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Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Trichy para sports arena opens sans special coaches
Trichy: A Rs1 crore para sports arena developed by Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) has been opened at the district sports complex in Khajamalai in Trichy city. While it is user friendly for persons with disability (PwD) and touted to help para athletes participate in international events such as Paralympics, SDAT is not sure about appointing special coaches for the arena. The arena is spread over about 3,200 square feet of floor space in the 37.5-acre district sports complex on Race Course road. A sports kit storage room and administrative office room have been provided. The para sports arena was proposed for Trichy as well as in a few other cities outside Chennai as part of making sports infrastructure inclusive. It also took into account the medals secured by several para athletes from the state in Paralympics 2024 held in Paris. Two multi-purpose courts equipped with PwD-friendly access and rest rooms have been commissioned in the arena. Sports officials said that at least seven para games including para handball, para badminton, judo, para goalball, boccia, and para table tennis could be played there. Stone seats are provided around the courts and a metal roof has covered the arena to allow players use the arena in all weather conditions. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Many Malaysians don't know about this! iOS Credit Read More Undo However, SDAT said that special coaches to train para athletes have not been appointed to provide training. "We welcome the modern facility built at Rs1 crore, but the govt could have also sanctioned funds to appoint special coaches to attract youths with disabilities to take up training for any of the seven para sports," K C Neelamegam, state treasurer, Makkal Sakthi Iyakkam, said. SDAT sources said that para athletes for now can make use of the arena, but they did not assure whether special coaches will be appointed in the near future. "A few PwD athletes are being trained along with other athletes. We don't have separate coaches to provide training for para athletes," an official source in SDAT said. Since nearby districts like Ariyalur, Perambalur, and Pudukottai will also benefit from the arena, sports enthusiasts said that coaching should be made available in the facility. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy Krishna Janmashtami Wishes ,, messages , and quotes !
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Time of India
Activists fume as tree is reduced to trunk
Trichy: Amid calls for stringent enforcement against those illegally axing and trimming trees at public places in Trichy city, a 15-year-old native tree at Thiruvanaikoil was unscientifically trimmed by unidentified people on Thursday. Locals said a Pungan tree (Indian beech) on Kumbakonathan road was found trimmed completely in the morning. While prior permission from the revenue department is mandatory to trim or axe trees at public places, the Pungan tree was reduced to a trunk, infuriating environmental activists here. This was the fourth such incident of trees at public places being targeted in the last few months. "The tree was not causing any harm to the electricity lines. We were told that a section of people who were unhappy with vendors putting up makeshift vegetable stalls below the tree have trimmed the tree," K C Neelamegam, working president, Thanneer eNGO, said. Citing an incident in Coimbatore where a man was penalized Rs1 lakh for unscientifically trimming a peepal tree, Neelamegam said that lack of such enforcements in Trichy encourages residents and commercial outlets to axe and trim native trees in public places. Revenue officials in Srirangam said they are yet to receive a formal complaint about the incident.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
This 100-year-old British-era reservoir at Ponmalai carved out of rock keeps Trichy's trains on track
About a century ago, the British decided to shift the central railway workshop operating from Nagapattinam to Trichy, more than 100 km away, for the geographical advantage it offered. Being a landlocked city and not a coastal region like Nagapattinam, it was safe from natural disasters such as cyclones and tsunamis. About 200 acres were found for the workshop at Ponmalai (Golden Rock) in Trichy city, primarily to maintain steam locomotives. Everything was set except the water source. Ponmalai had no river, canal, or tank, only a hillock from which the locality derived its name. The Cauvery River was about 6 km north of the site, but there was no water storage facility to cater to the needs of the railway workshop. The British then converted a portion of the Ponmalai hillock into a reservoir to store water pumped from the Cauvery and distribute it to railway workshops and workers' quarters. A century later, the hill reservoir is still in use, the last of its kind. "Modern day's local bodies could well learn from the hill reservoir's success story and the way it has been maintained. I saw the reservoir being used since I was a child," says K C Neelamegam, a retired and second-generation railway employee. The foundation for the Ponmalai workshop was laid in October 1926. As Ponmalai's subsurface, made of hard rock, was not fit to dig open wells, the British developed a head water works at Sarkarpalayam on the Cauvery riverbed, 5 km away. Cast iron pipelines were installed all the way to the Ponmalai hillock. A portion of the hillock was chosen to be made a reservoir. Similar to how a natural dam is constructed using topography, a vertical random rubble masonry wall was raised 20 ft. Water was stored between the vertical wall and a portion of the surface of the hillock to supply water. The Ponmalai hill reservoir is made of five compartments, each named from 'A to E' and having the capacity to store 23 lakh litres to 33.1 lakh litres. Partition walls were built to make compartments, so they could be cleaned without affecting the water supply. Giant pumps were used to get the water to the reservoir. At 60 ft above the ground, the reservoir is the tallest structure in the township, and so the sheer force of gravity was enough to get water to the workshop. "The cast iron pipelines are still in use. Over time, five more overhead tanks were built in the township, but the hill reservoir continues to be in use," says Neelamegam. While the reservoir served 5,000 settlements around the Ponmalai workshop, over the past few decades, many quarters have been abandoned. Several railway employees moved out to build their own homes. However, the water requirement has not shrunk as the operations of the central railway workshop have increased. Sarkarpalayam head water works pumps 60 lakh litres of water a day to the Ponmalai workshop. Even in peak summer, the reservoir brims with water, and the region has never seen drought. "Kollidam bridge and Fort station RoB, which were also built by the British, are being dismantled. But the Ponmalai reservoir is unique to railway employees. As it approaches 100 years of existence, railway management must celebrate the milestone," says H Ghouse Baig, a retired Ponmalai workshop employee. Official sources say plans are on to celebrate 100 years of the Ponmalai reservoir to educate people about its significance. Ponmalai workshop has been recently okayed for maintaining Vande Bharat rakes.
