Census is carried out in tiger reserves and sanctuaries twice a year

Nearly 1,000 persons including forest personnel, nature enthusiasts, environmentalists and members of Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs) continued with the wildlife census in Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) for the second day on Friday. The five-day census to enumerate the wildlife population in the 958 sq km area of ATR spread over six ranges of Pollachi, Ulandy, Manomboly, Valparai, Udumalpet and Amaravathy began with a training on Wednesday. The field level census commenced on Thursday.

Road widening works saw a large number of trees pulled down on either side of Mettupalayam Road. But, the green cover on the road may be back, if the efforts of the Mettupalayam Road Protection Association pay off.

The association has identified 28 varieties of trees. For 6.5 km from Sanganur Pallam to NGGO Colony, trees will be planted on either side of the road and shrubs will be planted on the median space. The association plans to start the green drive in March this year. It plans to approach the industries on the Mettupalayam Road for support to maintain the trees.

Nearly 100 people to be involved in the exercise

The five-day census to enumerate the wildlife population is all set to begin in the 958 sq km area spread over six ranges of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) from Wednesday. Talking to The Hindu , Field Director of ATR Rajiv K. Srivasatava said that nearly 100 people including Forest Department staff, NGO volunteers, nature enthusiasts and environmentalists will be involved in the exercise. The staff and other volunteers will be divided into teams of three or four and will be involved in carrying out the census in Amaravathy, Udumalpet, Pollachi, Valparai, Manomboly and Valparai ranges.

Identification of beneficiaries done through Gram Sabhas

The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RD and PR) Department would construct a total of 1,497 solar-powered green houses for below poverty line families in Coimbatore district during the current financial year. Work is on in 12 blocks of the district especially in villages such as Vellamadai, AS Kulam, Keeramathur in SS Kulam and Malumichampatti and Palathurai in Madukkarai. Under this scheme, Rs.1.80 lakh will be allotted for each beneficiary by the State Government, of which Rs.30,000 is for purchasing solar-powered home lighting system.

The Coimbatore Consumer Cause and the Tamil Nadu Pumps and Spares Manufacturers’ Association have appealed to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) to ensure equal distribution of power across the State.

They have written to the TNERC recently opposing just two hours of load shedding a day in Chennai as against more than 10 hours in the rest of the State. R. Kalyanasundaram, president of the Tamil Nadu Pumps and Spares Manufacturers’ Association, has said that the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) sanctioned connections based on its generation and purchase capacity and hence it should provide electricity to the consumers for the sanctioned load.

The 90 bird watchers in 18 teams, who are part of the SACON’s second edition of bird race here on Sunday, spotted more than 250 species from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m..

The event was organised by Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History along with HSBC Bank and Yuhina Eco-media. Three teams ended up sighting 133, 132 and 131 bird species, respectively. The birders identified almost all common birds of Coimbatore. There were many rare observations such as Redwinged Crested Cuckoo, Rufous Bellied Hawk Eagle and Pallied Harrier from unexpected locations, said P. Pramod, senior scientist of SACON.

While Tamil Nadu is celebrating Karthikai, the Tamil month of lights, the state’s power situation is turning from bad to worse. This capital city is witnessing around two hours of daily power cut, while the outskirts as well and rural parts are reeling under outages of up to 16 hours a day.

The state government said the crisis would end by the second half of 2013 as new capacities would become operational. At present, the power shortage is 4,000 Mw.

Heavy influx of elephants; more than 150 sighted in 16 places

With human-animal conflict heightening in Valparai due to the influx of a number of elephants, Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) officials have stepped up conflict mitigation efforts by deploying more forest personnel to monitor herd movement and alert people. The officials embarked on a mapping exercise to bring in conflict mitigation mechanisms in Valparai town and surrounding areas, said Rajiv K. Srivastava, Field Director of Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

Even as industries in Coimbatore region reel under long hours of power cut, suffering sharp decline in production, one segment is studying the solar option as a joint initiative to tackle the power