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Tamil Nadu News Papers

Salem Corporation deputes team to clean drainage channels

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Source : The Hindu Date : 19.06.2009

Salem Corporation deputes team to clean drainage channels

Staff Reporter

— Photo: P. Goutham

At work: Salem Corporation workers removing silt from a drainage channel in Maniyanur on Thursday.

SALEM: The Salem Corporation has deputed a team of workers to carry out cleaning works in a number of drainage channels in Sooramangalam zone.

Following widespread complaints from the public that sewage was overflowing from many drains, the civic administration formed a team and started removing silt from the channels in several residential colonies in the wards, which were coming under its control. The Bangalore-based private firm, Swatchatha Corporation, which was carrying out sanitary works in 21 wards, was also instructed to remove silt from the drainage channels.

The channels accumulated silt due to indiscriminate dumping of solid waste into them by commercial establishments and a few irresponsible citizens. Another major reason for the accumulation of silt was the failure of civic body and the private firm in carrying out cleaning works on a regular basis, the residents say.

The civic body had earlier made announcements that stern action would be initiated against those dumping solid waste into the drainage channels. But the authorities had failed to evolve an appropriate mechanism to put an end to such a practice.

“The implementation of the Underground Drainage Project is the only solution for various problems related to open sewer channels in the city. But the execution of the project is delayed inordinately for reasons best known to the officials,” people said.

Last Updated on Friday, 19 June 2009 05:30
 

Cooperative marketing society does well in turmeric sales

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Source : The Hindu Date : 19.06.2009

Cooperative marketing society does well in turmeric sales

Karthik Madhavan

“The Society declares 14 per cent dividend every year”

PHOTO: M. GOVARTHAN

Farmers’ friend: Agriculture Producers Cooperative Marketing Society has helped turmeric farmers get a good price and has won a prize for its turmeric powder. –

ERODE: Erode Agriculture Producers’ Cooperative Marketing Society, Erode CMS in short, has won the first prize at a national level spices competition.

The CMS recently participated in the Jaipur Rashtriya Sahakar Masala Mela 2009 and won the prize for its turmeric powder, adjudged best.

The CMS sells the turmeric powder under the ‘Mangalam’ brand.

The Society manufactures the powder by purchasing from farmers, who sell the produce at its auction yard. “The Society, just like any trader, participates through secret tender in auction to buy the turmeric required for powder manufacture,” says the Society’s Special Officer K. Jaganathan.

It then crushes the turmeric at the in-house factory, which has a machine with an installed capacity of 1,300 tonnes.

The society sells the powder on a regular basis to the District Consumer Cooperative Wholesale Store, Chinthamani, and Tirchengode Cooperative Wholesale Store.

PDS

The CMS has also sold the turmeric powder to the Government to be distributed through PDS as part of the Rs. 50-a-spices-pack scheme.

“The Society sold 18 lakh packets for Rs. 54 lakh,” the Special Officer says.

But then the turmeric powder sales is only a part of the Cooperative Marketing Society’s activities. The main function is to help turmeric farmers get a good price.

Every day, hundreds of farmers go to the Society’s premises, exhibit their produce, to which the traders quote a price. Trader with the highest price quoted gets the produce.

In providing the service, the Society collects a 1.5 per cent fee from the farmers, which it uses to maintain the premises, protect the farmers’ stock and pay employees.

So good as been the cooperative organisation’s services that since its formation in 1960 it has been running on profit. And declaring dividends as well. “The Society declares 14 per cent dividend every year,” the SO says. In the last financial year it earned Rs. 45.60 lakh in profit and the year before Rs. 31.01 lakh.

On an average the Society gets 8,000 to 9,000 tonnes of turmeric a year.

Mr. Jaganathan attributes the success to the directions from founder S.K. Paramasivan, former MP, and other farmer leaders.

Last Updated on Friday, 19 June 2009 05:26
 

Notice served on government-aided schools violating rules

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Source : The Hindu Date : 18.06.2009

Notice served on government-aided schools violating rules

Staff Reporter

ERODE: Kalaimagal Kalvi Nilayam Girls Higher Secondary School, Erode, St. Aloysius Girls Higher Secondary School, Dharapuram, Sengunthar Higher Secondary School, Erode, and Carmel Higher Secondary School, Kangayam, are in the dock for violating Government rules on fee collection.

Education Department, Erode, following complaints from parents and members of the public sent on inspection on May 28 and June 5 a senior officer to Kalaimagal Kalvi Nilayam Girls Higher Secondary School.

Following the officers report, the Chief Education Officer has issued show-cause notice to the schools, asking for a reply in 15 days time.

The show-cause notice asks the Kalaimagal Kalvi Nilayam school management to explain why the Department should not initiate action for collecting fee, special fee, etc. against Government rules, which instruct that the Government-aided institutions shall collect only Rs. 500 from English medium students, Rs. 200 for teaching computer science and Parent-Teacher Association subscription Rs. 25.

Based on records the School management sent to the Education Department, it has come to light that the Kalaimagal Kalvi Nilayam management has collected Rs. 27.95 lakh from Plus-One and Plus-Two students in the 2008-09 academic year and Rs. 26.11 lakh from the students for the 2009-2010 academic year.

In the show-cause notice, the Education Department has also asked the school management to explain denying Plus-One admission to its Standard X students.

“When the Government rules unambiguously say that aided institutions shall not deny admission on any grounds, how is that you deny admission.”

The notice also asks the School to explain poor maintenance of records, particularly those related to admission and transfer certificate. These apart, the Education Department has also found the Kalaimagal Kalvi Nilayam on the wrong side of law for fudging caste details

Last Updated on Thursday, 18 June 2009 10:17
 


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