Coimbatore ACME Round Table 133 on Tuesday gave away Rs. 50,000 in compensation to 15 farmers from three forest ranges in Sathyamangalam.

The farmers would use the money to buy cattle in their effort to make good the loss of animals to tigers, said K.S. Sundararaman, chairman of the organisation. This novel initiative was aimed at conserving tigers in the three ranges, he said and explained that the compensation to the farmers was to dissuade them from poisoning carcass to kill the felines.

Coimbatore Amrita Vidyalayam students conduct survey on solar power generation

Every household can generate the power it needs and also a little more, if only it were to install solar panels on the roof. “Our study reveals that a household will be able to not only meet its average requirement of 6,480 units but will also have a surplus of over 1,200 units,” says Ekanath Rangan, a Plus One student of Amrita Vidyalayam, Ettimadai.

Air quality too, to be monitored at five spots, during Deepavali

It’s a busy time of year for officials of Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB). A week head of Deepavali, they have begun measuring levels of noise and ambient air quality at five places in the city. Monitoring stations have been established in thickly-populated areas like Besant Nagar, T. Nagar, Sowcarpet, Nungambakkam and Triplicane to collect dust samples before, during and after the festival. According to an official, noise levels will be recorded for six hours every evening and pollution levels, every 24 hours from 6 a.m.

With half to five kg of waste, burn stove for more than two hours

With a cap on the supply of LPG domestic cylinders at subsidised prices, kitchens can make use of alternative options. Some in Coimbatore have done so and also gone green with biogas plants. A simple system that includes two drums, hose, and stove can turn the kitchen and garden waste at home into fuel.

In May this year, Masilamani (41), a resident of a housing board colony bang opposite the Kodungiyur dumpyard, woke up with violent coughs and breathlessness.

Against the backdrop of long hours of power cut and growing demand for power in the State, Tamil Nadu has come out with “Solar Energy Policy 2012.” The policy envisages 3,000 mega watt of solar power in the State in three years.

Several industrial and commercial consumers are already going in for solar energy generation. For instance, the RVS group of educational institutions here plans to install 600 kilo watt solar systems in six of its colleges. The Solar Energy Policy will now boost solar power generation in all segments and at different scales of generation – roof tops to large capacity plants.

Corporation blames contractor; seeks explanation on fire accident

Residents of Konavaikalpalayam, Mahalingapuram, N.G.R. Nagar, Sakthi Eswaran Nagar and L.G. Nagar blocked the Chettipalayam Road on Monday, demanding closure of the Coimbatore Corporation’s dump yard in Vellalore. As the Coimbatore Corporation officials’ and police’s efforts to pacify the crowd failed and traffic remained blocked, the police removed around 253 protestors, including 108 women.

Tamil Nadu has started using global positioning system and electronic total stations to survey land.

Speaking at the state revenue ministers conference in New Delhi today, Thoppu N D Venkatachalam said the survey using the global positioning system and electronic total station was conducted on a pilot basis in one village initially and then using the experience gained, the scheme had been extended further.

A new system of surveying, using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Electronic Total Stations, is in progress in districts including Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirupur and The Nilgiris, according to Revenue Minister Thoppu N.D. Venkatachalam.

Addressing a conference of State Revenue Ministers in New Delhi on Thursday, Mr. Venkatachalam [the text of whose speech was released in Chennai] said that on a pilot basis one village was chosen and, using the experience gained, the system — Modern Surveying — extended.

The People's Movement of India will launch a nation-wide awareness campaign and take out a yatra from Coimbatore to New Delhi to urge the Central Government to promote the use of ethanol as an alternative automotive fuel.

The campaign will be launched on September 21 and the yatra will commence at 10 a.m. on the same day from the Red Cross Society premises in Coimbatore, Field organiser of the movement C. Nallasamy told newspersons here on Monday.