The Hindu                26.04.2013

Amma Unavagam in all 100 wards soon

Act against those pasting posters, drawing on walls: Mayor

The Coimbatore Corporation will soon open Amma Unavagam, the subsidised canteen from the State government, in all the 100 wards of the Coimbatore Corporation. It will also initiate steps to license dogs, pound stray cattle on streets, exterminate pigs from the city and curb illegal hoarding and graffiti.

At the Thursday’s Council meeting, Mayor S.M. Velusamy asked officials to give time for those rearing pigs to move out of the city and after the deadline impound and auction the animals. His announcement came in deference to councillors’ demands.

He then instructed Town Planning Officer Varadharajan to remove illegal hoardings and act against those pasting posters, erecting hoardings and drawing on walls. To the city police, he said they could approach the Corporation if they wanted traffic umbrellas and not depend on sponsors, who were keen on displaying their brands.

Mr. Velusamy also asked Commissioner G. Latha to form a team of officials to work out ways to remove plastic materials from drains and other places in the city. This was after Ward 61 councillor S.M. Samy spoke of plastic materials choking drains and that leading to flooding of streets.

“The Corporation should embark on an anti-plastics campaign as it had done a few years ago. This will help keep the drains clean before monsoon and prevent flooding.”

Finance and Taxation Committee Chairman R. Prabhakaran joined him saying that if the civic body were to focus on cleaning drains, it should start with culverts because that was where the plastics were gathered.

After the councillors complained of improper closing of roads where the underground drainage and storm water drain works were taken up, he said that engineers in the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission wing should immediately close the pits and ensure that no water stagnated at those places.

Soon thereafter, the Council passed a resolution to demand a new road-overbridge between Coimbatore and Irugur railway junctions, supply drinking water to those areas where water pressure was less, construct additional classrooms at the school in Ward 62, and attempt biogas generation from bio-waste.

Deccan Chronicle                   26.04.2013

Tamil Nadu plans Rs 7,000 crore underground hydel power station

Chennai: In an effort to address power woes of the state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Thursday said the government planned a Rs 7,000 crore underground hydel power station in Nilgiris district besides the ongoing related schemes, which in all will cost over Rs 20,000 crore.

The first unit of North Chennai Thermal Power plant, third unit of Vallur project and 2x 500 MW each of Tuticorin Power project would start generating power between next month and March 2014, she told the state Assembly.

Making a suo motu statement, she said works towards other major power generation projects have been expedited with international tenders called for the proposed 660 MW Ennore project, the 2x660 MW Ennore SEZ Project and 2x660 MW Udankudi Thermal Power Projects.

Work is on at the 2x800 MW power project at Uppur in Ramanathapuram district, she added.

Jayalalithaa proposed the Sillahalla 2000 MW underground power station at Nilgiris district which will come up at an estimated cost of Rs 7000 crore. The project will be completed in two phases in 8-10 years.

Explaining the technical aspects, she said a 2.25 tmcft water storage reservoir would be created on river Sillahalla, a tributary of Kundah and connected to the Avalanche-Emerald reservoirs. A 2750 metre tunnel would be established for this purpose.

In the second phase, another 2000 MW hydel power station would be set up using the 1500 metre height between Sillahalla and Pillur reservoirs, she said.

Surplus power from windmills and thermal and nuclear units at night would be utilised to draw water to the upper storage facility, which would be used to produce power during peak demand times, she added.