Cuddalore Online

Missed news

2011-11-19T19:59:00.004+05:30

I am posting some news which I missed as it happened.

TN got most thermal plant nods - Express News Service
Gokul Chandrasekar
Last Updated : 23 Sep 2011 09:22:41 AM IST

CHENNAI: Pointing out that about 50,000 acres of forest land was allotted for mining and power projects, the study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment revealed that Tamil Nadu was granted the most clearances for thermal power plants-37.

“In the mad rush to improve power availability in the state, the government is actually forgetting the lessons that the tsunami taught us,” says environmental activist Shweta Narayanan. “The entire state coastline is dotted by power plant proposals, a recipe for disaster,” says Narayanan. As if this wasn’t enough, a present proposal for a Chemical SEZ and allied power plants in coastal Tamil Nadu has been formulated in a manner that the park engulfs entire Pichavaram— the second largest mangrove forest in the world.

“The 11th and 12th Five Year Plans together target a capacity addition of 150,000 MW of power. However, in the past five years, the environment ministry has granted clearance for an astounding 210,000 MW of thermal power capacity, in other words, 60,000 MW more than what has been proposed till 2017,” said Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Directorof CSE.

--
Cos to pay for pollution study - The Times of India
TNN Jan 1, 2011, 03.06am IST

CHENNAI: At least 13 paint, pharma and chemical units at the SIPCOT industrial complex in Cuddalore have been directed by the Madras high court to pay Rs 1 lakh each for a survey on pollution levels in the locality.

A division bench, comprising Justices Elipe Dharma Rao and D Hariparanthaman, passing interim orders on a public interest writ petition, asked the companies to deposit the amount to the credit of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri) within a week.

--
Residents turn their ire against oil firm - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

About 200 residents squatted on Cuddalore-Chidambaram road

They demanded due compensation to families of the deceased and injured

CUDDALORE: Residents of Thiruchopuram and Nanjalingampettai on Tuesday turned their ire against a private oil company by holding it responsible for the death of four girl students in the road accident that occurred at Semmanguppam near here on Monday.

About 200 residents squatted on Cuddalore-Chidambaram road at Semmanguppam, blocking the traffic for about an hour in the morning. They urged the oil company to give due compensation to the families of the deceased and injured students.

They also impounded three vehicles carrying employees of the company and refused to let go until the company apologised to the villagers for the accident and come out with due compensation package.

Meanwhile, a section of them went to Periakuppam (where the oil company is located) to voice their protest.

When the security personnel did not allow them inside, they pelted stones and damaged glass panes.

They also broke the windscreen of an ambulance parked on the company premises. A spokesperson of the residents said that it was due to the recklessness of the driver of the vehicle contracted by the company that the accident took place, killing the four and injuring 31 others.

The spokesperson alleged that even though the company knew fully well that it was one of the vehicles engaged by the company that caused the accident, the company did not take any efforts to arrange for ambulances to take the injured to the hospital.

It was the local people and the passers-by who took the injured in a private bus to the hospital. The company management remained indifferent to the tragedy and never expressed condolence to the bereaved families nor did it send any of its representatives to the government hospital to enquire about the condition of the injured, the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, Revenue Divisional Officer Murugesan and Deputy Superintendent of Police Pandian reached the spot and held talks with the protestors to assuage their feelings.

The company sources said that none of the vehicles owned by the company was involved in the accident.

It was the vehicle hired by a sub-contractor of the company that met with the accident while transporting the employees of the former to the company premises.

--
Coastal community hit by sea erosion - The Hindu

A.V. Ragunathan

Capital dredging, redesigning of harbour among suggestions put forth

CUDDALORE: A significant part of the coastal area at Chinnamudaliarchavadi in Villupuram has been lost to the sea. According to a conservative estimate, at least 200 acres of land along the 10-km coastal stretch, off East Coast Road, has been gobbled up owing to sea incursion or sea erosion.

According to a study by Pondicherry Citizens Action Network (PCAC) in coordination with Federation for People's Rights, the 80-m-wide beach at Chinnamudaliarchavadi and two rows of fishermen tenements have vanished.

President of the PCAC Probir Banerjee told The Hindu that the study attributed this factor to two reasons: inconsistent dredging at the Puducherry harbour and construction of groynes. These structures had caused devastations along the Puducherry and Villupuram coast.

Sea incursion had become almost a common phenomenon, uprooting trees and pulling down the habitations of the fishermen, particularly on the Villupuram side.

The water aquifer had become saline thus spoiling the groundwater for a stretch of four km inland.

Mr. Banerjee said that the territorial government had spent Rs.20 crore on putting up these structures to safeguard the welfare of 150 fishermen.

But wittingly or unwittingly it had caused permanent loss of livelihood to 7,000 other families.

Social, economic costs

Had the harbour been properly dredged at an estimated cost of Rs.3 crore a year, things would not have come to such a pass. The environment, social and economic costs of this lapse were quite enormous and irreparable.

Mr. Banerjee said that the natural resources were the assets of the country but the way these were plundered was a cause for concern. If the trend was not reversed, over a period, the GDP (gross domestic product) would register a negative growth.

He noted that though the governments of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were said to have reached an understanding to tackle the issue jointly, no progress was yet achieved on this front.

Therefore, the PCAC and the Federation for People's Rights, had appealed to the Union Ministry for Environment to find a permanent solution to the issue in coordination with Tamil Nadu and Puducherry governments.

They had also suggested the following measures: sand bypass system (a form of dredging) must be activated, capital dredging should be done and the harbour ought to be re-designed.

Fishermen apprised

Mr. Banerjee on Saturday apprised the fishermen, social organisations and consumer activists on the impending threat posed by the proposal to set up a clutch of private ports along the Cuddalore coast.

M. Nizamudeen of the Consumer Federation-Tamil Nadu said representatives of the SIPCOT Local Community Monitoring, Tamil Nadu Meenavar Peravai, Meenavar Viduthalai Vengaigal, Tamil Nadu Meenavar Padhukappu Iyakkam, Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist) attended the session in which satellite pictures were presented to demonstrate the gravity of the problem.

Activists urge government to abandon Kudankulam project - The Hindu

2011-11-10T08:45:00.001+05:30

Activists urge government to abandon Kudankulam project
Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE, November 8, 2011

Environmentalists and consumer activists staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate here on Monday clamouring for abandonment of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project.

Members of the Consumer Federation-Tamil Nadu, SIPCOT Area Community Environmental Monitors and the People Movement Against Nuclear Power participated in it.

Executive secretary of the Consumer Federation M. Nizamudeen said that India should draw a lesson from the nuclear power plant disasters occurred elsewhere in the world and the recent being the Fukushima plant in Japan that was devastated by the tsunami and caused untold misery to the people there.

Demand

There was no second opinion over the fact that electricity generation ought to be augmented to meet the increasing demand. But considering the fact that nuclear power plants had the potential to wreak long-term havoc on humanity, marine life and on the living beings on the earth the best option available was to jettison such projects and to tap safe and clean sources of energy.

People's charter lists demands to candidates

2011-10-16T14:20:00.000+05:30

People's charter lists demands to candidates - THE HINDU

Cuddalore, 16 OCTOBER 2011

The Federation of All Residents' Welfare Associations-Cuddalore has brought out a “People's charter” listing out demands for improving living conditions in urban and rural areas.

Copies of the charter are being handed over to candidates contesting local body elections, political parties, district administration and the public. The Association, which met under the presidentship of R. Aranganathan here, identified at least 29 issues to be resolved.

Federation general secretary M. Maruthavanan told The Hindu the charter noted that Cuddalore, besides facing lack of civic amenities, was also engulfed in pollution problems that severely affected air and water quality. It had been scientifically established that toxic elements that were present in excess quantity in water sources and ambient air were posing health hazards. The aspiring candidates should focus attention on these issues during and after the elections.

It pointed out that groundwater in Cuddalore was increasingly turning brackish and in another five years the town would be in the grip of serious water crisis. Therefore, the proposed Kollidam water project should be executed expeditiously.

The Federation observed that the shoddy execution of the underground drainage project had caused immense problems to commuters and the stretch of East Coast Road from the Manjakuppam clock tower to the Cuddalore Old Town was in shambles.

Pollution update from SipcotCuddalore.com

2011-08-13T05:41:00.002+05:30

Mettur Residents Petition Collector Against Pollution - SipcotCuddalore.com

25 JULY, 2011. SALEM -- Twenty seven people from different parts of Mettur submitted complaints of pollution and damage to health and livelihood to the District Collector of Salem at the Grievance day meeting at the Collectorate. Residents from Ramamoorthy Nagar, a residential area behind Vedanta-owned Malco's thermal power plant wrote to the Collector complaining of incessant dust from the mountain-like dump of toxic Red Mud, and demanded its speedy removal read more>>

Show-cause notice issued to Nagarjuna Oil Corporation - The Hindu
29 July 2011

Special Correspondent
The Hindu

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has issued a show-cause notice to the Nagarjuna Oil Corporation Ltd, located at Kayalpattu in Thiruchopuram near here, asking the company why penal action should not be taken against it for violating the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and raising a structure without obtaining the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance read more>>

Effluent Discharge at Greenpark Odai through an Illegal Pipeline - SipcotCuddalore.com

28 JULY, 2011 Greenpark, Mettur - Villagers in the Thangamapuripatnam area reported a discharge of stong medicine smelling effluents in the stream alongiside the residential area in Greenpark at around 6 a.m. today. Residents alleged that an old pipeline belonging to Chemplast Sanmar runs in the vicinity of the pipeline, and that this may have been the source for the effluents. Ganesan of the Mettur Padhukaappu Iyakkam complained to Mr. Pandian, Assistant Environmental Engineer (AEE), TNPCB at 10 a.m., who visited the area in the evening read more>>

Concern over chemical storage in shut down unit - The Hindu
4 August 2011

Special Correspondent
The Hindu

Workers, social activists and environmentalists have voiced concern over the safety of the “idle storage of ammonium and chloroform in two tanks” in the recently shut down SPIC Pharma unit located on the SIPCOT Industrial Estate here.

The workers claim that the chemicals are flammable and would even cause explosion when leak occurs in the tanks. In such a case, they fear, it would pose a severe health hazard to the people living in the surrounding areas read more>>

GAS LEAK IN CHEMPLAST SANMAR PLANT I - SipcotCuddalore.com

METTUR, 06.08.2011 About twenty people suffered from breathing difficulty, stomach swelling and burning of the eyes following a gas leak from Plant I of Chemplast Sanmar in Mettur R.S. on 06.08.2011 at 7.00 P.M. The gas leak which was seen as a white cloud of smoke lasted till 8.30 P.M. and the shops around the factory shut at 8.00 P.M. as panic set in among shop keepers. Nearly ten shop keepers approached the Security of Chemplast Sanmar who is then said to have contacted a Senior Officer in Chemplast Sanmar Plant I read more>>

For up to date news about pollution in Cuddalore visit www.sipcotcuddalore.com

Show-cause notice issued to Nagarjuna Oil Corporation - The Hindu

2011-07-30T23:42:00.000+05:30

Show-cause notice issued to Nagarjuna Oil Corporation

For raising a structure without obtaining CRZ clearance

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has issued a show-cause notice to the Nagarjuna Oil Corporation Ltd, located at Kayalpattu in Thiruchopuram near here, asking the company why penal action should not be taken against it for violating the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and raising a structure without obtaining the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance.

In the notice the TNPCB has stated that the unit has started establishment of the marine terminal facility by providing a temporary bridge measuring 450-metre long, 6-metre wide and 6-metre above mean sea level, starting from the shoreline into the sea.

It has also noted that the unit has started providing pilings to a length of 261 metre in the sea for construction of an approach trestle. The unit has constructed four sheds in the CRZ area to carry out the construction activity and has also revived the jetty, without getting CRZ clearance, to facilitate the barge services to bring heavy equipment for the refinery.

When contacted, District Environmental Engineer (TNPCB-Cuddalore) A.Raja said that following the show-cause notice, the company had stopped the works on the construction of the temporary bridge. It could revive the works only after getting due clearance.

Meanwhile, executive secretary of the Consumer Federation Tamil Nadu M.Nizamudeen told presspersons that the construction of the temporary bridge by the company had caused sea erosion in the nearby coastal villages and affected the fishing community.

Call for comprehensive cancer screening camp in SIPCOT Industrial Estate area - The Hindu

2011-07-09T02:23:00.000+05:30

The SIPCOT Area Community Environmental Monitoring (an outfit comprising local residents) and the Consumer Federation of Tamil Nadu have appealed to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to order a comprehensive cancer screening camp in the villages surrounding the SIPCOT Industrial Estate here. The Cuddalore district administration along with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board had organised a “cancer screening camp” on last June 29 at Kudigadu near the industrial estate in which three women doctors and two men doctors screened a total of 255 patients.

According to M.Nizamudeen, executive secretary of the Federation, even while the camp was going on, Joint Director of Health Services B. Kamalakannan had come over there and instructed the doctors on duty to file a “nil” report on the people's health status.

In this regard the organisations screened a short footage, which was shot in a hand-held camera and recorded on a compact disc, the Joint Director's action to the presspersons here on Monday.

The organisations stated that the camp was organised on a working day without proper intimation. It looked as if an attempt was made to give a clean chit to the industrial units that they were not discharging any carcinogenic pollutants.

Dr Kamalakannan told this correspondent that all doctors had taken the Hippocratic oath not to swerve from ethical medical practices. What he had told the doctors was that if they did not come across any cancer symptoms they could file the “nil” report, but it was misinterpreted in certain quarters and used as a tool for a motivated campaign.

Source

Gagandeep Singh Bedi now Secretary of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Department

2011-05-21T08:48:00.002+05:30

More IAS officers shuffled; 47 get new postings - The Hindu
Saturday, May 21, 2011

...
Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board, has been posted as Secretary, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Department in the place of M.P. Nirmala.
...

full article>>

Training camp for the police persons in Cuddalore - Dinamalar

2011-05-15T14:49:00.001+05:30

'TNPCB fudged data to push for moratorium lift'

2011-05-01T12:06:00.001+05:30

'TNPCB fudged data to push for moratorium lift' - The New Indian Express

Gokul Chandrasekar
Apr 2011 02:39:32 AM IST

CHENNAI: In a bid to accelerate the lifting of moratorium imposed on new industries in Cuddalore by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) presented fraudulent data to the Centre, according to a report.

The report, brought out by the SIPCOT area community environmental monitors (SACEM) and prepared using data obtained from official records accessed through the Right to Information (RTI) Act and from international environmental law experts, said that the TNPCB and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had fudged data to keep the figures artificially low and push Cuddalore out of the list of "critically-polluted areas".

For instance, the TNPCB action plan claimed that there had been no industrial discharges into Uppanar river or land or SIPCOT drains and that treated effluents were discharged into the Bay of Bengal through CUSECS a common effluent treatment and disposal system.

But, SACEM's documentation in the region had recorded 15 incidents of effluent discharge into the land or village canal or Uppanar river last year.

"At least four fishermen fell sick due to water contamination," said S Pugazendi of Cuddalore and an SACEM member.

Shweta Narayan of SACEM cited an example of massive discharge of effluents into SIPCOT drains soon after heavy rains in August last year. This contaminated the village canal.

"The TNPCB was forced by the residents to conduct a study and its results obtained through the RTI revealed that the water was contaminated with several parameters being above the prescribed limits. Following this, the TNPCB issued a showcause notice to the company in question. Despite this, the CPCB incorrectly reported that there were no discharges," she added.

Narayan also questioned the functioning of the CUSECS, terming it an 'illegal setup' for effluent control in the industrial estate.

She claimed that it did not have a valid consent to operate, a fact revealed by the TNPCB's official records.

On how CUSECS controlled pollution, the TNPCB data mentioned just one sample taken on October 25. It stated that only total residue chlorine was above the prescribed limits.

But SACEM documentation countered this. "The RTI data shows that totally 62 samples were taken. All of them violated one or more standards. But the TNPCB chose to present only one sample having the least pollution level," said T Arulselvam of SACEM.

"Total Suspended Solids, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Chemical Oxygen Demand, Nitrogen, Sulfide, Chlorine and Ammonia in most cases were above the CPCB prescribed limits," he added.

In submissions made on air pollution, the TNPCB recognised Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as a major public health problem in the region and even quoted the results provided by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute. At the same time, it did not provide any data for the period during the preparation of its report.

But, three air samplings by SACEM during the same period tested positive for VOCs.

"Sample results revealed the presence of at least 20 toxic chemicals. Of this, at least 13 were beyond prescribed levels and seven were known carcinogens," Narayan said.

The TNPCB, while compiling this report, not only ignored its own data, but also did not take into account the complaints of violation of environment norms from the community, alleged Cuddalore residents.

"During the oneyear moratorium period alone, at least 130 violations from SIPCOT were reported to TNPCB," Narayan said.

Responding to the report, TNPCB member secretary R Ramachandran told Express that the board was taking steps to bring down pollution in Cuddalore. "I do not want to comment on the NGO's report,'' he said.

Activists protest lifing of indl moratorium in Cuddalore Sipcot

2011-05-01T12:04:00.001+05:30

Activists protest lifing of indl moratorium in Cuddalore Sipcot - Times Of India Chennai;
Apr 30, 2011;

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: Environmental activists are protesting against the lifting of the moratorium on setting up of new industrial units in Cuddalore, rated as one of the most polluted industrial clusters in India. Claiming that violations were still taking place, the SIPCOT Community Environmental Monitoring (SACEM), an NGO, on Friday asked Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh to reconsider the decision to lift the moratorium and criticized the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) for giving a clean chit to the SIPCOT industrial cluster.

A temporary moratorium was imposed in January 2010 by the ministry after the comprehensive environmental pollution index (CEPI) released by it showed Cuddalore to be the 16th most polluted in the country. The moratorium banned setting up of new industries and expansion of the existing units. In October 2010, the ministry extended the moratorium till March 2011, though such moratoriums were lifted from other industrial clusters in the country. However, on February 15, 2011, the ministry lifted the moratorium in Cuddalore too following a report from TNPCB.

Speaking at a media briefing in Chennai, SACEM member T Arulthangam said, “The real situation in Cuddalore can be assessed from the fact that barely two weeks after the lifting of the moratorium, there was a major gas leak from a chemical factory that left more than 300 people injured.”

Arulthangam said TNPCB had served a notice to the same chemical company after a massive discharge of industrial effluents into the town’s stormwater drain in August 2010. “The latest incident has not been taken into cognizance by TNPCB in the action plan report for Cuddalore,” he said.

Shweta Narayanan, another SACEM member, alleged that TNPCB had ignored its own data and findings while submitting the report. “The report says that there are no industrial discharges into Uppanar river or SIPCOT drains,” she said. “But attached to the same report are annexures providing data on the water samples taken by the board which show high levels of contaminants.”

A TNPCB official, who did not wish to be named, refuted the allegation and said the annexures were notices mandating changes and improvements. “What is being called as show-cause notices were really notices sent to companies mandating specific changes in their systems to reduce pollution,” he said.

He said the board had thoroughly inspected the cluster and taken all factors into consideration before submitting the report. “In the case of effluent discharge, all companies on the site are now treating their effluents which is let only into the sea and not any other local water bodies or drains.”

Report Exposes TNPCB Fraud to Exonerate SIPCOT Cuddalore - SipcotCuddalore.com

2011-05-01T12:00:00.003+05:30

Report Exposes TNPCB Fraud to Exonerate SIPCOT Cuddalore
Chennai, 29 April 2011:

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has fraudulently calculated the pollution index of SIPCOT Cuddalore to lift the moratorium on new industries imposed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in January 2010, according to a report titled “A Critique of the TNPCB/ CPCB Action Plan for Cuddalore” by SIPCOT Area Community Environmental Monitors and The Other Media.“ The report established that TNPCB and CPCB have cooked up data to keep pollution index figures artificially low and help SIPCOT Cuddalore move from being classified as “critically polluted.” The report charges the CPCB and TNPCB of preparing the action plan based on lies, half-truths and omissions.

As per CPCB's original Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index study of January 2010, Cuddalore was classified as critically polluted because its pollution index score exceeded 70 percent. The new figure of 54.5 was arrived at unscientifically through fraudulent means, and does not reveal the true state of environment in SIPCOT Cuddalore, SACEM charged. The Community group which furnished its own data to establish that pollution continues unabated in SIPCOT said the TNPCB has ignored its own data while calculating the index scores. “Had the TNPCB considered its own data, including those that establish the presence of carcinogens in air, water and land, the CEPI score would have been around 80, even higher than what was assigned to the region in January 2010,” the report's authors said.

The organisations said their report provides the basis for re-imposing the moratorium on industrial expansion in the SIPCOT region, and highlights the collusive and unscientific functioning of the state and central regulatory agencies.

TNPCB’s calculations come almost 11 months after the first CEPI study released by Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) declared Cuddalore 16th most polluted in the country with a score of 77.5. After the release of the first scores in January 2010, the MoEF had imposed a temporary moratorium on setting up of new industries and expansion of existing units until the environment was remediated and pollution brought under control. Based on the latest scores of TNPCB, the MoEF lifted the moratorium on 15 February 2011.

SACEM report indicates that the Board has not only ignored its own data it also did not take into cognizance community complaints of environmental violations from SIPCOT units. SACEM reveals that in the period between January and November 2010, at least 130 violations from the SIPCOT were reported to the Board. They included illegal discharge of effluent on land, canals, river, gas leaks, illegal expansions of units, dumping of hazardous wastes, fish kills, industrial accidents and injury to residents and workers. “None of these have been mentioned in the report. On the contrary in many places the report claims that there were no violations reported from the region,” said SACEM. “The real state of Cuddalore’s environment can be assessed from the fact that barely two weeks after the moratorium was lifted form SIPCOT based on the predicted scores of TNPCB there was a major gas leak from Shasun Chemicals that injured more than 300 residents. The unit was storing chemicals and operating without a valid consent,” added SACEM.

The TNPCB’s Action Plan also fails to mention that 20 out of 31 units in SIPCOT area are illegal and do not have valid Consent to Operate even though violations of Air and Water Acts are prosecutable offences under Air and Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Acts.

For more details please contact:
Shweta Narayan -- 8056024315
T. Arulselvam – 9443737134

Community Environmental Monitoring, H 31/39, Asthalakshmi Gardens, Besant Nagar, Chennai – 600090; www.sipcotcuddalore.com

Background of CEPI study:

Released in January 2010, first of its kind, the CEPI study aimed to assess and rank the environmental pollution in 88 industrial clusters across the country. Based on the extent of water, land and air pollution in these hubs the study formulated a CEPI. It took into account available data on land, water and air pollution, biodiversity, ecological damage and waste management to make this assessment. The clusters were ranked on a scale of 0-100, where a high score indicates high levels of pollution and environmental degradation. Ten out of 88 of these clusters scored above 80 indicating extremely high levels of air, water and land pollution in these regions. Thirty-three clusters have scored between 70 and 80 and are classified as "critically" polluted while at least 32 others scored between 60 and 70 and are considered as "seriously" polluted clusters. Clusters that scored between 50-60 are classified as in the "warning" zones. The top polluters from Tamil Nadu included Vellore, Cuddalore, Manali, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Mettur and Erode. While Vellore ranked 8th in the list of most polluted among the 88 hubs, Cuddalore was ranked 16th, Manali 20th, Coimbatore 34th, Tirupur 51st, Mettur 56th and Erode 78th. The MoEF imposed a moratorium on new units or expansion of existing units in all critically polluted areas including Vellore, Cuddalore, Manali and Coimbatore from Tamilnadu in January 2010. Based on subsequent submissions of action plans by the TNPCB the moratorium has been lifted from Cuddalore and Coimbatore.

Plea to shift polluting units from SIPCOT Industrial Estate - The Hindu

2011-04-28T19:13:00.000+05:30

Plea to shift polluting units from SIPCOT Industrial Estate
Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE: Residents of Eachankadu and Kudikadu on Wednesday staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate here urging the authorities to shift polluting units elsewhere from SIPCOT Industrial Estate.

They were led by Senthil Kumar, district secretary of Manitha Urimai Padhukappu Maiyam. The protestors said that unmindful of health hazards posed by the polluting units, the officialdom was permitting these units to continue operation.

For instance, a drug and chemical company was sealed when a bromine leak a month ago led to hospitalisation of 71 people. It had resumed operation without any assurance to the people that similar incidents would not recur, the protestors alleged.

According to Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board sources, the company had obtained court permission to operate its units except an unauthorised research and development wing, where the leak occurred.

The protestors further said that untreated effluents being discharged from chemical, drug and dyeing units in the industrial estate had polluted the environment and soil, besides affecting marine life.

They alleged that through enticement of offering jobs, the companies were trying to create a rift among local people and diverting their attention from pollution problem.

Villagers stall the reopening of Shasun Chemicals - SipcotCuddalore.com

2011-04-26T05:15:00.002+05:30

Cuddalore, 25 April 2011: Attempts to reopen Shasun Chemicals were stopped by the protests of angry villagers in Kudikadu panchayat in SIPCOT Cuddalore. Noticing activities in the factory in the night of 22 April about fifty villagers blocked the gates of the factory on the morning of 23 April. The villagers demanded stop work at the factory pending investigations into the last month’s Bromine gas leak. They also demanded action on the top management of the unit for illegally operating the unit. According to the sources, company called the local police to intervene and the police mediated between the unit and the villagers. Upon assurances that the concerns of the residents would be addressed in a few days by the management and the factory will not reopen until then the crowd dispersed.

The residents of Kudikadu panchayat are currently holding a village meeting to discuss the next steps in their campaign against Shasun Chemicals.

Last month about 300 people from the Kudikadu panchayat were affected when Bromine gas leaked from the unit.

Read previous story here:

Gas leak at Shasun Chemicals injures more than 65 persons; Angry residents block road, demand closure of the Unit

Pollution monitoring infrastructure inadequate - The Hindu

2011-04-23T22:26:00.002+05:30

Pollution monitoring infrastructure inadequate
The Hindu, 21 April 2011

The India Pollution Map, a website project at the Centre for Development Finance (CDF), has tracked the government pollution monitoring regime and has mapped aspects of air and water quality through an online mapping tool. Data and information directly received from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) have raised some insightful questions about the depth and quality of information available on pollution in the country. Findings from a pilot level mapping exercise undertaken as part of this project for the states of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu indicate that the information architecture necessary to make targeted responses for action falls well short of expectations of civil society.

To take a specific case, the project mapped the data from the industrial air quality monitoring carried out by the TNPCB during the year 2009. The data has shown that most industries seem to be compliant with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) standard. However, civil society experience in places like Cuddalore and Mettur seems to suggest that disturbing levels of pollution are still being witnessed.

A recent news report of an acid leak in the Cuddalore SIPCOT industrial estate provides credence to this argument. So issues about accuracy and asymmetry of pollution data and quality of information about how much is in excess (in quantities that are above standards) and how much of it needs to be controlled are still unresolved.

The primary reason for this situation is that data from the National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) is largely based on conventional air quality monitors which monitor only criteria pollutants, while infrastructure for monitoring of specific industries and industrial clusters is still to take off in a substantive manner.

A Parliamentary report in 2008 highlighted the poor pollution monitoring infrastructure and the lack of sufficient online monitoring to track emissions more systematically. This translates into a lack of capacity for understanding the distribution of newer and more toxic pollutants in turn creating a fundamental lacuna in generating comprehensive air quality information.

In this background the proposal by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to introduce an air pollutants trading system seems inappropriate and premature. The MoEF through a discussion paper “Towards an Emission Trading Scheme for Air Pollutants in India” has mooted the introduction of a permit and trading system for air pollutants from industrial sources on the lines of the cap-and-trade mechanism used for greenhouse gas emissions. The system is an attempt to secure better compliance by leveraging technology and harnessing markets.

The MoEF's paper cites recent improvements in Tamil Nadu's monitoring systems symbolised by the Care Air Centre for online monitoring of pollution from industries, and initiatives of a few other states like Maharashtra and Gujarat but this does not justify initiating a national level scheme as many other concerns still remain.

One such is the poor implementation of standards. The revised NAAQS has only recently been introduced and industry and government are yet to monitor the new pollutants under the upgraded standards. At the very least, the new set of standards has to be fully implemented and the monitoring of all pollutants has to be operationalised before consideration of trading excess pollutants.

A further aspect that needs a critical review is whether or not market-based means of pollution control be effective in India? In the U.S., the air pollutants trading scheme was introduced in 1995 to mitigate the problem of acid rain by trading in sulphur dioxide. How much success have other countries had with such schemes? The MoEF needs to provide a more robust paper addressing the effectiveness of this system in tackling compliance.

Without doubt securing environmental compliance has been a challenge and India's approach to pollution monitoring and prevention requires fresh thinking. But India can ill-afford stand-alone expeditiously pushed schemes that presuppose that the house will be put in order. Unless the more fundamental questions of accuracy and depth of information are addressed, the introduction of a trading system is likely to get mired in controversy.

It is imperative therefore, that the proposed scheme is carefully considered and made widely consultative if the MoEF truly aims to gain the support and consensus of various stakeholders particularly those affected by environmental pollution and its impacts.

RAJESH RANGARAJAN &

SIVAPRADHA C.R.

(Rajesh Rangarajan is a Senior Researcher and Project Lead of www.indiapollutionmap.org at the Centre for Development Finance. Sivapradha C.R. is a Researcher with the same organisation. The views expressed are their own.)

Panel to probe acid leak at SIPCOT unit - The Hindu

2011-03-11T00:42:00.002+05:30

Panel to probe acid leak at SIPCOT unit

Special Correspondent
CUDDALORE: The State government has constituted a four-member enquiry committee to go into the causes of the acid leak incident that occurred at Shasun Pharmaceuticals Ltd (formerly known as Shasun Chemicals and Drugs Ltd) located in the SIPCOT Industrial Estate here that caused health hazards to the local community on Monday night.

The fumes arising out of the acid leak caused health complications such as irritation in the eyes, skin allergy, vomiting sensation and so on, requiring hospitalisation of 71 people, including 11 children. It is stated that some of the bottles carrying bromine stored in the company godown spilled and reacted with hydrochloric acid, resulting in thick fumes.

The panel has been directed to complete the probe and submit its report within a month to the government, according to a statement released here by District Collector P.Seetharaman.

The panel comprises the following experts: V.Selvaraj, Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories, Tiruchy; S.Rathinam, Additional Chief Inspector of Factories (Retd), Tiruchi; R.K.Elangovan, Incharge Director, Regional Labour Institute, Adayar, Chennai; and R.Varadarajulu, Chief Manager, United India Insurance Company Ltd, Whites Road, Chennai.

The terms of reference are as follows: the panel should find out the reasons for the bromine leak and the resultant fumes, and recommend technical measures to avert such a hazardous happening in future. The panel has also been given the task of scrutinising the production technology and chemical handling practices adopted by the government, and, to detect any shortcomings in these aspects. It should also recommend the ways and means of improving the health and safety aspects in the manufacturing process adopted by the company management.

Acid leak: CPI calls for insurance scheme to local residents - The Hindu

2011-03-11T00:42:00.001+05:30

Acid leak: CPI calls for insurance scheme to local residents

Special Correspondent
CUDDALORE: Deriving a lesson from the acid-leak-induced fumes in the Shasun Chemicals and Drugs Ltd. on the SIPCOT Industrial Estate near here that harmed several local residents on Monday night, the authorities should take appropriate safety measures, according to M. Sekar, in-charge district secretary of the Communist Party of India.

In a statement released here today, Mr. Sekar stated that it was ironical that though mock drills on disaster management measures were conducted on the industrial estate last year, with a view to improve the reaction time to exigencies, the official machinery took about three hours to bring a semblance of control in the unit.

Mr. Sekar observed that due to mishandling of the bottles containing bromine, the acid leaked, spewing out dense fumes.

Moreover, the official machinery did not seem to have the right technology to deal with such chemical hazards.

The CPI leader appealed to the District Collector P. Seetharaman to launch the People's Liability Insurance Scheme, as was in vogue in certain States, so as to provide adequate relief to the affected people.

He also called for stringent action against the unit whose alleged lapses in the handling of chemicals had caused a life threatening situation.

General Secretary of the Consumer Federation-Tamil Nadu M. Nizamudeen also called for the implementation of the liability insurance scheme, besides taking appropriate safety measures. Quoting the local residents he said that the alarm meant for alerting the people during emergency was not sounded, and the officials took a long time to react.

As in the case of the Shasun Chemicals and Drugs Ltd. that kept the idle storage of bromine, there were also stocks of chemical wastes on the campuses of other units in the industrial estate.

These uncleared stocks would pose imminent threat to the safety and security of the people. Mr. Nizamudeen pointed out that there were occasions when the chemical wastes were transported and dumped near habitations in an unscientific manner. He called upon the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board officials to keep a tab on the unused and unnecessary stocks of chemicals in the industrial estate and make arrangement for their safe clearance.

Over 100 people hospitalised as poisonous gas leaks from factory

2011-03-11T00:41:00.001+05:30

Over 100 people hospitalised as poisonous gas leaks from factory

United News of India
Cuddalore, Mar 8 (UNI)

More than 100 people, including women and children, were hospitalised and about 2,000 were evacuated as gas leaked from a chemical factory at SIPCOT Industrial Estate here last night and engulfed about fivehamlets located near the estate.

People ran out of their houses in panic as the gas from Shasun Chemicals Factory, located in the estate, about 12 km from here, descended on Kudikadu, Eechangadu and three other hamlets.

While those living close to the estate suffered giddiness and fainted, others suffered irritation in eyes and vomiting. They were all admitted to the Government Hospital and were being given emergency treatment.

As the situation threatened to worsen, District Collector P Seetharaman, with police officials, reached the spot and advised people to leave the villages. He told the people through a public address system that, while there was no threat to their lives, the gas, said to be bromine, would cause irritation in skin and eyes.

Later, about 2,000 villagers were accommodated in schools and marriage halls. The Collector, accompanied by the Superintendent of Police, also visited the factory and directed the officials to immediately remove the bromine stocks.

The factory was keeping the unused gas in bottles and cylinders in its godown, inside the factory complex.

The workers, however, were not affected as they wore masks and followed other precautionary measures soon after the leak broke out, police said. Tension prevailed the whole of last night as people remained restless. At one stage, they ransacked the security office of the factory and staged a road block around midnight, bringing to halt traffic on the busy Cuddalore-Chidambaram Road and East Coast Road.

They dispersed only after the police and district administration assured action against the factory.

Meanwhile, officials from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board visited the factory this morning to take stock of the situation as the affected villagers continued to stay in the schools and marriage halls.

Acid leak fumes affect 71, SIPCOT unit closed - The Hindu

2011-03-11T00:38:00.001+05:30

Acid leak fumes affect 71, SIPCOT unit closed

A.V. Ragunathan
Idle stock of bromine kept in bottles cause of fumes: Cuddalore Collector

CUDDALORE: Residents of at least three villages were affected by fumes, following an acid leak in unit II of Shasun Chemicals and Drugs Ltd located on SIPCOT Industrial Estate here on Monday night.

As many as 71 persons, including 11 children in the age group of two to 10 years, and 24 women, suffered health complications such as irritation in the eyes, trachea and stomach, coughing, nausea, skin allergy and sudden sapping of energy.

The affected villages include Kudigadu, Eachangadu and Karaikadu.

Following the incident, District Collector P. Seetharaman ordered the unit's closure.

Eyewitness accounts had it that fumes densely enveloped the area and severely affected visibility, spreading panic among residents.

Five of the affected women, namely Meena (30), Kalavathi (36), Lakshmi (6), Malliga (52) and Mazhai Amma (50), who had developed serious respiratory problem, were admitted to the intensive care unit, and others have been admitted as inpatients.

Hospital sources said their condition was stable and they would be kept under observation for a day. Following the incident, people in the neighbourhood blocked traffic on the Cuddalore-Chidambaram road for about two hours urging the authorities to take stern measures against the company management.

The Collector, accompanied by Superintendent of Police Ashwin Kotnis, District Environmental Engineer D.Sekar, Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories V.Thangaraj and a medical team visited the spot and arranged for relief measures.

The Collector told The Hindu that three transport corporation buses were deployed to shift the villagers to a marriage hall at Kurinjipadi and the government school at Old Town for safe accommodation.

However, two of the buses were diverted straight to the Cuddalore Headquarters Government Hospital where the residents got themselves admitted.

The Collector said adequate number of doctors and para-medical staff were posted at the hospital to take care of them.

He said the idle stock of bromine kept in bottles of various sizes in the chemical unit was the cause of the fumes. It seemed that some of the bottles might have broken, letting out heavy fumes.

Mr. Seetharman said it was a “localised incident.” However, the residents panicked and ran helter-skelter. Had a siren been sounded it would have created further alarm.

The Collector suggested imparting of training on disaster management among the local residents besides forming a “chemical guild,” consisting of experts, by the SIPCOT units for exchanging ideas on how best an emergency situation could be tackled.

Gas leak in Cuddalore factory: 120 fall sick - The New Indian Express

2011-03-11T00:35:00.003+05:30

Gas leak in Cuddalore factory: 120 fall sick
First Published : 09 Mar 2011 02:16:38 AM IST

CUDDALORE: More than 120 people, including women and children, were hospitalised following a Bromine gas leakage from a chemical factory at SIPCOT Industrial Estate here late on Monday night.

Residents of Kudikadu, Eechangadu and Nochikadu villages developed vomiting, irritation in eyes, skin and some even fainted as Bromine gas stored in the premises of the Shasun Chemicals and Drugs limited factory leaked after 9 pm. According to witnesses, people poured into the roads and started running in panic. Collector P Seetharaman, accompanied by officials and top police officials rushed to the area.

Those affected were then rushed to the nearby Cuddalore Government Hospital. Three buses were pressed into service to shift them to the hospital.

As a precautionary measure, the Collector decided to evacuate nearly 1,500 people in the villages to marriage halls and schools away from the factory. He also spoke to them using a public address system. A medical camp was also set up under Dr Kamalakannan, joint director of the health services.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed in the area and local people stoned the security office of the company and resorted to a road block at midnight. The traffic on the Cuddalore-Chidambaram Road was disrupted for a brief period, but the collector and the police pacified the crowd. Nearly 56 people were still undergoing treatment at the GH on Tuesday while 70 were discharged. More than 30 persons approached the hospital for treatment on Tuesday morning also.
Collector Seetharaman, who visited the factory along with the Superintendent of Police, told Express that Bromine kept in containers leaked as it was stored for a long time and it got mixed with the humid atmosphere.

He said that fire brigade personnel were pressed into service and they neutralised the gas using carbonated water. The fire fighters were then asked to remain in the premises. The Collector ordered the factory officials to remove the bromine gas from the premises. However, sources said none of the factory workers were affected as they used masks inside the factory. The Collector, who said that the situation in the area is normal, directed the Divisional Engineer of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to inquire into the incident.

The TNPCB officials visited the factory on Tuesday to assess the situation.

VICTIM: I FELT GIDDINESS, ITCHING\
Most of the people exposed to the Bromine gas leak on Monday, felt irritation in the eyes and all over the body. N Mani, a native of Kudikadu, who was recuperating at the GH, said he felt severe itching all over the body and in the eyes around 9.30 pm. “I could not breath properly also. But I did not know what was happening. I rushed out,” Mani, a daily wager, recalled. Govindaraj, a driver, was admitted to the GH only onTuesday morning after feeling giddiness and nausea. Seventeen women were also admitted to the GH with similar symptoms.Meanwhile, health minister M R K Pannerselvam, who represents Kurinjipadi constituency and MLA G Iyyappan visited the GH

Gas leak hits over 100 in Cuddalore - The Times of India

2011-03-11T00:35:00.001+05:30

Gas leak hits over 100 in Cuddalore
TNN,Mar 9, 2011, 06.42am IST

CUDDALORE: More than 100 persons complained of irritation in the eyes, nausea and vomiting after a gas leak from a chemical unit in SIPCOT industrial estate in Cuddalore district on Monday night. Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) additional chief environmental engineer S Balaji told TOI that fire broke out at the stores where chemical bromine and hydrochloric acid were stocked in the industrial unit of Shasun Pharmaceuticals Ltd, leading to poisonous fumes emanating from the unit on Monday night. Scores of residents of nearby hamlets, Kudikadu and Eechangadu, complained of irritation in their eyes, nausea and vomiting and were admitted to the Cuddalore government general hospital.

Over 100 people hospitalised as poisonous gas leaks from factory - SiptcotCuddalore.com

2011-03-11T00:32:00.000+05:30

Chemical leak in Tamil Nadu plant, over 350 affected -SifyNews

2011-03-11T00:30:00.000+05:30

Chemical leak in Tamil Nadu plant, over 350 affected

2011-03-08 18:40:00

Chennai, March 8 (IANS) At least 350 people, including women and children, received medical treatment in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu Monday night after liquid bromine leaked in a factory and, reacting with the husk kept around it, produced noxious fumes, officials said.

'All of them are in stable condition with their vital organs functioning well. The patients were complaining of nausea, eye irritation, heart burn and cough,' a doctor at the Government Head Quarters Hospital told IANS on phone Tuesday from Cuddalore, around 160 km from here.

He said a total of 122 persons have been hospitalised, including 14 children and 70 women. The hospital also treated around 100 outpatients.

Medical camps have also been set up in the villages near the factory of Shasun Pharmaceuticals Ltd and around 150 people were being treated there.

Located inside the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Ltd (SIPCOT) industrial estate in Cuddalore, the Rs.530 crore-turnover company manufactures formulations for finished dosage products for some global drug companies.

The plant makes anti-ulcerant drugs like Ranitidine, Nizatidine and Gabapentin.

The gas leak occurred around 9 p.m. Monday night, affecting people in Kudikadu Colony, Kudikadu and Eechankadu villages.

The villagers complained of a burning sensation in their eyes and throat and were forced to flee their homes.

According to Cuddalore district officials, around 300 villagers have also been shifted to a government school outside the affected area.

'The factory had stored bromine liquid in bottles. It seems that one of the bottles had cracked. The chemical touched the dry husk kept around the bottle which in turn resulted in the smoke,' District Collector P. Seetharaman told IANS.

According to him, the factory has been shut down immediately pending completion of an enquiry.

'It seems the factory was not using the chemical for production... we will look into the issue of the quantities stored and whether they were within safe limits,' Seetharaman said.

According to him, the bromine chemical was stored in two- and five-litre bottles.

In 2009, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) had ordered closure of the factory under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981 on complaints that the plant was emitting dangerous fumes.

Shasun officials were not available for comments despite several attempts.

Gas leak at Shasun Chemicals injures more than 65 persons; Angry residents block road, demand closure of the Unit - SipcotCuddalore.com

2011-03-11T00:27:00.000+05:30

Cuddalore, 7/8 March 2011: More than 65 residents of Kudikadu Colony were hospitalized after a massive gas leak from Shasun Chemicals today. According to the SACEM monitors, the incident took place at about 10 pm inside the Shasun Drugs and Chemicals unit in SIPCOT Cudddalore. The source of the leak is attributed to the Bromine storage near the HEP-MC plant in the southern side of the factory premises. It was about 11 pm when the residents from Kudikadu village, Kudikadu Colony and Eachangadu village started reporting severe health complaints such as giddiness, vomiting, respiratory problems, eyes and throat burning. According to the monitors who rushed to the spot after receiving the news around 11.30 pm, the entire unit and the Kudikadu village was engulfed with thick white smoke. There were no alarms or safety announcement made by the unit which caused more panic and confusion as people were at loss on how to protect themselves. Monitors report that it has been more than 3 hours since the leak had started and it has still not been plugged.

According to the local residents, police were the first ones to respond to the situation, more than 20 police personnel rushed to the villages at around midnight. The District Environment Engineer of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and the Factories Inspector reached the spot at about 12.30 am (an hour and half after the locals alerted about the leak). More than 3 fire engines have been called inside the unit to control the situations. At about 1 am, the District Administration brought in 3 buses from the transport department to evacuate the residents from the villages to Cuddalore Municipal School in Cuddalore New Town.

Road Blockade:

More than 1000 angry residents from the Kudikadu village, Kudikadu colony and Eachagadu villages have blocked the East Coast Road and the entrance to the Shasun Chemicals. Residents are demanding an immediate closure of the unit and prosecution of all members responsible for today’s disaster. Responding to the demands of the residents, the District Revenue Officer has temporarily sealed one gate of the unit and has called for a meeting later in the day.

More updates soon.

New medical college coming up in Cuddalore

2011-01-08T07:19:00.001+05:30

3 new medical colleges to be set up in State - The Hindu

Three new medical colleges, an agriculture college, a separate university for horticulture, a university for Indian medicine and Homoeopathy and five arts and science college will be set up in the State.

In his address to the Assembly, Governor Surjit Singh Barnala said new medical colleges would be opened at Ramanathapuram, Cuddalore and Dindigul to fulfil the objective of having a medical college in each district.

The agricultural college will be established at Kivelur in Nagapattinam to benefit students in predominant agrarian districts such as Tiruvarur, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam. A separate university for horticulture will come up at Krishnagiri this year.

The government said a university of Indian medicine and Homoeopathy would be established in Kanyakumari district this year.

It would cover six existing government colleges of Indian medicines and Homoeopathy along with 26 similar private colleges.

Arts and Science Colleges will come up at Nemmeli in Kancheepuram district, Nagalapuram in Thoothukudi district, Harur in Dharmapuri district, Kallakurichi in Villupuram district, and Tiruchuli in Virudhunagar district.

Mr. Barnala, citing a report of the National University for Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) in 2008-09, said Tamil Nadu ranked fifth in the country when it came to educational development index, which measured the quality of school education.

Similarly, a survey by NCERT in 2008, had said that schoolchildren in the State stood first in terms of competency in mathematics and language skills.

He said a total of 80,450 student had been benefited under the scheme to bear the government approved tuition fee for students from families with no graduates who have secured admission in professional colleges.

Sorry state of Silver Beach.

2011-01-02T21:42:00.004+05:30

The Silver Beach is one of the solace for the residents of Cuddalore to get a breathe of fresh air. It had a scenic beauty to enthral the visitors. Many people enjoy their morning walk on the sands of this beach.
But, those are going to be a history. Now, the reality is different.
The beach is full of rubbish. It is difficult to find an area of sand free from rubbish. Its highly nauseating. Though the beach is prohibited of plastic, one can see much of plastic generated out of the hawkers doing business here.
This beach is generating good income in terms of vehicle parking fees (Rs.5 per two wheeler). On a weekend, more than 400 two wheelers find their way to this parking area. Moreover, not less than 20 cars get to be parked here. A part of the income generated from this, if spent on cleaning this beach, will surely pave way to prevent rape of this sand duned beach.

Residents Protest Effluent Discharge in SIPCOT Canal: Block the National Highway

2010-09-01T21:15:00.002+05:30

Residents Protest Effluent Discharge in SIPCOT Canal: Block the National Highway - SipcotCuddalore.com

Cuddalore, 25 August 2010: Protesting the discharge of effluents through the storm water drains by the SIPCOT units, more than 100 residents of SIPCOT Cuddalore blocked the National Highway (NH) 45A today. The villagers were forced to take this step after the effluent discharge contaminated the village canal in Sangolikuppam village of SIPCOT.

According to the sources at about 9.30 am today SIPCOT residents noticed yellow colour water with strong ammonia like odour at the canal opposite the Kudikadu Bus Stop. This canal is parallel to NH45A and runs from Tagros in the north of SIPCOT Complex till the south of Sangolikuppam village ,where it meets the Pillukuthu canal which eventually drains into river Uppanar. It was reported that the odour from the effluent near the bus stop was ranked at around 8 on a scale of 1 to 10 and caused eye burning sensation. Following the canal further towards the South, the residents found black effluent with an oily layer and an acidic fruity odour near the petrol pump at Kudikadu. The residents complained of itching sensation when in contact with the water.

Sources inform that industries regularly release effluent through their stormwater drains during the rainy season. Based on the location where these effluents were found residents suspect TANFAC, Clariant, Shasun, Asian Paints, Aurobindo and Tantech responsible for this discharge. In the absence of a monitoring mechanism it was difficult to ascertain the exact source of the effluents.

While such releases are routine, today the residents particularly got angry as the contamination of Pillukuthu canal would deprive them of water for regular usage. The village panchayat blocks this canal during the rains to harvest rainwater and the entire pool has been contaminated by today's discharge.

Local police was the first to intervene at site to end the blockade but people refused to give in to the pressure and demanded action on the units responsible. Later the Village Officer, Tehsildar and the District Environment Engineer (DEE) of TNPCB intervened in the matter. The negotiations went on for about three hours and finally the blockade was removed upon assurance from DEE that – 1) the effluent would be cleaned up immediately, 2) sample would be taken to ascertain the contaminants, 3) adequate action would be taken on the units responsible.
SACEM monitors have also taken a sample of the effluents along with the TNPCB officials. A complaint with regards to today's incident has been sent to District Collector and TNPCB head office.

A farce called public hearing

2010-09-01T21:13:00.000+05:30

A farce called public hearing

August 23, 2010

G Babu Jayakumar
Expressbuzz

By definition, it is an open gathering of officials and stakeholders at which people are allowed to freely offer comments. Officials are not obliged to act on them or even to respond publicly to the issues flagged by the participants.

But "open" and "freely" are terms government officials are not exactly comfortable with. So, they often look for workarounds to ‘overcome’ the public hearings hurdle that has been made mandatory before taking the final call on major development or industrial projects that could result in human displacement or have an impact on the local ecosystem.

Like at Kalpakkam in 2001 when a public hearing was held on setting up a new nuclear reactor when work on the project was already under way. More of that later. Or at New Washermanpet in Chennai on June 18 this year at a public hearing on a solid waste management project at Kodungaiyur dumpyard where DMK cadre muzzled voices of dissent (see case study).

A public hearing this writer attended at the Kancheepuram district collector’s office way back in 1999 for the National Thermal Power Corporation’s coal-fired power plant at Cheyyur witnessed high drama. The entire premises bustled with people from villages that would have been affected by the plant. All of them vociferously opposed it fearing environment degradation. The project was dropped. Or was it? For, rumours of a gas-powered power plant at Cheyyur have been doing the rounds for quite some time now. Remember the proposed greenfield airport project at Sriperumbudur that was supposed to have been dead following public outcry? It is back on the table. Only the other day, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi clarified that soil tests have been conducted at the project site.

When the Kalpakkam nuclear establishment was set up in the 1970s, there was no such thing as a public hearing. The concept of public hearing was first introduced in 1994 through a government notification. It all started with a proposed power project in Kerala’s ‘Silent Valley’ in the 1980s. Opposition to the project on environmental grounds was so intense that the government had to kill it. That was when the Centre woke up to the possibility of ecological disaster and made public hearings mandatory.

Accordingly, in 2001, the Kalpakkam nuclear establishment had to turn to the people to hear their views on a plant that was to be located well within their premises. The authorities went through the motions of holding a public hearing since work on the nuclear plant has already started. No prizes for guessing that the project was cleared despite vehement opposition. In fact, soon after the public hearing was over, top officials of the nuclear establishment told reporters that the project would get the green light. How did they know? "Come on, this is a project that enhances India’s strategic depth. Would the Centre abandon it?" Need any more convincing?

That brings us to the basic question: are public hearings in India a farce? In 2002, green activist Shweta Narayan was at Valsar in Gujarat where a chemical industry wanted to expand its pesticide making facility. She was among the six activists who attended the public hearing held within the company premises.

The venue was packed with workers and union office-bearers, who at the first instance of an activist raising objection, surrounded and literally chased them out. The police, who were outside, took them in their vehicles to the nearby station and gave them just one choice: take the next train and leave. They did just that.

Another public hearing at Melakotaiyur in 2004 for the setting up of a hazardous waste dumpyard at Kelambakkam, near Chennai, saw 700 people opposing it. The project was scrapped. But subsequently Gummidipoondi was suggested as an alternative site for the dumpyard and a public hearing held without the mandatory environment impact assessment.

Despite massive opposition, the project was cleared. How a project unsuitable for Kelambakkam could be implemented in Gummidipoondi, wonders Shweta.

At the public hearing for the Cuddalore Power Corporation Limited in 2007 for a 1,320 MW coal-fired plant, around 1,500 people opposed the project. The people were so charged up that a small crowd fell at the feet of the district collector urging him not to clear the proposal.

When the collector was whisked away, the people held a road roko. Two weeks later, a case was filed against 18 villagers for allegedly ‘disrupting a public servant from discharging his duty’ and the activists at the venue, including Shweta, were cited as witnesses.

When the next public hearing was held a month later, barricades were erected en route the venue and villagers turned back. Only those who were given "tokens" by the village administrative offices were allowed attend the public hearing. Of course, the project was cleared.

Fishes found dead and floating in SIPCOT

2010-05-22T08:03:00.001+05:30

Fish Kill in SIPCOT, Cuddalore - SipcotCuddalore.com

Cuddalore, 20 May, 2010: Villagers living near the SIPCOT Industrial Estate in Cuddalore reported a serious fish kill yesterday in the Thamaraikulam Pond along the East Coast Road. SIPCOT Area Community Environmental Monitors who inspected the site suspect a possible leak from the pipeline conveying effluents from Arkema Chemicals, Bayer, Pioneer and Pandian Chemicals that runs alongside the pond.

At least 100 fish were found dead and floating in the pond. The District Environmental Engineer, when contacted over phone by SACEM, said the TNPCB had already visited the place and taken samples of water and fish.

A written complaint regarding the fish kill has been made to the District Collector and the TNPCB.

Chennai IT expressway should be "extended till Cuddalore"

2010-04-14T11:02:00.001+05:30

Homes near offices will help cut congestion on IT Corridor
TNN, Apr 13, 2010, 11.05pm IST

It’s a long road to workplaces. To lessen the strain of employees who currently travel 40 km to and from work, the IT expressway should have adequate housing, schools, hospitals and other social infrastructure, say experts.

“Employees usually stick with a company for a fairly long period of time. So most of them stay in Chennai and commute to their offices on OMR because there are more facilities for their families in Chennai,” says AN Sachithanandan, ex-president, Institute of Town Planners of India.

One sure way of addressing commuter woes is to expand the expressway and build facilities around it, say experts. “The expressway starts abruptly at Madhya Kailash and ends at Siruseri. Ideally it should extend till Puducherry or Cuddalore like the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, which runs for nearly 100 km,” says urban engineering expert KP Subramanian.

Company transportation is a temporary option, says Subramanian. “Company vehicles add to the traffic and sap the city’s resources, including roadspace. Also, commuting is not a desirable concept when you take into account the amount of fuel and time spent,” he says.

With optimal utilisation of land resources, authorities can also consider a dedicated bus corridor for the six-lane expressway. “Buses will move without any hindrance or cross-traffic,” says MG Devasahayam, former administrator of Chandigarh Capital Project.

For now, independent agencies are coming up with their own solutions. The Metropolitan Transport Corporation, which runs nearly 400 trips on this stretch daily, plans to augment the service by introducing more air-conditioned buses. Southern Railway is planning to lay a new line to connect Chennai with Puducherry and Cuddalore. The proposed line will connect Sholinganallur, Kovalam, Tiruporur and Mamallapuram till Cuddalore Fort.

Authorities should come up with some short-term solutions as well to ease the traffic flow, say commuters. “Many approach roads aren’t equipped to handle the same amount of traffic as the expressway,” says former IT professional V Ranganathan. The government should increase the green signal time at junctions at Vijayanagar in Velachery and Sholinganallur checkpost to avoid huge pile-up of vehicles, he says.

(with inputs from Jeeva, V Ayyappan & T K Rohit)

Foot overbridge work starts at Thirupadiripuliyur station

2010-01-24T16:27:00.001+05:30

Foot overbridge work starts at Thirupadiripuliyur station - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

— Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

Enhanced facility: The steel girders placed in position for the foot overbridge at Thirupadiripuliyur railway station in Cuddalore.

CUDDALORE: The Thirupadiripuliyur railway station is being fully remodelled and new facilities are being created. The prominent among these is the foot overbridge now under construction.

All the passengers would have to necessarily climb on to the foot overbridge to board the trains on Platform Nos. 1, 2 and 3.The railway sources said that the foot overbridge and the improvement of the station premises, including light fittings, seating arrangements and rest rooms, was part of the package for gauge conversion.

The Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), executing agency, had given the works to the Tata Company which in turn had engaged sub-contractors to complete various works. But the sub-contractor assigned the task of constructing the foot overbridge had caused inordinate delay in its execution and hence, he had to be replaced with another sub-contractor, the sources said.

Now, the steel girders were being positioned for the configuration of the structure. The sources said that the unreserved ticket system would be placed on Platform No.1, and the VIP lounge and the Station Master’s chamber would be located on Platform 2 and 3. These two platforms were called the island platforms because these were located between the tracks.

A fruit and vegetable shop and a refreshment shop would also be put up. The sources further said that the regular train services on the newly laid broad gauge section from Villupuram to Mayiladuthurai via Cuddalore would commence only after completion of all the above mentioned works.

Meanwhile, trial run of goods train had begun in this sector. On Thursday, two goods trains proceeded towards Mayiladuthurai and two others chugged their way to Villupuram.

Railway officials journeyed in a trolley today to check the tracks and to carry out necessary corrections.

SACEM demands community involvement in environmental action plan for Cuddalore

2010-01-24T07:21:00.002+05:30

SACEM demands community involvement in environmental action plan for Cuddalore - www.sipcotcuddalore.com

Cuddalore, 19 January 2010: SIPCOT Area Community Environmental Monitors (SACEM) has welcomed the center's decision for temporary restrictions on new industrial projects in Cuddalore and demanded that the community should be involved in all action plans for environmental remediation. In a letter to the State and Central Pollution Control Boards, SACEM has shared all its reports on the existing environmental conditions of SIPCOT region and requested the Boards to adopt an inclusive approach to solving the problems of pollution by ensuring community and local self governments participation over the next eight months.

SACEM has also demanded a complete ban on new projects until a much needed regional carrying capacity study of the local environment is conducted. "The recommendation by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) for a carrying capacity study has been pending since 1998. The MoEF report reiterates what SACEM has been claiming for the last six years that SIPCOT is a critically polluted region. A moratorium on new polluting units is absolutely essential as a first step to resolve the problems of pollution," said SACEM. For the existing units in the region, SACEM demanded stricter monitoring mechanisms and called for immediate legal action, including prosecution of company directors, for violation of any conditions.

Earlier this month, the Center had imposed temporary restrictions on new development projects in industrial clusters that score more than 70 points on the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests recently. Cuddalore, with a CEPI of 77.45 would be affected by this decision of the Center.

The MoEF report can be found at:
www.moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/Industrial%20Clusters_env_assessment.pdf

District level marathon in Cuddalore

2010-01-20T16:17:00.000+05:30

District-level marathon at Cuddalore on January 24 - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE: A district-level marathon will be held here on January 24. It will be conducted in four categories: men, women, school boys and school girls, according to D.Padmanabhan, District Sports Officer.

In a statement here on Tuesday, the DSO said that prior to the event it was mandatory for all participants to undergo health check-up to be conducted by the government doctors at Anna stadium on January 22 and 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Distance

After the screening, they would be given identity cards along with the medical certificates. The distance to be covered is as follows: men – 15 km, women – 10 km, school boys and girls – five km.

Prize money

Prize money would be given to those who finish in the first three places: men and women – Rs 5,000, Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000; for students – Rs 3,000, Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,000. Those who end up in the fourth to 10th places would get prize money of Rs 500 each.

Further details can be obtained over telephone – 04142-220590 or cell phone – 99403 41495.

Ban on new units in highly polluted areas

2010-01-17T07:25:00.001+05:30

Ban on new units in highly polluted areas - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

January 16, 2010

NEW DELHI: The Centre has imposed temporary restrictions on new development projects in industrial clusters that score more than 70 points on the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The restrictions on projects from critically polluted industrial clusters will be applicable for eight months during which time the Central Pollution Control Board along with the respective State Pollution Control Boards will finalise a time-bound action plan for improving the environmental quality of these areas.

The situation will be reviewed subsequently and further instructions issued accordingly. According to a notification by the Ministry, projects from industrial clusters with CEPI score above 70 received for grant of environmental clearance will be returned to the project proponents.

The most affected industrial areas, as a result of this notification, would be Ankleswar, Vapi, Ghaziabad, Chandrapur, Korba, Bhiwadi, Angul Talcher, Vellore, Singrauli, Ludhiana, Najafgarh drain and surrounding areas in Delhi, Noida, Dhanbabd, Kanpur, Cuddalore, Agra, Haldia, Ahmedabad, Navi Mumbai, Mangalore, Coimbatore, Visakhapatnam, and Patancheru-Bollaram.

Penniyar banks cleared for river festival

2010-01-12T16:11:00.000+05:30

Banking on special day for river clean-up - The Hindu

A.V. Ragunathan

Penniyar banks are getting spruced up for river festival on January 18

— Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

WAITING FOR D-DAY: The banks of Pennaiyar in Cuddalore readying for the January 18 ‘River Festival’.

CUDDALORE: The banks of the Penniyar river, just ahead of its confluence point in the Bay of Bengal near Cuddalore, are getting spruced up for the January 18 River Festival. A massive crowd from the town and the nearby taluks will throng banks on that day.

The river banks are generally infested with weeds and outgrowths which are so dense as to block the water flow during rainy season. During summer when the river trickles down, the banks will be covered with thorny bushes. Hence, it has become an annual exercise for the civic body to tone up the banks for the festival.

Chairman of the Cuddalore Municipality T. Thangarasu, who has initiated the clean-up drive well in advance, told The Hindu that the civic body had requisitioned a bulldozer from the Agriculture Department to mow down the weeds and municipality trucks to carry the pulled-down thorny bushes to be dumped elsewhere. The approach road too was getting ready for a smooth movement of holiday-makers and sanitation measures would also be taken at this point. Special buses would ply from the main bus stand to the river front, he said.

M. Kala (58), a resident of the area, said that this was an important event for the people of Cuddalore. They used to come in droves to have a holy dip in the Penniyar. Deities would also be brought from almost all temples from across the district to the river for worship. Entertainment avenues would also be provided on the banks, besides rows of shops vending trinkets, household goods and candies. She said that for generations, the Penniyar was considered sacred and therefore, the rituals and last rites were being conducted here.

Though the Pongal festival is celebrated for four days in other places, as far as Cuddalore is concerned, it would be a five-day festival comprising Bogi, Pongal, Kari Naal, Vetri Naal and Thiru Naal.

The Thiru Naal is so named because it is a unique day when one could witness the assemblage of deities from renowned temples at one place. Therefore, Ms. Kala said that the river is the rarest one in the sense that besides providing an irrigation to a vast stretch of land along its course, it also provides a spiritual avenue to the people.

Mud pots sought by people for their traditional value

2010-01-10T15:57:00.000+05:30

Mud pots sought by people for their traditional value - The Hindu

A.V. Ragunathan

Potters make use of the festive season

Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

Against odds: Pots lined up in Cuddalore. —

CUDDALORE: Against all odds, the humble pot is still retaining its place in the society owing to its traditional value. The mud pots are most sought after by the farming community and the orthodox families, particularly during Pongal festival and weddings.

The art of pot-making is being nurtured by a handful of families at Chinna Kanganankuppam near Cuddalore town for generations. However, the pot-makers are becoming a fast vanishing tribe because their wards are quitting the lineal business for the greener pastures elsewhere. Of the 40 families in the area, now only five are engaged in whirling the wheels. With vessels made of alloys flooding the markets the lowly pot has a little space left to squeeze in.

The inclement weather this season too has contributed its share of woes. According to P.Mani (52) and his wife Pokila, from a dipper load of soil being brought from Ariyalur at a cost of Rs 4,000 a maximum of 300 pots can be made. Another Rs. 1,000 ought to be spent on firewood for baking the pots and on paints for decorating them. It takes three days for a pot to get its full shape: ie., initially the soil is mould to the required shape over the wheel rotated manually and then the base is added.

Later, the pot is burnt till it turns red and then red peroxide is applied on the surface to get the sheen. The profound concern of Mr. Mani is storing place. The clay mould should be exposed to sunlight for two days and if it rains all efforts will go in vain because the freshly formed pot will turn into a lump of mud.

It literally means that the wheel has come full circle for them, thus, forcing them to begin from the scratch. Considering the labour involved and the money invested the trade is hardly rewarding.

Yet, the families stick on because they are not endowed with any other skills to earn their livelihood. There is of course market resistance to the pot because of its brittle and transient nature.

However, a ray of hope for these families that are barely on the sustenance level is the “marriage sets” comprising 22-25 pots of various sizes with lids. These are considered “must items” in the weddings and hence, the marriage seasons bring the pot-makers some solace.

Mr. Mani stoically says that somehow the wheel of the fortune is rotating haltingly and it is only a question of time before it comes to a grinding halt.

New taluk in Cuddalore district

2009-12-27T16:56:00.000+05:30

New taluk - The Hindu

CUDDALORE: Revenue Minister I. Periasamy on Saturday inaugurated the seventh taluk in Cuddalore district. The new taluk comprises 59 revenue villages. Health Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam, Member of Parliament K.S. Alagiri, MLAs and officials of the district administration attended the function.

Permanent houses for tsunami hit people in Cuddalore

2009-12-26T17:00:00.001+05:30

Over 3,600 permanent houses to be built in coastal areas of Cuddalore - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE: Under the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Package a total number of 3,618 permanent houses will be built in the vulnerable coastal areas in Cuddalore district, according to P.Seetharaman, Collector.

A new component is also proposed to be added to the early warning system installed on the shores. At present voice alert system or a facility for sounding a siren was provided in the coastal villages.

It could alert only the people on the shore and therefore to give a caution message to the fishermen in mid-sea it is proposed to send SMS to them. Giving an overview of the reconstruction works under way in the tsunami-affected coastal villages, the Collector told The Hindu that of the proposed 3,618 dwelling units 1,940 would be set up in the rural areas and 1,678 in urban areas. In the rural segment, 1,589 houses were under various stages of construction, while 523 had been handed over to the beneficiaries, plastering work was going on in 600 units and roof was being constructed in 466 others. All these houses would be ready by March 31, 2010, he said.

The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board would take up the construction of the permanent houses in the urban areas.

In the first phase the non-governmental organisations had constructed 2,323 permanent houses. Giving an account of other works the Collector said the Rajasthan government had constructed a building at a cost of Rs 1.40 crore for the Sathya Ammaiyar Memorial Government Orphanage, an old age home at an estimated cost of Rs 60 lakh from the MP Local Area Development Funds and Seva Illam for Rs 1 crore by the Indian Heritage Research Foundation, Rishikesh.
Aid for children

Mr. Seetharaman further said that under the Prime Minister Child Assistance Scheme an amount of Rs 51,000 had been put in fixed deposits in the names children below 18 years who had lost one of their parents in the tsunami disaster. From the interest accruals the banks would pay Rs 300 a month to the surviving parent.

Tsunami still vivid in their memory

2009-12-26T16:58:00.000+05:30

Tsunami still vivid in their memory - The Hindu

A.V. Ragunathan

CUDDALORE: The devastation left behind by the December 26, 2004, tsunami is still vivid in the memory of the coastal community in Cuddalore district.

The colossal damage inflicted by the tidal waves on the life – 610 died and 38 went missing – and property has scarred their psyche. A non-descript plaque on the Silver Beach here stands testimony to the catastrophe that had befallen humanity. The anniversary is a poignant reminder of the cataclysmic event which is generally marked by paying floral tributes and taking out candle-light processions to the seafront to pay homage to the departed souls.

P. Ekambaram, State general secretary of the Meenavar Viduthalai Vengaigal, told The Hindu that the tsunami had changed the outlook of the fishermen. Though fishing had been their traditional occupation, the changing profile of the sea, diminishing fish resources and the apathy of officialdom had pushed at least a section of them to switch to other pursuits.

The wards of fishermen, most of whom were either illiterates or school dropouts, had taken to higher education and at least 50 students from Thevanampattinam coastal village had joined engineering courses in the past five years.

Mr. Ekambaram deplored that the flush of funds received from within the country as well as from abroad for rehabilitation measures were not properly utilised but were diverted to other schemes.

According to G.C. Chandran, president of the Singaravelar Meenavar Munnetra Kazhagam, a conservative estimate revealed that at least Rs. 1,000 crore should have come in as contributions, whereas hardly Rs. 20 crore had been spent on reconstruction.

The so-called permanent houses, community halls and old-age homes built by non-governmental organisations, with certain exceptions, were nothing but pigeon holes built of substandard materials and insufficient space.The new housing colonies lacked infrastructure such as roads, streetlights, drainage and water supply, Mr. Chandran said. Mr. Ekambaram said that if the lots of fishermen were to be improved the bank loans given to them for the purchase of boats should be written off and they should either be included in the SC/ST list or given a separate reservation.

Mr. Ekambaram said that the compensation of Rs 500 for the annual fishing holiday of 45 days, during April–May, was quite meagre and it should be raised to Rs 5,000 a family. Selva Ezhumalai, general secretary of the Meenavar Padhukappu Iyakkam, said that in the post-tsunami the premium fish varieties such as vanjaram, sudhumbu, soopla, kuthuva and kalavai had become a rarity and this in turn had drastically eroded the income of fishermen.

Mr. Ekambaram alleged that untreated effluents discharged into the sea from the SIPCOT Industrial Estate too had gravely affected the marine life.

A few inspiring moments with Collector Ratnoo

2009-12-12T08:52:00.004+05:30

Nina and Jean-Claude of Cuddalore Online blog had a few moments with the outgoing Collector Mr. Rajendra Ratnoo for a short interview at the juncture of himself getting relieved from Cuddalore..

We had met him at his camp office for this interview on Sunday 31-May-2009. He spared us nearly an hour to give us rich inputs on his personal side as well as his professional experience. Here is the interview for the readers...

Your moments with Cuddalore...

Cuddalore has been an excellent place where I started my career. In 2003, I joined as Sub Collector at Chidambaram and again came here to have my District Collectorship training in Cuddalore for two and half years. I have spent four and half years of my most valuable time of my career as a District Collector of Cuddalore. Both professionally and personally I have lot of memories attached to this place. I have worked a lot and learned a lot from the people here. On personal front, my children are growing in Cuddalore. So that way too, I have lot of attachment with this place.

Your childhood days…

I was born and brought up in a small village situated at Jodpur district in the state of Rajasthan.

My father was working in the Revenue Department. The village did not have a school, so I had to stay away from my parents for my studies. My sisters looked after me. Till Fourth standard, I studied in a school which had only one room and only one teacher. My father was an extraordinary student himself and lots of credit goes to him in shaping me up. He missed the opportunities to have higher studies. So he emphasized a lot on his children's education. We are a big family and I am the eighth child in the family. My father ensured that everyone in the family till the last child get the best quality of education. He was the person who truly believed in human resource development. He felt that rather investing in other assets, it is better to invest in children's education. He himself worked in a Collector’s office and so he desired that at least one of his children should become an IAS. I am very happy that I could fulfill his wish in his lifetime.

Your aspirations to become a collector.

Its an interesting incident. When I was in fifth standard, my father worked at the Collector’s office in Tonk district of Rajasthan. He used to take me to Collector’s office on weekends. That was the starting point when I was exposed to such an institution and service. Later on I discovered that my brothers were aspiring for the same job. I came to understand that with this capacity as collector we can do a lot of good for the poor.
Later on, after completing my MA, I felt that I should dedicate my life for uplifting the poor. Initially, I had a dilemma on whether to join a NGO or to join public sector. Since I had aspired to become a Collector, I felt becoming an IAS is the best opportunity to serve the people.

The inspiration to become a Collector.

My father was helping me to take right kind of decisions. After I completed my MA, to achieve my goal, I decided to go to Delhi. I was able to get an enriching environment in New Delhi. Especially my commitment to serve the people got a lot of inspiration from my socializing and from teachers in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi. Students at JNU were having great commitment for doing good things for the society. We use to have a lot of debates like; What should be the responsibility of education? How we can make interventions to the society for betterment? That strengthened my conviction. If there is a single personality who inspired me to become a Collector, it’s my father. He is no more, but I like to dedicate my service to him.

You were serving in Cuddalore during the 2004 tsunami. Your experience during the disaster?

I am lucky to be associated with the pre disaster preparedness projects in Cuddalore. I first responded to disasters like tsunami and floods with relief activities like rehabilitation projects and long run livelihood projects. I was part of the team which started it. As today when I am leaving, the projects are almost in a concluding stage. That way, I have a lot of satisfaction. A recycled paper making unit was started in Killai today. These are the culmination of whatever efforts we have taken in past 4-5 years.

In IAS academy itself, I had lots of interest in disaster preparedness. Once I joined as Sub Collector, we started conducting mock drills in Chidambaram division. During October 2004, we did training on disaster preparedness at Saamiyaarpettai village. The entire village participated in the drill for 10 to 15 days and this really helped during the disaster. When the tsunami struck, lots of lives were saved in this village and that become an international success story added with lot of references about Saamiyaarpettai village in websites.
During the tsunami, I had the chance to be the first responder of the situation on the ground with rushing the people for providing the first aid, recovering the dead bodies, normalizing the water supply and sanitation, building up temporary shelters, identifying the land for the permanent shelter.
I was then, transferred as Project Manager of World Bank and ADB projects for tsunami rehabilitation for entire Tamil Nadu state in Department of Rural Development. At that capacity I was associated with livelihood projects and infrastructure development projects. Then for a short time I was again Sub-Collector and then came back as Collector.

I have been associated with the Vulnerability Reduction program which was designed to make the coast free of disasters. I have a great satisfaction that I have been associated with various stages of tsunami rehabilitation work.
I also had the chance to manage the flood situation ever since I was Sub-Collector here. During October 2004, two months before tsunami, there was a heavy flood in Chidambaram area. We had come up with the concept of community kitchen; today the entire state is following this. Subsequently there was heavy flooding in March 2007 and again in November 2008. Cuddalore has made me a disaster management expert in such a short service period, I have learnt a lot of things from Cuddalore. Disaster Management and Disaster Mitigation is one area in which I contribute at much larger level because of my experiences in Cuddalore.

You got to be there at a town in Rajasthan, then at New Delhi the nation's capital and now in Cuddalore. People in these places could be different. Any uniqueness you come across the people of Cuddalore.

I don’t grade cultures. But I could say in certain ways Cuddalore is different. Demographic profile and occupational pattern makes it a very different kind of district. It has primitive tribes; it has agriculturists; it has wetlands; it has dry lands; it has seashore areas; it has fishing communities; it has the industrial base also. That way it is a very divergent district. Generalizing and homogenizing the people of Cuddalore will be ignoring their multi faceted character and their plurality.

I am extremely happy to be allocated Tamil Nadu cadre. Me, my wife and children are very happy to be in Tamil Nadu. I got lot of love and affection from the people here. Cuddalore is one of the oldest places where British Raj started. The foundation of the bureaucracy has a lot of association with Cuddalore. That is one of the reasons, how people here know the strength of the administration. People here have a tremendous faith on the district administration. I guess it must be true of entire Tamil Nadu. The institution of Collector enjoys a lot of legitimacy here. People have so much of faith in you, you have to perform and you have a lot pressure on you to perform. I did my best to live to their expectation.

Whenever the people of Cuddalore have a problem, they do not go to the elected members, instead, they approach the District Collector. This is natural tendency of the people here.

Well, in today's democratic setup, politicians are very much accessible. It is the policy makers who are doing a lot of contribution. People must make a distinction between executive and legislature. Legislator's job is not to execute things. Their work may be less visible, but is a very important. They are the people who represent the aspiration of the people in the assembly. Only based on that, schemes and important programs are drafted. But the visible face in that of a District Collector. So, both are equally important in their own aspect.

About the Cuddalore Online blog…

This portal can go beyond from just being an informational platform; it can be made functional for the youth. There are lots of organizations which are in want of skilled man power. On the other hand there are educated unemployed youth. This blog can provide a platform to link both of them. This is a possibility to explore if it falls under the objectives of your blog.

This blog was started with an intention of creating a platform for everyone to contribute. We are planning for a fully functional website. Once, we are ready with it, we will be able to accomplish this.
You can have citizen journalists like we have in other electronic media or you can have membership drive where educated people, faculties of social sciences and humanities from Annamalai University, members from NGOs can join and contribute to the blog. As people from different section of the society joins, the perspective will be widened and more issues can be covered.

We have opened around 250 community service centers. You can make partnership with these people. If guided properly, it can lead to rural IT revolution. The benefit of your blog can reach the people in rural area.
You can also have a membership campaign drive in colleges and universities in Cuddalore. In each of these institutions you can have one coordinator who in turn will bring mores members to contribute. Farmers are also IT savvy. They have a lot of interest in doing these things. This way the blog would reflect the interest of diverse sections of the society.

We would like to thank collector Mr. Rajendra Ratnoo on behalf of all readers and people of Cuddalore for sparing time with us despite his busy schedule.

Enough in reservoirs to last till next monsoon

2009-11-16T23:56:00.000+05:30

Enough in reservoirs to last till next monsoon: Metrowater officials - The Times of India

CHENNAI: The level in the Veeranam lake in Cuddalore is up to the brim following the heavy inflow but Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) officials say it does not mean any increase in the supply to the city. They, however, say the four reservoirs have enough to last till the next
monsoon.

On Tuesday, the level in the Veeranam lake was at 43.7 feet against its capacity of 47.5 feet. The inflow was 1,000 cusecs while the outflow maintained at 1,474 cusecs. On Wednesday, the inflow was 500 cusecs and the outflow 493 cusecs.

CMWSSB officials say only 180 Million litres per Day (MLD) is drawn from the lake for the city's needs. "Veeranam is primarily a irrigation lake from which we are drawing water for the city under a scheme. Of the out flow of 493 cusecs from Veeranam on Wednesday, 427 cusecs will go for agricultural use and 66 cusecs for Chennai," said an official.

Water from Veeranam reaches a pumping house in Settiya Thoppu near Cuddalore and goes to a treatment plant in Vadakuthu near Neyvelli. From there it reaches an overhead tank in Kadambuliyur and then, using gravity, 180 MLD is sent to the Porur headworks. "This then provides water to entire South Chennai," said the official.

Officials say the level in the four reservoirs supplying water to the city increased by 45% on Wednesday compared to Tuesday. On Tuesday, the combined storage was 4880 mcft against the capacity of 11,057 mcft. On Wednesday, it was 5039 mcft an increase of 159 mcft.

"The increase is mainly due to the rains. The average rainfall in Red Hills, Cholavaram, and Poondi is 325 mm for November. We have been receiving 2.3 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of Krishna water. This is expected to continue untill our reservoirs become full and we ask them to stop. This will ensure enough supply till the next monsoon," said the official.

Veeranam lake brimming at 43.5 ft

2009-11-16T23:51:00.000+05:30

Veeranam lake brimming at 43.5 ft - The Times of India
TNN 11 November 2009, 06:21am IST

CUDDALORE:
With heavy rains lashing the northern districts, the water level in the Veeranam lake in Cuddalore district, a prime water source for Chennai, is brimming over. Anxious to protect the embankment and prevent vast acres of crops in the tail-end of the delta region going under sheets of water, officials have decided to maintain the water level in the lake at 43.5 feet as against its full capacity of 47.5 feet.

The water level in the lake as on Tuesday stood at 43.7 feet. The inflow was 1,000 cusecs while the outflow was maintained at 1,474 cusecs. Water supply to Chennai from the lake for drinking water needs resumed a month ago and on Tuesday 73 cusecs of water was released to Chennai.

With the discharge of water from the lake, the crops on about 10,000 acres in Kattumannarkoil and Chidambaram have been submerged. The officials were of the view that the heavy rains had not damaged the crops yet but admitted that if the spell continued for another two days, the situation could turn bad.

Paddy was raised in 90% of the tail-end delta regions. "The next 48 hours is very crucial for the farmers in these regions. If rain continues, the loss of crops will be enormous and if not, there are possibilities of stagnant water draining out quickly. Majority of the crops submerged were raised a month ago and damage would be less in these areas," said Veeranam Pasana Vivasayeegal Sangam president KV Elankeeran.

But rains wrecked havoc to the betel leaves cultivated in about 3,000 to 5,000 acres of plantations near the lake including in places like Thiruchinnapuram, Nanthimangalam, Lalpettai and Elleri. "Betel leaves are water-intensive crops and are generally raised in regions near the lake. The crops raised in about 3,000 to 5,000 acres of land have submerged under water for the past one week and are completely damaged," Elankeeran said.

Cuddalore collector P Seetharaman while briefing reporters said the district administration submitted a proposal for Rs 23 crore to the state government for strengthening the banks of Veeranam Lake.

Detailing the preparedness of the district administration in tackling the north-east monsoon, the collector said the project will be taken up shortly. The project includes de-silting 28 supply channels of the lake at a cost of Rs 12.56 crore renovating the existing shutters at a cost of Rs 1.26 crore and erecting new shutters at Rs 46 lakh.

He revealed that a new bridge at a cost of Rs four crore connecting Nanthimangalam and Poolanmedu in Kattumannarkoil taluk will be constructed, another new bridge at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore connecting Nanamedu and Uppalavadu and a new regulator at a cost of Rs six crore will be erected at VNS anicut.

"Crops cultivated in about 20,500 acres of land have been submerged under water, but the incessant rain has not damaged the crops," he claimed.

Four persons and four cattle have been killed in rain-related accidents. Thirty-two houses were completely damaged and 135 houses partially damaged.

Veeranam project will avert flooding

2009-11-16T23:42:00.001+05:30

New project will avert flooding - The Hindu

CUDDALORE: The New Veeranam Project, estimated to cost Rs.23 crore, has been drafted to ensure the stability of the Veeranam tank and also to avert flooding in the ayacut areas, according to P.Seetharaman, District Collector.

Addressing a press conference here today on the preparedness of the administration to tackle the cyclone and flood situation in district the Collector said that the new project envisaged repairing and replacing of the damaged sluices, reinforcing the bunds, and, clearing the inlet and outlet channels of the outgrowths and other encroachments.

Based on deliberations with the stakeholders on the safety of the tank it had been decided to maintain the water level at 43.9 ft (maximum 47.5 ft). Therefore, the entire inflow of 3000 cusecs of water, realized through the Sengal Odai and the Karuvatti Odai, was being discharged.

However, to prevent flooding in the downstream the outflow through the Velliyangal Odai had been reduced from 500 cusecs to 250 cusecs to allay the fears of the ayacutdars about the possible inundation of the crops. Moreover, a portion of the excesses too was being drained in the Vellar.

A canal for a length of 5.5 km had been dug up to safely carry the water pumped out from the Neyveli Lignite Corporation mines. Earlier, the Paravanar fed by the water from the mines used to breach its course and inflict heavy damage to the standing crops.

The Collector also stated that of the 296 water sources in the district 198 were filled to the brim. In 50,000 hectares under samba crops the transplantation process was completed in 45,000 ha but if the rain continued the seedlings would perish. Water hyacinth choking the waterways in Chidambaram block were being removed.

According to a preliminary estimate about 57 villages in the district—21 in Cuddalore, 13 in Kattumannarkoil, 12 in Chidambaram, five in Vriddhachalam and three in Panruti– were facing the threat of inundation.

Cyclone shelters

Mr.Seetharaman observed that all the 21 cyclone shelters—13 in Chidambaram block and eight in Cuddalore block—had been kept in readiness to accommodate those who might get displaced by natural disasters.

A buffer stock of 818 tonnes of rice was kept ready (stored in at least 237 fair price shops in the vulnerable areas) to feed the people during exigency.

Rescue boats and fire service personnel had been on the alert to evict the people from the areas likely to be affected by flood.

An infantry battalion had been kept ready in the Secundarabad barracks and whenever warranted they would move in, the Collector added.

Outdated information on Cuddalore website

2009-09-15T23:25:00.000+05:30

Outdated information on Cuddalore website - Deccan Chronicle

September 15th, 2009
By Our Correspondent

Cuddalore, Sept.14: At a time when the Tamil Nadu government is striving to take the benefits of IT to the rural masses to ensure hassle-free and transparent services, the official website of the Cuddalore district administration is lagging behind. Just log on to www.cuddalore.tn.nic.in and you find that important information pertaining to politics and bureaucracy has not been updated in the past few months.

Who represents the Cuddalore Lok Sabha constituency? According to the website, it is Mr K. Venkatapathy and not Congress MP K.S. Azhagiri. Similarly, the Chidambaram MP is Mr E. Ponnuswamy and not Mr Thol. Thirumavalavan. Not only politics but also bureaucracy is hit by thistime freeze. Though the former superintendent of police Pradeep Kumar has been transferred as SP to Ramanathapuram district, he still retains his post in the telephone directory. This is not all. A few district-level officials who have retired from service till retain their posts on the website. Though Cuddalore is one among the 16 districts in the state which have implemented the online system of filing petitions for redressal of public grievances, important statistical information on various departments on the website have not been updated much to the dismay of the public. Interestingly, more information is available on the Internet on Cuddalore than the official website.

Sources NIC, on condition of anonymity, told Deccan Chronicle that the site was not updated, as officials are not willing to provide information on the changes in the departments. "Though we remind them to provide information at least once a month, they do not bother to update us," they said.

Large portion of Cuddalore will be under water in 50-100 years

2009-09-08T08:00:00.001+05:30

India launching major project to study climate change (Lead) - ThaiIndian

By Soudhriti Bhabani
Kolkata, Sep 6 (IANS) At least 220 Indian scientists and 127 research organisations are joining hands for a massive study to monitor climate change in different parts of the country. Climate change in India has led to a rise in sea levels while storm surges in coastal areas have also become a major concern for environmental authorities.

According to Ministry of Environment and Forests officials, the report of their study will be released in November next year.

“We’ve seen that the shoreline across the country is getting affected due to the sea-level rise. Erosion is going to take place and it will cause a major damage and human displacement in the coastal parts of the Bay of Bengal,” said Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services director S.S.C. Shenoi.

“In Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu) also a large portion of land is likely to go under water in next 50-100 years,” he said.

Despite only about six percent of the global tropical cyclones affecting the coastal areas along the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, intensity of cyclonic storms has gone up, said S.K. Dube, professor at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences of the Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi (IIT-Delhi).

“Storm surge has also become a major cause for concern in several coastal areas along the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. We have noticed that the intensity of cyclonic storms has increased though only 5-6 percent of global tropical cyclones affect these two areas. It’s also because of climate change,” Dube said.

The climate study will enable the scientists to gauge the changing aspects of the environment properly.

“This will be the first comprehensive scientific climate assessment study carried out in different regions of the country. India has to build its own capacity to study what is happening to our ecology,” Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh told a recent South Asian seminar on climate change organised by the Delhi-based green body Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in the capital.

The minister said: “So far, our knowledge of climate change in the country is mostly impressionistic and not robust. With the climate study being carried out in various places — including glacial retreat in the Himalayan region and the sea-level rise in coastal states of India — we’ll be able to gauge the changing aspects of our environment properly.”

Some state governments have also been asked to prepare their own climate action plans focussing on environmental changes.

Talking about research collaboration, Ramesh said India could always enter into technology development and transfer activities with foreign nations especially on the subject of the climate change survey.

Ramesh said India was also on its way to launching its own satellite to monitor atmospheric greenhouse gases.

(Soudhriti Bhabani can be contacted at soudhriti.b@ians.in)

Closure order issued to units evokes a mixed response

2009-09-02T07:41:00.000+05:30

Closure order issued to units evokes a mixed response - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

Two units in SIPCOT estate ordered closed for air pollution

CUDDALORE: The closure orders issued by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to two units in the SIPCOT Industrial Estate here have evoked a mixed response.

According to a statement from D. Sekar, District Environmental Engineer, TNPCB, Cuddalore, the air survey was conducted in the vicinity of the units -- Shasun Chemicals and Drugs Ltd and Tagros Chemicals India Ltd -- had revealed presence of carcinogenic volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the ambient air.

As the units had failed to implement adequate pollution control measures and safeguard public health and environment, direction for their closure and stoppage of power supply were issued under Section 31-A of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981. The power supply was disconnected the same evening.

A group of residents from Kudikadu staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate here on Monday endorsing the action of the TNPCB and calling for the permanent closure of the units.

They claimed that the untreated effluents from these units were causing severe air pollution and also affecting the quality of groundwater, thereby posing health hazards. They urged the authorities to safeguard the welfare of people living in the surrounding areas.

Even while they were raising slogans against the units, another group of people led by R. Sridhar of the SIPCOT CITU staged a counter agitation.

Mr Sridhar said the closure of the units would affect the livelihood of many persons. He pointed out that of 30 units initially established in the industrial estate, 20 had closed down for various reasons. The authorities must strictly enforce pollution control norms and allow the units to function within the parameters.

TNPCB serves closure notice to Cuddalore plant of Shasun Chemicals

2009-09-01T10:26:00.001+05:30

TNPCB serves closure notice to Cuddalore plant of Shasun Chemicals

Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai
PharmaBiz.com

The pharma major, Shasun Chemicals and Drugs Ltd, has been served a notice by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) asking it to shut down the company's plant located in the SIPCOT Industrial Estate in Cuddalore for not taking any measures to contain pollution, according to D Shekhar, district environment officer, Cuddalore.

The electricity connection to the unit was disconnected on Friday night after a series of failed talks with the district administration on the closure issue.

He said the plant of Shasun at the SIPCOT is more than 20 years old. It has been emitting Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and foul odour into air, which have created health problems in the area. He said the department got complaints from the public and some social organizations regarding this. Raising the same issue, the TNPCB has also given another closure notice to a pesticide manufacturing company operating in the same locality.

According to sources in the TNPCB, the Shasun was given a show cause notice two months ago, but the reply the company provided was not satisfactory. "Following which we had to take action to check the emissions," the sources said.

When sources at the Chennai office of the Shasun Chemicals refused to respond to queries from Pharmabiz, people in their Mumbai office said they are sorting out the issues to find an immediate solution. "Our Cuddalore Unit has received a closure notice from the TNPCB. We are in talks with the concerned authorities for speedy solution," they told this correspondent.

Emission level of VOC and foul odor from both the units (Shasun and Tagore Chemicals) in the area were found to be far in excess of the approved limit. According to sources, it caused unbearable stench in the area, giving rise to strong objection from the residents and other NGOs. The officer said the study conducted by the Pollution Control Board has proved that the Units failed to keep the odor level with in their limit. The district officer asserted that only after the companies come out with crystal clear evidence to contain the emission, they would be further allowed to operate.

A study of air pollution conducted by the Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, in and around SIPCOT Chemical Industrial Estate, revealed that there were 94 chemicals in the ambient air, including 15 that were known hazardo
us air pollutants. The report also estimates that SIPCOT -Cuddalore residents are at least 2000 times more likely to contract cancer in their lifetimes due to their exposure to high levels of toxic gases from chemical industries in the region.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects.

Closure notice served on two SIPCOT units

2009-09-01T10:24:00.000+05:30

Closure notice served on two SIPCOT units - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE: The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has served “closure notice” on a pharmaceutical unit and a pesticide unit located in the SIPCOT Industrial Estate here for causing atmospheric pollution.

TNPCB sources told The Hindu that as a preliminary step, power supply to Shasun Chemicals and Drugs Ltd. (a pharmaceutical company), and, Tagros Chemicals Ltd. (a generic pesticide manufacturer) was cut on Friday.

Emission level of volatile organic compound (VOC) from both the units was found to be far in excess of the approved limit. It caused unbearable stench in the area, giving rise to strong objection from the residents and a spate of complaints from passers by.

A study conducted by the TNPCB also proved that the two units failed to keep odour level within the limit and did not contain pollution. Therefore, show cause notices were served on the units as to why action should not be taken against them.

As the companies had not come out with verifiable action in this direction, closure notices were issued.

The sources said that only after the companies proved beyond doubt that they had contained the emission, they would be allowed to operate.

Work for Integrated Textile Processing Park put on hold?

2009-08-23T11:37:00.004+05:30

Cotton Corporation sales depots in Coimbatore, Madurai - The Hindu

The Cotton Corporation of India will open sales depots in Coimbatore and Madurai in the coming cotton season (October 2009-September 2010), according to Union Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran.

Speaking at the platinum jubilee of the Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA) here on Saturday, he said this would reduce the cotton price by approximately Rs.2 a kg for the textile mills in Tamil Nadu. The corporation would store the cotton produced in Gujarat and Maharashtra in the godowns here and sell it to local mills. The mills should pass down this benefit, he said.

The SIMA planned to establish a processing park at Cuddalore five years ago. He urged the association to proceed with the project and invest at Cuddalore. He also called upon the association to set up a power plant to overcome the power crisis. The Ministry had launched a portal for the sales of handicrafts and handlooms. .

Union Minister of State for Textiles Panabaaka Lakshmi urged the industry to target untapped markets. It was essential to change the product profile and go in for value addition. The Ministry had formed a 47-member working group to draft the National Fibre Policy.

Minister for Handlooms and Textiles K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran said textiles was an agro-related sector and should be protected. Currently, it faced challenges on several fronts. Minister for Rural Industries Pongalur N. Palanisamy said the industry should go in for finished goods and value-addition.

Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry Venu Srinivasan said that in the State, Coimbatore had been the cradle of entrepreneurship. The textile industry was one of the most important steps that India took in industrialisation.

T.Kannan, chairman of the organising committee of the platinum jubilee, said the association was establishing a textile training institute here jointly with the PSG Institutions. The institute would provide the industry with quality technicians. Lakshmi Machine Works had given the entire range of spinning machinery for the institute.

In response to the Minister’s suggestion on the power project, SIMA chairman K.V.Srinivasan said the association would work on it.

The SIMA had not shelved the Cuddalore processing park project and it would come up.

Vijay Venkataswamy, a former chairman of the association, spoke about the textile industry and the efforts of the association during the last 75 years.

Deputy chairman of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry Shishir Jaipuria and chairman of the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council V.S. Velayutham offered their felicitations.

Tsunami warning for India

2009-08-11T03:10:00.004+05:30

Tsunami warning for India, following a 7.6 magnitude quake [Aug 10, 2009. 19:56 GMT] in Indian Ocean. Inform people near coastal areas, as soon as possible.

Source:
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/280883,tsunami-warning-follows-76-magnitude-quake-in-indian-ocean.html

[update] As per reuters, this warning is now called off.
Source:
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP474863.htm

Deadline to remove encroachments

2009-08-03T08:31:00.001+05:30

Deadline to remove encroachments - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE: Collector P. Seetharaman has fixed August 15 as the deadline for removal of all sorts of encroachments on waterways and water sources.

Following a video-conference session with K. Sathyagopal, Commissioner, Land Management, Chennai, on Friday, the Collector instructed the police and officials to comply with the deadline.

Silver Beach boat house to be renovated

2009-08-02T08:48:00.001+05:30

Boat house to be renovated - The Hindu

Staff Reporter

CUDDALORE: The district administration has decided to renovate the boat house on the Silver Beach.

Shortly after inspecting the beach, Cuddalore Collector P. Seetharaman told The Hindu that the administration planned to re-start jolly ride from the beach after renovating the boat house. The ride was stopped after sand accumulated on the boat house, he said.

Sheds at the boat house would be provided sheets that could withstand corrosion, he added.

Cuddalore - Sirkazhi trial run

2009-07-31T06:48:00.008+05:30

Gauge conversion between Cuddalore [kadaloor] and Sirkazhi [seerkaazhi] was taken as a part of broad gauge conversion between Villupuram [vizhuppuram] and Mayiladuturai [mayilaaduthu'rai]. Work on this 52KM stretch is complete and the trial run is scheduled for today (31-Jul-2009).

Details of the project as I know from various dailies:

Project cost:	Rs. 400 crores
Total Length:	122 KM - between Villupuram and Mayiladuturai
Project start date:	January-2007
Phase I:	Sirkazhi - Mayiladuturai (22KM)
Phase I completion date:	Jan 28, 2009
Phase II:	Cuddalore Old Town - Villupuram (48KM)
Phase II completion date:	Mar 28, 2009
Phase III:	Cuddalore Old Town - Sirkazhi (52KM)
Phase III completion date:	Jul 31, 2009
No. of bridges:	32
No. of culverts:	380
No. of gates:	100 (52 - manned, 48 – unmanned)

Cuddalore – By the coast

2009-07-29T21:28:00.001+05:30

Cuddalore – By the coast by - PondicherryTrip

20kms from Pondicherry, Cuddalore is a short drive away and promises a very different experience for the tourist.

Cuddalore as the name suggests, is a place by the sea. Its association with water goes a step further. The town is also situated at the point where the Rivers Ponnaiyar and the Gadilam often ravage it with flash floods. A sea-port of yore and an important temple town, Cuddalore is also famous for its beaches and its star attraction, the Pichavaram mangrove forest. The British also left their own imprint on the town with various monuments that are now part of the town’s heritage. Industry also plays an important role here with manufacturing units like SIPCOT and the Neyveli Lignite factory near by.

Pondicherry and Chidambaram also promise tourist attractions and have good access from here. Cuddalore is an interesting stop in the Tamil Nadu tourism circuit.

Cuddalore brought under Villupuram town planning office

2009-07-29T21:22:00.001+05:30

New local planning authority planned for Tiruvallur region - The Times of India

CHENNAI: The state government has announced the formation of a new local planning authority for Tiruvallur region to give an impetus to the growth of the district headquarters and surrounding areas.

While announcing this in the Assembly on Tuesday, housing minister I Periasami said development had reached many parts of Tiruvallur district because a substantial portion of Chennai Metropolitan Area fell under the adjacent district. It is high time its growth was regulated and hence a local planning authority was essential, he said.

The government has decided to prepare detailed master plans for Mamallapuram, Ariyalur and Sriperumbudur areas with the assistance of geo-informatics system, said Periasami.

He also said the Directorate of Town and Country Planning regional office in Chengalpet would be bifurcated with two headquarters Chengalpet and Villupuram. While Kancheepuram and Sriperumbudur will remain attached to Chengalpet regional office, Cuddalore is being brought under Villupuram regional office.

CUSECS Pipe Breaks; Village Canal and River Uppanar Contaminated

2009-07-26T22:35:00.002+05:30

CUSECS Pipe Breaks; Village Canal and River Uppanar Contaminated - SIPCOTCuddalore.com

Cuddalore 9 July 2009: Residents of Eachangadu village reported a breakage and leak in CUSECS pipeline at about 2.30 am today. This pipeline collects water from Pioneer Jellice, Arkema Peroxides, Bayer and Pandian Chemicals. This leak was detected by Shivaraman of Eachangadu village after he noticed a strong rotten dead body like chemical odour at the village entrance. Upon further investigation into the source of the smell, Shivaraman discovered the breakage in the pipeline and the effluent overflow into the Eachangadu canal. The point of overflow was on the western side of the SPIC boundary wall between SPIC and the East Coast Road. SACEM monitors alerted the CUSECS operators at the gates of Pioneer Jellice about the leak at around 2.45 am and subsequently it took the operators almost 3 hours to shut the pump. According to the reports the effluent had a white layer on top and had a very strong rotten dead body odour to it.

A complaint has been sent to the TNPCB and District Administration demanding action on the errant officials and scientific clean up of the contaminated sites.

Pollution update

2009-07-26T22:26:00.002+05:30

Below are SIPCOT pollution related news published over past two months in www.sipcotcuddalore.com

Provide water to affected SIPCOT villages: Collector says - SIPCOTCuddalore.com

CUDDALORE, 20 June, 2009 - SIPCOT villages suffering from shortage of drinking water due to overdrawal of water by SIPCOT and groundwater pollution should be given clean water from the Tamilnadu Water Supply and Drainage Board's joint water project. Any expense for the same should be recovered from SIPCOT industries, said the Cuddalore district collector during a quarterly meeting on health, environment and safety issues of the SIPCOT industrial area held on 18 June, 2009. Attended by elected village representatives, SACEM members, SIPCOT and Factories Inspectorate officials and industry representatives, the meeting covered a range of topics from state of pollution in SIPCOT to progress made on issues discussed at the previous meeting in February 2009 full story>>

Pioneer discharges effluent illegally into River Uppanar - SIPCOTCuddalore.com

Cuddalore 9 July 2009: SACEM monitors reported illegal discharge of effluents from Pioneer Jellice Ltd into the Kuttaikaran Koil Viakal (canal) leading to river Uppanar at about 6 am today. This discharge took place just half an hour after the CUSECS pipeline shut its operation due to a breakage near Eachangadu village earlier in the morning. Monitors noticed effluent with white layer and strong rotten dead body odour flowing from the northern side of the unit into the canal.

A complaint has been sent to the TNPCB and District Administration demanding action on the industry for repeatedly resorting to illegal means to discharge their effluent and thereby violating the law.

Buckingham canal revival in limbo

2009-07-26T04:25:00.003+05:30

Buckingham canal revival in limbo - The Times of India

CHENNAI: The much-awaited revival of the Buckingham canal as part of the Centre's Inland Waterway Project is in limbo even nine months after the passage of the Inland Waterways Bill in Parliament.

Though the state public works department (PWD) has submitted a proposal at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) for the dredging and cleaning of the 50-km stretch from Muttukadu [muttu-k-kaadu] creek to Edaiyur creek near Kalpakkam [kal-paakkam] in the first phase of the project, no headway has been made so far.

"The works have gained momentum in neighbouring Kerala, but the project has been limping along in our state. The first phase of the work was originally scheduled to commence in February this year," official sources said.

The chairman of IWAI visited the proposed sites in November 2008 and asked the PWD to submit a proposal for the dredging and cleaning of the stretch as per guidelines issued by the IWAI. It was also proposed to launch ferry service in the creek on an experimental basis to exploit the tourism potential. But, no progress has been made even after the submission of the proposal.

The revival of Buckingham project has reportedly lost momentum after a change of guard in the Union shipping ministry following elections.

The IWAI has, however, sanctioned Rs 16.63 crore to establish inland waterway terminals at Bolgatty Island and Willingdon Island in areas coming under the Cochin Port Trust in Kerala.

The Buckingham canal, which is to be revived at an estimated cost of Rs 450-500 crore, is falling under the National Waterway - IV connecting Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry.

Under the project envisaged to promote inland water transport, the north Buckingham Canal will be revived and made naviagable from Arangam village on the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border to Ennore creek for a distance of 58 km and also the south Buckingham canal from Sholinganallur [choazhingga-:nalloor] to Marakkanam [marak-kaa'nam], a distance of 105 km. However, the central portion of the canal, running to a length of 7.1 km, could not be made navigable due to construction of Mass Rapid Transport System and encroachments.

It has also been planned to construct terminals at Pulicat lake, Basin Bridge, Palavakkam [paala-vaakkam], Alamparai [aalamparai], Kazhanchi and Cuddalore [kadaloor] for loading and unloading of goods. While the PWD will take up the dredging and cleaning work, the IWAI will create required infrastructure such as terminals (fixed or floating) and modification of existing bridges and culverts.

Proposal to convert ECR into four lane

2009-07-24T06:50:00.005+05:30

Rs.63 lakhs had been allocated for the feasibility report and environmental assessment work for coverting ECR stretch between Chennai and Puducherry [puthuchcheari] into four lanes. This was allocated late last year. If any of you know about the progress of the work, please share us.

Fund for port development in Cuddalore district

2009-07-23T23:43:00.006+05:30

Rs. 1000 crore is allocated for the development of port in Cuddalore. But it is not clear whether this fund will be spent on Cuddalore Port at Old Town area or on Thiruchopuram [thiruchchoapuram] port (to the south of Cuddalore Port) being developed by Nagarjuna Oil Corporation Limited (NOCL).

Here is a related article:

In principle approval from Centre to construct 4 harbours - Chennai Online

Jul 11, 2009

Chennai, July 10: The Tamil Nadu Government has got in principle approval from the Centre to construct four harbours at a cost of Rs 3,600 crore, minister for highways and minor ports, Vellakovil M P Swaminathan said today.

Replying to demands for the Highways and Minor Ports Department in the assembly, he said the Centre has approved construction of a Rs 1500 crore harbour near Paramankeni village in Kancheepuram district to handle coal needs for the proposed 4,000 MW ultra mega power project in the district.

Swaminathan said another harbour would be built at Udankudi in Tuticorin district at an estimated cost of Rs 350 crore to handle coal requirements of the proposed 1600 MW power station of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board.

The Minister said following a request by Marg Swarna Bhoomi Board private Limited, a private harbour would also be constructed near Kanchipuram district at a cost of Rs 750 crore. This harbour would be used to repair ships, he added.

Swaminathan said IL&FS proposed to set up a 4,000 MW power plant in Cuddalore district. "In order to facilitate coal requirement for the plant,the government proposes to construct another harbour at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore in the area", he added. - Agencies

Chennai-Cuddalore east coast railway line updates

2009-07-22T01:50:00.018+05:30

The alignment survey results for the proposed Chennai-Cuddalore east coast railway line is out. Perungudi will be the starting point. Guess trains will stop both at Tirupadiripuliyur [thiruppaathirippuliyoor] and Cuddalore [kadaloor] OT junction. A new junction is proposed at Puducherry [puthuchcheari].

Below is the proposed alignment. This can be changed.

01. Perungudi (0 Km)
02. Solinganallur(9.6 Km - Crossing)
03. Kovalam (23.6 Km - Crossing)
04. Tirupporur (30.1 Km - Crossing)
05. Mahabalipuram (43.7 Km - Crossing)
06. Kalpakkam (49.3 Km - Halt)
07. Sadurangappattinam(52.7 Km - Crossing)
08. Kuvattur (64.5 Km - Crossing)
09. Cheyyur (80.2 Km - Crossing)
10. Chunampet (92.8 Km - Halt)
11. Marakkanam (96.6 Km - Crossing)
12. Kunimedu (112 Km - Crossing)
13. Kuilappalayam (125.6 Km - Crossing)
14. Jipmer (131.1 Km - Halt)
15. Pondichery (139.1 Km - Terminal)
16. New Pondichery (147.4 Km - Junction)
17. Bahoor (161.9 Km - Crossing)
18. Varakalpattu (170.2 Km - Existing Station in VM - CUPJ Line - Proposed Junction)
19. Tiruppadirippuliyur (175.3 Km - Existing Crossing Station)
20. Cuddalore Port (179.2 Km - Existing junction)

General expectation of people from Cuddalore and Puducherry will be to start the project from the Cuddalore end, as this will ease the travel between these towns even before the actual project is complete.

As of now it is unclear whether train services between Cuddalore and Puducherry will be introduced. If introduced the travel time could be reduced to 15 minutes.

Source: Indian Railways Southern Zone discussion forum

Related stories:

Indian Railways Southern Zone's discussion forum - Cuddalore Online March 14, 2009

Blueprint for E Coast rail link to Cuddalore ready - The Times of India June 08, 2008

Developements in the proposed Cuddalore - Chennai rail project - Cuddalore Online June 04, 2006

More details on Cuddalore - Chennai rail project - Cuddalore Online October 06, 2005

Cuddalore - Pondicherry connection - Cuddalore Online October 05, 2005

Chennai-Pondicherry rail ? NO it must be Chennai-Cuddalore - Cuddalore Online June 01, 2005

Developments in Cuddalore power project

2009-07-22T01:29:00.002+05:30

Sivasankaran looks south for power play - LiveMint

The ace deal maker could take a 26% stake in the 4,000MW project being developed by IL&FS in Tamil Nadu

Baiju Kalesh

Mumbai: Investor C. Sivasankaran, known for buying companies low and selling high, is in talks to buy a 26% stake in a 4,000MW power plant at Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu, promoted by Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd, or IL&FS, three people familiar with the development said.

Sivasankaran, chairman of the Sterling group that operates in businesses as diverse as mobile telephony and coffee bars, will buy the stake through an unlisted group company, Siva Ventures Ltd, they added.

IL&FS, one of India’s leading infrastructure development and finance firms, will build the power project in four phases of 1,000MW each, at an investment of about Rs18,000 crore, a senior IL&FS executive said. Going by the IL&FS estimate, the cost of production of 1MW would be around Rs4.5 crore.

“Sivasankaran is one of the investors and we are taking to eight others,” added the ILF&S executive who asked not to be identified as the deal has not yet been signed with prospective investors.

One of the two other people mentioned in the first instance is involved with the proposed power project and the other is close to Sivasankaran. Both asked not to be identified because the deal is yet to be signed.

IL&FS and Siva Ventures will hold 26% stake each in the proposed power project, the largest private sector power plant in the southern state, and the remaining 48% stake will be sold to several domestic and international investors.

Vaidyanathan Srinivasan, Siva Ventures’s director, said over the phone: “As a private equity fund, we look at various projects. Some discussion must have taken place but nothing has happened as yet.”

At a debt-equity ratio of 70:30, the Rs18,000 crore project will need Rs5,400 crore equity. For their 52% stake, ILF&S and Sivasankaran will bring in Rs1,404 crore each as equity.

The 3,960MW Sasan ultra mega power project in Madhya Pradesh, one of India’s largest coal-based power projects, promoted by the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, has a 75:25 debt-equity ratio. It has recently achieved its financial closure. While banks and financial institutions will lend Rs14,550 crore, the promoters are chipping in Rs4,850 crore in the form of equity.

IL&FS and Sivasankaran have begun discussions with Indonesia’s Bumi Resources Tbk, Asia’s largest coal miner, to source coal for the project and are also scouting for coal mines in Indonesia, Australia and Africa, one of the three people said.

Tata Power Ltd, India’s second largest utility firm by sales, has purchased a 30% stake in Kaltium Prima Coal and Arutumin Coal mines in Indonesia that entitles the company to source 10 million tonnes of coal to fire its 4,000MW ultra mega power project near Mundra port in Gujarat.

The relationship between Sivasankaran and IL&FS dates back to 2000 when the financial institution lent Rs100 crore to Aircel, a cellular firm Sivasankaran sold to Maxis Telecommunications Bhd of Malaysia in 2005.

IL&FS had won a mandate to raise $400 million for the telco from private equity funds and financial investors but Sivasankarn sold his firm before this transaction was completed.

Tamil Nadu has been keen to promote private sector investment in power to bridge its 1,700MW deficit that sometimes causes power cuts as long as eight hours a day.

baiju.k@livemint.com

Security tightened around Cuddalore Port

2009-07-10T00:47:00.000+05:30

Security tightened around Cuddalore Port - The Hindu

A.V.Ragunathan

Vital industries under security blanket

Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

Staying alert: Security personnel inspecting the coast in Cuddalore on Wednesday.

CUDDALORE: Security has been tightened around the Cuddalore Port as part of Operation Barricade. Though the port is defunct, officials are cautious that no strangers gain surreptitious entry into it.

The operation is being kept as a closely guarded secret. But for the top brass, lower-level officials and personnel of various security agencies have no inkling about its true purport.

Unlike other mock drills , Operation Barricade is being carried out in utmost secrecy.
Guarding the sea route

The idea is to take the officials by surprise though an announcement of “infiltration” of anti-social elements who manage to enter the mainland through the sea route. Superintendent of Police Ashwin M. Kotnis told The Hindu that the entire administrative machinery was involved in the operation. Quick reaction teams were deployed at crucial points to guard vital installations.

Personnel of the Coast Guard, Coastal Security Group, local police, Intelligence Bureau and Port officials were involved in the operation, which is being conducted in all coastal villages of the district.
Coastal Vigilance Committees

Mr. Kotnis said that all 43 Coastal Vigilance Committees had been put on alert and their members told to report immediately to the police the citing of any suspicious movement.

Security personnel were doing the rounds at the Cuddalore Port area, Killai, Reddichavadi and so on.

Eleven additional checkpoints had been created to monitor vehicular movement.

Power generating units in the Neyveli Lignite Corporation and the SIPCOT Industrial Estate were now under security blanket. Mr. Kotnis said that at present there was no security threat. But, the operation would keep the personnel on their toes and hone their skills to deal with exigencies.

However, the personnel were not provided weapons to avoid people from panicking, Mr. Kotnis said.

Closure notice issued to Cuddalore pharma unit

2009-06-07T15:51:00.001+05:30

Closure notice issued to Cuddalore pharma unit - The Hindu

5 June 2009

Special Correspondent
The Hindu

It produced a chemical without the consent of TNPCB

CUDDALORE: The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has issued closure notice to Aurobindo Pharma Ltd., located in SIPCOT Industrial Estate complex here, for producing a chemical without its consent.

Board sources said that the TNPCB had given permission to the company to produce a chemical product named 6-APA but it started to bring out a new product named 7-AVNA.

Following complaints from the Cuddalore District Consumer Protection Organisation, the Golabal Environment Monitoring and the SIPCOT Area Community Environment Monitoring, the Board inspected the company and detected the violation.

Health hazards

According to M. Nizamudeen, executive secretary of the consumer protection organisation, the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute had already come out with findings that environment in the industrial estate was highly polluted to the extent of causing health hazards to people.

Studies conducted by these three organisations had revealed that certain units in the industrial estate were producing unauthorised products thereby aggravating the problem.

Hence, they took up the issue with the State government and the TNPCB, following which the Cuddalore District Environmental Engineer (DEE) was deputed to inspect the pharma company.

Company records

From records of the company, the DEE found out that the firm had dispatched unauthorised products from its premises on March 26, 31 and April 14 and 19.

The company took the stand that the unit only carried out a trial production of the new product and given an assurance to the TNPCB that it would not go ahead with its production without the latter's consent.

Therefore, the Board sources said that the company had knowingly violated rules.

Hence, invoking Section 33A of the Water (Prevention and control of pollution) Act 1974 and Section 31A of the Air (Prevention and control of pollution) Act 1981, the TNPCB had issued closure notice to the company.

It had also directed the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board to stop power supply to the unit forthwith.

Pollution Levels Continue to be High in SIPCOT Cuddalore

2009-06-07T15:45:00.002+05:30

Pollution Levels Continue to be High in SIPCOT Cuddalore - SIPCOTCuddalore.com

Cuddalore, 20 May 2009: The pollution levels in SIPCOT Cuddalore continue to be very high according to the SACEM monitors. The monitors reported that most of the units including Asian Paints, Maruthi and Loyal Superfabrics are repeatedly releasing heavy smoke during the night time. They also reported extremely high odours from Pioneer Jelice, CUSECS and SPIC Pharmaceuticals.

The monitors report that though they keep the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board informed about all the ongoing violations, they are yet to see strong response from the Board and a proper action on the industries so that these violations are discontinued. The monitors have sought an appointment with the Chairperson of the TNPCB to discuss these ongoing violations and lax role of the local TNPCB.

Cuddalore port to get facelift!

2009-06-06T01:53:00.002+05:30

Congress power sharing in TN: Sonia to decide - Asian Tribune
Mon, 2009-06-01 03:25

Gopal Ethiraj from Chennai

Chennai, 01 May, (Asiantribune.com): Congress power sharing The Union Minister of Shipping G.K. VasanThe Union Minister of Shipping G.K. Vasanin Tamil Nadu with its alliance partner DMK is gathering momentum. This is Congress men’s long-pending demand.

The Union Minister of Shipping, G.K. Vasan, who came to Chennai after taking charge, said AICC President Sonia Gandhi would decide on it. "Her decision on share in Tamil Nadu cabinet would be final."

The Congress Leader of the Floor, D.Sudarsanam, has recently stirred the hornet’s nest, expressing the feelings of his party-men. Since then the talk of sharing ministry in the state is gaining currency.

Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project is a dream project which would benefit Tamil Nadu and the country as well, Vasan said and added that certain obstacles in implementing the project has to be removed. He also said he was expecting the Pachauri Committee, which was constituted to look into it, to submit its report.

Vasan said that the roads connecting ports would be laid, and he is convening a meeting with officials concerned in this connection. The ports in Kanyakumari, Cuddalore, Ennore and Marakkanam would get facelift, he added.

On the Sri Lankan issue Vasan said the time has come for the Tamils to enjoy equal rights on par with the Sinhalese. The Centre has sanctioned Rs. 500 crore for rehabilitating the Lankan Tamils, he said. "All the essential items have been sent to Lanka for the Tamils."

--
It is not clear what their "facelift" means. In worst case it could two high mast lamps and a part by the side of port trust office.

Call to check dumping of chemical waste

2009-06-02T08:59:00.000+05:30

Call to check dumping of chemical waste - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE: The Cuddalore District Consumer Protection Organisation has voiced concern over indiscriminate dumping of chemical waste by unscrupulous tanker-lorry drivers in residential areas.

In a representation addressed to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, the Association’s executive secretary, M. Nizamudeen, said that a tanker lorry emptied its contents on Monday night on a piece of land near a marriage hall on the way to Soorappa Naicken Chavadi here.

It emitted unbearable stench in the nearby areas.

Mr. Nizamudeen therefore called upon the TNPCB to keep a proper check on chemical waste disposal.

If there was any likelihood of ecological damage by such reckless acts, the TNPCB should take measures to neutralise the adverse effects and initiate penal action against those responsible for it.

The Association also called upon the TNPCB to have a dedicated phone line on which complaints could be lodged round the clock and to depute staff immediately to take remedial measures.

Unidentified Tanker Lorry Dumps SIPCOT Effluent in Cuddalore Town

2009-06-02T03:42:00.001+05:30

Unidentified Tanker Lorry Dumps SIPCOT Effluent in Cuddalore Town - SIPCOTCuddalore.com

Cuddalore 26 May, 2009: In another incident of continued blatant violation of environmental regulations in SIPCOT, Cuddalore town residents yesterday discovered an effluent dumped next TVM Marriage Hall compound by an unidentified tanker lorry. According to the sources, the effluent dump was discovered around 7.30 pm on 25 May 2009 only after people noticed very strong mosquito coil like odour from the region. The matter was immediately brought to the notice of the SACEM monitors who rushed the spot and also informed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) officials. Since it was dark in the evening the colour and extent of the effluent could not be properly determined. While the residents suspected one of the SIPCOT units to dump this effluent, any conclusive evidence of the source of effluent would only come after a proper scientific analysis of the samples.

District Environment Engineer and Assistant Environment Engineer of the TNPCB arrived at the spot within half hour and have promised to investigate the matter. More information is awaited.

Mosquito trap

2009-05-22T09:00:00.003+05:30

Something Cuddalore needs very badly at the moment.

--
A ‘trap’ to prevent mosquito breeding - The Hindu

Shastry V. Mallady

— Photo: K. Ganesan

The ‘trap’ will be of great use in rubber plantations.

MADURAI: A simple ‘trap’ to prevent breeding of mosquitoes, designed at the Centre for Research in Medical Entomology (CRME) here, a laboratory under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is getting ready to be patented.

An anti-breeding trap with easy to handle mechanical design would be of great use, particularly in rubber plantations of Kerala, where the breeding of Aedes albopictus mosquito is the root cause of dengue, according to CRME entomologists.

“This mosquito is a transmitter of vector-borne diseases like dengue. It breeds in rubber plantations and then becomes disease carrier. So, we have come out with a simple solution to a major problem,” B.K. Tyagi, Officer in-charge, CRME, told The Hindu here on Thursday.

The anti-Aedes albopictus breeding trap would be put on rubber collection cups in plantations. It would be able to prevent breeding because of the “simple engineering work” done with regard to the mesh, netting, slider and gauge. The cost of this trap would be just around Rs.100 and materials used by the CRME would be familiar to plantation workers. “We have experimented with the trap locally and found that mosquito breeding did not occur in places where it was tested,” he said. Documentary evidence was sent to the ICMR requesting to initiate the process for getting a patent.

Commercial complex at busstand premises demolished

2009-05-16T13:46:00.005+05:30

After a long struggle the commercial complex in Cuddalore bus stand premises is demolished.

Related article:
Everyone's eye set on next move

Inaction From TNPCB Helps SIPCOT Unit Cover Up Illegality

2009-05-16T11:06:00.000+05:30

Inaction From TNPCB Helps SIPCOT Unit Cover Up Illegality - SipcotCuddalore.com

Cuddalore 27 April 2009: Local monitors report that delay from the TNPCB in taking action on the illegal operations of Aurobindo Pharma may have helped the unit cover up its illegalities and escape punishment. According to the sources the unit has been producing a chemical (7AVMA) without valid permissions under the Consent to Establish and Operate for the past few months. On the evening of 22 April 2009 Cuddalore District Consumer Protection Organisation (CDCPO) brought this illegality to the notice of the DEE Cuddalore through a fax. In its letter CDCPO also mentioned that the unit had constructed a 500 tonne storage tank as opposed to the 100 tonnes permitted by the TNPCB. Even though the DEE was alerted about this illegality in the evening of 22nd April, he did not make a site visit to investigate the complaint until the evening of the 24th April thus giving time to the unit to cover its tracks. After visiting the unit the DEE informed the complainant on the phone that the unit had undertaken trial runs of the product without valid permission but did not mention or assure about his course of action on the unit for this violation. Even after the site visit no action has been taken on the unit so far.

Moreover it is now learnt from the workers inside the unit that on the evening of 26th April 2009, the unit illegally transported one tanker lorry of the chemical (7AVMA) to Banguluru to escape punishment. Residents believe that the delay in the investigations and action of TNPCB officials have led to this situation where the unit has adopted measures to cover up its illegalities and is likely to escape punishment.

Illegal operations and delay in the action of the TNPCB has been highlighted in several cases before. This case merely reinforces the lack of political will of the TNPCB to take action on the violators. A complaint on this incident has been filed with the Chairperson of TNPCB specifically demanding enquiry on the role of the DEE in implementing the environmental law in the SIPCOT region.

Tamil film directors to campaign in Cuddalore

2009-05-03T12:58:00.001+05:30

Tamil directors jump into poll campaigning - The Times of India
2 May 2009, 0509 hrs IST, TNN

CHENNAI: A section of the film fraternity, led by director Bharathiraja, has decided to take a plunge into electioneering. Not for canvassing
votes but to seek support for the Eelam cause.

Tamil film directors including Bharatiraja, R K Selvamani, R Sundarrajan, Seeman, Ameer, Cheran, Selvabharathy , actors Vadivelu, Manivannan and poets Arivumathi and Snehan all members of the newly-constituted Tamil Film World Tamil Eelam Supporters' Movement would be touring Congress bastions and constituencies where the party has fielded its candidates. They will camapign in the state from May 4 to 11.

"We have come together not for vote gathering, but to garner support for our Tamil brethren in Sri Lanka. Our agenda is to identify those politicians we consider as hostile to the plight of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka," said Bharatiraja, in a veiled reference to Congress leaders. However, he refused to identify them.

The campaign would kick off from Anna Statue in Kancheepuram before proceeding to Salem, Thiruppur, Dindigul, Virudhunagar, Tenkasi, Thiurnelveli, Cuddalore and Pudhicerry. The director also affirmed that the movement would oppose the visit of Sonia Gandhi to Tamil Nadu "until she gives a call to stop the war."

Lankan Tamils saved near Cuddalore coast

2009-05-03T11:03:00.000+05:30

Oil ship personnel save two Lankan Tamils from mid-sea - The Hindu

Rameswaram (PTI): Two Sri Lankan Tamils, who were drifting in the mid-sea off Cuddalore coast in South Arcot district, were saved by the personnel of an oil ship, on Saturday night.

According to Q-branch police officials, Athan (27) and Dansan (39) were slowly moving in the mid-sea in a boat, after the engine of their boat fell into the sea four days back.

The personnel of the ship, which was transporting oil for Reliance, handed both of them to the Coast Guard and they were brought to the Mandapam camp on Sunday.

Athan and Dansan had fled the battle ridden island nation fearing for their lives and the engine of their boat fell into the sea, according to police.

They said the army was attacking Kudiyiruppu area in Mullaitivu when they left the country. Some persons who were fleeing from the area had been shot dead by the army, they claimed.

Some people were escaping by boats to Mathalai and from there to Trincomallee and surrendering before the army, they added.

The Sachet

2009-04-23T12:35:00.002+05:30

An article on the revolutionary business man from Cuddalore that appeared in LiveMint.

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The sachet

When schoolteacher Chinni Krishnan made a career change to run a pharma company in the early 1970s, he had a simple business plan in mind: making medicines affordable to the common man. His factory in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, made medicines and healing salts packaged in 5g packets that were otherwise available in the markets in 100g packets.
Krishnan may not have known it then, but he laid the groundwork for the sachet concept, India’s biggest marketing revolution. Years later, in the late 1970s, his son C.K. Rajkumarextended the concept by introducing Velvette-branded shampoos in sachets at affordable price points (as low as Rs2) and creating an addressable market running into millions not touched by sales of the product in bottles. Rajkumar’s brother C.K. Ranganathan(present chairman and managing director of consumer products firm CavinKarePvt. Ltd) came up with a product, branded Chikshampoo, stretching the market size even further.

Read full article>>

Photographs of Tom Pietrasik

2009-04-23T11:50:00.002+05:30

Tom Pietrasik is a British photographer who visits India quiet often. His photographs are regularly featured in The Times Magazine, National Geographic Adventure and many other reputed magazine.

Tom Pietrasik had visited Cuddalore and photographed tsunami orphans.

Visit http://www.tompietrasik.com/ (and click Tsunami Lives) to find his photographs taken in Cuddalore.

Narikkorava community demands right to vote

2009-04-12T08:43:00.001+05:30

Narikkorava community demands right to vote - The Hindu

Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu) (IANS): Over 100 tribals of Tamil Nadu's Narikkorava community held a demonstration here Wednesday, demanding the right to vote, police said.

"This near illiterate gypsy tribe could not cast their votes so far due to their nomadic character, though they were issued ration cards 10 years ago. We are assuring them all help this time," a police official said after persuading the tribals to give up their protest.

"We have a history going back thousands of years and are as much citizens of this nation as others. Yet, we have been marginalised, termed untouchables and (have) never voted. Now we want to assert our rights," a spokesman of the group, Domba Raja, said.

The state's Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta said the poll panel will look into the community's grievances.

"We are particular that nobody should be denied the right to vote and will take immediate action if representations from this group reaches us directly or the district administration," Gupta told IANS on phone from Chennai.

The tribe's origins are traced to European Roma gypsies and to several others from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Orissa, according to accounts published by Edgar Thurston in 1909.

According to the police, most members of the tribe live in Tamil Nadu and parts of Kerala. They used to be trappers and hunters, but hunting has now been banned. One of their traditional handicarfts is the making of bead garlands.

Trial run on broadgauge section between Cuddalore and Villupuram

2009-03-29T18:06:00.001+05:30

Trial run on broadgauge section today - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE: A trial run will be conducted on the newly-laid broadgauge section between Cuddalore and Villupuram on Saturday.

Southern Railway sources told The Hindu that the 120-km stretch would have 11 major bridges, 100 minor bridges, 25 level-crossings and seven stations, including Thirupadiripuliyur, Varakkalpattu, Nellikuppam, Melpattampakkam, Panruti, Thiruthuraiyur and Sendanur.

This section is part of the Villupuram-Mayiladuthurai gauge conversion project and services are likely to begin on this route by June.

The project is about a year behind schedule for various reasons.

For instance, a railway bridge across the Kollidam linking Chidambaram and Sirkazhi was posing difficulties in erecting concrete pillars owing to frequent floods.

The sources said that the Cuddalore-Villupuram section was executed by the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. However, the level-crossing on Lawrence Road in the heart of Cuddalore town remained a contentious issue.

Red effluent in Uppanaar

2009-03-28T10:02:00.005+05:30

Uppanar Pollution: Fishermen find Red Effluent in Water, Report Skin Problems - SIPCOTCuddalore.com

Cuddalore, 25 March 2009: The fishermen fishing early in the morning in the river Uppanar reported red effluent near Kudikadu village today. According to the local fishermen they entered the water at about 3 am and suffered from severe itching on the skin after coming to contact with the water. This prompted them to come back at a later hour to check the reasons for such skin reactions. When the fishermen came to the same site at about 6 pm they saw a red sludge like layer floating on the water (see picture). No smell was reported from the effluent.

A complaint has been filed with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and the Board is yet to respond or investigate into the incident.

Groundwater pollution “alarming”

2009-03-22T10:53:00.002+05:30

Groundwater pollution “alarming” in different parts of State, warns report - The Hindu

T. Ramakrishnan

Marked deterioration noticed in quality of shallow groundwater

— File Photo

Stream of distress: Untreated effluents from leather tanneries pose a hazard to groundwater. A scene at Pammal near Chennai.

CHENNAI: The magnitude of groundwater pollution due to indiscriminate discharge of solid and liquid waste by the industry and fertilizers/pesticides used excessively by farmers have reached an “alarming stage” in the State, according to a paper presented at a recent workshop organised by the Central Groundwater Board.

The affected areas include Dindigul, Ranipet-Ambur-Vaniyambadi-Pernambut in Vellore district; Sembattu in Tiruchi district and parts of Erode district and Chromepet near Chennai (known for the presence of tannery units); Tiruppur (knitwear and hosiery); parts of Karur and Erode districts (textile and weaving units); and parts of Salem and Namakkal (tapioca processing units).

While aquaculture has been cited as the reason for the pollution in coastal tracts of Nagapattinam district, the presence of engineering industries at Ambattur near Chennai and Coimbatore city and surrounding areas is said to have caused the pollution. The Manali industrial area in Tiruvallur district, where petrochemical units and refineries are located, is another affected area the paper said.
Undesirable change

Submitted by scientist at the CGWB K. Ravichandran, the paper stated that special studies carried out by the Board in and around tannery belts between 2002 and 2008 revealed that an undesirable change in physical and chemical characteristics of soil and groundwater had been noticed, rendering thousands of hectares of fertile land sterile. In other areas, the study began in the year 2000.

A study of analytical results of groundwater quality tested by the Board and the State government’s agencies showed that the quality of shallow groundwater, in general, had deteriorated much. The concentration of dissolved solids and chlorides in water samples collected from dug wells was extremely high, ranging between 20,000 milligram per litre and 35,000 mg/l, especially in the tannery belts.

Studies in Dindigul indicated that the common effluent treatment plant had not been effective in reducing total dissolved solids to permissible limit for domestic use. Describing the Ranipet region as an “endangered area,” the paper called for strong measures from the government to arrest the deterioration. Groundwater in Chromepet was highly mineralised and excessively hard. In Manali, toxic heavy metals were present in the industrial effluents and surface water sources.

Reconstruction of roads under way in Cuddalore

2009-03-21T08:35:00.000+05:30

Reconstruction of roads under way in Cuddalore - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE: The Cuddalore municipality has taken up the road relaying works in stretches, in all the 45 wards, according to N. Ravichandran, Municipal Commissioner.

The residents are concerned over the condition of roads that are fully damaged by heavy rains in the past three years. The roads are full of potholes, and hence, pose great inconvenience to the commuters.

The tarred surface has been fully eroded in many places and big stones are protruding out. The problem is compounded by the slow implementation of the underground drainage project.

The Commissioner said the reconstruction of roads had been taken up from the flood relief funds amounting to Rs. 2 crore provided by Collector Rajendra Ratnoo. After studying the condition of the roads in the entire municipal limits, the stretches that needed immediate attention were identified. These were mostly the major roads which carried heavy traffic. In all, 12 km length of roads would be re-laid with bitumen tar surface.

A few stretches at Reddichathram Street, Market Colony, Chinnaponnu Nagar, Pillaiyar Koil Street, Palla Street, Kodikkalkuppam, Kuttakara Cross Street, Vaithialingam Street and Seeman Thotal will get cement concrete pavement.

Care had been taken that the newly laid roads would not be dug again for giving household connections to the underground drainage system.

All these works would be completed in a month, Mr. Ravichandran said.

Embroidery at Cuddalore Central Prison

2009-03-20T08:27:00.004+05:30

No bar on them in unfettering creativity and mastering art - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

19 life term convicts learn the art of embroidery at Cuddalore Central Prison

— Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy
Changing patterns: Inmates of Cuddalore Central Prison learning the ropes of embroidery in a training session.

CUDDALORE: It is paradoxical but true that the persons whose raw passion has landed them in trouble and pushed them behind bars are mastering intricate needle works.

They believe that learning the art of embroidery will occupy them fully and eliminate the thinking that they are simply slogging within the four walls of the prison.

This is the domineering feeling of a batch of 19 convicts who are serving their life term in the Cuddalore Central Prison. Instead of whiling away time and brooding over misfortunes these inmates are eager to learn certain skills that would give them a sort of solace and a sense of direction and purpose in life.

Jail Superintendent R.Kanagaraj told The Hindu that the authorities were favourably disposed to the idea of the inmates taking up certain skill-oriented pursuits.

Grabbing the opportunity a 45-year-old inmate Krishnaraj (name changed to camouflage the identity), a lifer in a murder case, mooted the idea of starting an embroidery training centre in the prison.

Before conviction Krishnaraj was in the trade for years and hence, he was well versed to assume the role of the trainer. Soon, 18 other inmates had expressed their willingness to learn the ropes.

Therefore, the jail authorities procured them the required materials such as pieces of colourful cloth, needles and chumkis. The Jail Superintendent said it was a highly creative work meant for those who have the patience to sit through for hours together.

0They undergo the training with the hope that after their release they could take up the trade to lead a dignified life.

In the carpentry section 20 other inmates were busy cutting the wooden reapers and nailing them to make rectangular boxes. A private fabric dealer at Kurinjipadi had provided the materials from which the boxes of required sizes were being made.

For every completed box Rs.8 was being given as wages. Satisfied with the finished products the dealer had promised to place orders continuously.

The Jail Superintendent said such profitable occupation enabled the inmates to overcome the remorse of their misdeeds and instilled in them the hope that once out of the prison they could take up decent living.

Chinese boat drifts near Cuddalore

2009-03-20T08:25:00.001+05:30

Chinese boat drifts near Cuddalore - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE: An inflatable rubber boat of Chinese origin was found drifting off Rasapettai coastal village near here on Thursday.

Jayaprakash, a fisherman of the village, towed the black-and-orange boat to the shore and informed the police.

The boat carried two cylinders, one with carbondioxide and other with nitrogen.

An orange-coloured mesh like device, said to be a radar reflector, was also found onboard. It is stated that during emergency, light will be focused on the device to attract the attention of vessels on high seas. Drinking water sachets with inscriptions ‘Made in China’ and two oars were also found in the dinghy.

The Cuddalore Port police are investigating.

Demonstration against untouchability in Cuddalore district

2009-03-20T08:24:00.001+05:30

CPI (M) stages demo against ‘untouchability’ - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

flaying discrimination: CPI (M) cadres staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate in Cuddalore on Tuesday. —

CUDDALORE:Cadres of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), including women, staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate here on Tuesday, decrying the prevalence of untouchability in certain villages.

District secretary of the party S. Dhanasekaran said that there were about 300 Dalit families in Nallathur, who were denied their rights in all aspects of life. He alleged that the Dalits were not properly enrolled or given regular work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

Two-tumbler system was still prevalent at tea shops where the Dalits were not allowed to sit.

Temples, community halls, marriage halls and even barber shops were out of bounds for them. The village also lacked basic amenities such as schools, anganwadis and fair price shops.

At Periya Kanganakuppam, a graveyard allotted to the Dalits had been encroached upon.

The CPI (M) urged the authorities to invoke the provisions of the Scheduled Castes/Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and also restore the rights of the Dalits.

Disaster preparedness in SIPCOT area

2009-03-20T08:13:00.000+05:30

Stress on disaster preparedness - The Hindu

CUDDALORE: Collector Rajendra Ratnoo has called upon chemical units in the SIPCOT Industrial Estate here to create awareness among residents in the vicinity of disaster preparedness and management.

Mr. Ratnoo spoke at a review meeting held here on Thursday.

He said that during natural disasters such as cyclone, floods and tsunami the chemical units set up closer to the coastal areas could be a threat to the people and environment.
Responsibility

Therefore, these units had to arrange for demonstrations on disaster management techniques.

Mr. Ratnoo also insisted upon the units to fully cooperate with the officials in implementing the pollution control norms.

Fibre boats for Customs Department in Cuddalore

2009-03-14T12:04:00.003+05:30

Ultra powerful fibreglass boats for Customs dept - Sakaal Times
PTI
Friday, March 13th, 2009 AT 11:03 AM
Tags: Customs dept, Tamil Nadu
Close...

NAGAPATTINAM: Customs personnel in five coastal cities of Tamil Nadu will now be better equipped to take on smugglers with the Centre allotting them ultra modern high speed fibre glass boats.

These Norwegian designed boats, fitted with two 250 Horse power Hydraulic engines, would be manned by 10 customs personnel and also help check smuggling of narcotics, medicines to other countries and ships at sea, sources said.

This is part of the Centre's plan to coordinate the activities of the customs with the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Coastal Security Force, which have already been strengthened, they said.

These boats will be given to the Customs department at Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, Tuticorin, Cuddalore and Chennai ports.

The dismantled boats, which arrived at the Chennai customs office on March 9, with all the necessary equipment, would be assembled soon and put out to sea in about a fortnight, they said.

Tsunami early warning system

2009-03-14T12:00:00.003+05:30

An early warning system for tsunami developed - ThaiIndian
March 13th, 2009 - 2:24 pm ICT by ANI -

Hyderabad, Mar 13 (ANI): The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) in Hyderabad has developed a Tsunami Early Warning System to provide special kind of data for the safety of people living in the Indian coastal areas.

The Early Warning System will mitigate Oceanogenic disasters that cause severe threat to nearly 400 million people that live in the coastal belt leading to huge devastation of life and property.
“Tsunami Early Warning System comprises seismic stations. They are actually there to identify whether any Tsunami generic earthquake has happened. So, we are capable of detecting earthquakes of more than six magnitudes because more than six magnitudes are the ones, which are capable of generating a Tsunami. To detect such events, we need a network of seismic stations. So, we have actually access to more than 300 international and national seismic stations, which are sending data to INCOIS,” said T. Srinivas Kumar, Incharge, Tsunami Early Warning System.

The centre has a special wing, the National Early Warning System for tsunami and storm surges linked to17 broadband seismic stations for real time earthquake detection and 320 international stations, which enable it to locate its occurrence within five to ten minutes.

“We have used earthquake sensors. So we try to monitor if there is any earthquake happening in the ocean. Once if it has happened, then we see if it is a large one or not because then the displacement of water will be large. Then we monitor water level changes using bottom pressure recorder. If we see any changes in the level of the seawater, we confirm whether Tsunami is likely to come or not,” said M.Ravichandran, Head, Modeling and Ocean Observation Group, INCOIS.

The giant tsunami waves that occurred on December 26, 2004 triggered by a powerful earthquake that killed over 150,000 people across Asia and Africa, swept across India’’s southeastern and southern coast killing 12,405 people and left millions homeless.
India was among the most grievously hit by the tsunami, with a death toll of more than 7,400 in Tamil Nadu alone.

The coastal districts of Tamil Nadu suffered massive destructions and damage to life and property.

The tsunami swept through Chennai, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and other coastal belts and thousands of people were washed away. (ANI)

Tamil Nadu tourism department to promote dawn festival

2009-03-14T10:37:00.004+05:30

TN welcomes private initiatives in tourism - Time of India
10 Mar 2009, 0411 hrs IST, V Ayyappan, TNN

CHENNAI: Public Private Partnership (PPP) is going to be the watchword for Tamil Nadu Tourism, which is planning to tie-up with industry and
private firms to provide better facilities, logistics and even packages for tourists.

Sources said that the department was planning to open up more spheres for PPP initiatives, encouraged by the feed back received from industry in a recently held seminar on role of corporate sector in tourism promotion.

Construction of accommodation
, infrastructure development, providing basic amenities to tourists and managing and maintenance of tourist spots will be some of the areas that may be outsourced to private agencies in the future.

"We have received good response from industry for partnership. They have expressed interest to promote tourism promotion, development of tourist spots, and provision of infrastructure at tourist
spots," said Tourism commissioner M Rajaram.

Taking a leaf out from the India Tourism initiative to lease out heritage monuments, Tamil Nadu Tourism also wanted to outsource maintenance of state owned tourist monuments and tourist spots for maintenance and upkeep, he added.

"It will be a good idea to lease out monuments like Tarangambadi to private agencies to maintain it and also to provide and operate facilities for tourists. The India Tourism's
initiative to lease out heritage monuments will have to be implemented when the project is expanded to other states also."

Tourism secretary V Irai Anbu said that "tourism department will like the corporate sector to provide accommodation and install infrastructure facilities at lesser known and small tourist spots across the state. Infrastructure and accommodation for tourists are two areas that require more attention."

Tourist arrivals to the state have not decreased even after economic slowdown has reduced the number of tourist arrivals to other parts of the country. And Tamil Nadu expects more tourists to visit its tourist attractions in the coming months.

Hence, "we will need better facilities at tourist spots. Already, we are receiving good support from private firms to develop eco-tourism and rural tourism spots. Dhan Foundation is doing a good job by developing and maintaining eco-tourist village," said Rajaram.

Cycle tourism, launched in April 2008, is a good PPP example. TI Cycles have provided bicycles at Mamallapuram and Madurai. These can be hired by the tourists, especially foreign tourists to pedal around the town for sight seeing.

"More such innovative ideas from private sector will be useful in attracting more tourists," said an official.

Tamil Nadu tourism already has tie-ups with corporate to promote boat festival, food festival, summer festivals at Ooty and Kodaikanal, Chennai Sangamam, heritage walk, hop-on hop-off tour, bed and breakfast scheme rural tourism and dawn festival at Cuddalore.

---
Dawn festival is conducted in Pichavaram to promote the eco-tourism. Anybody knows what is "bed and breakfast scheme rural tourism" ?

Related articles:

Dawn Fest 2008

Shoring up Pichavaram as tourist centre

Showcasing Pichavaram

A dawn fest at Pichavaram

Indian Railways Southern Zone's discussion forum

2009-03-14T10:29:00.004+05:30

I have recently come across Indian Railways Southern Zone's active discussion forum. The forum contains section for official press releases and project updates. Even in other sections, it looks like officials respond to user queries.

Sea safety

2009-03-14T09:38:00.005+05:30

I have long been wondering if we could in any way make fishing a safer experience for the fisheries. With the present technological advancements the safety of the fishermen can be improved even with the low cost equipments.

I have come accross Sea Safety South Asia's website which contains huge information about fishermen safety and safer fishing practices. Sea Safety South Asia is a sister concern of South Indian Federation of Fishermen Societies's (SIFFS).

According to SIFF's estimate there 12874 fishing families in Cuddalore district. It further says safety awareness has greatly improved in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam after the tsunami. But obviously a lot more to be improved.

As many of the viewers are from the fishing community and many others are in some way closely connected to fisheries friends, I request you to visit Sea Safety South Asia's website and the take the safety practices to the fishing masses.

The organisation also has an active discussion group.

Cuddalore residents want drainage project speeded up

2009-03-13T06:56:00.003+05:30

Cuddalore residents want drainage project speeded up - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

“Uncovered trenches have become accident spots”

— Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

SOLUTION NOT IN SIGHT: The underground drainage work in Cuddalore town is going on a slow pace.

CUDDALORE: The slow progress on the underground drainage work in Cuddalore town is causing great inconvenience to the residents.

The uncovered trenches dug for laying the pipelines have become veritable accident spots, according to M.Marudhavanan, general secretary of the Federation of All Residents Welfare Associations.

Voicing concern over the delay in its implementation, he said only 60 per cent of work on the proposed 162 km pipeline was completed so far. Started on January 1, 2007 the project should have been completed by December 31, 2008, but still there were yawning gaps in its execution, he said.

Mr. Marudhavanan further said that the move to acquire 47 acres of land at Thevanampattinam for the erection of the sewage treatment plant too encountered a problem.

Therefore there was an apprehension that the sullage might be discharged into the Gedilam. He said even before the trenches were properly and firmly filled up there should not be any move to relay the roads, as it would result in wasteful expenditure.

Construction of small pits in the households for linking the underground drainage system was fraught with problems as in the event of blockade it would result in unhygienic condition.

He noted that if the authorities were insisting upon completion of all the four phases before making the system operational the project would take another three years to fructify.

General secretary of the Cuddalore District Consumer Protection Organisation M.Nizamuddin said lack of coordination among the departments was the primary reason for the delay and hoped the works would be expedited to alleviate the problems of the residents.
Resource crunch

Municipal Commissioner N.Ravichandran said owing to upgradation of sewage treatment technology the project cost would go up from Rs 40.40 crore to Rs 48 crore.

As per the original plan the cost would be shared by the Tamil Nadu Urban Development Project (Rs 10 crore), the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Corporation (Rs 15.36 crore) and the local body as well as the residents (Rs 15.04 crore).

The civic body was yet to realise the tax arrears of Rs 18 crore and in such a piquant situation it would be a challenging task for it to mobilise necessary resources. Mr Ravichandran said he would soon meet Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi and seek financial assistance for the project.

Following a spate of representations District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo has initiated measures for better coordination among the departments.

Cuddalore Municipality intensifies tax collection

2009-03-13T06:52:00.002+05:30

Cuddalore Municipality intensifies tax collection drive - The Hindu

A.V.Ragunathan

— Photo:C. Venkatachalapathy

AUGMENTING REVENUE: Cuddalore Municipality’s tax collection apace.

CUDDALORE: The Cuddalore Municipality has intensified tax collection drive to realise arrears amounting to Rs. 18 crore, according to N. Ravichandran, Municipal Commissioner.

He told The Hindu that a special drive launched on March 2 would go on till March 20. Of the total outstanding, unrealised property tax alone accounted for Rs. 12 crore, and the remaining by way of water cess and profession tax.

There was an entrenched feeling that as nobody was claiming arrears, tax collection had touched its nadir in the past several years. It had stalled development works in the municipality.

A situation had arisen in which annual tax payment had tapered off and this resulted in mounting arrears. Mr Ravichandran said that soon after he assumed office, he prepared a list of property owners who defaulted on payments.

For arrears above Rs. 2,000, legal notices were sent to households concerned to make the payment within the stipulated period.

The move was widely publicised through public address system fitted to jeeps and autorickshaws. Handbills were distributed to the households besides municipal employees making door-to-door visit to impress upon the property owners to clear the arrears and make regular tax payments.

Mr. Ravichandran said that the attempt paid off and the civic body had so far netted arrear collections of Rs. 2 crore.

After the exercise was completed, the civic body would have to mobilise resources to the tune of Rs. 23 crore for the execution of underground drainage project, both from internal resources and by way of people’s contributions for linking households to the system.

Following technology upgradation, the project cost had gone up from Rs. 40.40 crore to Rs. 48 crore. Mr. Ravichandran said that he would soon approach the Commissioner of Municipal Administration to raise funds .

Villagers boycott Masi Maham

2009-03-13T06:50:00.001+05:30

Villagers boycott festival - The Hindu

CUDDALORE: Voicing concern over the continuing atrocities against the Sri Lankan Tamils the residents of at least 20 villages in Cuddalore district boycotted the Masi Maham festivities on Monday.

The temples in villages such as Alapakkam, Keezh Poovanikuppam, Mel Poovanikuppam, Ambedkar Nagar, Mullai Nagar, Karaimedu, Pethanguppam and Karaimedu abstained from the Masi Maham fete.

At Alapakkam black flags were hoisted on roof tops. — Special Correspondent

Send back Japanese ship

2009-03-12T23:23:00.002+05:30

Send back Japanese ship, says CPI (M) - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

No harm in berthing: company

CUDDALORE: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has voiced its apprehension over a Japanese ship carrying vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) berthed at the Cuddalore Port since February 26.

District secretary of the CPI (M) S.Dhanasekaran in a statement here stated that the cargo meant for the upcoming PVC pipe manufacturing plant of the Chemplast Sanmar Ltd did not seem to have got the consent of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).

The party voiced concern that the berthing of a vessel with unauthorised chemicals might endanger the ecology and the marine life. It expressed anguish over the slackness of the officials in allowing the vessel to ferry chemicals of dangerous nature.

Charge refuted

The company sources told The Hindu that the VCM was an ingredient for the manufacture of poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) pipes. It was a semi-finished product in liquid form and highly inflammable in nature—characteristics similar to the cooking gas or liquefied petroleum gas.

Hence, the sources refuted the allegation that it was an objectionable cargo brought in surreptitiously. The company had cleared the Customs formalities and but for the intervening government holidays it would have by now obtained the TNPCB consent too. The sources further said that the company was following ethical practices and for the PVC unit it had adopted the 4G (fourth generation) technology. A jetty was constructed at Chithiraipettai for the ships to anchor and from there the VCM would be carried through a two-layered pipeline laid under water to the plant at Semmanguppam.

Since the entire pipeline was radiographed and valves were fixed at regular intervals any minor defect could be easily detected and remedial measures taken immediately. There would absolutely be no spillage during the operation.

Cuddalore fisheries protest Chemplast Sanmar's PVC plant

2009-03-08T05:38:00.001+05:30

Bharathiar museum in Cuddalore prison

2009-03-08T05:26:00.002+05:30

Bharathiar museum in Cuddalore prison to be thrown open soon - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

It displays the poet’s books and the documents relating to his imprisonment

— Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

Homage: Director General of Police, Prisons R.Natraj visiting the Bharathiar museum in the Cuddalore Central Prison on Wednesday.

CUDDALORE: The newly set up Bharathiar museum in the Cuddalore Central Prison will be thrown open to the public soon, said R.Natraj, Director General of Police, Prisons.

The DGP who visited the prison on Wednesday garlanded the Bharathiar’s bust installed at the main entrance and also the life-size portrait in the museum. The museum displays the books authored by the poet, the documents about his imprisonment and also the letter written by him to the then Governor of Madras Presidency Lord Pentland seeking his release.

Jail Superintendent R.Kanagaraj said that the museum housed in an isolated building had two small cells: one was devoted to the documents and another to the library. When he was 36 years old C.Subramania Bharathi was kept in the Cuddalore Central Prison from November 24, 1918 to December 14, 1918. The letter dated December 10, 1918 addressed to Lord Pentland, Governor of Fort St.George, Madras, gave an insight into the background in which Bharathiar was arrested and how he viewed his detention.

“It was over a week ever since I was arrested at Cuddalore on my way from Pondicherry to Tinneveli which is my native district after many loyal assurances on my part as your Excellency may well remember the Deputy Inspector General (CID) was sent by your Excellency’s government a few months ago to interview me at Pondicherry.

“The DIG after being thoroughly satisfied with my attitude towards the government asked me if I would be willing to be kept interned partly as a war measure in any two districts of Madras Presidency during the period of the war.

“I could not consent to the proposal because having absolutely renounced politics I could see no reason why any restraint should be placed on my movements even while the war lasted. Subsequently to that also, I have addressed several petitions to your Excellency clearing away all possible doubts about my position.

“Now that the war is over with such signal success to the allies I ventured to leave Pondicherry, honestly believing that there would be no difficulty whatsoever in the way of my settling in British India as a peaceful citizen…..

“I once again assure your Excellency that I have renounced every form of politics. I shall ever be loyal to the British government and law abiding.

“I therefore beg your Excellency to order my immediate release. May God grant your Excellency a long and happy life.

“Your Excellency’s most obedient servant —C. Subramania Bharati.”

Women sub-jail opened at Cuddalore prison

2009-03-08T05:12:00.000+05:30

Women sub-jail opened at Cuddalore prison - The Hindu

A.V.Ragunathan

It was built on 1.95 acres at the cost of Rs. 2 crore
Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

Inaugurating new facility: Director-General of Police (Prisons) R. Natraj at the Cuddalore prison on Wednesday. —

CUDDALORE: Director-General of Police (Prisons) R. Natraj inaugurated a women sub-jail built at the cost of Rs. 2 crore on the Cuddalore Central Prison premises here on Wednesday.

Mr. Natraj said that the sub-jail had come up on 1.95 acres on the 177-acre prison campus and could accommodate 100 inmates. Built by the Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation within a year, it was provided with all basic amenities, a pharmacy and a crèche.

At present, the Villupuram sub-jail had about 70 inmates as against its sanctioned strength of 40. The excess number of inmates would be shifted to the Cuddalore sub-jail, he said.

Henceforward there would not be any need to transport women offenders from Cuddalore to places such as Salem, Tiruchi, Vellore and Villupuram. It would enable better deployment of manpower and cut transport cost.

Mr. Natraj said that there were 14 separate sub-jails for women in Tamil Nadu, which no other State could boast of. During his tenure as Inspector-General of Police (Prohibition enforcement wing) he had learnt that majority of prohibition offenders were women. In Cuddalore and Villupuram districts, women were at the front-end of illicit trade and in “black spot” villages, they were unaware that it was illegal.

Mr. Natraj said that such women should not be arrested as a matter of routine but their illicit brew and wares be seized. They should be assisted through “rehabilitation of prohibition offenders’ funds.”

It was ironical that a visually impaired person, facing charges of smashing windscreens of a bus, was kept in Madurai prison. Humanitarian concern should precede any arrest and mere transferring of problem from police station to prison would not provide a solution, Mr. Natraj said.

Superintendent of Police Pradip Kumar said that prisons had now become house of reforms. The sub-jail would provide safety and security to the inmates and safeguard their dignity. It would help them turn a new leaf.

Principal District and Sessions Judge T. Ramapathiran said that a renaissance had come about in prison administration now as prisons had morphed into reformative schools.

Deputy Inspector-General of Prisons R. Durairaj, Jail Superintendent R. Kanagaraj and Additional Superintendent R. Jayaraman participated.

Mr. Natraj also inaugurated a carpentry training programme and gave away certificates to 29 inmates, who had successfully completed diploma courses in refrigeration, fashion designing, motor winding and borewell technology offered by the Tamil Nadu Open University.

Chidambaram temple, surroundings to be improved

2009-03-08T05:10:00.000+05:30

Chidambaram temple, surroundings to be improved - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE: The Natarajar temple and its surroundings at Chidambaram will be improved at a cost of Rs.25 crore, according to District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo.

A proposal to upgrade tourist spots and surroundings of renowned temples in the district to international standards will soon be sent to the government for approval, Mr. Ratnoo said after attending a consultative meeting on tourism promotion.

Roads leading to Thiruvahindrapuram and Padaleeswarar temples at Cuddalore, Vriddhagireeswarar temple at Vriddhachalam, Veerattaneeswarar temple at Panruti, and water bodies such as the Veeranam tank, Wellington reservoir, Perumal Eri and Keelanai would be properly maintained.

The islets at Pichavaram, M.G.R.Thittu and Chinnavaikkal and the Silver Beach would be beautified .

Cuddalore-Chennai-Bangalore-Mumbai Industrial Corridor

2009-03-04T07:23:00.000+05:30

Nod for extension of Industrial Corridor - The Hindu
N. Anand

CHENNAI: The Union government has given its nod for the extension of the Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor up to Cuddalore, an official of the State Industrial Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) said.

“What was started as an experimental industrial corridor from Chennai to Hosur has assumed a new dimension, with the recent approval from the Centre. The industrial corridor starts at Cuddalore and ends in Mumbai, and it has been rechristened Cuddalore-Chennai-Bangalore-Mumbai Industrial Corridor,” SIPCOT Chairman and Managing Director N. Govindan told The Hindu.

The extension will mean inclusion of important places such as Puducherry, Tindivanam, Chengalpattu, Tambaram and Oragadam, along with Tier-II and Tier-III cities, to provide competitive infrastructure and promote inclusive and sustainable industrial development up to Mumbai.

The Chennai-Hosur industrial corridor is developed in two phases. The United Kingdom-based Mott McDonald has submitted an interim report for the first phase that will span from Chennai-Sriperumbudur to Ranipet. The second phase starts at Ranipet to reach Bangalore through Hosur. . The draft concept paper was conceived by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and the Union Ministry of Commerce of Industry. “After going through the interim report, we have made some suggestions to Mott McDonald. After incorporating the changes, the consultant is expected to submit one more report in the next two weeks,” Mr. Govindan said.

On Monday, the SIPCOT board cleared an industrial corridor connecting Madurai and Tuticorin. The board will shortly float a tender to fix a consultant for conducting a feasibility study.

Explosion at Chemplast's Silicon unit

2009-03-03T06:55:00.001+05:30

Explosion at Chemplast's Silicon unit; One worker maimed - SipcotCuddalore.com

21 February, 2009, Mettur Dam One worker - P. Thangaraj (23 years) of Anaipallam hamlet -- had to have his left leg amputated after a massive explosion at Chemplast's Metkem Silicon plant in Mettur Dam crushed the victims limb. The explosion which was heard at around 2.30 p.m. on 21 February is the latest in a series of serious mishaps at Chemplast's chemicals complex in Mettur. A few months ago, there was a major leak of HCFC - an ozone depleting substance - from the company's freon plant.

Saturday's explosion occurred due to failure by the company to maintain equipment properly and by their failure to observe precautionary measures in their work. According to one report by a worker, Thangaraj and some other workers were brought in to clean a hydrogen tank. Because the hatch covering the tank was in poor condition and the bolts were rusted, the workers were ordered to cut through the hatch using a blow-torch. Hydrogen is a highly explosive substance. When the blow-torch was used, the inevitable happened and the tank exploded sending shrapnel that crushed Thangaraj's left leg. The leg was later amputated below the waist at Manipal Hospital, Salem.

Thangaraj was a contract worker engaged for work in the factory for more than two years. Employers are prohibited from using untrained contract workers for hazardous work requiring trained personnel. The victim's family members and representatives of the West Gonur Agriculturists Development Union have filed a complaint with the Karumalaikoodal police station. However, the Police have refused to give an acknowledgement of the letter.

Double-tumbler system still in practice in Cuddalore district

2009-02-27T07:30:00.002+05:30

Untouchability still practised: CPI(M) - The Hindu

Special Correspondent

Party gives representation to Cuddalore Collector

Double-tumbler system in tea shops at Nallathur

Graveyards allotted to Dalits encroached upon

CUDDALORE: The practice of untouchability against the Dalits is still prevalent in certain pockets in Cuddalore district.

A study team of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), comprising district secretary S.Dhanasekaran, union secretary G.Madhavan, block secretary K.Kandasamy and Untouchability Eradication Front organiser S.Durairaj, came out with the findings recently.

In a representation given to Collector Rajendra Ratnoo, the team noted that the Dalits were still discriminated against in terms of access to community centres and marriage halls.

For instance, at Nallathur, double-tumbler system in tea shops was still in practice.

Barber shops turned down the Dalits and even push carts owned by the panchayat for carrying the deceased to graveyard were denied to them.

They could not gain entry into any of the five temples in the village. Moreover, the graveyards allotted to the Dalits at Periyakanganankuppam in Cuddalore block and Periya Kappankulam in Vriddhchalam block were encroached upon.

Hence, the Dalits had to bury the dead in the vicinity of their habitations.

Therefore, the study team called upon the district administration to earmark separate graveyards for the Dalits and also secure the places from possible encroachments.

It also called for suitable action against those who were indulging in such discriminatory practices.

Chidambaram Natyanjali begins

2009-02-24T08:02:00.002+05:30

Natyanjali from today - The Hindu

CUDDALORE: The five-day Natyanjali festival will begin at Chidambaram Natarajar temple on Monday evening. Classical dance forms such as Bharatanatynam, Odissi and Kuchupudi will be featured.

Artists from across the country and abroad will participate in the annual event.

Performances will be staged from 5.30 p.m. to midnight every day, according to organisers of the event.

Natyanjali begins with fanfare - The Hindu

CUDDALORE: The five-day Natyanjali festival got off to a colourful start at the Natarajar temple at Chidambaram on Monday evening.

The takeover of the temple administration by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department from the Podhu Dikshithars has not deterred the Natyanjali Trust from going ahead with the annual event. The Department has given permission for the festival and arranged for police protection, according to K. Sivakumar, Executive Officer of the temple. The Sangeeth Natak Akademi, New Delhi, the South Zone Cultural Centre, the Neyveli Lignite Corporation, Annamalai University and City Union Bank Ltd have lent a helping hand to the trust.

Jayant Kasthuar, secretary of the Akademi, who inaugurated the festival, told The Hindu that ever since the festival started in 1981, his organisation was supporting the trust in its endeavour to propagate the classical dance forms.

A.K. Natarajan and A. Sambandam, trust president and secretary, representatives of the Podhu Dikshithars and Joint Commissioner (HR & CE) N. Thirumagal took part.

The programmes will go on from 5.30 p.m. to midnight, with a time slot of 20 minutes-one hour allotted to every artist or troupe.