Latest news with #K.Ramachandran
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Commuters seek more bus services to Velachery station
: Commuters from both Velachery and Madipakkam are facing significant challenges in accessing the Velachery railway station. With inadequate number of direct bus services to the station, passengers are forced to walk long distances or rely on personal vehicles. While several buses operate on the Velachery-Tambaram High Road, their stops — either at Kaiveli junction on the south or at the end of the flyover in the north — are far from the railway station, offering little convenience to passengers. Only two buses operate up to the entrance of the station on the Velachery side: D70X and a mini-bus, S12. But, the frequency of these services is low, and they are often suspended without prior notice, particularly during inclement weather. The mini-bus does not operate up to the Velachery bus stand, a key junction. Instead, it travels through interior routes towards the Alandur Metro, bypassing essential links. At night, commuters new to town are frequently seen asking for directions to the nearest bus stop. With no nearby bus facility, they are often left with no option but to walk to the Velachery-Tambaram High Road or hire an auto or taxi, adding to their travel cost and time. M. Priyadharshini, a working woman from MGR Nagar in Velachery, shared her concern: 'Reaching the railway station is difficult due to the lack of bus services. I have to rely on my husband or other family members to drop me at the station and pick me up after work.' She added that many working women use this station to commute to office areas such as Mylapore, Chepauk, and the Secretariat. 'Due to insufficient public transport, we are forced to depend on others or ride two-wheelers, which is not always safe,' she said. On the Madipakkam side, the situation is no better. With no regular bus service to the station and very few buses from the Kilkattalai Main Road stopping sporadically, most commuters are forced to walk for more than half a kilometre from the Kaiveli junction. K. Ramachandran, a resident of Pallikaranai, said: 'I have to take a bus to Kaiveli signal and then walk the rest of the way. I often end up using my two-wheeler and paying ₹15 for parking on an open lot, which has no roof to protect the vehicles from the sun.' A. Raghavan from Nanganallur pointed out: 'Velachery railway station is conveniently located for residents of Nanganallur, Madipakkam, and Adambakkam, yet we have to use private transport to travel the last mile. Ironically, we have buses going to the St. Thomas Mount railway station, but not to Velachery. Taking an autorickshaw or taxi costs around ₹150. With ongoing metro construction in areas like Mylapore, the MRTS line offers direct connectivity to places such as Adyar and Mylapore, yet lacks proper bus integration.' Surprisingly, many commuters this correspondent spoke to were unaware of the bus facilities, though limited, available on the station premises, highlighting a gap in awareness and poor service promotion. A senior official of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation said, 'We will send our regional officer to conduct a survey. Based on the findings, necessary steps will be taken to improve bus services.'
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Climate
- The Hindu
65th annual fruit show inaugurated in Coonoor
More than 3.8 tonnes of fruits were used in the setting up of various exhibits, including a full-sized vintage car at the 65th annual fruit show in Sims Park in Coonoor. The four-day fruit-show, usually the last of the summer festival events in the Nilgiris, will instead be the penultimate show this year, as the first-ever Plantation Crops Show will be held next weekend. While the main attraction at the show was a full-sized car made of oranges, other smaller exhibits made of fruits to resemble everyday items also brought cheer to the visitors to the Sims Park. The exhibits included fruit baskets, a whistle, an ice cream cone and a large fruit cake made out of various fruits. A number of stalls were also set up by the Departments of Horticulture and Plantation Crop from Karur, Vellore, Tirupathur, Cuddalore, Perambalur, Tiruchi, Pudukottai, Sivagangai, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari as part of the event. A number of cultural events were also organised by the department as part of the fruit show, that will be held from Friday till Monday. Present at the inauguration of the event was Nilgiris District Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru, Coonoor MLA and government chief whip K. Ramachandran, and top officials from the horticulture department. Speaking at the event about the preparedness measures being undertaken for the monsoon season, Ms. Tanneeru said that rains during this season were most likely to affect parts of Udhagamandalam, Avalanche and Manjoor. She said that areas prone to landslips have already been identified and suitable temporary relief shelters have been identified in case the need arises to evacuate people from their homes.
The Hindu
10-05-2025
- The Hindu
Three-day annual Rose Show begins in Ooty
Emphasising the need to protect the oceans was the message, the 20th annual Rose Show being held at the Government Rose Garden in Udhagamandalam had multiple exhibits about sea creatures and the need to preserve them. More than two lakh roses were used in exhibits that were made to resemble dolphins, penguins, sea pearl, seahorse, blue whale, turtle, sea snails, manatees and different kinds of fish that were on show at the rose show. Different exhibits were also put up by the horticulture departments from Krishnagiri, Thanjavur and Kallakurichi. The departments also organised various cultural events. Home rose gardens will also be judged for their beauty and maintenance and the winners will be felicitated with awards at the end of the rose show. The Nilgiris district administration said that the Rose Show will continue till May 12 and urged visitors to visit the Government Rose Garden. The Rose Show was inaugurated by Chief Whip of the Tamil Nadu government, K. Ramachandran, Nilgiris District Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru, Nilgiris district superintendent of police N.S. Nisha, and P. Kumaravel Pandian, Director of Horticulture and Plantation Crops. According to officials from the department of horticulture, thousands of people are expected to visit the Rose Garden during the rest of the weekend and on Monday. The event is being held alongside the Spices Show in Gudalur, which was inaugurated on Friday and will continue till Sunday. As a result of the Rose Show, which is one of the main show-piece events of the annual summer festival in the Nilgiris, many parts of Udhagamandalam town witnessed traffic jams, especially along the Ettines Road. Traffic diversions were also put up in many places to prevent major gridlocks.
