The Hindu : Kerala News : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

Briefly

Record NSS collection in Kollam

KOLLAM: During the last financial year, Rs. 399 crores was collected as deposit under the National Savings Scheme (NSS). A statement from the District Information Office said that this was a record. From Government offices and institutions alone, Rs. 55 crores was collected. For the 938 mahila pradhans and 340 NSS agents working for the NSS in the district, Rs. 6.73 crores was distributed as allowance and bonus during the period. — Staff Reporter

Chandy to launch development programme

KOLLAM: The Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, will launch the programmes under the Kerala Development Scheme for the Panmana Grama Panchayat on June 2.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister will hand over the keys of the houses constructed under the scheme to the beneficiaries.

The Kollam MP, P. Rajendran; the Rajya Sabha Member, N.K. Premachandran, MLAs Shibu Baby John and A.N. Rajan Babu, will attend the function. — Staff Reporter

Statement criticised

KOLLAM: The leader of the BTR-EMS-AKG Janakeeya Vedi, V.B. Cheriyan, has criticised the statement of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, that free power for farmers was a difficult proposition. Mr. Cheriyan was inaugurating the delegates session to the district conference of the Vedi here on Monday.

The Electricity Act 2003, if implemented, will prove to be a disaster for the nation. The district secretary of the Vedi, K.V. Vishwavalsalan, presented the report at the conference. — Staff Reporter

Two killed in accident

THRISSUR: An eight-year-old girl and her 72-year-old grandfather lost their lives when the autorickshaw in which they were travelling collided with a private bus at Kuttur near the city on Monday morning. — Staff Reporter

Funds allotted for renovation

KASARAGOD: The district panchayat has allotted funds for the renovation and development of hospitals and colonies in the district. The panchayat has also sanctioned Rs.3.57 lakhs for implementing a drinking water scheme in Muppavalachan-Mulinje SC colony. An amount of Rs.5 lakhs has been sanctioned to the Dwanwanthari Centre for establishing a pharmacy at the new district hospital complex in Chemmattumvayal. — Staff Reporter

Significant achievement

KASARAGOD: The Revenue Department has registered significant achievement in the collection of revenue and implementation of various projects during the past four years. The revenue collection during the four-year period amounted to Rs.29.43 crores. As many as 3,284 persons were given title deeds (`pattayam') in the district during the past four years. The area of land for which documents were distributed was 396.83 acres. — Staff Reporter

Kunhananthan Nair's autobiography

Thrissur: Writer M. N. Vijayan will release 'Polichezhuthu', the autobiography of journalist and rebel Communist Berlin Kunhananthan Nair, at a function here on May 31. Writer Sara Joseph will receive the first copy, according to a press release. - Staff Reporter

Mass contact programme

KOTTAYAM: A mass contact programme organised at the taluk level by the District Collector, Rani George, and the Superintendent of Police, S. Sreejith, on Monday settled 311 of the 529 complaints received. Ms. George said a decision would be taken on the rest of the complaints before June 30.

According to the district administration, 16 cases of title-deed issuance were settled at the programme. The programme organised as part of the anniversary celebrations of the United Democratic Front Government was inaugurated by Thomas Chazhikkadan, MLA. - Staff Reporter

Home Secretary

begins probe

Thiruvananthapuram: The Home Secretary, K.K. Vijayakumar, on Monday held a two-hour meeting with the Vigilance Director, Upendra Verma, on the row over the KSEB delay in releasing files relating to the SNC Lavlin project for uprating power generators awarded during the tenure of the CPI (M) State secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan, as Power Minister during 1996-98. The Cabinet had asked the Home Secretary to probe the allegations about the delay in the KSEB releasing the relevant files to the Vigilance Bureau to proceed with the investigations into the case that was originally filed in 2003. The Cabinet direction came in the light of the Mr. Verma's observation about the delay at a press conference. — Special Correspondent

Probe ordered into

NH blockade

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Human Rights Commission member, S. Varghese, today asked the DGP and the Chief Secretary to conduct an inquiry into the incident of a blockade of the National Highway organised by the CPI(M) Alappuzha district committee preventing thousands of job-seekers from appearing for an examination conducted by the Forest Department on Saturday. The Forest Department had scheduled the exam for the recruitment to the post of foresters at various schools in Alappuzha and Ernakulam from 2 p.m. on Saturday. Majority of the candidates could not write the exam as traffic came to a standstill on the highway owing to the blockade organised demanding the construction of a seawall. - Special Correspondent

Seven taken ill

KOLLAM: Seven persons, including a teashop owner and his family members, took ill after consuming the early morning tea prepared at the shop. All the seven have been admitted to the Medical College Hospital (MCH) in Thiruvananthapuram and the condition of two is been reported to be highly critical.

The incident took place on Monday morning at West Kallada, under the jurisdiction of the Sasthamcotta police station.

The teashop is being run by Benchamin, 52, and the shop was a portion of his house. This morning after making tea, he sent four glasses over to his house, served another three to his customers and he had one glass. Soon, all the seven who consumed the tea complained of giddiness. Benchamin and one of his customers swooned. Neighbours rushed all the seven to the nearby Karunagapally Taluk Hospital. The others hospitalised are Benjamin's wife, Marykutty, 42, their daughter Ambili, 22, Benjamin's brother Philip, 47, and customers, Mohanan ,42, Sukumaran, 55, and Biju, 24.

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