The Hindu : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 22, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Briefly

Shops demolished

PATHANAMTHITTA Feb. 21. The Pathanamthitta Municipality has demolished 44 unauthorised shops at the municipal market here today. The municipal chairperson, Ajeeba M.Sahib, the secretary, K. Sudhakaran and the Pathanamthitta Dy.SP, Gopalakrsihna Pillai, led the demolition drive. The evicted traders staged a protest march in the town and a sit-in before the municipal office, later.

Meeting

KOLLAM FEB. 21. The KPCC acting president, P. P. Thankachan, would attend a leadership camp of the Kollam DCC to be held at the Cooperative Bank Auditorium on February 25. All DCC office-bearers, KPCC members from the district, panchayat presidents and presidents of the feeder organisation of the party would attend the camp, the DCC general secretary, N. Chandrasenan, has said.

KGOU demand

The district unit of the Kerala Gazetted Officers Union (KGOU) has called upon all gazetted officers in the district to join the general strike on February 24. In a statement here, the KGOU district president, C. Rajan Pillai, said the strike was to express solidarity of the employees in support of their fundamental right to strike. In another statement, the general secretary of the Kerala Trade Union Congress, Vincent Kekkas, has called upon the State employees to ensure the success of the general strike.

Exhibition

As part of the centenary celebrations of the Rotary International, the Rotary Club of Quilon would organise an All India Exhibition on the Cantonment Maidan here from March 26. The Health Minister, Kadavur Sivadasan, inaugurated an organising committee office for the exhibition here today.

KPCC meeting this week

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM FEB. 21. The KPCC is launching its pre-Lok Sabha election conclaves next week. They will get under way with a joint meeting of the PCC office-bearers and the DCC presidents in the Science and Technology Museum auditorium at Thiruvananthapuram on Monday morning. It will be followed by a joint meeting of the PCC executive and the MLAs of the party. The UDF is scheduled to meet the next day.

RDOs to decide land value

The Government has entrusted the RDOs with the task of fixing the land value afresh. They have been asked to take into consideration factors such as the rocky or water-logged nature of the land and proximity to garbage dumps and crematoria. The price thus fixed by them should be published in the gazette and exhibited in the RDO, taluk, village and grama panchayat offices and the public's views should be sought. The members of the public can convey their objections and suggestions to the RDOs within 60 days of the publication of the draft prices.

Re-elected president

R. Jayprakash of the Thiruvananthapuram division has been re-elected as all India president of the National Federation of Insurance Field Workers of India. The election was held during the conference of the Federation held at Pune which was attended by over 4,000 Development Officers from all over the country.

Aikyavedi's plea

The Adhyapaka Service Sanghatana Aikyavedi has urged the State Government to merge 50 per cent of the DA with the basic pay as the Centre has done. Its convener, Nellimoodu Prabhakaran, said in a statement today that such a move would ensure parity for the State Government employees.

JD(S) leader's protest

The Janata Dal leader, A. Neelalohithadasan Nadar, has protested against the KSRTC's reported move to downgrade 30 depots. He said that there was strong opposition from the people when the idea was mooted some time ago following which the Transport Minister himself gave an assurance to the effect that the depots would not be downgraded. The revival of the move now was a violation of that assurance. He warned that the people would not remain quiet this time either.

Keltron for Singapore expo

The public sector, Keltron, will participate in the international aerospace exposition being held at Singapore from February 24 to 29. It will be part of the 31-member Indian team which consists of majors in space and defence electronics. Defence and space electronics are the thrust areas of the Keltron and they account for 25 per cent of its Rs. 70 crore turnover.

Ram Naik's visit

The Union Petroleum Minister, Ram Naik, will reach Ernakulam on February 23. After visiting Pandalam he will return to Ernakulam and leave for Delhi the next day.

NITC admission

KOZHIKODE FEB. 21. Seats are available for persons of Indian origin staying abroad or Indian nationals studying abroad or foreign nationals studying in any country (including India) for the B.Tech./B.Arch. degree programmes in the National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NITC). According to an NITC release, the Indian nationals must have had at least five years of education inclusive of 10+2 (not beyond) in a foreign country during the last eight years and must have passed the qualifying examination from abroad. For more details contact the Programme Officer, EDCIL, EDCIL House, 18-A, Sector 16 A, Noida 201 301, Uttar Pradesh

Youths arrested

Two youths have been arrested by the police on charges of assaulting a Muslim theology student at the Marad beach near here on Friday evening. The police arrested Hithesh and Sudheesh on the basis of a complaint filed by Puthenpeediyakkal Jasmeer that the two along with another person, Bijeesh, had obstructed and assaulted him while he was coming out of the Juma Masjid at Marad. In his complaint, Jamseer alleged that one of the accused had abused him by calling him a `Pakistani', removed his cap and hit him on his face. The key-accused Bijeesh was absconding, the police said. The two of them have been remanded to judicial custody at the Kannur Central Jail by the Judicial First Class Magistrate's Court V in Kozhikode.

MSF warning

The Muslim Students Federation, the students wing of the Indian Union Muslim League, today condemned the demonstrations being organised by the SFI against the Education Minister, Nalakath Soopy since the agitation was `politically motivated and unwarranted'. The MSF leaders, C. K. Subair, and P. M. Sadiq Ali said the SFI had no reason to organise agitations against the IUML leaders since the issues relating to B.Ed. colleges which had become controversial had been settled by the Government. The MSF leaders warned the SFI agitation against their Minister would be resisted, if it was continued.

Police help sought

The Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association today sought the help of the police to keep open hotels in the State on February 28 in view of the call given by the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi to keep them closed that day. An appeal seeking police aid has been sent by the association to the Director General of Police (DGP). The association president, N. B. Krishna Kurup, today said the Kerala Vyapari Vyvasayi Ekopana Samiti had no moral right to demand closure of hotels since these were under the leadership of the Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association.

Award for Manoj Kana

KOCHI FEB. 21. Manoj Kana, the young artiste from Payyannur was selected for the `Yuvaprathibha' Award given by the P.J. Antony Memorial Foundation. Announcing the award at a news conference here on Saturday, the Foundation secretary, Baburaj Vyttila, and the former secretary of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, P.Appukuttan, said that Mr. Manoj was selected for the script and direction of the play, `Uratti,' produced by the `Neru' Natakavedi, Kumbalakkadu, which shows Adivasi life in Wayanad.

IGNOU convocation held

As many as 730 students collected degree certificates in person at the convocation of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) held here today.

Speaking at the function, P. Ashok Kumar, Director, Kochi Regional Centre, said that the centre proposed to set up more study centres in various towns in the State.

The main convocation function held at the IGNOU campus in New Delhi was shown live at the function venue here through satellite.

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