As many as 600 trees marked to be felled; contractor claimed to have obtained permission from the authorities

Attempts to cut trees on Marudhamalai Road, near Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), on Tuesday, led to protests by green activists. This resulted to heated exchanges between activists and the contractor carrying out the road widening works.

The State government has planned to carry out six projects of inter-linking of rivers in the State at a total cost of Rs. 9,015 crore as part of its efforts to achieve optimal utilisation of water resources.

Stating this while initiating a debate in the Assembly on the demands for grants of the Public Works Department, PWD Minister K.V. Ramalingam explained the rationale behind the formulation of the projects.

The 300-odd small farmers, belonging to Thummanatti vegetable growing cluster in the Nilgiris, are an aggrieved lot.

Officials from the Loss of Ecology (Prevention and Payment of Compensation) Authority took water and soil samples from Ramapalayam and Welpuram areas in Jadayampalayam and Thekkampatti in Mettupalayam on Wednesday.

In 2002, the villagers and farmers filed a petition before the Madras High Court stating that industrial effluents had polluted the water and soil quality in their villages. The pollution had resulted in water being unfit for human consumption and agriculture.

Officials on Wednesday discussed measures to curb man-animal conflicts in human habitations adjoining the forests in Coimbatore and Anamalai Tiger Reserve areas.

The meeting, presided over by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Vashisht, was attended by District Collector M. Karunagaran, Field Director of Anamalai Tiger Reserve P. Varatharaj, Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore Circle, V.T. Kandasamy and District Forest Officers - V. Thirunavukkarasu (Coimbatore) and Rajkumar (Tirupur).

Drinking water schemes seeking to serve 44.36 lakh people in eight districts will be implemented at a cost of over 1,500 crore in 2012-13, Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development K.P.Munusamy told the Assembly on Monday.

Replying to the debate on the allocation for departments under him, the Minister said the schemes, to be implemented in Cuddalore, Villupuram, Pudukottai, Theni, Sivaganga, Coimbatore, Tirupur and Tirunelveli district, would benefit 8,134 habitations in five Municipal Corporations,

A 65-year-old farmer from Tirupur is being treated for swine flu (H1N1) in the isolation ward of the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH).

Pommu Naiker of Nathakattupudur in Ward 19 of Tirupur Corporation was confirmed to be infected by the H1N1 virus at a private hospital in Coimbatore on Tuesday night. He was brought to the CMCH around 10 p.m. The test was done at a private laboratory.

With the Union Government removing the accelerated depreciation benefit for investors in wind mill projects from April 1, 2012, investment in the wind energy sector will not be attractive to the small captive investors, according to K. Kasthoorirangaian, Chairman of Indian Wind Power Association.

Investors had the option to go in for accelerated deprecation or generation-based incentive. According to a recent notification of the Income-tax Department, for wind mills installed from April 1, 2012, depreciation is restricted to 15 per cent plus 20 per cent of the investment in wind mills, as against 80 per cent extended so far.

In the last three months, one person died and 12 others were diagnosed with the A (H1N1) virus in the State, according to a release from the Department of Health and Family Welfare here on Monday.

The infection was found to have affected people in Chennai, Coimbatore and Tiruppur. The only death reported is that of a 72-year-old farmer who had succumbed to the infection due to old age and delay in seeking treatment.

Coimbatore: A 75-year-old farmer from Tamil Nadu’s Tirupur died of H1N1 virus infection, the first swine flu death in the state in two years.