In the wake of rapid development in areas near the reserve forests in the district and increasing elephant movement into villages, the Forest Department has taken a series of measures recently to ensure that new constructions do not come up in the elephant corridors or affect elephant movement in the forest area.

The department has intimated the appropriate authorities on constructions coming up without its permission in the Hill Area Conservation Act (HACA) notified villages or buildings that are promoted on the agricultural land in the areas close to the forest without getting a “no objection certificate” from the department.

Construction of buildings in the traditional elephant migratory corridors resulting in obstruction of their path is a major factor contributing to human-elephant conflict in Coimbatore, according to G. Sivasubramanian, Assistant Manager, Western Ghats Landscape Programme, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) – India.

Addressing the monthly ‘Enviromeet’ organised in the city on Sunday by Osai, a non-governmental association involved in environmental conservation and protection activities, he said that while the reasons for these incidents varied across the State, there were some common underlying causes such as loss of elephant habitation due to development activities.

Construction of buildings in the traditional elephant migratory corridors resulting in obstruction of their path is a major factor contributing to human-elephant conflict in Coimbatore, according to G. Sivasubramanian, Assistant Manager, Western Ghats Landscape Programme, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) – India.

Addressing the monthly ‘Enviromeet’ organised in the city on Sunday by Osai, a non-governmental association involved in environmental conservation and protection activities, he said that while the reasons for these incidents varied across the State, there were some common underlying causes such as loss of elephant habitation due to development activities.

Inadequate fund allocation is hampering the ambitious Noyyal river system revival or restoration project and the meagre allocation of Rs. 30 lakh per annum is just proving to be insufficient even for carrying out emergency repairs to the channels and tanks.

Noyyal that originates in Western Ghats near Poondi and runs through Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode, to become a tributary for Cauvery, is the lifeline of these districts. It runs for 65 km in Coimbatore, 34 in Tirupur and 39 in Erode before joining river Cauvery in Kodumudi. The system was once catering to the irrigation needs of over 36,000 acres.

The Tamil Nadu Solar Energy Policy envisaged the State to have 3,000 MW solar energy generation by 2015.

The policy has given a boost to the sector in the State, said Sudeep Jain, Chairman and Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA). The Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA) has organised four-day exhibition Elektrotec 2013, an electrical and industrial electronic fair, jointly with the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), and Renergy Coimbatore 2013, a renewable energy expo, jointly with the TEDA.

A chargesheet has been filed against Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco), a subsidiary of Monsanto, the US agri business firm, for violating the bio-piracy laws in developing Bt Brinjal varie

Vaccine Vial Monitors to allay apprehensions of public regarding the dosage’s potency

A total of 3.39 lakh children in the age group of zero to five years have been targeted in Coimbatore district during the first phase of 18{+t}{+h}annual Pulse Polio Programme on Sunday (January 20). To allay public apprehensions on efficacy of the vaccine, Deputy Director of Health Services R. Damodharan informed that all vials contain ‘Vaccine Vial Monitors,’ a thermo-sensitive paper containing a white square inside a blue circle that would reflect the temperature of the vaccine which was susceptible to heat variations.

Under an improved version of Total Sanitation Campaign

Seven panchayats in the district will undergo a facelift once the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) completes the solid waste management programme. A release from the district administration says that under the Central Government’s Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan programme, which is an improved version of the Total Sanitation Campaign, it will put in place the waste management programme.

One measure adopted was to extend the Health Department’s surveillance from government health institutions alone to include private hospitals capable of treating the disease.

From a level of 22 fresh cases every single day during the months of September to November last year when the epidemic was peaking in the city, incidents of dengue have come down to between zero and two per day during the first week of January.

1,139 CFLs to be installed in 292 habitations this year

Rural habitations in the district will not get just lights but energy-efficient ones under the Tamil Nadu Village Habitations Improvement (THAI) Scheme. The district administration has decided to go in for CFLs (compact florescent lamps) to standardise procurement and also bring down the village panchayats’ expenditure on power, says N. Venaktesh, Additional Collector, District Rural Development Agency.