Page 70 - Kerala

Sabarimala pilgrims can carry coconuts in flights as cabin baggage: BCAS

Pilgrims going to Sabarimala temple in Kerala can carry coconuts in cabin baggage in flights, with aviation security regulator BCAS relaxing the norms for a limited period. A senior official of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) said the permission has been given for the ongoing Sabarimala season that is to end in late January. Lakhs of devotees visit the hill shrine every year and majority of them carry 'Irumudi Kettu' (the sacred bag containing offerings, including coconut filled with ghee, to the Lord). Coconuts meant for offering as part of Sabarimala pilgrimage have been allowed to be carried in cabin baggage for a limited period of time, the official told PTI on Tuesday. The official also said that additional security measures and checks have been put in place in this regard. Under current norms, coconuts are not permitted in cabin baggage on the grounds that they are flammable. "... Coconuts, in the view of inconvenience to the pilgrims to Shri Sabarimala shall b

No parallel activities can be allowed in Congress in Kerala: V D Satheesan

Apparently rattled by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's Malabar tour, Leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly, V D Satheesan on Tuesday said any kind of sectarianism or parallel activities would not be allowed in the party and warned that such moves would be dealt with "seriously." The state unit of the Congress is on a comeback path in the state after two consecutive debacles in the Assembly elections and it is not healthy enough to afford any more parallel activities by anyone, Satheesan told reporters here. His remarks come as a significant section of the Congress party in the state was unhappy with Tharoor's ongoing tour. Asked about Tharoor's Malabar tour, Satheesan said every leader has a space within the Congress and no one is against it, but the party has its own mechanisms and systems. "The Congress in Kerala is not at all healthy to afford any more parallel activities...after suffering two drubbings in the assembly polls, the party is on a comeback mode in the state. ...

No parallel activities can be allowed in state Congress: Kerala LoP

Apparently rattled by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's Malabar tour, Leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly, V D Satheesan on Tuesday said any kind of sectarianism or parallel activities would not be allowed in the party and warned that such moves would be dealt with "seriously." The state unit of the Congress is on a comeback path in the state after two consecutive debacles in the Assembly elections and it is not healthy enough to afford any more parallel activities by anyone, Satheesan told reporters here. His remarks come as a significant section of the Congress party in the state were unhappy with Tharoor's ongoing tour. Asked about Tharoor's Malabar tour, Satheesan said every leader has a space within the Congress and no one is against it, but the party has its own mechanisms and systems. "The Congress in Kerala is not at all healthy to afford any more parallel activities...After suffering two drubbings in the assembly polls, the party is on a comeback mode in the state. ...

No early end in sight: Why are governor and Kerala govt in a tussle?

The fight between the Vijayan govt and Governor Khan has only intensified since Dec 2019

Kerala governor take up pension for personal staff of Ministers issue

Sources in the know of things said that Khan has decided to work on this and is studying the practices followed by other states

The governor's role

Conflicts with state govts must be avoided

Setback for CM as Kerala HC says pvt secretary's wife lacks qualifications

Ragesh is a former Rajya Sabha member of the CPI-M, who hails from Kannur and considered a close aide of Vijayan

Tell Centre to help speed up eco-sensitive zone proceedings: CM to MPs

Ahead of the winter session of Parliament, Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday held a meeting of MPs from the State and asked them to seek Centre's intervention on various issues, including expediting proceedings in the Supreme Court regarding the eco sensitive zone (ESZ). As the Centre and the State government have moved review pleas against the court decision in June this year directing that a buffer zone of one kilometre be maintained around forests and sanctuaries, the Chief Minister requested the MPs to urge the Central government to take steps for expediting the proceedings. At the meeting, it was decided that the Centre should be urged to approve proposals submitted to it for excluding residential areas and agricultural fields from the zone, said a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO). Also, Centre should be urged to enact a legislation, if necessary, considering the demand of States like Kerala on the matter, the statement said. The MPs were ...

Sabarimala all set to receive pilgrims as season begins on Nov 17

The Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala will be opened on Wednesday, a day ahead of commencement of two-month long pilgrimage season. The annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season begins on November 17. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple will be opened at 5 PM on November 16 in the presence of chief priest (Tantri) Kandararu Rajeevaru by outgoing head priest N Parameswaran Namboothiri. Later, newly selected head priests of Lord Ayyappa and Malikappuram temples will take over for performing poojas for the next one-year period. The 41-day Mandala puja festival will conclude on December 27. The temple will be opened again on December 30 for the Makaravilakku pilgrimage on January 14, 2023. The shrine will be closed on January 20, concluding the pilgrim season. Officials said thousands of devotees are expected to participate this year as it is the first pilgrim season after lifting of the COVID-19 restrictions which were in place during the last two years. Elaborate security ..

Thousands of CPI-M activists lay siege to Kerala Governor's residence

Vijayan and the Governor have been at loggerheads ever since he refused to ink Ordinances or Bills which are concerning the higher education sector.

Left protest march against Kerala Guv creating anarchy in state: Congress

The Congress on Tuesday criticised the LDF move to carry out a march to the Raj Bhavan here in protest against Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan's actions regarding universities and bills passed by the state legislature, saying it is creating "anarchy" in the state. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said the government appointed Vice-Chancellors in universities in the state in violation of norms and "now to change that situation, they are carrying out a protest march against the Governor." "It is creating anarchy in the state," he said, while speaking to the media in New Delhi. The senior Congress leader claimed that the state government was responsible for the actions of the Governor and said both were acting in furtherance of their established interests. Venugopal also claimed that Khan too was equally responsible as he forgot his Constitutional position and allegedly carried out "publicity stunts." Meanwhile, the LDF went forward with its planned protest march, which saw a

Kerala govt taking steps to make future generations more skilled: Vijayan

The Left government is continuously taking steps to mould the future generations into being more knowledgeable and skilled as a society's development is determined by the living standards of the children in it, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Monday on the occasion of Children's Day. Vijayan, in a social media post on the occasion that is also the birth anniversary of the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, said the Department of Women and Child Development was created to coordinate the government activities and schemes for the welfare of children. He said one such scheme was the 'Poshakabalyam' project which aims to ensure nutrition of children. Besides, implementation of the smart Anganwadis in the state, sanctioning Rs 3.2 crore towards financial assistance of orphans and parenting clinics in all panchayats of Kerala were the other major positive steps taken by the Left government, he said in the post. The Chief Minister further said that even Nehru .

Muraleedharan terms move to remove Kerala Guv as 'constitutionally invalid'

Muraleedharan demanded the Pinarayi Vijayan government release the evidence that the Governor had tried to saffronise the universities in Kerala.

Elephant herd enters rubber estate in Kerala; resist drive to push them out

A herd of wild elephants ventured into a rubber estate in this high range district on Sunday and withstood repeated efforts of the forest authorities to chase them back into the forest. A senior forest official of the district said that the herd of eight pachyderms, including a calf, entered the estate at Peruvanthanam here early today. We reached the site at around 10 AM after being informed by the locals and since then we have been trying to chase the herd back into the forest, but to no avail, the official said. He said the herd was hiding deep inside the estate covered by dense foliage where it was difficult for the officials to go and therefore, it was proving difficult to chase away the wild elephants. A similar incident had occurred a week ago, the official said and added that back then the herd, believed to be the same one as now, had returned to the forest on its own. "This time too they may go back on their own. However, we are stationed here to keep track of their movem

Station House Officer taken into custody over rape complaint in Kerala

The Kerala police on Sunday took into custody a Station House Officer (SHO) of the Kozhikode Coastal police station for allegedly raping a woman here. Police said as per the woman complaint, she was allegedly gang raped by few people including the SHO. "The SHO was taken into custody today morning. He is currently being questioned by our team," city police commissioner C H Nagaraju told PTI. Police sources said the woman, whose husband was in jail in another case was allegedly raped by the police officer and few others, exploiting her helplessness. Police said the incident happened in May and the woman was afraid to lodge the complaint as she was threatened by the SHO.

If ordinance sent by state govt targets me, will refer it: Kerala Governor

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said that if the ordinance sent to Raj Bhavan by the CPI(M)-led government was intended to target him, then he will not sit in judgement over it and would refer the same to the President. Khan, while speaking to reporters in New Delhi on Saturday evening, said he was yet to see the ordinance or go through it and would take a decision only after that. "If I am the target, then I shall not be the judge in my own cause. I won't declare it now. I will see it and if I come to the conclusion that the purpose is to target me, then I shall not sit in judgement (over it). I shall refer (to the President)," he said. State Minister for Local Self-Governments and Excise M B Rajesh, meanwhile, said that the government expects the Governor to act in accordance with the Constitution. Rajesh, while speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, said that the state government exercised its powers under the Constitution when it came out with the ordinance and sent th

Kerala govt sends ordinance to axe governor as chancellor to Raj Bhavan

The CPI(M)-led government in Kerala on Saturday sent its ordinance to remove the Governor from the post of Chancellor of universities in the state, to the Raj Bhavan for approval, days after the cabinet had taken a decision in this connection. Raj Bhavan sources confirmed that the ordinance to replace the Governor as Chancellor of varsities and appoint eminent academicians in that role, has reached for the assent of Arif Mohammed Khan. However, it is unlikely for Khan to promulgate the ordinance soon as the tussle between him and the state government over the issue was yet to die down, sources added. The Pinarayi Vijayan-headed government on Wednesday had decided to come out with the ordinance, a move opposed by both the Congress and BJP. The opposition parties have alleged that the cabinet decision was aimed at turning universities in Kerala into "Communist centres".

India's groundwater extraction stage at 60% in 2022, says report

In 2022, around 87 per cent of the total annual ground water extracted that is around 208.49 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) was for irrigation which in 2020 was around 89 per cent

Governor vs government face-off intensifies in three southern states

Friction between Governors and the ruling dispensation in three non-BJP ruled southern states escalated on Wednesday, with Tamil Nadu seeking a recall of R N Ravi, Kerala proposing the ordinance route to replace Arif Mohammed Khan as Chancellor of state varsities, and Tamilisai Soundararajan expressing doubts of her phone being tapped in Telangana. While the Telangana Governor also claimed of an "undemocratic" situation in TRS-ruled Telangana, ruling DMK and its allies told President Droupadi Murmu that Ravi's acts were unbecoming of those in the gubernatorial post and sought his sacking. The ruling LDF in Kerala, which has had a number of run-ins with Governor Khan, said it has decided to come out with an ordinance to replace the Governor as Chancellor of universities in the state and appoint eminent academicians to that post, a move opposed by both the Congress and the BJP. The Kerala cabinet, which met in Thiruvananthapuram, decided to recommend to Khan to promulgate the ordinanc

Kerala High Court refuses to stay appointment of VC in-charge at KTU

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday refused to stay the appointment of Kerala technical University vice-chancellor in-charge and said the matter will be heard on Friday. Justice Devan Ramachandran refused to stay a plea filed seeking to stay the appointment of Cisa Thomas as the vice-chancellor in-charge of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University. While the advocate general told the court that the authority to recommend the name of the vice-chancellor rests with the state government, the Governor's lawyer stated that even temporary appointments can be made only in accordance with the UGC rules and regulations. The court has decided to implead the University Grants Commission in the case. A recent Supreme Court order had quashed the appointment of the vice chancellor of Technological University here for being contrary to University Grants Commission regulations. The Governor later appointed a VC in-charge which was challenged before the court today.