The Hindu : Kerala News : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 11, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Briefly

Award for G. Devarajan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Oct. 10. The noted music director G. Devarajan has been selected for the Pattathuvila Karunakaran Memorial Award. The Pattathuvila Karunakaran Memorial Trust chairman, Thengamom Balakrishnan, told presspersons here today that Mr. Devarajan was selected in view of his contributions to the growth and development of theatre and Malayalam cinema. The award was instituted by the trust, formed by the Kadappakada Sports Club, to perpetuate the memory of the late short-story writer Pattathuvila Karunakaran. The award comprising Rs. 25,000, a citation and a statuette will be presented to Mr.Devarajan at a function to be held at the Swaralaya Auditorium at Kadappakada in Kollam in January 2005.

Teachers to boycott classes

Teachers of Government engineering colleges in the State will take mass casual leave and boycott classes on October 20 in protest against the amendment to the special rules for the Kerala Technical Education Service that deny their promotion chances. The Government Engineering College Teachers Association general secretary, A. Farook, and the Kerala Gazetted Officers Association general secretary, Sivakumar, said in a joint statement today that the Government had amended the special rules without holding discussions with the service organisations. The amendment would deny the promotion chances for the teachers who were appointed by the PSC, they said. They urged the Government to repeal the amendment at the earliest.

Higher option

Students who have secured between rank one and 20,000 in the general category, and between rank one and 41,730 in the ST category in the medical entrance examination, can seek higher option for the B.Sc. nursing course sanctioned in Sree Narayana Medical Mission Hospital, Kollam, and Sree Narayana Medical Mission Hospital, Varkala. Students desirous of seeking higher option should reach the allotment centre in LMS compound at 9 a.m. on October 12, a release issued by the Entrance Examinations Commissionerate said.

Elephant kills mahout

PATHANAMTHITTA OCT. 10. A 17-year-old mahout, Krishnakumar alias Sreekumar of Elavumthitta near Aranmula, was crushed to death by a domesticated elephant at Elavumthitta this forenoon. The incident occurred on Pandalam-Kozhencherry Road when the elephant was being taken out for feeding. According to eyewitnesses, the pachyderm attacked the mahout without any provocation and his brain was smashed when he was fatally crushed against a wayside wall. The female elephant, Sheela, belonged to a timber merchant at Elavumthitta, the police said.

CPI(M) march turns violent

Thrissur Oct. 10. A march taken out by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) at Chavakkad on Sunday turned violent. According to the police, the CPI(M) activists destroyed Indian Union Muslim League flags displayed on the streets. Clashes between CPI(M) and IUML workers had been frequent in and around Chavakkad in the past few days. The panchayat committee office of the IUML at Mullassery, near Pavaratty, was attacked by suspected CPI(M) workers and furniture destroyed on Saturday, the police said. The IUML activists had taken out a march at Tirunellur on Saturday in protest against the attack.

KSTA office attacked

KOZHIKODE OCT. 10. The office of pro-CPI(M) Kerala State Teachers Association (KSTA) at Kottapadi in Malappuram district was attacked last night. The windowpanes of the KSTA office was found to be smashed this morning. There were attempts to burn the office files by dousing it with petrol. The KSTA office was near the Malappuram district committee office of the Indian Union Muslim League.

Insurance staff plan strike

KOCHI OCT. 10. The All India Insurance Employees Association has decided to observe a one-day strike in the event of the Government bringing an amendment to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Act (IRDA) to provide for hike in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the insurance sector. The association had held protest demonstrations throughout the country. The decision to launch the strike was taken at its working committee meeting held in Pune last month. The Association has demanded amendment to the Motor Vehicles Act to provide for structured compensation for third party liability in respect of road accident claims. Leadership camp ends

ALUVA OCT. 10. A three-day State leadership camp organised by the Kerala Water Authority Qualified Operating Staff Union (KWAQOSU) concluded here today. Inaugurated by R. Balakrishna Pillai, MLA, the camp dealt with various issues affecting the operating personnel of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA). K. Mohammedali, MLA, inaugurated the valedictory function. The Ernakulam District Panchayat President, K.B. Mohammed Kutty, presided over the session.

Thomas Kallan, State working president of the KWAQOSU, delivered the keynote address. P.N. Prasannakumar, former working president of the union, also spoke.

2.5 lakh given polio vaccine

Thrissur Oct. 10. Polio vaccine was administered to about 2.5 lakh children in the district on Sunday, health officials claimed. As many as 2,058 booths were opened for the immunisation drive. About 1,200 employees of the Health Department and 4,000 volunteers took part.

Inaugurating the programme, the Forest Minister, K. P. Viswanathan, called upon health officials and voluntary agencies to ensure public participation in health programmes.

Dharna

held

The dharna was inaugurated by the confederation State working president, Haridas Pulpetta.

Mr. Haridas demanded reinstatement of those who have been dismissed and job stability for ex-servicemen.

Seminar

on cinema

Filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan will inaugurate a national seminar on `Cinema and Society' organised by the Calicut University Students Union at 4 p.m. at the University Auditorium on the Thenjipalam campus on October 12.

Plea for action

PATHANAMTHITTA OCT. 10. The Youth Congress State general secretary, Sunil P.Oommen, has called for stern action against those party members and leaders who engage in `open and unwarranted' criticism of the Congress-led United Democratic Front Government and the Congress(I) Ministers. In a statement issued here today, Mr. Sunil alleged that the totally baseless criticism by certain senior and self-centred party members had done much harm to the A.K.Antony Government.

Dharna staged

KOZHIKODE OCT. 10. The Kerala State Ex-Servicemen Confederation (INTUC) Kozhikode district committee staged a dharna in front of the office of the BSNL general manager here on Friday to protest against the "illegal'' dismissal of security personnel from BSNL. The dharna was inaugurated by the confederation State working president, Haridas Pulpetta. Mr. Haridas demanded reinstatement of those who have been dismissed and job stability for ex-servicemen.

Seminar