The Hindu : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 25, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Briefly

Workers of KLD Board on strike

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM FEB. 24. The workers of the KLD Board belonging to three CITU-led unions launched an indefinite strike today. It is to press the demand for pay revision to various categories of workers along the lines of that given to the staff category and officers on the basis of the pay revision committee's report. The strike follows the failure of the Government Secretary-level conference held in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday to settle the issue. The unions have called for the Agriculture Minister, K.R.Gouri's immediate intervention and settlement of the issue by accepting the workers reasonable demand.

Minister raises objection

The Minister for the Welfare of Backward and Scheduled Communities, M.A. Kuttappan, has taken exception to the Union Minister, Vidyasagar Rao's demand to the State Government to implement the Centre's order for issuing title deeds for the forestland in the possession of tribal people. He said in a rejoinder that the Union Minister's demand was part of a move to make political capital from the issue. He said that the Centre's direction was to issue title deeds subject to the Supreme Court's decision. It meant that the State Government cannot do anything until the apex court took a favourable decision. The Union Minister also knew that very well. He stated that Mr. Rao's demand could therefore be viewed only as a bid to fool the tribal people with an eye on the elections.

SUCI to contest six seats

The Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) will contest six seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections. They are Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Mavelikkara, Kottayam and Kozhikode. The candidates will also be announced soon subject to the approval of its central committee.

Teachers' demand

The Kerala School Post-Graduate Teachers Confederation has asked the Government to consider its five-point charter of demands. The demands include promotion of all Post-Graduate teachers to the Plus Two level, incentive increment for additional qualification and exemption of serving teachers from passing the SET. Their other demands are extension of Kerala Education Rules to the Plus Two- level and reduction of the period for grade in the case of Post-Graduate holders. The confederation organised a dharna in front of the Secretariat the other day to press these demands.

Hearing on petitions adjourned

KOCHI FEB. 24. A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court has adjourned to March 9 further hearing on the petitions filed by the captain and crew of `M. T. Arabian Victory', the UAE vessel abandoned by its owners and sold for Rs. 180 lakhs, seeking payment of wage arrears. The crew were paid Rs. 33.50 lakhs towards their salary arrears after the vessel was sold in auction according to a High Court directive. However, they were yet to get Rs. 65 lakhs towards the remaining arrears of salary. The captain was paid Rs. 12 lakhs for paying back the expenses he incurred during his stay in Kochi. The ship was abandoned by its owners. After discharging its last cargo at the Jabel Ali port in Dubai on May 7, 2002, the ship was cleared for the high seas. The crew were not paid wages and food following which it sailed to Kochi and reached here on July 4, 2002.

Trade ties with Thailand

The possibility for increased trade with Thailand were explored at an interaction between delegates representing both the countries, organised by the Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Monday. Ubolphon Klykoon, Assistant Director General, Department of Export Promotion, Ministry of Commerce, Thailand, who led the `Special Task Force' said that `Thailand exhibitions' would be organised at Kochi, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai. Prakob Panjacharaoensiri, Consul (Commercial) and Director with the Thai Trade Centre, Royal Thai Consulate General, Mumbai, in his address, explained the role of the Thai Trade Centre in promoting bilateral trade. He spoke about the Free Trade Agreement signed between the two countries and said that it would facilitate better trade relations.

AICTE programme

A human resource development programme for the managements, principals and senior faculty of engineering colleges in the State will be held from February 25 to 28. Hosted by the Federal Institute of Science and Technology (FISAT) at Angamaly, the programme is being conducted by the Indian Heritage Academy, Bangalore, on behalf of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The programme will be inaugurated by the Vice-Chancellor of the Cochin University of Science and Technology at Hotel Renaissance, Palarivattom, at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will preside. The aim of the programme to be held on the FISAT campus, Mookkannoor, will be to make the faculty manage non-academic and extra-curricular activities so that there is an overall improvement in managing classrooms apart from their already acquired pedagogical skills.

Prabhakara Varma gets award

ALAPPUZHA FEB. 24. The Carnatic music exponent, Mavelikara Prabhakara Varma, has been selected for the Kandiyoor Sivasankara Pillai memorial award for 2003 instituted by the Kandiyoor Sivasankara Pillai Foundation, an official release of the foundation has informed. The former Chief Secretary, R. Ramachandran Nair, will present the award to Mr. Varma at a function to be held at the Mavelikara Sree Krishna Gana Sabha Mandiram at 4 p.m. on February 29.

Hotel owners deny reports

KOZHIKODE FEB. 24. The Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association today denied reports that hotels and bar-restaurants will remain closed throughout the State, except in Palakkad, on February 27 and 28. The association spokesmen, N. B. Krishna Kurup and P. P. Abbas, said in a joint statement that the organisation that had called for the closure of hotels on these days, in view of its State convention in Palakkad, had no authority to do so. They said hotels should not be closed down since these were an essential service.

Film festivals

The International Federation of Film Producers Association will organise film festivals at three centres in India in 2004. In a release here, the association first vice president, P. V. Gangadharan, said that India would host the Competitive Specialised Feature Film Festival (Asian Films), in New Delhi from October 28 to November 7. The Competitive Specialised Feature Film Festival (films from Asia, Africa, and Latin America), will be held in Thiruvananthapuram from December 10 to 17. The non-competitive Feature Film Festival will be held at Kolkata from November 10 to 17.

Kollam DCC meeting today

KOLLAM FEB. 24. The KPCC president, P.P. Thankachan, will inaugurate the leadership meeting of the Kollam DCC at the District Cooperative Bank auditorium here on February 25 at 1-30 p.m. The DCC president, Sooranad Rajashekaran, will preside.

Painting competition

The annual State-level painting competition for school students, organised by the Kerala Chithrakala Kendram in association with the Education Department and the Department of Culture, will be held at the Fatima Mata National college campus here on February 28. The organisers expect more than 10,000 students from different parts of the State to take part in the event.

Workshop on Internet

KOZHIKODE FEB. 24. A one-day Internet workshop will be jointly organised by the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE) Chapter of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Calicut and Institution of Engineers India, Calicut Local Centre at the NIT campus near here on March 6. For more details contact over telephone numbers, 0495-2286306 (O) or 2373816 (R). The e-mail address is sreeram@nitc.ac.in.

Rural industries exhibition

The district panchayat will be organising a ten-day long rural industries fair to promote traditional and Small Scale Industries (SSIs) units, at the Indoor Stadium premises here from May 7. SSI units in villages, units of Kudumbashree and Kerala State Women's Development Corporation (KSWDC) will participate in the fair.

Cartoon contest winners

Akshay Sanjeev (Std. III, Iyyadi C.C.UP School) and Mithun Murali (Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Kozhikode), have won the first prize in painting and cartoon respectively, in the B.M.Gafoor memorial cartoon-painting contests organised by the Thapasya Art and Literary Forum. Prize were also given for best cartoon and painting entries in LP, UP and HS categories. Prizes will be distributed at a programme to be held on February 29.

Sandalwood seized

KASARGOD FEB. 24. The police have seized 80 kg of sandalwood from a Maruti car at Manjeswaram, near here. Two persons were arrested and a case has been registered.

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