Two years ago, the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation took up an endeavour to beautify the city by painting eye-catching paintings at prominent places. Walls prone to posters and handbills were identified and picturesque paintings were painted. The compound wall of the Mahathma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital, Tangedco Office on the Collector Office road, and the Court complex were painted.But wall posters have started resurfaced on these painted walls. One such example is the parapet wall of the road over bridge in Srirangam.
The scenic paintings were defaced by wall posters. Ironically, posters have been pasted right over slogans written by the City Corporation appealing to the people to keep the city clean.
While the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation move to set up four air-conditioned bus shelters could come as a welcome relief, the condition of many of shelters in different parts of the city leaves much to be desired. Encroachments remain a major issue.
Several bus shelters, including those at the Central Bus Stand, Chathram Bus Stand and the Gandhi Market, are perennially occupied by vendors. Some others have become convenient shelters for the wandering mentally ill and beggars. Commuters are often forced to wait on the roadsides. Just keeping the bus shelters free from encroachers would be of great help to commuters. The Corporation has also conducted a survey of the 209 bus shelters in the city and officials have been talking about refurbishing many of them with private participation. But so far only some of the shelters have been improved.
It is common to see name boards of many restaurants proclaim themselves that they are high class restaurants. However, many of them wouldn’t keep the promise proclaimed by them.
Except a few, they wouldn’t offer high quality food items. Some of them would even run under the thatched roof and unclean environment. But, a restaurant in Krishnarayapuram in Karur district has put up a name board and said that it is a mid-segment restaurant. The honest proclaim invariably gets the attention of the passersby.
Distribution of the tulsi saplings to all the invitees marked the inauguration of ‘Entry to Glory’ programme organised by the Rotary Club Of Tiruchirapalli Shakthi in the city. The saplings were distributed in connection with the World Herbal Day.
The chief guests V. Ponraj, Scientific Advisor to the former President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Kiruthiga Udayanidhi Stalin, film director, A. Joseph Francis, industrialist and the members of the club were present.
According to Allirani Balaji, president of the Rotary Club of Tiruchirapalli Shakthi, a team of the club will visit the schools to explain the importance of using eco friendly products like paper bags and wooden toys, jute bags and also the uniqueness of herbs to the younger generation. The students will also be taught making paper bags. The club has proposed to organise competitions. The club also distributed protein supplement pockets to the HIV/AIDS affected children. The club also gave away an Achiever Award to Kiruthiga Udayanidhi Stalin in recognition of here social awareness activities and projects.
M. Balaganessin, S. Ganesan, C. Jaisankar and Syed Muthahar Saqaf
