Date:24/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/24/stories/2008032453340300.htm

Farmers’ shandies have been established all over Tamil Nadu to help farmers get a good price for their agricultural produce and also to enable genuine consumers to buy vegetables directly from the producers at reasonable prices.

The aim of the shandies is to eliminate middlemen. However, many wholesale traders dominate the market and purchase vegetables in lots to sell them at higher prices. Owing to this consumers do not enjoy the benefits offered by the shandies. The Government should take suitable steps to arrest this trend.

C. Bhaskaran,

Erode.

Traffic problem

There is heavy traffic in Dharmapuri town causing difficulties to pedestrians while crossing roads.

The town has only two lane roads which cause traffic jams. Authorities should take steps to tackle this problem.

V.S. Sudhakar,

Dharmapuri.

Truly a Titan

I read the article on Rajendra Prasad (‘Personality of the week’, March 17). Mr. Prasad will never postpone anything. That he has been the CDCA secretary for the last 45 years is an index to his sincerity and devotion.

O. Shanmugasundaram,

General Secretary, Coimbatore District Sports and Games Welfare Association, Coimbatore

Power crisis

Recently Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) issued a notice to industries to stop functioning from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on all days and enforce total shutdown on Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

This is a great blow to the already beleaguered industries facing acute manpower shortage. Nowhere in the world is a ‘generator usage charge’ levied as in Tamil Nadu. Owing to this unwarranted power cut, the accumulated production loss will be up to 27 per cent and the industries will not only fall short of sale targets, but won’t be able to honour commitments made to international buyers. I request the Government to act swiftly to resolve the power crisis.

Balasundaram. R,

Coimbatore.

Conserve water

Only about two per cent of the total quantity of water available is good. The meagre quantity of good water should be conserved. Water can be conserved by treating waste water.

Waste water should be collected, treated and disinfected. This can be utilised for gardening, flushing of toilets etc. Cost of a waste water treatment plant will be around Rs. 1 lakh. Annual maintenance charges will be about Rs. 15,000. Waste water treatment plants should be installed in hotels, mills, colleges, hospitals etc.

N. Rammoorti,

Coimbatore.

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