INSPECTION: Transport Minister K.N. Nehru (right) and PWD Minister Durai Murugan near the site where the new Kattalai barrage will come up across the Cauvery at Mayanur in Karur district. The stage has been set for laying the foundation for Rs.700-crore worth of projects that will be executed by the Public Works Department in the Tiruchi Circle. Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi will launch the works in Tiruchi on June 24.

Many farmers have switched over to sericulture from the conventional crops of paddy or groundnut in the central districts in the past two years. This has come in handy for officials of the Sericulture Department, which has planned to increase the area under sericulture in the Cauvery delta districts. Encouraged by the overwhelming response from farmers, the Department has planned to bring an additional 550 acres under sericulture (230 acres in Tiruchi district; 117 in Thanjavur; 65 in Perambalur; 112 in Pudukottai and 26 at the foot of the Pachamalai Hills).

THE Corporation of Tiruchy is planning to set up a modern sewage treatment plant as part of the underground drainage (UGD) project within the city. The Tiruchy-Srirangam UGD project, along with the earlier one which is already functioning, is nearing completion. A third phase is also being drafted to accommodate the areas not covered under the earlier two phases. Meanwhile, the first phase is getting a new treatment plant in Panjappur with three pools and the cleaning process is under implementation.

Social sciences are vastly neglected in the country. So it's refreshing when a school organizes a history exhibition. The Thanjammal Memorial Elementary School in Tiruchi organized one such

Deterrent: Subrat Mohapatra, District Forest Officer (left), inspecting fence erected along Semmalai reserve forest in Tiruchi district The Forest Department has erected solar-powered electric fence on some stretches along the periphery of a few Reserve Forests in the district in an effort to prevent animals from entering human habitations and damaging crops. The work has been carried out to a total length of 15 km along the boundary of Semmalai and Karupureddypatti in Manapparai range; Pulivalam, Omandur and Vellakalpatti in Tiruchi range. The Department spent Rs.24 lakh for the work executed under the State Wildlife Scheme. The fence in Semmalai and Karupureddypatti have been erected to a length of 2.5 km each, 3 km each in Pulivalam and Vellakalpatti and four km in Omandur. The fencing work was carried out following frequent complaints from villagers that animals such as Indian gaur, wild boar and deer were damaging their crops. District Forest Officer Subrat Mohapatra said that animals entered villages in search of water, especially in summer. The low voltage impulse from the fence would act as a deterrent and not harm the animals, said Mr. Mohapatra. To meet the water needs of animals, the department planned to establish small percolation ponds inside the forest. Tiruchi district has a total of 86 Reserve Forests. The department planned to carry out fencing work to a total length of 30 km during the next financial year.

The burning desire of Tiruchirapalli residents to safely get rid of mountains of hospital waste has now been fulfilled. The School of Energy Studies of the local Bharathidasan University has come up

TIRUCHI: In an effort to save electrical energy, the Railway Board has initiated free distribution of 14 watts / 20 watts compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) to replace 60 watts / 100 watts incandescent (IC) lamps in all railway quarters under the

Eight-year-old Pooja visits India for the third time to meet