The Hindu : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 04, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Briefly

Speed governors mandatory

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Feb. 3. Speed governors would become compulsory from February 29 for all commercial vehicles, including stage carriers, tourist buses, and goods transport carriers. This was announced by the Transport Minister, R. Balakrishna Pillai, here today at a press conference. The decision is being implemented in pursuance of the High Court verdict that had set February 29 as the deadline for installing the gadget. The permits of commercial vehicles that fail to install speed governors by that date would be automatically cancelled, he said. The State Government did not propose to seek additional time to implement the new stipulation, he said. Mr. Pillai, however, admitted that the gadget was in short supply, but there was little the Government could do about it.

`Revise wages in plantations'

Trade unions cutting across political lines have jointly appealed to the Government to take urgent steps to revise the wages of plantation labour. A memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, and the Labour Minister, Babu Divakaran, today by the trade unions pointed out that the wage pact covering some three-lakh plantation workers in the State was pending renewal since March 31, 2002. The Government, the memorandum said, had done nothing to have the wage agreement revised.

Elected general secretary

K.Gireesh, Clinical Psychologist, Thiruvananthapuram Mental Health Centre, has been elected national general secretary of the Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists. He is reportedly the first person from the State to be elected to the position.

Demand for waiver of loans

KOZHIKODEKOLLAMTHRISSUR, FEB. 3.FEB.3.FEB. 3. Farmers would stage an indefinite satyagraha from February 16, including picketing of the Secretariat, State Nabard office, State Land Mortgage Bank and State Cooperative Bank, demanding waiver of agriculture loans. This decision was taken at a meeting held here recently. Representatives of farmers' groups from Kozhikode, Kasaragod, Kannur, Palakkad, Wayanad and Malappuram districts participated in the meeting. They said that the protest had been necessitated following the steep fall in the prices of cash crops during the periods 1996-97 and 2002-03, and the inability of farmers in repaying the loans procured by them.

PDP calls off protest

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) today called off its relay fast in front of the Assembly in the wake of the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony's promise to do all that was possible to persuade the Tamil Nadu Government to take proper care of Abdul Nasir Maudany who is interned in jail in Coimbatore. The PDP working president, C.K. Abdul Aziz, told mediapersons that the protest, launched last month to press for an announcement of the views of the State Assembly on the PDP party chairman, Maudany's internment in jail in Coimbatore, had been withdrawn, since his party was fully satisfied with the response of the Chief Minister.

Order on Principals

Principals of higher secondary schools will, henceforth, be the `head of the institution' of such schools, while the headmasters in these schools will continue to enjoy the powers granted to them under relevant provisions of the Kerala Education Rules. The headmasters will also be in charge of classes one to ten. This was decided at a meeting held in the capital today between the Education Minister, Nalakath Soopy, and representatives of various school teachers' organisations led by Ayira Sasi and Rasheed Kancheri. It was also decided that all posts of headmaster, in these schools, would be retained.

Temple festival

KOZHIKODEKOLLAMTHRISSUR, FEB. 3.FEB.3.FEB. 3. The annual festival of the Kadappakada Sri Dharma Sastha Temple will be held from February 15 to 24. In addition to the traditional rituals, various cultural programmes have also been organised in connection with the festival. The `laksharchana' ritual would be held from February 19 to 21. The Thiruvabharana procession would begin in the evening on February 21 from the Asramam Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple.

Debating competition

The Inter-Collegiate annual debating competition for the Thoppil Ravi Memorial Ever Rolling Trophy will be held at the Public Library Hall here on February 8. The winners would be given cash prizes. Those interested in competing are requested to report at the venue in the morning on February 8 with due authorisation from the respective principal.

Special prayers offered

KOZHIKODEKOLLAMTHRISSUR, FEB. 3.FEB.3.FEB. 3. Special services were held on Tuesday at the Velur Church near here in connection with the arrival of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal. A big crowd gathered at the church to offer prayers. The statue would be taken from India on February 15 to Canada, a press release said.

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