Category Archives: News
Kerala Governor M O H Farook Passes Away
M O H Farook
Kerala Governor and ex Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Pondicherry M O H Farook (75) passed away yesterday night at 9:10 pm at Chennai Apollo Hospital due to kidney failure. He was under dialysis treatment. He was appointed the 19th Governor of Kerala on 25 August 2011 replacing R S Gavai and took charge of office on 8 September 2011. He was the Governor of Jharkand before being appointed as the Governor of Kerala. He was the youngest Chief Minister in the country, when he was elected as the Chief Minister of Pondicherry (now Puducherry) at the age of just 29.
PIRAVOM BY-ELECTION
Piravom by-election may be on February last or March first week. Central Election commission announced dates of legislative elections for five states. Though piravom is not in the nomination list, state govt. expecting for a soon action in the matter of Piravom. State election office has not got any information yet about the by-election. Election Commission often will consider celebration, exams, availability of officers while deciding the election dates. It is expecting to conduct the elections before April 30 since it’s the exam season from March 25. Election will not conduct during the exam time.
The election was necessitated following the death of the leader of Kerala Congress and civil supplies Minister T. M. Jacob. Both UDF and LDF parties are considering the election seriously. While M.J Jacob is nominated as LDF candidate, UDF has fielded K.C. Anoop Jacob, son of T. M Jacob against LDF. Related to the election LDF leaders are spreading the story of alleged corruption of ministry cabinet in dam issue. Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanthan claimed that many of the UDF
Sukumar Azhikode Passed away
Dr. Sukumar Azhikode
Sukumar Azhikode, veteran Malayalam writer, orator, scholar, and Gandhian, died at a private hospital here, today morning 6:33 am due to cancer of the right lower alveolus. He was in critical stage for the last few months and was under treatment at Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Thrissur, Kerala. His health had worsened from last Saturday. He was 85 years old. Sukumar Azhikode is one of the pioneers in Malayalam Literature. He was also a former pro-vice-chancellor of Calicut University and ex-chairman of the National Book Trust. Azhikode seeked treatment for paraplegia (an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities) and was diagnosed with extensive bone and skull metastasis (spread of cancer to other parts of the body) as per Sreekumar Pillai, one of the doctors who treated him.
High Speed Rail Corridor in Kerala finally gets Green Signal!!!
Can u really imagine travelling from Thiruvananthapuram, the Capital city of Kerala and also the southern end of the state, to Kasargod, the northern end of the state, in 2 hours? Well it really seems to be possible in a near future. The State Government was shown green signal by the Central Government for the proposed Speed Rail project. At a meeting convened at the Prime Minister’s Office in Delhi last evening, the State was asked to draw up a Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the scheme. The proposed project is worth 1 lakh crores. The meeting was convened in response to the Chief Minister’s, plea to the Prime Minister, seeking the Centre’s support for the mega project. The 580-km track will reduce end-to-end running time to two to three hours. The project is expected to be Private-Public partnership with technical and financial collaboration of the Indian Railways, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and central and state governments.
DMRC handed Kochi Metro Railway Project
The long time waiting Kochi Metro Railway project is finally heading for a green signal. The Kerala Government has entrusted the project to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) under the leadership of E. Sreedharan, the former Chief of the DMRC. The State Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that reports of any difference between the Government and E. Sreedharan are baseless. The press conference was called for after a full board meeting of the State Planning Board at Thiruvananthapuram. E. Sreedharan is a full time member of the State Planning Board. The project had been going through controversies when there were reports about the State planning to call for global tender for the 5,200-crore Kochi Metro Rail project. All has been sorted out now.
Grand Kerala Shopping Fest
Season 5 Grand Kerala shopping festival is conducting from Dec 1, 2011 to Jan 15, 2012. The event opening ceremony was inaugurated by Chief Minister OomenChandy on Tuesday Dec 1, 2011 in Kochi. The event is conducting by Kerala tourism department in association with Finance Department, Civil Supply Department, Industries Department and Local Self Government Department. The forty six days long festival will be the central attraction for the tourism and pilgrims. This is a fest that focused on all over the state. All the 14 districts of Kerala are participating in the festival. The festival has its shopping venues in all district centers, and selected tourist centers. 3000 participants are already registered for the festival. Liquor shops and medical stores are excluded from the fest. The official closure of the festival would be held in Malappuram on January 21.
Event Attractions
Kerala traditional handicrafts, fashionable garments, jewels and gems, home appliances and other items, which are marketing at discount prices, and huge prize offerings up to 101 kg of gold for consumers are the specialty of the season five fest. Consumers from outside Kerala are allowed with 100 % VAT refund. It is a special offer to the tourists for enjoying Kerala style delicious foods and Ayurveda treatment. Tribal participation will also lead the Gala to great success of the year compared to the previous editions. Consumers from outside world can also purchase items through online shopping. So the whole world can view the state’s highlights. Night shopping is also encouraged by the state by providing travelling facility till mid night. Vibrant stage programs by film stars and play back singers will make the nights hilarious.
Aim and Benefits
Grand Kerala Shopping Festival which is the Asia’s largest shopping festival is the idea of the state government. It is mainly aiming to promote tourism and trading sectors in Kerala. Moreover it is a stage for showcasing the traditionalism of Kerala before tourists. The first shopping festival was conducted in the year 2007 and it was a first experience for the Kerala people. And today it’s looking for more leaping steps in the trading sector of God’s own country.
Benefits from the fest
- Consumer will get an ability to choose their interests and enjoy shopping.
- Consumer can enjoy shopping at reduced price.
- They have the ability to compare the different products without travelling to different stores.
- Shoppers get more out of their shopping experience.
- Kerala’s traditions and quality of products can be exposed.
- Big source of revenue for the state.
- Focusing all over the world.
- Attracts tourists.
Adventures Footsteps of the Mobility Hub
Vyttila Mobility hub is a transit terminal for all ways of transportation which is going to be a big entrée to Kochi. Site proposed for the hub connects Allapuzha, Coimbatore, Idduki, Kottayam and Thrissur through National Highway 47. It will be the meeting point of land, air and ferry transportation. The project is implementing through three phases. The first phase, which consists of the terminal for long distance buses, started in December 2010. And it was commissioned on Feb 26, 2011. It is facilitated with a resting area for 65 buses. And the second phase is the implementation of bus terminals and boat jetties and will begin soon. The third and last phase is to deliberate about new amendments.
The hub will be equipped with RFID (Radio frequency identification) to continuously monitor the buses plying from different places. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka bus services are going to open their ticket counters here soon. The state govt. is also considering a plan to connect the east Kochi with the upcoming mobility hub. But it will take a long time for the finishing the project. Being the Govt. funds are limited, the state is looking for the possibility to raise the funds for the project. If the Union bank supports the project by providing loan of about Rs. 100 crore, the second phase of the hub can be started. The Hub will also provide with multilevel car parking facilities and an advanced cafeteria. Electronic monitoring system to show the scheduled time of bus arrivals and departure will be a big help to the people. The full-fledged terminal is expected to be completed by 2013. With the introduction of Vyttila mobility hub there is going to be a tremendous change in the city. It will give Kochi a new face. Let’s wait for the miraculous vision to happen.
