Coimbatore Corporation is serious about parking problem

Even as Chennai was awaiting with bated breath the Supreme Court's verdict on demolition of three floors of The Chennai Silks, the Coimbatore Corporation sent a stern message, by rejecting a building plan, that things might no longer be easy for high-rise structures in the city.

Commissioner P. Muthuveeran tossed back a plan for a multistoreyed shopping complex at Ramnagar, pointing out inadequate parking space compared to the number of shops planned.

Chaos


He said the parking space marked on the plan would be just about enough for the vehicles of the shop owners and staff. Visitors' vehicles would have to be parked on the road and this would add to the chaos on Cross Cut Road. The proposed building is to come up on a site about 200 feet from this road.

The bylane is narrow and will not provide huge parking space. This will only lead to vehicles jostling for space once again on Cross Cut Road, which has very few complexes with parking lots.

By rejecting the plan, the Corporation has indicated clearly that it is seized of the parking space problem in the commercial hubs and that the root cause is building rule violation in almost all multistoreyed structures.

Existing structures


Yet questions remain over action against existing structures though the civic body may be bringing the plans for proposed structures under the scanner.

Two multistoreyed commercial complexes belonging to a single establishment, close to Cross Cut Road, continue to flourish, capitalising on such violations. One of the buildings has two basement shopping areas, while not an inch of parking space has been provided.

Shoppers to both structures slug it out for parking space on either the bylane or Cross Cut Road.

A year ago, the Department of Fire and Rescue Services mentioned the structure with basement shops in its report to the district administration on buildings that compromised on public safety. It warned that a fire or stampede could leave thousands dead.

Safety


"There is no point scrutinising the building plan alone. Check the completed building for violation or unauthorised construction and demolish such structures if they are public buildings and safety is compromised," says the secretary of the Coimbatore Consumer Cause, K. Kathirmathiyon.

Even as the Corporation plans multitier parking lots, frayed tempers among vehicle users on Cross Cut Road, D.B. Road and Oppanakara Street only point the finger at tall buildings that have brought about an enormous problem on the streets.


Courtesy : The Hindu

Coimbatore Kid clears Microsoft Certification @ record age of <9

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At the age of eight years and eleven months, Armaan Varadaraj, a Standard IV student of G.D. Matriculation Higher Secondary School here, passed the Microsoft Certified Professional course, making him one of the youngest to do so.

"My father taught me computers," says Armaan, who uses a Mac desktop machine at home to create websites, play interactive games he has loaded on his own, use search engines, surf the Net and take photos using the built-in camera.

Cricket and tennis are his favourite games and history, his preferred subject in school. He plays the violin too. During free time he reads adventure stories, plays with his Labradors — Hastings and Watson — and watches detective films based on books by Agatha Christie.

He is now preparing for examinations to obtain the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) qualification. His earlier course taught him about computer networks and troubleshooting to rectify errors.

Before obtaining his MCP certification, he did online tests, choosing the best option from among several choices. Some tests required him to "drag and drop" the correct elements and others to understand and follow the instructions on the screen.

He attended computer classes after school to become familiar with the concepts and practised at home using special software.

"He teaches us about computers," says his mother Kavitha Varadaraj. Armaan's father Sridhar Varadaraj is involved in the textile testing machinery industry. His sister Diya Varadaraj is a Standard VI student.


Courtesy : The Hindu

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SilkAir may start Coimbatore operations by '08

Buoyed by growing passenger traffic and aircraft movement at Coimbatore airport, SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, plans to introduce its services here.

"Considering the huge outflow of passengers from this region to nations like China and Singapore for textile-related business activities, SilkAir may soon operate from the Coimbatore airport," Sanjay Cherian, passenger sales officer, Singapore Airlines, said here.

Although he remained non-committal on the timeline for the start of operations, sources say it is likely to happen by 2008.

During January-April 2006, tourist arrivals from India to Malaysia stood at 75,740, registering an 18% increase over arrivals during the corresponding period, a year ago. Of the 2.25 lakh Indian tourists who visited Malaysia in 2005, 37% were from non-metro cities, with the highest number of travellers being from Coimbatore., Joseph K Jose, marketing manager, Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, said.

Passenger traffic to Southeast countries Asian like China and Singapore is also gaining momentum, especially in the post quota regime, i.e. after January 2005, for importing textile machinery and placing orders for spindles, he added.

“SilkAir did a feasibility study a few months ago on operating its flights out of Coimbatore airport. We got positive results but the plans were put on the back-burner due to infrastructural hurdles such as inadequate parking bays at the airport. Now that the upgradation work is going on, we are ready to start our operations from Coimbatore,” Cherian said.

At present, SilkAir flies to Cochin International Airport (Nedumbassery) and Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. It may either take the 'via' route (Cochin or Trivandrum - Coimbatore - Singapore) or operate directly from Coimbatore.
Courtesy : Business Standard