The Hindu               04.01.2014

Pudukottai municipality launches animal birth control campaign

Pudukottai municipality has launched an intensive campaign to sterilise stray dogs in the town.

The government has already allotted a van for transporting the dogs to sterilisation centre.

Stray dog menace and the need to check it dominated the discussion of the municipal council meeting held on Monday.

G.Arumugam, Mohan and A.M.Syed Ibrahim Babu (Congress), and Selvam and A.K.Arivudainambi (DMK), complained that the growing number of stray dogs poses a threat to the residents. S.A.S.Sait alias Abdul Rahman, Municipal Chairman (in-charge), explained the guidelines to be followed for checking stray dog menace.

Mr.Sait said the municipal authorities already held discussion with the representative of the Blue Cross for carrying out sterilisation of stray dogs in the town.

A team of six trained people are available with the municipality for the purpose, he said.

J.Subramanian, Municipal Commissioner (in-charge), said that more than 750 stray dogs have been sterilised in the last nine months, with the cooperation of Udayam, a non-governmental organisation.

The Hindu               04.01.2014

Corporation moves closer towards laying scheme road

City’s residents and others proceeding from localities near Perur Road to Thadagam Road and north thereof can soon skip touching the congested Gandhi Park. For, the Coimbatore Corporation has initiated steps to construct a long-pending scheme road.

According to sources, the Corporation had managed to take possession of the six-and-half cent land that belonged to an individual by getting it as a gift from a builder, who, in the interest of the public, came forward to purchase the land and gift the same to the civic body.

The sources said that this happened sometime ago and at present the Corporation was in possession of the land, which for long had delayed the construction of the road that would link Ponnaiahrajapuram with Chokkampudur. The area Councillor — Ward 79’s T.K. Kannaiyan — said that if the Corporation were to construct the scheme road, it would help road users on Perur Road to proceed to Shivalaya Theatre Road, take the new scheme road and then reach Chokkampudur, from where they could easily proceed to Marudhamalai Road or areas north thereof.

In short, they could easily avoid the congested Vysial Street, Sullivan Street and Gandhi Park Junction.

The same was true of those moving from north to south to Perur or areas south thereof. The sources said that the scheme road was 60 feet wide and was already in place, except for the short stretch the six-and-half cent land occupied.

Proposal

The Corporation had proposed the road soon after the present Council took charge in 2011.

The Corporation had measured the land to be acquired, fixed the rate as per the then guideline value and had moved the Local Planning Authority for funds but nothing much happened.

Then, while trying out alternatives to acquire the land, it stumbled upon the builder who was willing to gift the land for the civic body, in public interest, the sources said.

Mr. Kannaiyan said that the Corporation would be able to lay the road once the underground drainage work was completed. And this would take at least two or three months.

The sources added that the civic body was also taking steps to remove bottlenecks in constructing other scheme roads — nine, in all.