New Express Highway puts Local Forests in Danger

As recently reported in State Newspapers at the end of March, 2018, the development of a proposed new Express Highway will put local forests in Danger.

About 100 hectares of reserve forest land in Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri and Salem districts will be destroyed to make way for the proposed Rs 10,000-crore Chennai-Salem Green Corridor Express Highway project. The sprawling 100 hectares of forest land identified for the project include thick forest cover in 16 reserve forest areas along Arani, Polur, Chengam, Sathanur, Tiruvannamalai, Therthamalai, Harur and North Shevaroy ranges in northern district of Tamil Nadu.

The reserve forest areas are Siruvanjur in Chengalpattu forest range, A Pinjur in Sathanur, Sorakolathur in Tiruvannamalai, Nambedu in Arani, Alialamangalam in Polur, and Munnarmangalam, Anandavadi and Ravandavadi in Chengam range, Puvampatti and Puvampatti Extension in Theerthamalai forest range, Nonanganur and Pallipatti Extension in Harur ranges in Dhamapuri district; Manjavadi Ghat and Jarugumalai in Shervaroy North range in Salem district.

The National Highways Authority of India assessed that about 100 hectares of forest land in reserve forest area would have to be destroyed for the green corridor express project. “In addition to this, out of 274.3 km road, a total of 23 km road has to be laid in reserve forest land that pass through 16 forest villages,” said the communication.

The National Highways Authority of India also urged the State government to identify alternative land for the forest department in the neighbhouring vicinity and also sought the government to accord early clearance from the forest department.

The reserve forest area is home to hundreds of animals and several bird species, besides functioning as lungs for villages in Northern Tamil Nadu. Environmentalists in Tiruvannamalai district had already opposed the move and sought details on the number of trees to be destroyed and other possible environmental damage the project could cause.

• About 100 hectares of reserve forest land in Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri and Salem districts to make way for the highway project

• To reduce 57 km travel distance between Chennai and Salem, MORTH proposed Rs 10k crore project

• Total of 2343 hectares of land to be acquired

To read the full narrative of this article please go to this link here.

To read a fuller narrative go to this link here.

Steps in Buying Property

For those planning on purchasing a plot/property I am posting a short extract from a very excellent narrative which appears on the Indian Real Estate Forum. To read the full narrative go to this link here. The article is lengthy and in-depth and in particular applies to Real Estate in Chennai, however most of is applicable in relation to the by-laws and regulations at Tiruvannamalai. 

This narrative is one of the most comprehensive and best I have come across. Do read. A short extract from the narrative follows: 

Guidelines Before Buying A Plot or Property 

"Check the original documents from the mother document to the current document, never be satisfied with the Xerox copies, apply a copy of document at register office and compare with the original, insure that the document belongs to the property and they are not fabricated (how to find out a fabricated document explained below). 

Be sure that the seller is the absolute and only owner of the property, in case of Power of Attorney is obtained check that the power is live (explained in detail below). Check that the property is purchased from a third party or a ancestors property, check the legal heirs of the owner, if the owner has legal heirs then you need a NOC from the legal heirs whether they are minor/major, married/unmarried that doesn’t matter. If it is a ancestor’s property check how the settlement deed was made, check the legal heirs of the ancestor’s family, death certificate if necessary. In the case of ancestor’s property you need to make a deep investigation (according to Indian property law) “grandfathers asserts belongs to grandson” and there is a lot of problem in ancestor’s property . . .

To read the narrative in full go to this link here. 

Sugarcane Cultivation at Tiruvannamalai

Cultivation of sugarcane in India dates back to the Vedic period. The earliest mention of sugarcane cultivation is found in Indian writings of the period 1400 to 1000 B.C. Cultivated canes belong to two main groups: (a) thin, hardy north Indian types S.Barberi and S.Sinense and (b) thick, juicy noble canes Saccharum Officinarum. Highly prized cane is S.Officinarum. 

Local sugarcane cultivation

Sugarcane belongs to the grass family (Poaceae), a seed plant family that includes maize, wheat, rice, and sorghum. The main product of sugarcane is sucrose, which accumulates in the stalk internodes. Sucrose, extracted and purified in specialized mill factories, is used in the food industry, fermented to produce ethanol and also used as livestock fodder. 

Cane is planted in furrows

Sugarcane is the world's largest crop by production quantity with India the second largest (after Brazil) sugarcane producer. Sugarcane cultivation requires a tropical climate, and is a highly efficient photosynthesiser. Sugar is actually made in the leaves of the sugarcane plant and then the sugar is stored as sweet juice in its stalks. 

Sugarcane crop ready for mill

Sugarcane is cultivated in the tropics and subtropics in areas with plentiful supply of water, for a continuous period of more than six to seven months each year, either from natural rainfall or through irrigation. 

Cutting the Sugarcane

  

It is planted in furrows at either horizontal or at 45-degree angles and it takes anywhere between 12,000 and 25,000 stems to plant 2.5 acres of land. After they are planted, they are covered with a light layer of soil. When they begin to grow and start sprouting, the furrow is turned inwards and the crops mature over the span of 9 to 24 months. 

Sugarcane harvesting done in the old fashioned way

Sugarcane needs strong sunlight, fertile soil and lots of water (at least 1.5 metres of rain each year or access to irrigation) to grow. 

Sugarcane being transported to the Mill

Once sugarcane has been harvested, it must be transported to a sugar mill as soon as possible. The longer it takes, the more sugarcane juice stored in the stalks will evaporate - so it is important that it arrives within 16 hours of being cut, to minimise deterioration. 

Waste burnt off, preparation of field for different crop

If the sugarcane is cut in the proper manner, it will regrow naturally without any further planting. But in the case of this narrative, after the cutting of the cane, the waste was set on fire in order to prepare the fields for a different crop. 

Water Sustainability – Less Intensive Crops

For the last two years this area has suffered meagre rains during the yearly monsoon. Now that farmers have planted their crops for the coming season it is sad to report that even now there are farmers who insist on planting at least one rice crop before the heat sets in at the end of February, beginning of March. As reported in Tehelka at this link here in an excellent article entitled “WATER SCARCITY TN WILL FACE CRISIS, WARN EXPERTS ,” 

“ . . . area of concern is the over-exploitation of groundwater in many places. According to experts, farmers took to cultivating water-intensive crops and indiscriminately exploited groundwater for irrigation, which has led to a steep fall in water table in many places. Many wells have run dry in Coimbatore and adjoining Districts.” 

Agriculture accounts for 85-90% of the total use of water in Tamil Nadu. By the judicious planting of less water intensive crops and gaining a 10% reduction in the agricultural sector, would considerably ease the impending water shortage situation. 

In respect of the above the below extract from 'Report on Rain Fed areas by the Planning Commission, New Delhi,' is very relevant and is definitely something that needs to be considered by local Government. 

“The most important aspect of groundwater is that it is a common property resource, the means of access to which is privately owned. We generally access groundwater through private wells and tubewells. But withdrawal of water from our source can adversely affect the water in our neighbour’s water source. Depending on the hydrogeology of the watershed, the question “who is my neighbour?” gets answered. If the watershed is in an alluvial tract, for example, my deep draw of water can affect a farmer even hundreds of metres away. Thus, how farmers decide to collectively manage the groundwater resources of the village could have a deep bearing on how long groundwater survives. It could actually determine the entire efficacy of the watershed programme. Indeed, one could go as far as to say that sustainable and equitable management of groundwater could be the key area of rural governance in the 21st century 

The unique aspect of the situation is that water below my land is not "mine". Groundwater is a non-stationary, "fugitive" resource that merges into water under another's land in a fluid sort of way. By lowering the depth of his tubewell, my neighbour can squeeze all water out of my well. Without proper collective arrangements for groundwater use, there tends to be an infinite regress of competitive extraction, with farmers outbidding each other in depths of drilling. Competitive extraction of groundwater leads to disastrous outcomes, the worst of which are observable in coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, for example. Here, saline ingress of sea-water poses a virtually irreversible environmental hazard for farmers who have engaged in competitive pumping of groundwater.” 

The above is particularly relevant nowadays in Tiruvannamalai now that contractors have been given Local Government permission to undertake industrial level sand quarrying in several major water catchment areas in the city. As to the possible complications such injudicious radical excavations will make in the long term to the water supply of the town cannot be assessed at this time. Certainly it makes very good sense to halt all sand quarrying in this area while an independent water survey under judicial oversight could be undertaken. 

Anyhow on to happier subjects, the photographs accompanying this posting were taken a few days ago of ladies planting an onion crop for a local farmer. As it is the auspicious time of Pongal I am also posting recent photographs of the countryside surrounding the Hill. 

Arunachala Pongal 2014

Village Ladies planting onions

The Ladies

Propety Value Revision, April 2012

For those complaining about the increase in property prices in Tiruvannamalai, I thought it might be interesting to check out the property value revision of various areas in Chennai – which makes the prices at Tiruvannamalai seem comparatively modest! 

An extract from the property pages of a Tamil Nadu paper reads: 

“The real estate scenario is set to witness a sea change across the State with a property guideline value revision set to take effect from April. 

The proposed guideline revision, after the previous revision in 2007, envisages a steep increase in land costs in South Chennai with a seven-fold increase in several upmarket areas, while North Chennai areas will witness only a moderate two to threefold increase in their guideline values. 

For instance, a square foot of land costs Rs.2,365/- in Abhiramapuram 1st Street, a South Chennai locality, which, as per draft guideline value, has shot up to Rs.15,000/-, which is nearly seven times its present value.

After the release of the draft guideline values, there was a mad rush in registration offices, with property buyers mulling to register their properties as early as possible anticipating a drastic increase in documentation charges. On the other hand, property developers have been luring the buyers offering attractive terms resulting in State Government’s kitty swelling by several hundred crore rupees”. 

Guideline Values per square foot 

Boat Club Road Old Rs.4,500/- New Rs.23,000/-

Adyar Club Road Old Rs.8,400/- New Rs.23,000/-

Anna Salai Old Rs.10,500/- New Rs.19,000/-

Arya Gowda Street Old Rs.2,500/- New Rs.7,300/-

Tambaram Old Rs.2,500/- New Rs.7,000/-

MTH Road Old Rs.1,500/- New Rs.4,500/-

Thana Street Old Rs.3,000/- New Rs.8,500/-

Paper Mills Road Old Rs.900/- New Rs.6,000/-

Plastic Waste -- Ecology

Many articles are now appearing in Tamil newspapers concerning the use of plastic waste for the making of road surfaces.

As any visitor to Tiruvannamalai will tell you, plastic is a blight and scourge on this hitherto rustic and unspoilt country town. We managed perfectly well before the advent of plastic and would be the better for it, if all plastic bags were hereto banned throughout the area. Discarded plastic kills both domestic and wild animals, blocks waterways, causes bad odours and the spread of disease, is ecologically unsound and in addition is aesthetically a blot on the land and town.





A friend of mine who used to be involved in the development of small businesses in Tiruvannamalai District told me that for many years she and her associates were engaged in discussions with various Government Departments trying to persuade them to ultilise plastic when preparing road surfaces. Supposedly the various bodies (at that time) were against her proposals because the efficiency of such roads would interfere with the yearly business of relaying traditional bad quality road surfaces around Tiruvannamalai.

But now that such roads will be actually laid around Tamil Nadu, I am feeling disappointed. Perhaps better than utilising used plastic for road making, the discussion should be more concentrated on the outright ban of the use of packaging plastic in Tiruvannamalai.

Related articles are reproduced below:-


Sell Plastic Waste
“The trash in your kitchen has now acquired value. To encash it, all you need to do is segregate the plastic waste at home and sell it to the Chennai Corporation for as much as Rs.20 kg. They want it for relaying the battered roads in the city.

The Corporation has already initiated the process to fix norms to procure plastic of low microns from the public for use with bitumen while relaying roads. That will kill two birds with one stone: your neighbourhood will be free of non-biodegradable waste and the roads will be able to withstand the wear and tear. It will also put some money in your pocket.

To complete road-relaying, the civic body estimated that it would need 800 tonnes of waste plastic and launched a special drive last month to collect it at its 200 ward offices. Yet, it has been able to collect only 110 tonnes so far. “We have about 10,000... staff and if they collect one kilo of such plastic, the civic body would be able to get 10 tonnes of plastic waste everyday.”


Cleaning Waste Plastic
“Corporation gets 20 tonnes of plastic every day from residents. The Chennai Corporation will soon call for expressions of interest from firms who have the know how to clean and dry plastic being collected for use in road re-laying.

“There are technologies available for cleaning plastic material. The plastic that we are getting presently is not very clean and we cannot use such plastic directly in road work,” said a civic body official. The Corporation gets around 20 tonnes of plastic every day from residents.

The plastic that can be used for road re-laying should be 20 microns - 80 microns thickness. Carry bags, milk packets, oil packets and plastic covers used to pack pulses, rice or other food items can be handed over to collection centres at ward offices. “These are materials that every home generates and disposes with other waste as old paper marts do not buy them. We want residents to collect and bring them to ward offices. However, pet bottles, PVC pipes of broken buckets would not be accepted,” said a civic body official. Work on re-laying roads and patching up potholes is in progress in several areas across the city. To ensure quality of the work done, the civic body is deputing engineers to supervise the work at all locations. To maintain the gradient, it is asking contractors to carry camber boards.

“We are ensuring that the heat of the asphalt mix is correct. In some locations we have even asked the contractor to re-lay the road if any of the norms are not being followed,” said a senior official.

Civic body officials carry digital thermometers and infra red guns to record the temperature of the mix.”

Tamil Nadu Wetlands

The National Wetland Atlas, prepared by the Ahmedabad-based Space Applications Centre (SAC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has classified Tamil Nadu as a wetland-rich State with 6.92% of its geographic area classified as wetlands. Lake/pond and tank/pond are the dominant wetland types found in all the Districts, accounting for 61%.

The atlas was prepared to protect wetlands from development and encroaching populations.

Tamil Nadu, Tiruvannamalai was found to have a wetland area of over 50,000 ha. (hectare = 2.47 acres).

Local Planning Authorities

The Tamil Nadu Government have recently authorised the composite local planning authorities (LPAs) and the eight regional deputy directors of town and country planning to approve certain projects, but kept the Chennai metropolitan area outside their purview. This will speed up the approval process of upcoming medium housing and commercial projects across the state.

Hitherto, though LPAs were the approving authorities the projects had to be cleared by the directorate of town and country planning (DTCP). This caused a lot of delay, thereby causing an increase in the overall cost of projects by Rs.250 to Rs.400 per sq.ft.

As per the revised norms, residential group developments and special buildings up to 12 dwelling units, with floor area not exceeding 15,000 sq.ft., can be cleared by the LPAs. In the case of commercial buildings, marriage halls, community halls, godowns and lodges with a maximum of 20 rooms, the LPAs can clear projects up to a maximum of 12,000 sq.ft.