanjiram is sold in Rameswaram for Rs. 150-200 a kg. The same fish is fixed at Rs. 250-400 a kg. in Coimbatore. Neither the fishermen nor the consumers are benefited by this. It is time the government opened retail marine fish sales stalls in various parts of Coimbatore town.

G.M. Natarajan,

Avarampalayam.

Post office accounts

Many senior citizens maintain various types of accounts at Kovaipudur post office. Until recently the account holders used to submit necessary forms (withdrawal/passbooks) a day or two in advance so that they got the refund/withdrawal on due date without any hassles. Now all of a sudden the system has been changed completely. The account holders will present books (MIS etc.) only on the due date and withdrawals/refunds are made a day later for want of funds.

This causes inconvenience to the account holders, especially senior citizens. The government should provide enough funds to the Kovaipudur post office for day-to-day operations. It is unfair to harass the account holders.

Moreover, working hours in the post office have been advanced from 8.15 a.m. to 4.15 p.m. instead of 9.15 a.m. to 5 p.m. as it was earlier. I, among others, feel this change does not help the postal customers.

B.R. Shetty,

Kovaipudur.

Distribution of TV sets

Since old people cannot stand in the queue for long to get TV sets distributed free by the government, the distribution of the sets can be done by selecting one or two colonies every day. This will make the distribution easy and avert unnecessary wrangle. Another alternative is to stop issuance of new tokens. After completing the distribution of TVs to those who already have tokens, the new tokens can be given.

Suresh. R,

Ganapathy.

Speed breakers

Nine months ago hundreds of speed breakers not confirming to any specifications were laid in Coimbatore city and its suburbs.

We, the public, do not know who ordered those speed breakers to be laid and who are the contractors who executed the work. The centre height of the speed breakers is too big and lacks the needed slope on either side leading to painful jerks for two-wheeler riders. We request the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to remove all the defective speed breakers and relay them conforming to IRC’s standard specifications for speed breakers.

Vasanth Raj,

Coimbatore.

Traffic in R.S. Puram

With increasing number of vehicles it is imperative to enforce strict discipline in the traffic movement since roads cannot be expanded anymore.

The only effective control now seems to be concentrated on DB Road where there are police personnel and short circuit TVs to monitor the traffic and issue warning to the traffic rule violators on the spot. Ever since the towing away of wrongly- parked vehicles has been discontinued, gross violations of traffic rules take place. Towing away of vehicles and heavy fines on wrong-doers should be reintroduced immediately.

Suresh Gokuldas,

Bharathi Park Road.

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