Monthly Archives: February 2013

Coimbatore gets its first ATV track

Sports

Built on a 5.5 acre land, the facility is open for all age groups

The motor sport capital of the country, as the city is oft referred to, got its first All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) track here on Friday.

Built on a 5.5 acre land, the ‘Off Road Adventure’ track is nicely placed on the Sulur Pirivu Road, near Neelambur.

The idea, the organisers say, is to kick up the dust and provide wholesome entertainment for motor sport lovers from this part of the region.

“We are at the right place because Coimbatore has a rich racing culture. So, it will be easy for them to understand the adventure that this sport has to offer, said Pankaj Dubey, Managing Director and Country Head of Polaris India Pvt. Ltd., who did the formal inauguration on Friday.

Polaris, which builds the most rugged and versatile vehicles for both work and play, was pleased as punch to be in the city. “The children are going to love it, and so are the adults,” added Mr. Dubey.

“It is nothing but pure entertainment. So, it’s definitely going to attract a lot of kids” pointed R. Mohan, the man behind the Coimbatore facility.

The Coimbatore track is the second such facility available in Tamil Nadu. Chennai earned the distinction of setting up the first ATV track on the ECR Road in 2010.

“The track is placed beautifully between the woods and the beach. It’s a different atmosphere altogether in Chennai but the Coimbatore track also looks beautiful,” said Sundar Ganesh of Off Road Sports, Chennai.

“We do a lot of adventurous trips and events once in three months. We have a lot of people enjoying this facility of ours. It is not race but pure adventure,” he added.

Mr. Mohan pointed out that the facility is open for all age groups. “We have got an exclusive 250m track for children below the under-14 age group and an adventure track for the experts.”

“We are going to the schools to create awareness. They can learn riding and driving and at the same time enjoy the atmosphere,” he added.

“It can be a good learning experience for them before they go on road. Children who are below the under-18 age group cannot afford to learn on road. This facility can help them understand how the machine behaves and to master it,” said Mr. Dubey.

How about safety? “They are very safe vehicles and easy to handle. People who have not driven a motorcycle or a car can learn in quick time. You do not require a driving licence either,” he added.

Safety

He said safety accessories for even the toughest condition are made available. “We believe in safety. It is very important at Polaris.” After the formal inauguration, two of India’s young riders Karoon Murthy and Ashwin along with a host of others displayed their driving skills on the dusty terrain.

“It will take another fortnight before the track takes its full shape. It will have the ATV ranges from 50cc (kids version) to 500cc (professional adult version),” said Mr. Mohan.

Amusement

The off-road entertainment zone will have the state-of-the-art hospitality facilities and other amusement areas to help your family spend a perfect weekend.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Cities> Coimbatore / by Rayan Rozario / Coimbatore, February 16th, 2013

Tirupur to get 15 solar crop dryers

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Science & Technologies

In a bid to help farmers produce high quality copra, the Department of Agriculture is planning to set up 15 solar tunnel-model crop dryers in Tirupur district shortly in association with the farming community.

The department has identified 15 farm holdings for the project and each of the beneficiary farmers will be given subsidy from the corpus created under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana to offset 50 per cent of the capital cost subjected to a maximum ceiling of Rs. 50,000.

Of the solar crop dryers planned, two each will be set up at Madathukulam, Udumalpet, Gudiamangalam and Vellakoil blocks, and one each in Dharapuram, Mulanur, Kangayam, Palladam, Pongalur, Uthukuli and Kundadam blocks.

“Each solar crop dryer unit will be set up with five layers of specially designed thermal sheets laid over arch-shaped galvanized iron (GI) B-Class pipes spread over an area of 60 feet in length and 12 feet in width with the height at 6 feet,” Joint Director of Agriculture, Mohamed Kallimullah Sherif, told The Hindu .

The unit will help to dry as much as 5,000 nuts at a time under protected environment. Every layer of thermal sheets has specific properties which include ultra violet rays stabilising capability, high capacity to retain heat for long period after the sunset and prevent water as well as moisture from entering the unit, among others.

Mr. Sherif said solar dryer would help the farmers to dry the copra in almost half the number of days, vis-à-vis the conventional drying of copra in open yards because of the heat getting retained for longer duration.

“The system will also prevent fungal attack, otherwise comes in open drying. Besides it, the shifting of copra from the open drying yard during the night hours only to bring it back in the morning can be avoided when using the solar crop dryer,” Mr. Sherif said.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Tamil Nadu /byR. Vimal Kumar / Tirupur, February 14th, 2013

PSG College of Technology is champion

Education, Sports

PSG College of Technology got the better of host Kalaivani College of Technology 4-3, via tie-breaker, to emerge the champion in the second Kalaivani Trophy inter-engineering football tournament here on Wednesday.

Park College of Engineering and Technology blanked Kalaivani College of Technology ‘B’ 2-0 for the third place.

The results:

Final: PSG Tech bt Kalaivani CT 4-3 (via tie-breaker).

Third place: Park CET bt Kalaivani CT ‘B’ 2-0.

Semifinals: PSG Tech bt Kalaivani CT ‘B’ 3-0; Kalaivani CT ‘A’ bt Park College CET 5-4 (via tie-breaker).

Sathyamurthy sizzles

M. Sathyamurthy scored an unbeaten 106 as Tigers ‘B’ coasted to a convincing seven-wicket win over Rock Cricket Club in the TNCA-SDCA first division league at the Government Engineering College ‘A’ grounds recently.

The scores:

First div.: Salem Kings CC 193 in 40 overs (V. Prakash 44, Gururagavendar 31, P. Ravichandran four for 20) bt Writer Ramasamy Memorial CC 145 in 40 overs (K. Ashraf Khan 42, T. Natraj four for 19, S.D. Karthikeyan three for 32).

Rock CC 203 for eight in 35 overs (J. Manikandan 78, Suresh 58, Satish Kumar three for 30) lost to Tigers ‘B’ 205 for three in 31.3 overs (M. Sathyamurthy 106 not out, Sathish Kumar 55).

Second div.: Muthusamy Memorial CC 166 in 45 overs (Narayanamoorthy 30, T. Sakthivel four for 29, K. Anandh three for 16) bt Salvo CC 135 in 45 overs (Govindaraj 32, Boopathi three for 17).

Third div.: S.K. Murugan CC 252 in 45 overs (Kondiswaran 113, Arivazhagan 43, Kathiravan three for 35) bt Lucky Star CC 146 in 45 overs (J. Kathiravan 36, Dinesh Kumar 41, Prasahthu four for 10, Moulidharan three for 20); Parks XI w/o Montfort School.

Handball tournament

The seventh State-level inter-engineering handball tournament for the PSG Tech Trophy, organised by the PSG College of Technology, will be played at its courts from February 15 to 17.

Twenty two teams have confirmed participation.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Sport / Coimbatore, February 15th, 2013

India’s SRM University to form diabetes drug firm

Business & Economy, Education, Science & Technologies

India’s SRM University will establish a pharmaceutical company named SRM Pharma to commercialize a new diabetes drug that has been developed by the University’s research faculty. The drug has already got US patent. 

Bangalore :

SRM University, which is located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, will establish a pharmaceutical company named SRM Pharma to commercialize a new diabetes drug that has been developed by the university’s research faculty. 

The university has already received a US patent for the drug, which can be used for the treatment and management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The team of researchers include Mr Govind Prasad Dubey, Ms Aruna Agrawal, Ms Nirupama Dubey, Ms Shipra Dubey, and Ms Samamtsan Mercy Deborah. 

The vice chancellor of the university Mr M Ponnavaikko informed that the University would launch the drug in about six months and that it will be manufactured from in a unit in North India. 

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder that is primarily characterised by insulin resistance, relative insulin deficiency and hyperglycemia. It is rapidly increasing in the developed countries and there is also evidence that this pattern will be followed in much of the rest-of-the world in the coming years.

source: http://www.biospectrumasia.com / Home> Pharma> India / News /by BioSpectrum Bureau / February 14th, 2013 

Karur Vysya Bank Implements Polaris Intellect Global Transaction Banking Solution

Business & Economy, Science & Technologies

Polaris Financial Technology Ltd today announced that Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) has chosen to implement the Polaris Intellect Global Transaction Banking (GTB) solution to enable the launch of its green-field operations in Transaction Banking.

Polaris’ GTB solution covers Cash Management, Supply Chain Finance and a Banking portal. The Intellect GTB is made for design and functionality in the areas of banking securities, cash management, liquidity management, trade finance, and treasury.

Shri Venkataraman, MD and CEO, Karur Vysya Bank, said, “Transaction Banking is an important new initiative from KVB, flowing from our centenary vision. We are glad to have Polaris, a leader in global transaction banking, as our strategic technology partner in our growth plans. Clear demonstration of domain knowledge and thought leadership in the transaction banking space, product readiness for the Indian market and clear difference in design and technology were key factors for choosing Polaris’ Intellect GTB solution.”

Commenting on the win, Arun Jain, chairman and CEO, Polaris Financial Technology said, “Polaris is privileged to partner with Karur Vysya Bank, one of the trend-setters in today’s banking world, to offer them Intellect Global Transaction Banking (GTB) solution. This technology partnership with KVB comes at an opportune time as, in the current global economic scenario, banks worldwide are focusing on transaction banking for more stable annuity revenue with lower risks. However, given the competition in this space and low margins, technology and innovation are driving banks’ revenue. KVB’s choice of the Polaris Intellect GTB solution is recognition of our ability to enable unprecedented operational productivity through complexity reduction. This engagement strengthens our presence in the GTB space.”

source: http://www.cio.in / Home> News / February 14th, 2013

First aid techniques

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

Over 100 final year students of MIET Polytechnic College participated in the day-long first aid training programme organised by the St. John Ambulance First Aid Training Centre at the college premises recently.

D. Ravindra Ganesan, secretary of St. John Ambulance, Tiruchi Centre, spoke on the importance of imparting first aid training to students. R. Subramanian imparted training on various first aid techniques.

M. Rajagopalan, principal, urged participants to create awareness of importance of first aid among rural masses. P. Dinesh Kumar, lecturer, ECE department and D. Mohamed Raffic, lecturer in English, spoke .

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> TamilNadu / by Special Correspondent / Tiruchi, February 12th, 2013

Mechanic in Coimbatore owns rare collection of vintage vehicle

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Sports

A motor vehicle enthusiast Edwin Peter in Coimbatore has claimed that he owns the largest collection of vintage motorcycles and cars in India.

Nurturing a lifetime passion for vintage cars and bikes, Peter, a middle-aged man and mechanic now owns a wide variety of vintage cars and bikes dating from 1920-1960.

Being a mechanic, collecting these vehicles is not the most lucrative option for him, as all such vintage cars and bikes are in great demand all around the country, but Peter has no intention of selling his collection.

Restoration and maintenance of the vintage vehicles makes a hole in Peter’s pocket as he spends Rs. 40, 000. However this does not dampen his spirit and he continues to pursue his passion for vintage vehicles.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express /  Home> India / Thursday, February 13th, 2013

Samantha turns into a sportsperson!

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Sports

Actress Samantha, who is basking in the success of her movie ‘Neethane En Ponvasantham’ directed by Gautham Menon is busy shooting in Pollachi for her upcoming flick. The pretty actress seems to be taking time off after the shooting and trying her hand at a game of badminton.

Samantha tweeted “After pack up time… Who said pollachi is boring…Thank god for my staff.. I can go to hell and back with them.”

Samantha will soon start working on Suriya’s upcoming film to be helmed by Lingusamy. Buzz is that the film will be a full-fledged action entertainer. Currently, she is busy with the filming for her Telugu flick Jabardasth with Siddharth. She has several new projects lined up to shoot with Naga Chaitanya, Pawan Kalyan and Junior NTR.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Regional / by Shiva Prasad, TNN / February 12th, 2013

French Transport Minister to visit Tamil Nadu on February 15

Business & Economy, World Opinion

Puducherry:

French Minister for Transport Frederic Cuvillier will have a dialogue with French investors in Tamil Nadu in Chennai on February 15. A release from the office of French Consul General here said Cuvillier is part of the delegation of Ministers accompanying French President Francois Hollande during his two-day State visit to India from February 14.

Cuvillier would also visit Alstom factory at Sri City accompanied by Country President of Alstom India and South Asia Sunand Sharma, the release said.

He would visit the factory where coaches for Chennai Metro project were being made.

source: http://www.ibnlive.in.com / Home> Politics> India> South / IBN Tamil Nadu / by Press Trust of India / February 11th, 2013

One lakh people take holy dip in Rameswaram sea

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Rameswaram (TN), Feb 9 (PTI):

An estimated one lakh pilgrims from different parts of the country today took a holy dip in the ‘agnitheertham’ sea here and worshipped their forefathers on the auspicious occasion of ‘Thai amavasya’ (new moon day).

 

The pilgrims also took bath in all the 22 holy wells in the Lord Sri Ramanathaswamy temple in this island. The Presiding deity of the temple was taken in a procession in Rishaba Vahanam to the sea, where ‘theerthavari’ (Purification ceremony) was performed for the deity.

 

A 65-year old devotee from Kolkata died of heart attack early this morning. Kalyan Sardar, a retired teacher, died at a lodge where he along with his wife and a group of people from Kolkata were staying, police said. A report from Nagapattinam said, thousands of devotees took a holy dip in the Bay of Bengal at Kodiakarai, Vedaranyam and Poompuhar in the district.

PTI Corr/SSN VS HKS TRK / source: http://www.moneycontrol.com / Home> Moneycontrol> News> Wirenews / by PTI / Saturday, February 09th, 2013