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Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 05, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Briefly

Memorial meeting

KOLLAM May 4. The Kollam unit of the All-Kerala Bank Employees Federation (AKBEF) today observed the first death anniversary of Tarakeshwar Chakraborthy, former general secretary of the All India Bank Employees Association. The AKBEF president, K. Chandrashekaran Nair, delivered the keynote address. The federation leaders, V. Sudeshan and M.M. Ansari, and T.M. Mathew spoke

Telephone exchange

The Chathannur telephone exchange has been parented to the main exchange at Pallimukku, the office of the general manager of Kollam Telecom has informed. There will be no change in the telephone numbers of the subscribers under the Chathannur exchange. However, those having STD and ISD barring facilities will have re-register their secret codes. For assistance contact phone numbers 2593000 or 2593300.

Felicitation

PATHANAMTHITTA May 4. The Marthandom Bishop of the Malankara Catholic Church, Youhanon Mar Chrisostum, would be accorded a reception at his parent parish, St. John's Malankara Catholic Church, at Kadammanitta, near here, on May 8.

Admission

Thiruvananthapuram, May 4. Biotechnology has been included as a new optional subject for Standard XI for the academic year 2004-05 in the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan School, Kodunganoor, according to a release from the Honorary Secretary of the Bhavan, P. Gopalaraman. Applications for Standard XI admission to the school for the current academic year will commence from May 17. Phone: 2360564.

Talks to solve film industry row

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM MAY 4. The Government is taking the initiative once again to settle the dispute between the producers and artistes of the Malayalam film industry. The Labour Minister, Babu Divakaran, has convened a meeting for the purpose in his office on May 17. The Labour Commissioner, S. Sreenivasan, said that the representatives of the Film Chamber and the AMMA would attend the meeting.

No load-shedding

The load-shedding is being dispensed with for two days in connection with polling and counting. The days are May 10 and 12.

`Withdraw report against Maudany'

The expelled People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader, Poonthura Siraj, has urged the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, to withdraw the report given by the Kerala Police to the Tamil Nadu Government so as to enable the PDP leader to get bail in the Coimbatore bomb blast case. Speaking at a press conference here today, Mr. Siraj said that Maudany's bail was being delayed as the Tamil Nadu Government opposed it on the basis of a report given by the Kerala Government. The PDP leader was not even given bail for treatment and to take part in the last rites of his father-in-law on the basis of this report. However, the State Government should withdraw the police report in the wake of the bail granted by the Ernakulam Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate.

`Padmaja, Murali will be defeated'

KOTTAYAM May 4. The NCP State president, Cyriac John, has alleged that the `poster controversy' has given a clear message to Congressmen to defeat the Electricity Minister, K. Muraleedharan, in the byelection to the Wadakkancherry Assembly constituency. Speaking to reporters here today, Mr. John said the seven-month-old controversy was raked up by the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, himself to revive his Navodhana Yatra which experienced a downturn during the early phases. However, the strategy boomeranged and would reflect in the voting pattern at Wadakkancherry, he said. He said the fresh hints at the internal squabbles in the Congress, as expressed by the senior leader, K. Karunakaran, only proves that the electoral prospects of Padmaja Venugopal at Mukundapuram and that of Mr. Muraleedharan at Wadakkancherry were dim.

Gowda to campaign for LDF

KOZHIKODE May 4. The Janata Dal leader and former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, will address a campaign meeting of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate from the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency, P. Sathi Devi. Mr. Gowda will address a meeting at Vadakara town at 3 p.m. on May 6. The CPI(M) State secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan, will address campaign meetings at six centres in the constituency on May 5. A more pronounced campaigning was noticed in the UDF camp, with the Indian Union Muslim League participating actively in the election meetings.

Former IUML leader to support LDF

THRISSUR MAY 4. The Organisation of Rapid Movement for the Alms (ORMA), set up by the former Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader, R.P. Moidutty, will support LDF candidates in the Lok Sabha election. Mr. Moidutty told reporters here on Tuesday that the vote share for the UDF candidate in Thrissur, A.C. Jose, from the Guruvayur segment would come down. Mr. Moidutty alleged that the IUML had failed to protect the interests of Muslims. ``If the Government had taken precautionary measures, the problems at Marad would not have aggravated. The IUML also disregarded the anomalies in the sanctioning of assistance at Marad,'' Mr. Moidutty said.

LDF lacks perspective

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) lacks a national perspective, the secretary of the BTR-AKG-EMS Janakeeya Vedi and convener of the Left Front, V.B. Cherian, has said. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr. Cherian said the mainstream Left parties, which had only six to seven per cent influence over the electorate, had no role on the national scene. ``These parties were right-leaning and hardly followed Marxist-Leninist ideals. The Left leaders, Jyoti Basu, V. S. Achuthanandan, Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechuri, contradict one another,'' the Left Front convener said. Mr. Cherian said that globalisation was a ''depoliticised term of imperialistic economic oppression''.

VS told to clear stand on tie-up

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State secretary, A.N. Radhakrishnan, has urged the Leader of the Opposition, V. S. Achuthanandan, to reveal his stand on the alleged ``secret deal between the Karunakaran group of the Congress and the Pinarayi group of the CPI(M) in Wadakkanchery''. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr. Radhakrishnan said the Chief Minister, A. K. Antony, had deliberately projected the controversy over the poster featuring him and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader, Praveen Togadia, during the receptions accorded to the `Navodhana Yatra' in central Kerala. ``This was a shrewd tactic to initiate a discussion on the source of the poster,'' Mr. Radhakrishnan said. He said that CPI(M) activists were attacking BJP workers in different parts of Wadakkanchery to create problems in the constituency.

Karunakaran meets Patel

Kochi May 4. The senior Congress leader, K. Karunakaran, and the AICC general secretary for Kerala affairs, Ahmed Patel, held talks at the Cochin International Airport, Nedumbassery, this afternoon. The discussion, held at the airport's VIP lounge, lasted for 15 minutes. The details of the meeting are not available. Both arrived at the airport on the Indian Airlines's flight IC-909 at 3 p.m. The Minister for Fisheries, K.V. Thomas, and the district panchayat president, K.B. Mohammed Kutty, were among those who received the Congress leaders at the airport.

Former customs official convicted

A CBI Special Court today sentenced John Albert Pinhero, a retired Customs Superintendent of Kochi, to three years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 1 lakh on charges of possessing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The sentence was handed down by the CBI Special Judge, P.Q. Barkathali.

According to the CBI charge-sheet, the accused who had retired from service in November 1999 had acquired assets worth Rs. 13 lakhs.

The assets were disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The CBI had conducted raid at his residence in 1990 and seized gold ornaments and other articles.

The special court convicted the accused after he was found guilty under Section 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

However, the court suspended the sentence and granted him bail to enable him to appeal against the verdict.

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