With a view to clearing the extra rush during the Ayudha Pooja festival two special trains would be operated on Chennai-Coimbatore sector.
The special train will leave from Chennai on Sept. 22 and on Sept. 29 and from Coimbatore on Sept. 23 and Sept. 30, a Southern Railway release said this evening.
The train No 0607 would leave Chennai Central at 10.20 pm and scheduled to reach Coimbatore at 07.15 am the next day, while Train No 608 would leave Coimbatore at 11.45 pm to reach Chenn ai Central the next day at 8 am.
The specials will have a composition of one AC two tier coach, two AC three tier coaches, 10 sleeper class coaches, three general second class coaches and two luggage cum brake vans, the release said.
Courtesy : The Hindu
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
Crowded skies and congested airports
THE OPENING up of the domestic sector to private airlines and the development of low-cost, no-frills airlines have contributed to a phenomenal growth in traffic at the country's airports. A resurgent economy and growing exports have meant freight by air too has recorded significant increases year on year.
The total passenger traffic has shown a 38.8 per cent increase in March 2006 compared with March 2005. International traffic rose by 14.4 per cent while domestic traffic recorded unimaginable growth in the same period. Just imagine, there were 5.16 million domestic passengers using the network of India's airports in March this year, as against 3.41 million in the same month last year. Such has been what still seems to be unplanned growth, as a result of which most, if not all, airports in the country are facing a severe congestion.
Be it New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata or Chennai, Hyderabad or Bangalore, or even tier-two airports including Ahmedabad and Coimbatore, take-offs and landings are becoming a huge problem in the peak hours. From 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and again from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., most of the airports are more crowded than inter-State bus terminals. During the peak hours, aircraft are either forced to circle overhead awaiting a landing slot or queue up on the taxiways for their turn to take off. Pilots routinely tell their passengers after take-off that the flight was delayed due to "congestion at the airport." The reason for the congestion: continuing increase in the number of flights and the number of airlines operating to most airports.
Airlines and passengers alike are looking to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to launch the much-talked-about project to develop, expand, and modernise the airports. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has weathered many storms over the modernisation of the New Delhi and Mumbai airports, involving the private sector in a major project. He has promised to unveil a similar package for the Kolkata and Chennai airports within the next couple of months. And the AAI has promised to undertake a major programme to develop and expand at least 35 domestic airports within the next two or three years.
With air travel costs dipping, domestic passenger traffic is expected to maintain its upward swing in the months and years to come. Unfortunately, the regulatory framework has not been able to cope with a rather unplanned growth in the aviation sector. In their hurry to capture a new market and register their presence, low-cost airlines are taking wing with leased aircraft and foreign pilots. Consequently, the congestion does not seem to be confined to the major airports or even the international ones. The tier-two cities, which the no-frills airlines have consciously tried to link, have reported stunning figures. Ahmedabad, Pune, Coimbatore, and Amritsar, for instance, have posted a very healthy growth in passenger traffic. Similarly, the open skies policy now pursued by the Centre has brought a range of international connections to new airports such as Pune, Ahmedabad or even Tiruchi. In a way, the availability of so many airports and airstrips across the country should be a major asset for India and its aviation sector.
The AAI's figures for March 2006, when compared with March 2005, provide a clear picture of the present scenario and point to the air pockets and rough weather that lie ahead if the Authority and the Aviation Ministry do not undertake the promised expansion and modernisation drive right away. In March this year, the airports handled 2.02 million international passengers and 5.16 million domestic passengers. This compares with 1.77 million and 3.41 million respectively in March last year. For the year 2005-06, there were 22.36 million international passengers (19.42 million the previous year), and 50.98 million domestic passengers (against 39.86 million the previous year). The growth in total passenger traffic has been 23.7 per cent year on year.
After the advent of Air Deccan, which pioneered the concept of no-frills airlines, SpiceJet and GoAir have taken this forward, carrying more first-time passengers by air. Other airlines such as Paramount and Kingfisher have tried to create a niche for themselves among business clients. The public sector domestic carrier, Indian Airlines, has acquired a new name `Indian' and has tried to cater to a large segment of traffic using its massive network.
In terms of international aircraft movement, there has been a 20 to 30 per cent increase in operations to major airports in India such as Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Thiruvananthapuram. On the domestic circuits, aircraft movements have risen sharply in centres such as Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Pune, Goa, Kochi, Kozhikode, and Coimbatore to name a few. But AAI has also pointed to some decline in traffic at a few airports — notably, Lucknow, Patna, Rajkot, and Imphal.
It is interesting to note, again from the trends that the March figures suggest, that Nagpur reported a 148.6 per cent increase in total passenger traffic for the month when compared with March 2005. The figure was 121.7 per cent in the case of Pune, 98.6 per cent for Coimbatore, and 68.5 per cent for Ahmedabad. At the top end of the spectrum, the 15 international airports recorded a 38.8 per cent increase in passenger traffic in March, while at the bottom rung, the 23 domestic airports posted a 32.5 per cent growth. Kochi, which boasts the first private airport, witnessed a 27 per cent rise in traffic. For the first few years, the Cochin International Airport Ltd. (CIAL) found it difficult to even pay interest on the borrowings, But now, it is not only financially comfortable but planning to offer a whole range of concessions, including waiver of parking charges, to international airlines. That is what proper infrastructure combined with a healthy traffic growth can do for an airport.
But, taking a typical case scenario in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or Bangalore, passengers often tend to lose their calm while going through the boarding procedures or waiting for the aircraft to take off. The lack of basic infrastructure for, say, baggage scanning, check in (for some airlines), and security check is glaring. Mumbai's domestic airport cannot even offer enough seats to passengers waiting to board their aircraft. One experiment may be to provide a separate terminal for low-cost airlines.
Alongside passenger traffic, even freight movement by air has picked up momentum. The total freight handled in the country has registered a 13 per cent growth in March this year compared with the same month in 2005. Coimbatore saw a 78 per cent increase in freight handling this March, thanks to the hosiery town of Tirupur and the textile industry in the region. A lot many freight services are now in operation to all parts of the country.
At one point of time, when the domestic sector was first opened to private operators, Indian Airlines, which was till then a monopoly, battled to retain a 60 per cent share in traffic. Today, the private airlines together have taken away anywhere from 50 to 85 per cent of passengers in different airports. For instance, the private airlines accounted for 85.5 per cent of passenger traffic in March in Bangalore, 84.8 per cent in Guwahati, 83.4 per cent in Ahmedabad, and 82 per cent in Goa. It was more than 75 per cent in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Kochi. For the public sector airlines, it was 57.2 per cent in Kozhikode, 55.9 per cent in Amritsar, and 49.2 per cent in Thiruvananthapuram, with a national average of just 24.8 per cent of passenger traffic.
Most of the private airlines have just ordered their regular fleet of aircraft. And if all of them manage to survive in the race for market share, Indian skies and the airports will face a major infrastructure and security challenge. First, the regulator has to get its act together and put in place much-need rules of the game to provide a fairly even playing field. Secondly, the Airports Authority must quickly get going on its major plan of developing and expanding domestic airports to cope with the projected traffic. This will mean terminal buildings with adequate facilities and equipment, runways of international standards to take wide-bodied jets too, and supporting infrastructure to handle aircraft, service passengers, and provide an interface to the city centre in terms of transport.
Courtesy: The Hindu
The total passenger traffic has shown a 38.8 per cent increase in March 2006 compared with March 2005. International traffic rose by 14.4 per cent while domestic traffic recorded unimaginable growth in the same period. Just imagine, there were 5.16 million domestic passengers using the network of India's airports in March this year, as against 3.41 million in the same month last year. Such has been what still seems to be unplanned growth, as a result of which most, if not all, airports in the country are facing a severe congestion.
Be it New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata or Chennai, Hyderabad or Bangalore, or even tier-two airports including Ahmedabad and Coimbatore, take-offs and landings are becoming a huge problem in the peak hours. From 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and again from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., most of the airports are more crowded than inter-State bus terminals. During the peak hours, aircraft are either forced to circle overhead awaiting a landing slot or queue up on the taxiways for their turn to take off. Pilots routinely tell their passengers after take-off that the flight was delayed due to "congestion at the airport." The reason for the congestion: continuing increase in the number of flights and the number of airlines operating to most airports.
Airlines and passengers alike are looking to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to launch the much-talked-about project to develop, expand, and modernise the airports. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has weathered many storms over the modernisation of the New Delhi and Mumbai airports, involving the private sector in a major project. He has promised to unveil a similar package for the Kolkata and Chennai airports within the next couple of months. And the AAI has promised to undertake a major programme to develop and expand at least 35 domestic airports within the next two or three years.
With air travel costs dipping, domestic passenger traffic is expected to maintain its upward swing in the months and years to come. Unfortunately, the regulatory framework has not been able to cope with a rather unplanned growth in the aviation sector. In their hurry to capture a new market and register their presence, low-cost airlines are taking wing with leased aircraft and foreign pilots. Consequently, the congestion does not seem to be confined to the major airports or even the international ones. The tier-two cities, which the no-frills airlines have consciously tried to link, have reported stunning figures. Ahmedabad, Pune, Coimbatore, and Amritsar, for instance, have posted a very healthy growth in passenger traffic. Similarly, the open skies policy now pursued by the Centre has brought a range of international connections to new airports such as Pune, Ahmedabad or even Tiruchi. In a way, the availability of so many airports and airstrips across the country should be a major asset for India and its aviation sector.
The AAI's figures for March 2006, when compared with March 2005, provide a clear picture of the present scenario and point to the air pockets and rough weather that lie ahead if the Authority and the Aviation Ministry do not undertake the promised expansion and modernisation drive right away. In March this year, the airports handled 2.02 million international passengers and 5.16 million domestic passengers. This compares with 1.77 million and 3.41 million respectively in March last year. For the year 2005-06, there were 22.36 million international passengers (19.42 million the previous year), and 50.98 million domestic passengers (against 39.86 million the previous year). The growth in total passenger traffic has been 23.7 per cent year on year.
After the advent of Air Deccan, which pioneered the concept of no-frills airlines, SpiceJet and GoAir have taken this forward, carrying more first-time passengers by air. Other airlines such as Paramount and Kingfisher have tried to create a niche for themselves among business clients. The public sector domestic carrier, Indian Airlines, has acquired a new name `Indian' and has tried to cater to a large segment of traffic using its massive network.
In terms of international aircraft movement, there has been a 20 to 30 per cent increase in operations to major airports in India such as Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Thiruvananthapuram. On the domestic circuits, aircraft movements have risen sharply in centres such as Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Pune, Goa, Kochi, Kozhikode, and Coimbatore to name a few. But AAI has also pointed to some decline in traffic at a few airports — notably, Lucknow, Patna, Rajkot, and Imphal.
It is interesting to note, again from the trends that the March figures suggest, that Nagpur reported a 148.6 per cent increase in total passenger traffic for the month when compared with March 2005. The figure was 121.7 per cent in the case of Pune, 98.6 per cent for Coimbatore, and 68.5 per cent for Ahmedabad. At the top end of the spectrum, the 15 international airports recorded a 38.8 per cent increase in passenger traffic in March, while at the bottom rung, the 23 domestic airports posted a 32.5 per cent growth. Kochi, which boasts the first private airport, witnessed a 27 per cent rise in traffic. For the first few years, the Cochin International Airport Ltd. (CIAL) found it difficult to even pay interest on the borrowings, But now, it is not only financially comfortable but planning to offer a whole range of concessions, including waiver of parking charges, to international airlines. That is what proper infrastructure combined with a healthy traffic growth can do for an airport.
But, taking a typical case scenario in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or Bangalore, passengers often tend to lose their calm while going through the boarding procedures or waiting for the aircraft to take off. The lack of basic infrastructure for, say, baggage scanning, check in (for some airlines), and security check is glaring. Mumbai's domestic airport cannot even offer enough seats to passengers waiting to board their aircraft. One experiment may be to provide a separate terminal for low-cost airlines.
Alongside passenger traffic, even freight movement by air has picked up momentum. The total freight handled in the country has registered a 13 per cent growth in March this year compared with the same month in 2005. Coimbatore saw a 78 per cent increase in freight handling this March, thanks to the hosiery town of Tirupur and the textile industry in the region. A lot many freight services are now in operation to all parts of the country.
At one point of time, when the domestic sector was first opened to private operators, Indian Airlines, which was till then a monopoly, battled to retain a 60 per cent share in traffic. Today, the private airlines together have taken away anywhere from 50 to 85 per cent of passengers in different airports. For instance, the private airlines accounted for 85.5 per cent of passenger traffic in March in Bangalore, 84.8 per cent in Guwahati, 83.4 per cent in Ahmedabad, and 82 per cent in Goa. It was more than 75 per cent in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Kochi. For the public sector airlines, it was 57.2 per cent in Kozhikode, 55.9 per cent in Amritsar, and 49.2 per cent in Thiruvananthapuram, with a national average of just 24.8 per cent of passenger traffic.
Most of the private airlines have just ordered their regular fleet of aircraft. And if all of them manage to survive in the race for market share, Indian skies and the airports will face a major infrastructure and security challenge. First, the regulator has to get its act together and put in place much-need rules of the game to provide a fairly even playing field. Secondly, the Airports Authority must quickly get going on its major plan of developing and expanding domestic airports to cope with the projected traffic. This will mean terminal buildings with adequate facilities and equipment, runways of international standards to take wide-bodied jets too, and supporting infrastructure to handle aircraft, service passengers, and provide an interface to the city centre in terms of transport.
Courtesy: The Hindu
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Feng-shui fever grips Coimbatore!
The latest rage in Coimbatore is keeping Chinese Feng-shui articles at home.
People believe that keeping a smiling Buddha will bring prosperity, a bamboo tree will help in career and health.
As a result, the business of Chinese Feng-shui (Architecture), from which these items of prosperity and luck are derived, has gained momentum in the recent times. Besides having a decorative value, the Feng Shui items are also considered auspicious for the family.
"I have come here to buy these Vastu items like Laughing Buddha and bamboo tree. We keep them in our house for decoration. These are also for good omen," said Tshewang, a tourist customer from far away Bhutan.
Shopkeepers are happy that there is increasing demand for the articles.
"Business is running very well. Most of the Feng-shui items have been imported from China. The more popular it gets in the country, the more demand it brings to us. There are so many items and each item has different effect. The business has just doubled since we started selling Feng-Shui items," said Naman, a shopkeeper.
Apart from the Laughing Buddha and bamboo tree, pots of various designs, golden snakes, horses and coins are some other favourites of customers.
The cost of Feng-shui articles range from rupees 10 to 1, 000 depending on their significance.
Feng shui, pronounced "fung shway", is the ancient Chinese practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment. The literal translation is "wind and water".
But actually Feng shui is not about a decorating style; it is a discipline whose guidelines are compatible with many different decorating styles.
For a place to have "good feng shui" is for it to be in harmony with Nature, to have "bad feng shui" is to be incongruous with Nature.
Courtesy : Hindustan Times
People believe that keeping a smiling Buddha will bring prosperity, a bamboo tree will help in career and health.
As a result, the business of Chinese Feng-shui (Architecture), from which these items of prosperity and luck are derived, has gained momentum in the recent times. Besides having a decorative value, the Feng Shui items are also considered auspicious for the family.
"I have come here to buy these Vastu items like Laughing Buddha and bamboo tree. We keep them in our house for decoration. These are also for good omen," said Tshewang, a tourist customer from far away Bhutan.
Shopkeepers are happy that there is increasing demand for the articles.
"Business is running very well. Most of the Feng-shui items have been imported from China. The more popular it gets in the country, the more demand it brings to us. There are so many items and each item has different effect. The business has just doubled since we started selling Feng-Shui items," said Naman, a shopkeeper.
Apart from the Laughing Buddha and bamboo tree, pots of various designs, golden snakes, horses and coins are some other favourites of customers.
The cost of Feng-shui articles range from rupees 10 to 1, 000 depending on their significance.
Feng shui, pronounced "fung shway", is the ancient Chinese practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment. The literal translation is "wind and water".
But actually Feng shui is not about a decorating style; it is a discipline whose guidelines are compatible with many different decorating styles.
For a place to have "good feng shui" is for it to be in harmony with Nature, to have "bad feng shui" is to be incongruous with Nature.
Courtesy : Hindustan Times
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Coimbatore getting ready for IT boom
As Coimbatore prepares for a takeoff in Information Technology (IT) and IT Enabled Services (ITES) sector in a big way, traditional manufacturing sector is equipping itself for challenges it may face, such as employee shortage.
"Manufacturing and IT should co-exist and the CII has identified three key areas of focus for the manufacturing sector," says Jayakumar Ramdass, Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Coimbatore Zone. Chennai is a model city in this regard, he added.
Skilled manpower
Ensuring availability of adequate skilled manpower is one of the areas of focus. "It is directly proportional to the quality of students coming out of colleges and institutes."
CII is working out a strategy to strengthen industry-institute relationship. Coimbatore, being a textile hub, is also trying to introduce textile courses in industrial training institutes.
Another area of focus is introduction of modern manufacturing concepts. A summit will be held next month on lean manufacturing.
This is to improve delivery schedules, bring down inventory and improve profits.
Low cost automation is also important for industries and small and medium scale enterprises should invest in this.
The idea is: units should reduce costs and modernise.
They can go in for low-cost enterprise resource programmes. The cost of IT products for manufacturing units is expected to come down with the entry of IT and ITES companies here.
The CII will persuade the SMEs to go in for these methods, he said.
Courtesy : The Hindu
"Manufacturing and IT should co-exist and the CII has identified three key areas of focus for the manufacturing sector," says Jayakumar Ramdass, Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Coimbatore Zone. Chennai is a model city in this regard, he added.
Skilled manpower
Ensuring availability of adequate skilled manpower is one of the areas of focus. "It is directly proportional to the quality of students coming out of colleges and institutes."
CII is working out a strategy to strengthen industry-institute relationship. Coimbatore, being a textile hub, is also trying to introduce textile courses in industrial training institutes.
Another area of focus is introduction of modern manufacturing concepts. A summit will be held next month on lean manufacturing.
This is to improve delivery schedules, bring down inventory and improve profits.
Low cost automation is also important for industries and small and medium scale enterprises should invest in this.
The idea is: units should reduce costs and modernise.
They can go in for low-cost enterprise resource programmes. The cost of IT products for manufacturing units is expected to come down with the entry of IT and ITES companies here.
The CII will persuade the SMEs to go in for these methods, he said.
Courtesy : The Hindu
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Tea prices rule firm in Coimbatore auction
Tea prices continued their upward trend at the auction here last week with good support from the exporters and major blenders, according to trade sources.
Supported by the CIS exporters and major blenders, high-grown larger teas and well made brokens of orthodox leaf were at substanially dearer levels, while others placed at irregular and subjected to quality, they said.
Limited quantity of orthodox dust ruled firm to dearer by Re one to Rs two per kg and most of the teas were absorbed by the exporters and a few internal traders.
With good general demand, better liquoring CTC leafs, medium/plainer bolder grades were sold at previous levels, while medium brokens met with a steady to slightly easier market.
Smaller brokens and fanning, especially plainer sorts of CTC leafs, ruled firm to dearer, the sources said adding the exporters and major blenders operated marketably supported by internal traders.
CTC dust also met with fair demand. Good liquoring and high prices teas sold at firm to dearer levels. Medium liquoring opened firm and ruled firm to dearer. Plainer varieties with better appearance also ruled firm to dearer by Re one to Rs two, while others were irregular, they said.
However, some Pakistan type bolder dusts declined by a rupee in value, the sources added.
Of the 4.30 lakh kgs offered on sale dust alone accounted for 2.36 lakh kgs.
Courtesy: New Kerala
Supported by the CIS exporters and major blenders, high-grown larger teas and well made brokens of orthodox leaf were at substanially dearer levels, while others placed at irregular and subjected to quality, they said.
Limited quantity of orthodox dust ruled firm to dearer by Re one to Rs two per kg and most of the teas were absorbed by the exporters and a few internal traders.
With good general demand, better liquoring CTC leafs, medium/plainer bolder grades were sold at previous levels, while medium brokens met with a steady to slightly easier market.
Smaller brokens and fanning, especially plainer sorts of CTC leafs, ruled firm to dearer, the sources said adding the exporters and major blenders operated marketably supported by internal traders.
CTC dust also met with fair demand. Good liquoring and high prices teas sold at firm to dearer levels. Medium liquoring opened firm and ruled firm to dearer. Plainer varieties with better appearance also ruled firm to dearer by Re one to Rs two, while others were irregular, they said.
However, some Pakistan type bolder dusts declined by a rupee in value, the sources added.
Of the 4.30 lakh kgs offered on sale dust alone accounted for 2.36 lakh kgs.
Courtesy: New Kerala
Monday, September 18, 2006
Tirupur-based group opens T-Mart
The Tirupur-based PGC Industries opened T-Mart, an apparel and accessories store, here on Sunday.
According to Naveen Chander, Chief Operating Officer of T-Mart Textiles India (P) Limited, the company plans to open 80 points of sale by the end of March 2007.
It will have 2,010 points of sale across the country by 2010. The next store will be opened in Chennai.
Flagship stores
He said that the points of sale would include flagship stores, franchisees and shop in shops. T-Mart had men's wear, women's wear and garments for children and infants too.
It would soon have accessories also. "The core idea is to deliver world class products in a niche environment at a price that every one can afford."
The company hoped to sell three lakh to 3.5 lakh units by the end of March through the outlets. He said T-Mart "is more of solution provider rather than a retailer."
Initially, the mart would have in-house brands. This would later be expanded to other brands too, he said.
The apparel design outsourcing team of the company would decide on the products that would go into the stores.
Courtesy : The Hindu
According to Naveen Chander, Chief Operating Officer of T-Mart Textiles India (P) Limited, the company plans to open 80 points of sale by the end of March 2007.
It will have 2,010 points of sale across the country by 2010. The next store will be opened in Chennai.
Flagship stores
He said that the points of sale would include flagship stores, franchisees and shop in shops. T-Mart had men's wear, women's wear and garments for children and infants too.
It would soon have accessories also. "The core idea is to deliver world class products in a niche environment at a price that every one can afford."
The company hoped to sell three lakh to 3.5 lakh units by the end of March through the outlets. He said T-Mart "is more of solution provider rather than a retailer."
Initially, the mart would have in-house brands. This would later be expanded to other brands too, he said.
The apparel design outsourcing team of the company would decide on the products that would go into the stores.
Courtesy : The Hindu
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Taking driving licence to public
The Transport Department has embarked on a mission to reach out to motorists in providing them with driving licence.
Deputy Transport Commissioner, Coimbatore Circle, K. Yogarajan said The Hindu that Transport Commissioner R. Sivakumar had instructed Regional Transport Officers to end the practice of motorists taking to roads without a licence.
First phase
In the first phase, the Department visited colleges for issuing licence to students. Now, the second phase is aimed at reaching out to people in their locality rather than waiting for the applicants to turn up at the Regional Transport Office (RTO).
Public should make use of this opportunity. This exercise helped the public avoid standing in queues at Regional Transport Offices to get a licence.
Regional Transport Officer, Erode, P. Mani had organised similar drives with the help of voluntary organisations and licences were issued to over 350 people in Bhavanisagar, Gobichettipalayam, Kangeyam and Vellakoil. Similarly, a three-daylong camp was conducted in Modakurichi in Erode district in which 3,558 villagers were provided learner's licence, he said. More such drives were being planned in every RTO jurisdiction. The Coimbatore Circle of the Department had so far visited 99 out of the 159 educational institutions and had provided learner's licence to 17,345 students. The Department was looking forward the active participation and co-operation of the educational institutions in making the exercise a success.
Courtesy : The Hindu
Deputy Transport Commissioner, Coimbatore Circle, K. Yogarajan said The Hindu that Transport Commissioner R. Sivakumar had instructed Regional Transport Officers to end the practice of motorists taking to roads without a licence.
First phase
In the first phase, the Department visited colleges for issuing licence to students. Now, the second phase is aimed at reaching out to people in their locality rather than waiting for the applicants to turn up at the Regional Transport Office (RTO).
Public should make use of this opportunity. This exercise helped the public avoid standing in queues at Regional Transport Offices to get a licence.
Regional Transport Officer, Erode, P. Mani had organised similar drives with the help of voluntary organisations and licences were issued to over 350 people in Bhavanisagar, Gobichettipalayam, Kangeyam and Vellakoil. Similarly, a three-daylong camp was conducted in Modakurichi in Erode district in which 3,558 villagers were provided learner's licence, he said. More such drives were being planned in every RTO jurisdiction. The Coimbatore Circle of the Department had so far visited 99 out of the 159 educational institutions and had provided learner's licence to 17,345 students. The Department was looking forward the active participation and co-operation of the educational institutions in making the exercise a success.
Courtesy : The Hindu
Awards and accolades for Sri Krishna Sweets
Three prestigious awards from the United States were conferred on M Krishnan and M Murali of Sri Krishna Sweets for their pursuit of excellence in business and their following of Corporate Social Responsibility that promoted Tamil culture, language and fine arts.
It was a glittering function at the Vani Mahal yesterday that saw eminent personalities showering praise and blessings on the siblings and a large gathering of social celebrities, including director K Balachander, film producer AVM Saravanan, industrialist Nalli Kuppusamy Chetty and Kamala theatre owner V N Chidambaram, among others, witnessing the awards ceremony.
Also, the event marked the launch of Southern Indian Chapter of Indian American Business Promotion Council (IABPC), a group that strived for joint ventures and foster business relations between the two countries. IABPC at its annual convention in New York held recently had bestowed the duo the Best Business Person of the Year Award which was presented by the Governor Surjit Singh Barnala at the function yesterday. While the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FETNA) presented the Award of Excellence to Murali and Krishnan for their stellar role in promoting Tamil language, culture, music, fine arts, heritage and spirituality, David T Hopper, the US Consul General for South India, handed over Recognition Certificate to the brothers for their commitment to quality and excellence in business acumen.
'May their sweet service to the society continue forever,' wished the Governor in his keynote address. Expressing happiness over the launch of Southern Indian Chapter of IABPC, he said the rapid progress of knowledge-based industries in Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad would lead to economic benefits like more jobs and income growth. 'The success of knowledge-based industries will open avenues for many others sectors of the Indian economy. With India's focus on cost, quality, reliability, speed and flexibility, offshore services continue to grow, accounting for billions of dollars in overseas trade,' he explained.
With advanced IT skills and English proficiency, the Indian workforce could offer Americans high quality service at low cost and hence, cooperation in this segment could yield significant benefits to both countries, he said.
Hopper said the successes of Indian-Americans have been 'phenomenal' as the community of late was enjoying rising economic and political clout with sound education, professional standing and growing income levels. 'Though Indian restaurants are increasing with the popularity of their cuisines on the rise, Tamils have to take the initiative to spread their delicious and healthy food across America and to make it flourish in restaurants,' he opined.
Sri Krishna Sweets was synonymous with genuine Tamil food and the enterprise was known to promote Tamil arts and culture wherever they establish presence, he felt.
Former CBI Director D R Kaarthikeyan recalled that Mahadeva Iyer began SKS as a humble outlet in 1948 at Bazaar Street in Coimbatore and took another 30 years to set up a second branch. 'Now, his two sons, Krishnan and Murali within a span of decade had expanded SKS into 50 branches employing 2,000 people across Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Recently, the 50th branch was opened at Dubai too,' he said.
To cite the dedication and professional spirit of the duo, he said SKS had delivered 17.5 tonnes of Mysurpa (sweet delicacy) at a golden jubilee fete of BHEL in Bangalore in record time, earning the praise of everyone.
Prakash M Swami, executive director, IABPC, said as part of social responsibility Murali has been organising events for orphans and destitute children in which they were treated and lavished with 5-star food and delicacies.
'When educated and cultured people like Murali and Krishnan foray into sweet business that profession grows in public esteem,' said A Ramdas Rao, president, Chennai Hotels Association.
If one thought of Chennai, then the sweet taste of Mysurpa ranked top in the culinary choice of an outsider, averred Hiren Shah, vice-chairman, Indo-American Chamber of Commerce.
In his poetic address, lyricist Vairamuthu said the overall quality of life in Chennai has risen by few notches with the advent of SKS. Murali's abiding worship of Lord Ganesha, besides reverence to his father, had seen his enterprise grow in stature, he observed.
In his acceptance speech, Krishnan said the three awards were the fruits of the penance of 'our ancestors.'
Dedicating all the felicitations and blessings to his father, customers and the staff, he said it was a precious moment for Sri Krishna Sweets for being honoured by IABPC, FETNA and US government.
Shanthi Radhakrishnan, regional director, IABPC, Detroit, in her vote of thanks asked the siblings to expand their presence in the US and promote Tamil arts and culture in a big way in that continent.
Courtesy : News Today Net
It was a glittering function at the Vani Mahal yesterday that saw eminent personalities showering praise and blessings on the siblings and a large gathering of social celebrities, including director K Balachander, film producer AVM Saravanan, industrialist Nalli Kuppusamy Chetty and Kamala theatre owner V N Chidambaram, among others, witnessing the awards ceremony.
Also, the event marked the launch of Southern Indian Chapter of Indian American Business Promotion Council (IABPC), a group that strived for joint ventures and foster business relations between the two countries. IABPC at its annual convention in New York held recently had bestowed the duo the Best Business Person of the Year Award which was presented by the Governor Surjit Singh Barnala at the function yesterday. While the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FETNA) presented the Award of Excellence to Murali and Krishnan for their stellar role in promoting Tamil language, culture, music, fine arts, heritage and spirituality, David T Hopper, the US Consul General for South India, handed over Recognition Certificate to the brothers for their commitment to quality and excellence in business acumen.
'May their sweet service to the society continue forever,' wished the Governor in his keynote address. Expressing happiness over the launch of Southern Indian Chapter of IABPC, he said the rapid progress of knowledge-based industries in Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad would lead to economic benefits like more jobs and income growth. 'The success of knowledge-based industries will open avenues for many others sectors of the Indian economy. With India's focus on cost, quality, reliability, speed and flexibility, offshore services continue to grow, accounting for billions of dollars in overseas trade,' he explained.
With advanced IT skills and English proficiency, the Indian workforce could offer Americans high quality service at low cost and hence, cooperation in this segment could yield significant benefits to both countries, he said.
Hopper said the successes of Indian-Americans have been 'phenomenal' as the community of late was enjoying rising economic and political clout with sound education, professional standing and growing income levels. 'Though Indian restaurants are increasing with the popularity of their cuisines on the rise, Tamils have to take the initiative to spread their delicious and healthy food across America and to make it flourish in restaurants,' he opined.
Sri Krishna Sweets was synonymous with genuine Tamil food and the enterprise was known to promote Tamil arts and culture wherever they establish presence, he felt.
Former CBI Director D R Kaarthikeyan recalled that Mahadeva Iyer began SKS as a humble outlet in 1948 at Bazaar Street in Coimbatore and took another 30 years to set up a second branch. 'Now, his two sons, Krishnan and Murali within a span of decade had expanded SKS into 50 branches employing 2,000 people across Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Recently, the 50th branch was opened at Dubai too,' he said.
To cite the dedication and professional spirit of the duo, he said SKS had delivered 17.5 tonnes of Mysurpa (sweet delicacy) at a golden jubilee fete of BHEL in Bangalore in record time, earning the praise of everyone.
Prakash M Swami, executive director, IABPC, said as part of social responsibility Murali has been organising events for orphans and destitute children in which they were treated and lavished with 5-star food and delicacies.
'When educated and cultured people like Murali and Krishnan foray into sweet business that profession grows in public esteem,' said A Ramdas Rao, president, Chennai Hotels Association.
If one thought of Chennai, then the sweet taste of Mysurpa ranked top in the culinary choice of an outsider, averred Hiren Shah, vice-chairman, Indo-American Chamber of Commerce.
In his poetic address, lyricist Vairamuthu said the overall quality of life in Chennai has risen by few notches with the advent of SKS. Murali's abiding worship of Lord Ganesha, besides reverence to his father, had seen his enterprise grow in stature, he observed.
In his acceptance speech, Krishnan said the three awards were the fruits of the penance of 'our ancestors.'
Dedicating all the felicitations and blessings to his father, customers and the staff, he said it was a precious moment for Sri Krishna Sweets for being honoured by IABPC, FETNA and US government.
Shanthi Radhakrishnan, regional director, IABPC, Detroit, in her vote of thanks asked the siblings to expand their presence in the US and promote Tamil arts and culture in a big way in that continent.
Courtesy : News Today Net
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