With radio frequency ID tags, toll collection on NH to go electronic

The Hindu The Chennai-Bangalore Highway will be the first in South India where 

RFID tags are to be introduced.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will soon launch a system of electronic toll collection on the Chennai-Bangalore National Highway. This is part of its efforts to introduce this system throughout the country.

This will be done by fitting radio frequency ID tags (RFID) on vehicles. The State Bank of India has been chosen as the financial institution that will be in charge of collecting the proceeds and distributing it among the respective concessionaires. 

“Initial meetings have been held with the concessionaires and the bank. This will be the first toll road in South India where NHAI will introduce RFID,” said an official source in NHAI. A 71-km stretch from Tindivanam to Ulundurpet, managed by GMR Group, has such a facility but it is for government buses alone. 

The Chennai- Bangalore National Highway has seven toll plazas that are managed and maintained by various concessionaires including Soma, L&T, Reliance and NHAI. 

The 372-km long road that runs through three national highways including NH 4 from Chennai to Ranipet, NH- 46 from Ranipet to Krishnagiri and NH 7 from Krishnagiri to Bangalore, has witnessing a significant increase in traffic. 

The card would be valid throughout the country and it would be a convenient option for trucks, heavy vehicles and those travelling long distances. RFID cards would initially be sold at the toll plaza, after which the system will be expanded to other places. 

At the plaza, the RFID details will be scanned, the cash will automatically be debited and the boom barriers will be raised to allow vehicles through. 

As of now, 70 per cent of the toll revenue on the road comes from trucks and the rest from cars and other vehicles. R. Sukumar, President, Confederation of Surface transport (Tamil Nadu) said such a system would help reduce waiting time at the toll plazas.

“It takes us at least 25 minutes to cross the plazas when the shifts change. In this new system, if separate lanes are provided, it would help trucks. For a journey from Chennai to Bangalore and back, it costs Rs.1800 and for cars Rs. 900,” he said.

There are 32 toll plazas on national highways in the State of which 12 are being managed by the NHAI.

Farmers demand release of water for irrigation

Farmers demanded immediate release of water from Krishnagiri Reservoir Project and Barur Lake for irrigation at the grievances meeting held here on Thursday.

The demand was also put forth by various farmers’ associations.

Since water level in the KRP Dam is low, water from Kelevarapalli Dam should be released to KRP Dam, the farmers said.

K.M. Ramagoundar, State General Secretary, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, sought a detailed investigations into the alleged malpractices taking place in the Dharmapuri District Milk Marketing Cooperative Federation.

A committee should be formed to investigate the reasons for the backlog of five-week payment to the Primary Milk Cooperative Societies by the Federation, he said.

Though the association welcomed the government decision to sanction a Veterinary Research and Training Centre, they demanded a dispensary for cattle every 5 km in the district.

The government should relax conditions for allowing the MNREGS workers to work in lands of marginal, small, SC, and ST farmers.

Economic criteria should be the basis for allowing MNREGS workers for the farm sector, he added.

Mr. Ramagoundar opposed the State Bank of India and some nationalised banks for charging 0.5 per cent as processing fees for extending jewel loan for agriculture purpose.

D. Krishnadoss, Manager, Lead District Bank, was directed to look into the issue by the Collector at the meeting.

Meanwhile, a section of the farmers led by Logabiram walked out of the grievances meeting accusing the district administration of not changing patta transfer for many years, though the farmers paid the premium for the crop insurance.

Shortage of doctors, lack of facilities plague ESIC hospital

Shortage of doctors and lack facilities at the Employees State Insurance Corporation’s hospital here haunts over one lakh ESIC members working in over 1,200 small and medium scale industries, said S. Peter, district secretary of Centre of Indian Trade Unions here on Thursday.

He told The Hindu that the ESIC had 1,01,093 members in the district spread across Krishnagiri, Hosur, Bagalur etc. The employees took treatment for minor diseases at Hosur, Bagalur and Krishnagiri ESIC dispensaries. But for major ailments, they are referred to the ESIC hospital with 50-bed capacity. Though the total strength of the doctors at the hospital is 13, only six are on the roll now. Even among them, some had gone on long leave.

The hospital started in 1995 has a major operation theatre with ultrasonography facility. But, there is no specialist for ultrasonography test and also anaesthetist since 2005. Doctors in the rank of assistant surgeon and assistant doctors in gynaecology are on long leave. Out of the total strength of eight assistant surgeons, four are vacant.

For critical care, most of the members were referred to the hospitals in Hosur and Bangalore for specialty treatment.

An ambulance, which was allotted to the hospital in 1995, is lying idle.

Shortage of sanitary workers has added to the woes of the hospital.

Four out of seven sanctioned posts are vacant.

Dr. S. Madhan Kumar, Chief Civil Surgeon, said that due to lack of facilities and specialists, major operations could not be done at the hospital.

N. Sridharan, district president, CITU and also a member of the ESIC Hospital Development Committee, had submitted a memorandum to the Chief Regional Officer recently to rectify the shortfalls in the hospital and also the dispensaries attached to the ESIC, Hosur Hospital.

Rock paintings of Iron Age period found near Krishnagiri

R. Arivanantham

Rare rock paintings of Iron Age period dating back to 3, 000 to 2,500 years before the present were found in a hillock at Kamaraj Nagar in Pethathalapalli village near Krishnagiri by amateur archaeologists.

A rock painting of the Iron Age period was found in a hillock near Krishnagiri. This is one of the 11 rare rock paintings found in the hillocks of the district and within a radius of six kilometres from the town.

Archaeologist

According to Sugavana Murugan, a government school teacher and also a freelance archaeologist, only three of the paintings have been studied and the rest are yet to be documented.

Tamil Pandit

The first rock painting was found near the Gothigundu rock in 1972 by late Ramanujam, a Tamil Pandit who worked in the Government Boys Higher Secondary School. Megalithic potteries were also found in large numbers in and around Pethalapalli hillocks.

Survey

The need of the hour is to survey rare ancient rock paintings in the three hillocks around Krishnagiri and safeguard them, said Mr. Sugavana Murugan.



Efforts on to issue old-age pension to all eligible persons

Assistance worth Rs. 51 lakh distributed in Krishnagiri

 

District Collector C.N. Maheshwaran distributed welfare assistance worth Rs. 51.10 lakh to 95 beneficiaries during the special mass contact programme conducted at Venganur village, near Nagojanahalli town, in Krishangiri district on Wednesday.

 

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Maheshwaran said that the district administration was taking all efforts to issue old-age pension to all the eligible persons. Special attention is being given to provide drinking water facility to all the villages in the district. All the ration card holders will get free home appliances under the Chief Minister’s Special Programme, he added.

 

With regard to the demand to issue community certificate to those belonging to the Valluvar community, Mr. Maheshwaran said that there were two communities named Valluvan as well as Vallurvar. Hence, the district administration would appoint a committee within a week’s time and would issue community certificate to all eligible students.

 

Due to the special efforts taken by the district administration, 1,186 community certificates were issued to those staying at 18 hill-top villages in Denkanikottai and Thalli.

 

Mr. Maheshwaran also disposed of 240 petitions at the mass contact programme. Prior to the meeting, officials visited the villages in and around Venganur and received 132 petitions. Of these after a thorough scrutiny, 86 petitions were selected for welfare assistance.

 

G. Ravichandran, district panchayat member, R. Sathish, Revenue Divisional Officer, P. Manjula, Special Deputy Collector (Social Security Scheme) among others participated.

CPI-M MLA booked for illegal granite quarrying

CPI-M MLA T Ramachandran, arrested in connection with a murder case, was today booked for alleged involvement in illegal granite quarrying, police said.

Four more cases had been registered against Thally constituency MLA Ramachandran, lodged in Salem prison since his recent arrest in connection with the murder of a Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK) functionary in the district last month.

CM sanctions funds for Hosur small industries

Tamilnadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today gave sanction to funds and projects to give a fillip to small and micro industries across the State.

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According to an official release here, Jayalalithaa has been giving special attention towards the growth of small and tiny industries, which play a crucial role in the economic development of the country. It said that various projects are being implemented in the State to boost the growth of this sector, with participation from Central government. 'The Chief Minister has ordered to release Rs 49.53 lakh as the first installment (70 per cent of the total amount) of the State government's contribution to set up a general amenities centre at an engineering group at Hosur in Krishnagiri district,' said the release.

Farmers demand rollback of fertilizer price

The Tamizhaga Vivasaiygal Sangam has demanded the State Government to rollback the price of potassic fertilizers, as it had hit the farmers, especially the paddy cultivators, in the district, said M.R. Sivasamy, State President, said here on Wednesday.

 

Addressing a demonstration near the new bus stand in Krishnagiri to press 11- point charter of demands, he said that ever since the Union Government introduced the nutrient-based subsidy policy on decontrolled phospatic and potassic fertilizers in February 2011, the price of fertilizers had witnessed an unprecedented rise.

 

The others demands of the association included waiver of entire loan obtained by the farmers.

 

The association also urged the Government to extend Rs. 50,000 per acre as production subsidy to bail out the farmers from the present situation. Even farmers who had dug bore well could not irrigate their fields due to lack of power availability.

 

TANGEDCO extended only three hours of three-phase supply a day. Farmers having agriculture field in the vicinity of Reserve Forests were also hit, as their produce were damaged by the wild boars.

 

The association also opposed the move of the government in releasing water from Kelevarapalli Dam well ahead of opening water from KRP Dam and Barur Dam.

 

Protest

 

The association also demanded immediate withdrawal of cases registered against 34 farmers who were protest against release of water from Barur dam recently.

 

Over 300 farmers, including women members participated in the demonstration. K.M. Ramagoundar, State general secretary, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, presided

Residents of Somanathapuram village face water shortage

The village comprises over 700 Muslim families; water to be supplied through tractors for Ramzan

 

Residents of Somanathapuram village in Kurubarapalli village panchayat at Veppanahalli Panchayat Union in Krishnagiri district has been facing for the last two months.

 

About 700 Muslim families were left in lurch especially during the month of Ramzan, the residents lament.

 

A. Zubaidha, a resident of the village, said that they had petitioned the Collector demanding basic amenities two months ago.

 

About 50 residents, including 23 women and children, went to the collectorate with empty pots on Friday.

 

Even though there are two over head tanks (OHT) with a capacity of 30,000 litres and 15,000 litres, two mini tanks with fitted with motors and a deep borwell pump, the minority community people continue to suffer water shortage.

 

The reason cited by the residents was that the street taps become dry, as one of the OHT was situated in a low lying area.

 

Hence drinking water does not reach the upper areas. The people here were forced to fetch water from agriculture well at Sikkarimedu situated two km away from the village.

 

The two mini borewells and deep borewell pumps are not working properly, they added.

 

B. Ismail, Panchayat Secretary, toldThe Hinduthat the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) had planned a 10,000 litre capacity OHT in the area, but they dropped the scheme after laying the foundation stone in the area three years ago.

 

Illegal tapping

 

The residents also alleged that that a panchayat clerk was collecting Rs. 20 per house for water, but water was not supplied regularly.

 

Mani alias ‘Cable’ Mani, husband of the Panchayat President M. Jayalakshmi, said that a transformer near K.N. Petrol Bunk was the reason for water problem.

 

Moreover, illegal tapping of water by some residents was the main cause.

 

Meanwhile,, drinking water would be provided to the affected residents (Upper land) areas through tractors in view of the Ramzan on Monday.

Over Rs 26 cr incentive given to milk coops

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Sunday presented an incentive of over Rs 26 crore to milk cooperatives which had earned additional revenue.

Of 17 milk cooperatives in the state, those in Salem, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappally and Madurai had earned additional revenue totalling nearly Rs 50 crore, a state government press release said. To share the profits with the milk producers, Jayalalithaa gave away Rs 26.74 crore benefiting a little over 2.02 lakh milk producers belonging to these cooperatives, it said.

 In a seperate event,she launched the website and SMS based services for the Chief Minister's cell to electronically handle nearly 3000-5000 petitions received each day.

The move will help in quick reference of complaints to the relevant department though internet while the petitioner will also be kept informed through e-mail and SMS, a release said.

Further, she directed releasing water from Kelavarapalli reservoir in Krishnagiri for irrigation of over 8000 acres of crops in the district.

She said she had directed release of water for 150 days.

CPI MLA remanded in police custody

CPI MLA T Ramachandran was today remanded to two days in police custody by a local court in the murder case of a Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam district leader. Police had sought seven days custody to question him.

The MLA, his brother and three others had surrendered at a court in Tiruvanamalai, about 90 km from here on July 30 and were lodged in a jail at Salem. 

According to the prosecution, PDK District organising secretary Palani (45) was shot dead and beheaded by a gang on July 5 while he was working at his field with his son. 

Based on a statement from him, police registered a case under various sections of IPC against 22 persons, including Ramachandran and his brother Vardarajan. 

The MLA, his brother and father-in-law were produced before the judicial magistrate court II here today amid tight security. 

Kumar sent the MLA to two days in police custody.