Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala : A fresh row has erupted in the Congress over KPCC president K.Muraleedharan’s proposal to make Karunakaran loyalist P.P.Thankachan acting president of the KPCC simultaneously with the induction of Murali into the State Cabinet based on a patch-up formula. The anti-Karunakaran faction has opposed giving Thankachan the acting president’s post. He is KPCC vice-president now. Party general secretary Ahmed Patel had sought a report from Muraleedharan on the basis of the latter’s talks with Chief Minister A.K.Antony here on Thursday. Muraleedharan had informed Antony his readiness to accept the party high command’s patch-up formula by which he would be inducted as Minister in the UDF Government. Muraleedharan reportedly indicated in the report that Karunakaran could be pacified if Thankachan, his close lieutenant, was made the acting president of the KPCC. But sources in the anti-Karunakaran faction said that they would not accept Thankachan who presided over the function in which Karunakaran announced his intention to split the Congress and form a new party, unless Thankachan came out in the open declaring his loyalty to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. They also pointed out that the name of Thankachan was considered earlier as one of the options and he was not the only candidate. It is learnt that the anti-Karunakaran faction has already informed the party high command its objections over Thankachan. The anti-Karunakaran faction also raised the propriety of ‘I’ group Ministers Kadavoor Sivadasan and P.Sankaran continuing in the UDF Government after attending the convention. They would have to make their position clear like Muraleedharan, the faction leaders said. Muraleedharan, who held prolonged discussions with Karunakaran, told newsmen that he was still the KPCC president. He did not confirm or deny reports that he had resigned. ''It is improper on my part to disclose the details of a letter which I wrote to the party high command,'' he said. He reiterated the claim that all the issues in the party would be settled amicably and Karunakaran would not leave the party. Karunakaran who attended a prayer meeting at Indira Bhavan here, the KPCC headquarters, in connection with the Martyrs’ Day told newsmen that he had no knowledge about the talks his son Muraleedharan had with the Chief Minister. He also indicated in an interview with a Malayalam TV channel that he was not party to any patch-up formula. Several Congress leaders called on Karunakaran on Friday also trying to change his mind about forming a new party. But he had not made any commitment, sources said.
Murali resigns as KPCC president
Friday, January 30, 2004
According to a report, KPCC president K Muralidharan has resigned from his post. Sources at AICC headquarters in New Delhi unofficially confirmed that they have received Murali's resignation letter by fax on Friday afternoon. Murali's resignation comes after the party Highcommand gave its consent to induct him in the state cabinet. On Thursday evening, Murali had called on Chief Minister AK Antony in a bid to patch up the differences. Murali's sudden change of stance has created lot of frustration and confusion among the 'I' group activists. Senior Congress leader K Karunakaran has refused to comment on the latest developments. According to sources, Karunakaran supporter and former Speaker P P Thankachan may take over the responsibility of the KPCC temporarily. However KPCC sources, when contacted refused to confirm the news.
New party to benefit BJP: Sreedharan
Friday, January 30, 2004
KOZHIKODE: BJP Kerala president P S Sreedharan Pillai on Thursday said dissident Congress leader K Karunakaran's move to float a new party 'exposed' AICC president Sonia Gandhi's 'inability and immaturity' to tackle her party issues and claimed the development would help the BJP in the state. Sonia Gandhi was proving to be 'a failure' in handling the issues of a vast country like India, as she was allowing herself to be led by a 'caucus,' Pillai told reporters here. He demanded dissolution of the state assembly, saying the UDF government had failed to live up to the people's expectations since it was pre-occupied mostly with factional feud. The BJP in Kerala was keeping its doors wide open for prominent personalities from all walks of life, he added.
Cong split, a well-guarded drama
Friday, January 30, 2004
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The high drama involving the "split" of Congress in Kerala unfolded here on Wednesday reveals that it was a guarded move by the wily leader K Karunakaran to ensure a slice, if not the entire cake, of Kerala governance. Karunakaran's expression of intention to float a new Indira Congress and field people in all constituencies of Kerala had the desired effect quickly. The Chief Minister A K Antony admitted he had conveyed the declaration immediately to New Delhi and the latter had asked him to take Karunakaran's son and PCC-I President K Muralidharan in to Cabinet. Muralidharan had, in the meantime, kept himself away from father’s enterprise and was conveniently available to media persons at the Indira Bhavan next door to reiterate his obedience to the ‘high command’. Muralidharan is likely to be inducted shortly to be the 21st minister of Kerala. People who closely watch the Karunakaran camp say the game was well played and the Antony camp lost the nerve in the war. Karunakaran is member of Lok Sabha, and a permanent invitee to Congress Working Committee. His son would now be in cabinet. This would leave her eager daughter, Padmaja Venugopal, to enter the electoral fray. Both father, son, and daughter will thus have a decisive roles in the party.
"I want to win this war"-Kamalahassen
Friday, January 30, 2004
"I want to win this war" The much awaited Virumaandi is all set to release in Pongal. The shooting of this film, which was earlier named Sandiyar started last April in Madurai. The title of the film was later changed due to some controversy by some politicians that the film is made to abuse Puthiya Thamizhagam (PT), a Dalit political outfit led by Dr K Krishnasamy. After all the hungama, the film was re-named Virumaandi. Excerpts from Kamal's interview to Vellinakshatram Q) Can one assume that all the controversies surrounding Virumaandi is over? A) Yes. All the unnecessary controversies are over. The film has also been cleared by the censors with an 'A' certificate and a few cuts. Q) Tell us something about Virumaandi? A) Virumaandi is not the story of a single person and his life. I have tried to depict a lot of Virumaandi's whom I have seen in my life. I have made the film for my people and think that I have succeeded to a very large extent by bringing a local flavour and nativity to the film. Q) Did the controversies hurt you? First I was upset about the issues that were raised against me as magazines also came out with their own versions of the film. Some said it was based on Perungamanallur riots, while some uncharitable elements even questioned the script and called it lifting, but I went on with my work silently. Let everyone see the film and decide. Q) How did you manage to create an artificial village in Chennai? A) When the shooting in Madurai had to be cancelled, I decided to put up the sets in Chennai. I was very disturbed that I could never get the actual smell and feel of the village atmosphere. But later I realized that anyway the audience cannot smell the village in a theatre and the entire crew decided to create an entire village at the Campa Cola grounds in Guindy. My art director Prabhakaran did a wonderful job. We were able to get that authentic feel and touch of a village in Theni. Q) Tell us something about the bull fight? Virumaandi is the first movie where the ancient bull-fight game of Jalli Kattu was shot live. Over 50 rugged bulls known for its toughness were specially selected along with trainers and bullfighters. The bulls were trained and myself and Abirami spent time with the bulls as part of the familiarization process. And in the end they became like pets. Q) How do you plan to fight video piracy? It is not an easy thing. So Rajkamal will be releasing the DVD of the film shortly after the release in US. The Telugu version will also be released soon and if the film is good it will be remade into Hindi like how Thevar Magan became Virasat. Right now we plan to release Virumaandi for Pongal with 250 prints worldwide. Q) Does the competition from the young stars upset you? I have no fear at all. I really love competition and welcome good films. Even a bright student may fail in an exam when he is pitted against a dull guy if he is scared and not confident about himself. I am extremely confident about the film Q) Do you have a premiere in US? A) Yes. Virumaandi will be the first Tamil film to be premiered in US. The film will be releasing in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. The film is shown for the Indians living in US and not for an international audience. Q) You have sung six songs in the film… It was because music director Ilayaraja asked me to do so. He wanted all the songs to have Virumaandi's voice. Q) Your last word about Virumaandi? I want to fight this war and win Q) Do you have any advice for the people of Kerala? Kerala is my ancestoral house. I began my career as a child artiste in Malayalam films and not only that all my Malayalam films had good responses. I wish all my viewers will enjoy watching Virumaandi.
Sasneham Sumitra
Friday, January 30, 2004
Sasneham Sumitra tells the story of Balan, a rich planter and member of a respectable family, who lives in his estate bungalow. He marries Sita, who hails from a middle class family, amidst whispers about the mysterious disappearance of his first wife Sumitra. Balan believes that Sumitra might have fallen off a train by accident. The investigation that that follows brings out some stunning facts. Suresh Gopi plays Balan and debutant Sree Ranjini plays Sita. The director has decided to tread through a different path by making a film, "which is not according the so called trend of comedy movies. I feel that now people do not want to cry in theatres. But that does not mean that they want only to laugh. What they need is a clean entertainer. I've made a movie which I believe in". The director sincerely hopes that Malayalees always are ready to accept films with good themes and narration. Apart from Suresh Gopi and Sree Ranjini, Lalu Alex, Siddique, Saikumar, Bindu Panicker, Poornima and many others. Songs penned by Shibu Chakravarthy has music by Ouseppachan.
Science exhibition to showcase talent
Friday, January 30, 2004
Science exhibition to showcase talent KOZHIKODE: The Zamorin's Higher Secondary School at Tali here is being dressed up for the 18th Southern India Science Fair 2003-2004, which will be held from January 29 to February 2. Nearly 600 students would participate in the show, said the Mayor Thottathil Ravidran, chairman of the organising committee of the fair, the District Collector, T.O. Sooraj, and M.K. Raju, Deputy Director for Education, Kozhikode and programme general convener. The fair would showcase science exhibits and projects that had been selected in State -level contests. The exhibits and projects would be from five southern States. Projects by teachers would also be among the exhibits. There would be trophies and scholarships for the best exhibits and projects. The event is a joint endeavour of the Viswesarayya Industrial and Technological Museum in Bangalore and the Education Department.
Call to use science for development
Friday, January 30, 2004
KOZHIKODE, JAN. 29. The 16th session of the Kerala Science Congress began here today emphasising the need for scientific research to contribute to the socio-economic development of the State. The Chief Minister, A. K. Antony, who was to inaugurate the Science Congress could not reach Kozhikode because of more pressing engagements in the capital but what his Government expected from scientific researchers was made clear in his inaugural address which was read out on his behalf by the Executive Director of the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), E. J. James. The Chief Minister said the Government expected science and technology inputs to tackle problems concerning traditional industries, plantations and forests, water resources, coastal zone management, transportation and biotech industry. Presiding over the inaugural session, M. A. Valiathan, executive vice - president of the Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), remarked that Keralites had in abundance qualities like innovative skills needed for scientific research and pointed out these had been reflected in the great deal of research that was done in the fields of mathematics and ayurveda in the past. The Science Congress is sponsored by the Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment and the Department of S & T, Government of India, and is being held on the campus of the CWRDM in Kunnamangalam, near here. The conference will be on till January 31. The abstracts of papers being presented at the convention are available on the website www.cwrdm.org.
Certificate Attestation Centre from Friday
Friday, January 30, 2004
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bringing relief to thousands of Gulf-bound job-seekers, an office for verifying certificates will come into existance here tomorrow. Official sources said Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Minister M M Hassan would inaugurate the Attestation Centre. At present, job-seekers to the UAE would have to go to New Delhi to get their documents verified. The Central Government agreed to set up the Centre here following a request made by the State Government. According to a study, about 40 per cent of Keralites, granted emigration clearance every year, travel to the UAE for jobs.
Crisis in Congress settled: Muraleedharan
Friday, January 30, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram: A day after senior Congress leader K. Karunakaran announced that he would form a new political outfit, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President K. Muraleedharan claimed that the crisis in the party State unit had been amicably resolved. After an hour-long meeting with Chief Minister A.K. Antony at the latter's official residence, he told mediapersons that Karunakaran was still with the Congress and ruled out any split in the party. ''We discussed all matters and decided to remain united,'' he said and added that the ''unity package'' would be announced by the party High Command. Asked whether he would join the Cabinet, Muraleedharan, son of Karunakaran, said all such matters would be decided by the High Command. ''We will abide by any decision taken by the leadership.'' To another question, he said he met the Chief Minister in his capacity as PCC President and not a group representative. Antony declined to respond to queries from reporters. Meanwhile, Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty and Revenue Minister K.M. Mani held discussions with Karunakaran and persuaded him to drop his proposal to float a new party.
Mohanlal's career in soup
Friday, January 30, 2004
Looks like its bad time for actor Mohanlal. He needs to seriously think about his career. His latest film VAMANAPURAM BUS ROUTE has flopped miserably at the box office. Whoever has seen this film is asking one question. Which is "how can an actor like Mohanlal act in a film like this?" The film has had a bad opening. Even die hard Mohanlal fans are staying away from this film. There are no cine goers in places like Trivandrum and Ernakulam for this film. Some have even started questioning if this film marks the end of Mohanlal's career. What is that, which has caused such reaction from the audiences? In VAMANAPURAM BUS ROUTE Mohanlal plays the role of a conductor Lever Jhonny, who is a ardent MGR fan. Apart from dressing like MGR, this actor hums MGR's tunes. This role is similar to those roles that he played in HARIHARAN PILLAI HAPPY AANU and BALETA. The actor who emotes well has selected films where there are hardly any emotions at display. Mohanlal has now pinned hopes on a Fazil film which will be released during Vishu festival.
Tessa back to small screen
Friday, January 30, 2004
Tessa who played the female lead in Pattalam has now gone back to small screen. When she was cast as heroine in Pattalam opposite Mamooty everybody said that she would be the choice for the aging superstars since she was tall and had a matured look. She was compering a film based show in Kairali TV. Another group said that like Divya Unni, Chanchal, Poornima Mohan yet another student of St Thereasas college was going to make it big. With Pattalam bombing the girl is become an outcast. Producers prefer girls from other states but not Tessa. So next best step is to go back to small screen. She has become compere of a show in Jeevan TV.
Ananthadram
Friday, January 30, 2004
Mamooty and Prithiviraj will costar in Saboo Cyril directed film Ananthadram. Mira Jasmine plays the female lead. The film is produced by Maniyan Pillai Raju. Raju a popular comedian had produced Hey Auto and Vellanayayude Naddu which were hits but lost money in Anshwaram and Kannu Ezuthi Pottu Thottu. The Saboo film is a mega project. It’s based on the popular serial that was featured in Manorama weekly. The serial had won the Manorama award. The novel was written by Sunil Parmeswara http://www.galatta.com/
Randammuzham
Friday, January 30, 2004
Produced and directed by Fazil the Mohanlal film started work in Kochi. Titled Randamuzham the film has Nayantara (Manasinakkare) as heroine. She is already signed by Murali Nagavalli (associate of Priyadarshan) for his next Mohanlal film. Nayantara came from modelling to films. Mukesh, Jagathy, Harisri Asokan, Sai Kumar, Ganesh Kumar,Nedumudi Venu, Cochin Hanifa, KPAC Lalitha are the other artistes. The film is produced under banner of Ammu films. http://www.galatta.com
Bhanumathy choice for Dada Saheb Phalke
Friday, January 30, 2004
A controversy is brewing in the film circles over the announcement of Dev Anand as the recipient of the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award for the year 2003. The Film Federation of India (FFI) which chooses the names of the likely recipients of the award had chosen Dr.Bhanumathy Ramakrishna, popular actress, singer, director and Padmashree award winner. The actress even held a press conference and speaking to the press about this, she said "I am very happy. I consider it as a recognition for my contribution to the Indian Film Industry," The award was decided by the Film Federation of India in a meeting conducted on November 14 in Hyderabad was clarified by S.S.Jain, the spokesperson who told the press. The sudden volte-face and overlooking Dr Bhanumathy has led to a controversy. The South lobby in FFI feels that the Punjabi lobbies in Mumbai prevailed upon the Union ministry to choose Dev Anand. Yet another version is that the veteran actress acted in haste by announcing to the press much before the Union ministry press note came and this irked the ministry who felt that it was putting pressure on them to accept the FFI nominee. The FFI nominee list is only a formality and not legally binding on the ministry. Dr Bhanumathy had criticized the selection process when Dr Sivaji Ganesan was selected since she felt that as a senior person it should have come to her.
Dilip- Priyan film renamed as Karnavar
Friday, January 30, 2004
The Dilip- Priyadarsan film titled Krishnaleela has now been changed to Karnavar. The heroine is Bhavana Puri from Tollywood. The subject deals with the heroine on her way to stop her lover from marrying and accompanying her is the hero a robber. This hilarious laugh riot is the first this year from this team. The reason for the film's title to change is because Kamal Haasan's forthcoming film is Krishna Leela. If you are wondering whether the Priyan film has similarities to Anbe Sivam then it's purely coincidental. Could be that Priyan and Kamal were inspired from the same source. Priyan who remade Pocchaku Oru Mookuthi directed by himself 20 years back as Hungama is back in circulation in Bollywood. He is to start work on remake of Godfather directed by Sidiq - Lal.
Sheela’s next
Friday, January 30, 2004
Sheela’s next Virulthumbil Saro is the second film that Sheela has accepted. Director Ismail has an important story to tell. The role was initially planned with Suhasini in mind but Suhasini who did a similar role in Nammal felt that she would get typecast and hesitated. At that time Ismail heard the news that Sheela had come back to acting. She heard the story and accepted. Suhasini rejects - Sheela accepts. http://www.galatta.com/entertainment/livewire/malayalam/livewire.asp
Mohanlal takes on Film Chamber
Friday, January 30, 2004
Mohanlal has finally decided to bell the cat. Kerala film Chamber (KFC) run by tyrants like Siyad Koker of late being running the chamber against a particular lobby and issuing bans on artistes and directors. Now the chamber has issued a notice to Amma the artistes association stating that it should not take part in the Asia Net award nite or else the members will face a ban. This has been the final straw. Mohanlal has openly stated that it would not hesitate to float a parallel chamber if the present Chamber does not amend its ways and stop acting like dictators. Lal said that as a producer he has produced 5 films and lost Rs 7 crores. With this distinction he was competent to speak on behalf of the industry. He said that the artistes were taking part in the award nite because the money got from it will go to the AMMA corpus fund used to give pension to indigent artistes. TV programmes and serials are not the cause for films flopping .Its the content that is to be blamed. Priyadarshan's Hindi film was not screened in Kerala. When Dileep was to do Priyan's film they told technicians not to work and financiers not to give money. They even asked Dileep not to work with Priyan. Why this vendetta? Who has given them the authority to issue a ban?" asked Lal. If this state of affairs continue then another Chamber would have to be formed said the furious actor.In defense Siyad Koker said that KFC and AMMA as well as MACTA had entered into an agreement that without consulting each other they would not conduct any star nites for TV channels since these programmes would affect the running of films in theatres. The agreement was signed by Mammooty when he was general secretary. Now will Mammooty speak up? http://www.galatta.com/entertainment/livewire/malayalam/livewire.asp
Valathottu Thirinjal
Friday, January 30, 2004
Aji (Jishnu) and a group of his friends (played by Salim Kumar, Cochin Haneefa, Aniyappan etc) take up contracts of demolishing old houses and selling off the wooden parts of the house. Since Suresh (Madhupal) the elder brother of Aji ran away with the money kept for his sister’s marriage, Aji has to bear the burden of running the family. Aji has to honour a contract to demolish Nalackal Veedu, since his father had signed it before his death. This time he has to clear the house of its inmates Aditya Verma (Narendra Prasad) and his daughter Sangeetha (Bhavana). The inmates are members of an old feaudal family fallen on bad times. Chandru (Anil Murali), an underworld enters the scenario to take hold of the property. In a badly scripted film Jishnu and Bhavana too doesn’t have much scope to act. The movie is introducing a new music director to Malayalam filmdom, Shakeer. This movie was the last one of the seasoned actor Narendra Prasad.
Sethurama Iyer CBI
Friday, January 30, 2004
Director: K. Madhu Script: S.N. Swamy Camera: Saloo George Cast: Mammootty, Mukesh, Jagathy Sreekumar, Kalabhavan Mani, Sai Kumar,Janardhanan, Jagatheesh, Rajan P.Dev, Vineeth Kumar, Navya Nayar, Geetha Vijayan, Nandhana. 16 years ago, when ‘CBI Diary Kurippu’ hit the screens, it kind of created a frenzy. The film was a megahit and when it was remade in other languages, it created records of sorts. It was probably the first time that a superstar didn’t resort to aciton to solve a crime. For a change, a police officer looked normal. Well, Mammooty as Sethuraman Iyer is back. The Story: ‘Sethurama Iyer CBI’ clicked again! This movie will definitely repeat the same resounding success of its predecessor, ‘Oru CBI Diarikurupu.’ This time, he is solving a bizzare crime. The case is handed over to him while he turns up in Kerala to spend his vacation with his sister and her grown up daughters. The local priest asks him to meet with a death sentence convict- Alex (Kalabhavan Mani). Alex wishes to see Sethurama Iyer in private. Sethurama Iyer gets more information of Alex and also about the case history from Chako (Mukesh) who had assisted Sethurama Iyer on his earlier assaignments. Chako had also participated in this case’s investigation with his senior, Balagopalan CBI (Siddhiq). The convict tells him a shocking story- he had been sentenced to death for committing 6 murders, but he confesses that he had done only five of them. The sixth murder ahd been committed by a copycat murderer and that he is being falsely accused for it. The revelations of Alex prompt Sethurama Iyer to find the ‘real’ culprit unless he thought it would have been a blot on CBI’s character. He probed this case scientifically sans prejudice. Finally he finds the culprit dramatically and with great panache. Chako and Ganesh (Vineeth Kumar), a newcomer to CBI, teamed up with Iyer for the entire investigation. So, Mammooty teams up with Jagadi, Mukesh and new recruit Vineeth Kumar and decides to solve the case. As expected Vineeth Kumar falls in love with Navya Nair, one of Mammooty’s nieces. This is a suspense film, so we arent going to tell you who had commited the crime. REVIEW The director, K.Madhu and scriptwriter S.N.Swamy have done a commendable job in keeping the suspense feeling till the last reel of this whodunit. ‘Sethurama Iyer CBI’does not bore anyone from start to finish. Mammootty has been metamorphosed into a real detective. He keeps the same pace in acting as had seen in Oru CBI Diarikurupu. If anyone feels a thing that hinder ones enjoyment in this flick is the ‘flirting scene’ between Vineeth Kumar and Navya Nayar. That is really terrible and does not contribute anything to the story in anyway! Only the director may knows its significance! Youngster Vineeth Kumar also seen as a miscast in his (mature) character. His dialogue deliverance is poor. (Perhaps Biju Menon could have handled this role with much ease.) Jagathy’s coming in the garb of a ‘shopping complex buyer’ deserves kudos. Mukesh too strikes well in his role. Saikumar has also done his role well by emulating the ‘gestures and dialogue deliverances’ of late actor Sukumaran. Sukumaran was the then DySP officer in CBI…and Jagratha. In this movie Saikumar appeared as Sukumaran’s son and as a DySP officer. Camera work of Saloo George is on a par with the pace of the story. No song is really bliss now lest it should swamp the ‘heat’ of the story. This film is the best example of good teamwork.
Pulivaal Kalyaanam
Friday, January 30, 2004
Cast - Jayasurya, Kavya Madhavan, Jagadi, Lal, Harishri Ashokan and others. Director - Shafi The Producer - Unnikrishnan and Premanand We are not going to waste too much of time with the film’s story because the whole story reads like a one liner- Father not happy with the man his daughter falls in love and her lover’s brother helps to get them united. Films like these rely heavily on the screenplay, comedy and dialogue deliveries. ‘Pulivaal Kalyaanam’ is a fairly good comedy film that everybody could enjoy watching. They actors have their timing and dialogue delivery perfected, so, the jokes and humor works though you had seen them already. Jagadi plays the rich father while Kavya Madhavan plays his daughter. Jayasurya is the man she falls in love with and Lal plays his foster brother who is ready to do anything to get the two married to each other. The Good- Comedy, timing and one-liners The Bad- Music. Songs sound like they have been recycled. The Ugly Lack of anything original
Alaikkal Tharavad
Friday, January 30, 2004
This is the story of a struggle between a father and son and a mother who is caught in between them. The father is trying to bring in the old values and respect while the son is trying to make ends meet. Somewhere in between, the son falls in love with a girl and his parents oppose them. Nedumudi Venu, Kunhako Boban, Sujatha and Navya Nair have starred in the film. Cast - Sujatha was brought in from her exile specifically to play Boban's mother. Director - Sibi Malayil is directing the film.
Govt to regulate Margin Free markets
Friday, January 30, 2004
State Minister in charge of Food and Civil Supplies, G Karthikeyan today told the State Assembly today that the government may bring in some controls over the Margin Free markets in the state as they are 'cheating' the public. Participating in the Question Hour today morning, Karthikeyan said that the margin free markets operating in the state are simply 'cheating' the public. The Minister also quoted the price list of Maveli supermarkets run by the state government and the Margin Free markets to point out the high prices the latter are charging on some goods. On a query from the Speaker, Karthikeyan said that at present any one could start a margin free market by putting up a yellow painted board. "Today everything is margin free here. Even the marble brought from Rajasthan have now a margin free tag," the Minister said. Karthikeyan informed the House that the government was planning to regulate the functioning of Margin free markets in the state.
Kerala Science Congress begins
Friday, January 30, 2004
The three-day Kerala Science Congress 2004, with 'Traditional and Appropriate Technologies for Development of Kerala,' as its theme was inaugurated by State Planning Board Vice-Chairman V Ramachandran at the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management near here today. Over 500 delegates are taking part in the Congress where over 160 papers will be presented. Presiding over the inaugural function, Executive Vice-President of the Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment Dr M S Valiathan called for passion for science and ''capacity building'' process to transform the Kerala society into an innovative and knowledge-based one. ''Limited geographic area, lack of sufficient industrial schools and less political clout at the Centre are the boundary limitations for Kerala. But this can be answered with a network research linking with organisations in and outside the country,'' he observed. ''As genes of innovations are already there in our blood, our limit is that of imagination and hard work,'' he noted and stressed the need to activate the same. ''We have capital and plants. What is in short supply is will and spirit,'' Dr Valiathan added detailing on how the two qualities helped transform feudal Japan into the present industrial society. Prof Vladmir Cvetkovic and Prof Gia Destouni, scientists from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, will interact with the delegates during the Congress. (agency)
I can't comment, says Karunakaran
Friday, January 30, 2004
Senior Congress leader K Karunakaran today refused to comment on the latest developments within the party. Speaking briefly to reporters outside the KPCC headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, Karunakaran said that he doesn't know the basis on which Antony and Muralidharan made the comments after their meeting on Thursday evening. "How can I comment upon something that others say and do?" he asked. Karunakaran had reached Indira Bhavan in the morning, to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his martyrdom day. Karunakaran also exchanged brief pleasantries with Chief Minister A K Antony who was present at the party headquarters. When reporters asked Karunakaran whether he was still adamant on forming a new party, Karunakaran ignored the question.
Prince John remanded in custody
Friday, January 30, 2004
KOCHI: As many victims logged on to the city police on Thursday to report more innovative designs of Prince John Periapurath, the mastermind behind non-existent Lockepole was remanded in custody. The Crime Branch has also approached the court seeking its nod to take Prince into custody for further investigations. The most interesting story that surfaced on Thursday was Prince’s attempt to appoint C & F agents in the State. He had even held discussions with Group Mukkadan in this regard. ‘‘He wanted us to furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 2 crore and a deposit of Rs 50 lakh. But the list of other demands was very shady,’’ said a spokesman of Group Mukkadan, who handle Yamaha and other major brands. Prince told the group that he was planning to import all his gadgets as education tools from Finland. He wanted the Mukkadans to pay him Rs 10 crore as the first instalment. ‘‘He said the amount should be paid in dollars and that the first consignment would reach Kochi after paying up the third instalment. This sounded unbelievable and we decided to back out,’’ the spokesman said. Sources further said Prince continued his efforts to woo the Group Mukkadan till a week before his arrest. ‘‘We also asked him about the credibility of the company. The concepts were quite highbrow. Also we couldn’t understand the need for signal boosters in Kerala when most networks have extensive coverage,’’ sources said. Police said most of the money Prince had collected was invested in real estate and luxurious life. ‘‘He recently bought a property near Pala. We are also sending a team to Mumbai to interrogate his relatives. As far as we know there is no one else in this company other than Prince and Joseph,’’ sources said.
Iraqi firm comes hunting for Kerala chicken
Friday, January 30, 2004
KOCHI: Flying into a no-flu zone, an Iraqi delegation on Thursday began preliminary discussion with the Meat Products of India to probe the possibility of exporting huge quantities of chicken from Kerala to Iraq. With poultry from most of the South Asian countries literally becoming untouchable, other Gulf countries are also likely to follow suit. The Iraqi firm, whose name has not been disclosed, on Thursday met top officials of the Meat Products at Koothattukulam for what sources put as ``the first round of talks''. Confirming that he had a talk with Iraqi delegation, MPI managing director Dr Ani S Das said ``Talks are in the preliminary stages. The quantity to be exported and other details will be finalised shortly.'' However, he declined to divulge the name or other details of the firm, but``it's not a Government concern,'' he confirmed. The Iraqis approached MPI after the outbreak of the avian flu in South Asia, he added. With the epidemic continuing its deadly run through the hatcheries in Pakistan and nine other South Asian nations, Indian poultry has suddenly found its popularity soaring. ``No case of the deadly flu has been reported in India so far. So they have turned to us,'' he explained the sudden Iraqi interest in Indian poultry. Moreover, many Gulf countries have gone on the defensive after the outbreak which has claimed human lives in South- East Asian countries. Kuwait slapped a ban on poultry imports from the Indian sub-continent yesterday. Saudi Arabia has also banned imports from the hit regions. Governments of the affected countries have been forced to cull poultry by the millions. This has led to a hike in price and demand for poultry in the Middle East, say experts. While two strains of the pathogenic virus detected in Pakistan are not thought to be deadly to humans, this is not the case with H5NI strain identified in other affected countries. The meat processing scenario in Kerala is bound to be affected by the ban, say poultry experts. ``Several firms in the State export poultry products such as canned chicken legs to the Gulf,'' said Dr Udayavarman, Assistant Director, Animal Husbandry Department, Govt of Kerala. The Centre is taking precautions to prevent the epidemic from crossing into our borders. Prominent poultry firms in South India have sent scientists to affected areas to study the disease,'' he said. The State has also stepped up vigil against the flu, he added.
Is the I group that is getting splitted into two??
Thursday, January 29, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala : All is not well in the Karunakaran camp after their LEADER has announced the formation of a new party. Even his only son seems to dessert him at this age.A very unpredictable anticlimax indeed. Majority of the ‘I’ group MLAs are learnt to have extended their support to the stand taken by KPCC president K Muraleedharan against a split in the party. The two Ministers and most of the MLAs had not expected Karunakaran to announce a decision to split the party at the convention, sources said. They had been hoping for a patch-up. Of the 19 MLAs left in the Karunakaran camp now, 16 have their sympathies with Muraleedharan, including Electricity Minister Kadavoor Sivadasan and Health Minister P.Sankaran. Besides Kadavoor Sivadasan and Sankaran, E.M.Augusthy, Adoor Prakash, V.Balaram, D.Sugathan, N.D.Appachan, T.V.Chandramohan, Maleth Saraladevi, N.Sakthan, Radha Raghavan, T.U.Radhakrishnan, A.P.Anil Kumar, Shobana George, K.Mohan Kumar and M.A.Chandrasekharan are likely to take a stand against the split. Some of these MLAs had met Muraleedharan recently and asked him to go in for a patch-up. Those who may stick with Karunakaran are P.P.George, A.D.Mustafa and Savithri Lakshmanan. The two Ministers and all these MLAs had attended the ‘I’ group convention on Wednesday.
New virus infects PCs, whacks SCO
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
New virus infects PCs, whacks SCO January 27, 2004 A mass-mailing virus quickly spread through the Internet on Monday, compromising computers so that they attack the SCO Group's Web server with a flood of data on Feb. 1, according to antivirus companies. The virus--known as MyDoom, Novarg and as a variant of the Mimail virus by different antivirus companies--arrives in an in-box with one of several different random subject lines, such as "Mail Delivery System," "Test" or "Mail Transaction Failed." The body of the e-mail contains an executable file and a statement such as: "The message contains Unicode characters and has been sent as a binary attachment." "It's huge," said Vincent Gullotto, vice president of security software maker Network Associates' antivirus emergency response team. "We have it as a high-risk outbreak." In one hour, Network Associates itself received 19,500 e-mails bearing the virus from 3,400 unique Internet addresses, Gullotto said. One large telecommunications company has already shut down its e-mail gateway to stop the virus. Once the virus infects a Windows-running PC, it installs a program that allows the computer to be controlled remotely. The program primes the PC to send data to the SCO Group's Web server, starting Feb. 1, a virus researcher said on the condition of anonymity. The SCO Group has incurred the wrath of the Linux community for its claims that important pieces of the open-source operating system are covered by SCO's Unix copyrights. IBM, Novell and other Linux backers strongly dispute the claims. The company's Web site was slow to load on Monday afternoon, a SCO spokesperson acknowledged, but the site was still accessible from the World Wide Web. SCO's Web site was taken offline by denial-of-service attacks a handful of times in the last year, none of which had been initiated by a virus. In the past, the company has blamed Linux sympathizers for at least one of the attacks. Antivirus companies were scrambling on Monday afternoon to learn more about the virus, which started spreading at about noon PST. The virus affects computers running Windows versions 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000 and XP. "A lot of the information is encrypted, so we have to decrypt it," said Sharon Ruckman, a senior director of antivirus software maker Symantec's security response center. Symantec has had about 40 reports of the virus in the first hour, a high rate of submission, Ruckman said. The virus installs a Windows program that opens up a "back door" in the system, allowing an attacker to upload additional programs onto the compromised device. The back door also enables an intruder to route his connection through the infected computer to hide the source of an attack. The virus also copies itself to the Kazaa download directory on PCs, on which the file-sharing program is loaded. The virus camouflages itself, using one of seven file names, including Winamp5, RootkitXP, Officecrack and Nuke2004. Variations in the body text include: "The message cannot be represented in 7-bit ASCII encoding and has been sent as a binary attachment." Early data indicated an epidemic several times the size of the Sobig.F virus, which caused widespread infections last summer, said Scott Petry, a vice president of engineering at e-mail service provider Postini. "At its current run rate, we will trap almost 8 million in a day," Petry said. The company quarantined only 1,400 copies of Sobig.F in its first day and 3.5 million copies of the virus during that epidemic's peak 24-hour period. Mail systems that remove executable files from e-mails can stop the program from spreading. (CNET News.com)
Karunakaran announces new party
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Amidst loud cheering of his supporters senior Congress leader K Karunakaran today announced a new party in the state , thus officially splitting the state unit of the Indian National Congress. The veteran leader announced the decision, while addressing the party delegates at a convention in Thiruvananthapuram today. Karunakaran announced that his candidates will contest the elections separately in the next elections. He said that the steps to get recognition for the new party with a new symbol are on in New Delhi. An emotional Karunakaran during his speech, recalled his long innings in the party and the affection shown to him by late Indira Gandhi. He said that the rebellion that he led was not for any personal gain. " I am telling you today, I have not even sought primary membership for my children in the party," he announced. Earlier report The decisive meeting of the Karunakaran loyalists in the state unit of the Congress party began in Thiruvananthapuram today afternoon. Two ministers-Kadavur Sivadasan and P Sankaran, MLAs, KPCC, DCC and Panchayath level office bearers of the party are taking part in the meet. K Karunakaran lit the traditional lamp and inaugurated the meet, being held Tagore centenary hall in the state capital. Speakers at the function, including former speaker P P Thankachan and DCC president Peethambara Kurup hailed Karunakaran for his contribution to the state's polity and attacked the adversaries within the party for their efforts to sideline and insult the veteran leader. Meanwhile, sources informed that the Congress highcommand has almost given up on efforts for a last minute compromise to avoid a split in the organisation.
Six prominent persons join BJP
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Six prominent personalities from various walks of life today joined the BJP in Kerala. BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu welcomed them to the party. New party members include James K Jacob (Former accountant General of Kerala and Son-in-law of RSP leader Baby John) and T K Raman (former Judge and member state advisory board on scheduled castes). Others who joined BJP today are T T Kripananda Singh, Brig. Lakshman Vijayan, Prof. Hamsa Devi and Col. R V Nair.
Govt to finalize steps for Express highway
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
The State Minister in charge of PWD, Dr. M K Muneer today said in the assembly that financial structuring and land acquisition in connection with the proposed Express High Way connecting Thiruvananthapuram with Kasaragod would be finalized shortly. "The government will consider the study report of Lease Associates, who visited China recently in this connection and should take necessary steps for the highway worth Rs 6400 crore'" he said. Replying to questions by Kodiyeri Balakrishnan MLA, the minister said that the co-operation and investments by NRI's are vital to this project. "It is not possible for the government to complete this work with the financial assistance from the institutions like HUDCO only. So the government is seeking financial assistance from other private partners," he said. "Government is seriously considering the rehabilitation and land acquisition process for the express highway. The government should take the land only after the rehabilitation process and estimated an amount of Rs Rs 1, 758 crore for the resettlement programme. Government would also analyze the environmental problems that affects the nature due to this project," he added. Chief Minister A K Antony told that the government has taken steps to release water from Parambikulam-Aliyar project to meet the drought of Palakkad district. He was replying to a calling attention motion by K A Chandran MLA. He said that he had written to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha in this regard.
Kerala assembly should be dissolved: Naidu
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
BJP national president M Venkaiah Naidu today said that it is high time that the Kerala Assembly is dissolved and the government face the people's verdict. " There is no government here. The administration is totally paralyzed. The open fighting has affected even the bureaucracy," Naidu alleged at a press conference at Thiruvananthapuram today. Naidu added that the Congress high command has become 'no command' in Kerala. To a question whether the BJP will make overtures to rebel Congress leader K Karunakaran, Naidu refused to comment saying that it is too premature. However, the BJP president declared that the party will contest on its own in all the assembly seats in the state, except Muvattupuzha, where IFDP leader PC Thomas will contest under the NDA banner. Regarding the national election scenario, the BJP president said that the battle lines have been drawn . He said that while BJP has a clear agenda, vision and leadership, the opponents have none of them." When we speak of the Feel the good factor they tell us to feel the dynasty. It is a dynasty that has ruled and ruined the country for more than 45 years", he said. Naidu said that Prime Minister Vajpayee would launch BJP's election campaign from New Delhi on February 6. Referring to the Bihar situation, Naidu said that the state is a fit case for implementing article 356. " There is rape, murder, massacre, kidnapping and fraud in the state everyday. And the government there survives courtesy the Congress. This is the alternative that the Congress presents", Naidu pointed out.
Unidentified viral infection kills four in Kerala capital
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Even as some South-East Asian nations are convulsed with a fresh scare about 'SARS' and 'Bird Flu,' an unidentified viral infection has claimed four lives here in recent months, medical authorities say. The four people, three males and one female aged between 19 and 40 years, were admitted to the Government-run Medical College Hospital (MCH) here. They hailed from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Kottayam districts of Kerala State, MCH Medical Superintendent N Vishwanathan today. However, two more patients admitted to the hospital with similar symptoms had responded positively to treatment. While one of them had been cured after being administered broad spectrum antibiotics, the other was recovering and was likely to be discharged tomorrow, he said. ''There is no need for alarm about the outbreak of any epidemic. The deaths have taken place over a period of six months,'' the medical superintendent said. The symptoms of the killer infection included cold and mild fever, followed by paralysis of limbs and unconsciousness. All the four died within a week or two of contracting the infection, Dr Vishwanathan said. Tests, including MRI scan, on the patients had revealed festering around the brain and spine. It was concluded that the disease was caused by some virus, Dr Vishwanathan said. A multi-member team of experts had been formed by the Government to look into the autopsy reports. Also serum samples from the patients had been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, and its report was expected in about two weeks' time, he added. Describing the infection as a ''rare presentation,'' Dr Vishwanathan said this was the first time that he had seen such a manifestation. [Agency]
Gaurisankaram
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Gaurisankaram Director: Nemom Pushparaj Cast: Munna, Kavya,Narendra Prasad Music: M Jaychandran Art Director Nemom Pushparaj with 80 films to his credit is debuting as a director with film 'Gaurisankaram' which is being made in the backdrop of 'nagas' and temples of Kerala. The story is written by Madambu Kunjikuttan and promises to be different. Kavya Madhavan has an author backed role in this film too after Mizhi Randilum. Debutant Munna (nephew of Jayabharathi) is the hero. The story is about two Namboothiri families where Gauri (Kavya) and Sankaran (Munna) are childhood friends. When they grow up love blossoms between the two. Sankaran comes back from US where he is a doctor. With the blessing of their parents the lovers get married. Sankaran’s ‘tharavad’ is very ancient and orthodox and they pray to the ‘nagas’ always. The people in his family believe that Nagayakshi and Nagarajavu are present in the ‘tharavad’ and the elders decide that the couple should not live together to avoid the curse of ‘nagas’! How the lovers get united forms the rest of the story.
Fazil's Mohanlal film begins
Saturday, January 24, 2004
The switch on function of Fazil's new untitled film was held at Cherupushpam Studio in Udaybur near Kochi. The switch on action was undertaken by Fazil's daughter Ammu and his brother Ansari did the first clap. Nayantara is the heroine of Mohanlal in this film for which shooting has started in Kochi. Nayantara made her debut in Sathyan Anthicaud's Manasinakkare which is doing well. Also include Mukesh, Cochin Haneefa, Harishree Ashokan and many others. After completing Vamanapuram Bus Route, Mohanlal joined Fazil's set on January 5. Vamanapuram Bus Route is another comedy caper directed by debutant Sonu Sisupal who is also the music director of the film. Mohanlal is Lever Johnny, a bus conductor and an ardent MGR fan who not only dresses like him but also hums his hit numbers. Rita Mathews was found missing from her hostel and Sreekumar was appointed to find her. Sreekumar was a man of many qualities and to tell briefly--an eccentric person. Sai Kumar, Ganesh Kumar and Sukumari too act in this film. Script is by Fazil himself and songs penned by Kaithapram have music by Ouseppachan. Anandakuttan wields the camera. Ammu Release will bring the film to the theatres during Vishu. http://www.sundaykaumudi.com/movies/mov/mo_slight.stm
Maruti Mega Carnival begins
Saturday, January 24, 2004
KOCHI: Popular Vehicles and Services Ltd managing director John Paul inaugurated Maruti Mega Carnival at Marine Drive on Friday. The main features of the carnival include free check up for all Maruti cars, display of 40 used cars of Maruti True Value, attractive offers for new cars, exchange facility, spot finance facility, spot renewal of Maruti insurance and test drive facility for the latest Maruti models. The free check-up also includes free oil top up, AC check up, body check and free PUC. Also taking part in the carnival are Maruti original spare parts suppliers and Maruti genuine spare parts dealers. Other features include games, fun events and leisure activities for everyone in the family. The inaugural function was attended by S Ravichandran (general manager, Maruti Udyog Ltd), Amit Sagar (area manager - Kerala), Gopal Krishna (deputy manager) and Rohan Chandran (assistant manager).
Vamanapuram Bus Route
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Cast: Mohanlal, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy Director: Sonu Sisupal Mohanlal's latest Vamanapuram Bus Route is yet another disappointing film. It is another attempt by the actor to re-create the magic that worked in Balettan that was a clean family entertainer. The director of the film Sonu Sisupal has to learn the basics of filmmaking before he attempts to make his next film. Vamanapuram is a small village and the story is told in this backdrop. We have panchayat president Gopalan Nair (Jagathy Sreekumar) who is desperately trying to bring Padakuthira, a private bus to the untarred roads of this small village. But he has a group of enemies specially (Janardhanan) and gang. Nair has vested interest in bringing the bus service as he is waiting for the sanction from PWD for roads of Vamanapuram to be tarred, by which he can swindle a few lakhs. But all his plans go haywire as his detractors see to it that a bus route never comes to the village. Nair brings 'Lever' Johnny (Mohanlal) a tough bus conductor and a man who get things done for bus owners all over Kerala. Also an ardent MGR fan who not only dresses like him but also hums his hit numbers. The rest of the story is how Johhny comes to Vamanapuram, helps Nair in his mission and goes back with his only daughter Meenakshi (Lakshmi Gopalaswamy). There is not one redeeming factor in this slipshod enterprise except that Mohanlal is introduced as a crazy MGR fan and fights like the legend. He not only looks bloated but all his expressions are nothing but an extension of his past films. The actor seems to have lost interest in his work and has to choose his scripts with far more care in future. Script writers Sudhish and John have no story to tell and every single character like panchayat president, opposition leader, barber and others look like a bunch of cartoons that we have seen in a dozen village based films in the past. The song tuned by the director fails to impress and so is the camera of Sanjeev Shankar that has failed to etch the beauty of villages in Kerala. On the whole Vamanapuram Bus Route, due to lack of shock absorbers, is a painful experience. http://www.sundaykaumudi.com/movies/mov/mo_review.stm
Kerala to tap 100 MW wind power
Saturday, January 24, 2004
THIRUVANANTHPURAM: One hundred MW of power will be produced using wind in Ramakkalmedu in Idukki district of Kerala, state Finance Minister K Sankaranarayanan said here. Presenting the budget for 2004-05 to the state assembly, the minister said work on 30 small hydropower projects was expected to start this month with an installed capacity of 77.5 MW. The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is targeting an addition of 391.5 MW of power by taking up the Pallivasal Extension Scheme, Athirapally and Mankulam projects and completing other ongoing projects, he said. A significant addition to the transmission and distribution network is proposed through three new 220 KV, ten 110 KV, five 66 KV and 35 33 KV substations. An amount of Rs 2560 crore is proposed for transmission projects during the new financial year. A sum of Rs 3503.5 million is being earmarked for the distribution sector. The KSEB proposes to add 400,000 service connections, 2000 km of 11 KV lines and 5500 km of LT lines as part of this thrust. A 400 KV line from Madurai to Thiruvananthapuram will be commissioned this year while work on the 400 KV Mysore-Kozhikode line has started. The Board has set an ambitious target of reducing transmission and distribution losses by the three percent every year as part of its strategy to become financially viable, the minister.
Best State for Tourism award for Kerala
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Best State for Tourism award for Kerala NEW DELHI: Kerala was adjudged the Best State for Tourism-Related Programmes at the National Tourism Awards for 2003, while Hyderabad was declared the country's best city. The awards, given by Tourism and Culture Minister Jagmohan here yesterday evening, saw Karnataka winning in the Best Tourism Literature segment and Andhra Pradesh for best tourism audio-video presentation in the year 2003. Taj Westend, Bangalore, was named the Best five-star Deluxe hotel while the Taj Residency won the Best five-star award. Udaipur's Hotel Fateh Prakash Palace was the Best Heritage Grand Hotel along with The Malabar House Fort Cochin and Hotel Samode Palace. Mr Jagmohan said the government was undertaking a number of projects to upgrade tourism infrastructure as well market Indian destinations. ''The tourism industry should come forward to contribute the efforts by providing the best available hospitality services to visitors.'' In other awards, the Ajanta Caves were declared best-maintained tourist-friendly monument while the Qutub Shahi Tombs, Delhi, the best tourist friendly monument.
Budget stresses on agriculture,unemployment
Friday, January 23, 2004
The State Budget presented by Finance Minister K Sankaranarayanan, for the financial year 2004-05 in the State Assembly today, laid emphasis on agriculture, unemployment, IT and tourism. The Finance Minister, K Sankaranarayanan, presented the Kerala budget for the financial year 2004-05 in the State Assembly today morning. He also presented a vote-on-account for the first four months of 2004-05. The Budget proposed to release 10% Dearness Allowance arrears this year to the employees with an additional financial burden of Rs 812.80 crore a year. The budget also proposed to form a 'Group personal accident claim programme' for the employees. About 12.7 crores estimated for job opportunities in agricultural sector and 75% lakh for the development of Music college. The budget announced the tax reduction of Rs 4% to mobile phones and the tax rate of Blood bank reduced from 12% to 4%. The budget proposed a hike of 1% upon the entry tax on cotton textiles and tobacco and imposed duty upon the foreign liquor made in India."The government proposed to levy specific duties for maximizing revenue from the sale of Indian Made Foreign Liquor and an additional revenue of Rs 100 crore was expected from this" Sankaranarayanan said, while presenting a Rs 751.34 crore deficit budget. Budget decided to sanction Rs. one crore for the Press Academy, celebrating its diamond jubilee. Govt: proposed Rs 2 m for Vanilla cultivation and Rs 97 million for coconut development and Rs 10.80 crore for rice farming, to attain higher levels of productivity and quality. The Finance Minister proposed entry tax to the following items. Photographic processing units, their parts and accessories, Optical fiber cables, Mobile phones , Pollution testing equipment for motor vehicles, White cement, Lifts, Currency counting machines, Steam Boilers, VSAT, Dish Antenna and Signal transmission equipment, Cables for telecommunication, Door and windows made of iron and steel and Transmission towers. Other programmes announced in the budget are new buildings for 50 village offices, 200 crores for road transport scheme, 60 lakhs for eco tourism, 60 crores for Japan drinking water scheme, Catamaran service from Kochi, 15 lakhs for Kesari Memorial Trust renovation, 34 new check posts, 1350 crores for self governing bodies, Special cell to clear debts, Madurai-Thiruvananthapuram KV line from this year, 50 lakhs for Sree Narayana Study Centre, 60 crores for public distribution system and Pension for TV journalists.
Budget stresses on agriculture,unemployment
Friday, January 23, 2004
The State Budget presented by Finance Minister K Sankaranarayanan, for the financial year 2004-05 in the State Assembly today, laid emphasis on agriculture, unemployment, IT and tourism. The Finance Minister, K Sankaranarayanan, presented the Kerala budget for the financial year 2004-05 in the State Assembly today morning. He also presented a vote-on-account for the first four months of 2004-05. The Budget proposed to release 10% Dearness Allowance arrears this year to the employees with an additional financial burden of Rs 812.80 crore a year. The budget also proposed to form a 'Group personal accident claim programme' for the employees. About 12.7 crores estimated for job opportunities in agricultural sector and 75% lakh for the development of Music college. The budget announced the tax reduction of Rs 4% to mobile phones and the tax rate of Blood bank reduced from 12% to 4%. The budget proposed a hike of 1% upon the entry tax on cotton textiles and tobacco and imposed duty upon the foreign liquor made in India."The government proposed to levy specific duties for maximizing revenue from the sale of Indian Made Foreign Liquor and an additional revenue of Rs 100 crore was expected from this" Sankaranarayanan said, while presenting a Rs 751.34 crore deficit budget. Budget decided to sanction Rs. one crore for the Press Academy, celebrating its diamond jubilee. Govt: proposed Rs 2 m for Vanilla cultivation and Rs 97 million for coconut development and Rs 10.80 crore for rice farming, to attain higher levels of productivity and quality. The Finance Minister proposed entry tax to the following items. Photographic processing units, their parts and accessories, Optical fiber cables, Mobile phones , Pollution testing equipment for motor vehicles, White cement, Lifts, Currency counting machines, Steam Boilers, VSAT, Dish Antenna and Signal transmission equipment, Cables for telecommunication, Door and windows made of iron and steel and Transmission towers. Other programmes announced in the budget are new buildings for 50 village offices, 200 crores for road transport scheme, 60 lakhs for eco tourism, 60 crores for Japan drinking water scheme, Catamaran service from Kochi, 15 lakhs for Kesari Memorial Trust renovation, 34 new check posts, 1350 crores for self governing bodies, Special cell to clear debts, Madurai-Thiruvananthapuram KV line from this year, 50 lakhs for Sree Narayana Study Centre, 60 crores for public distribution system and Pension for TV journalists.
‘I’ group to wait till Jan 28
Friday, January 23, 2004
‘I’ group to wait till Jan 28 Friday January 23 2004 10:31 IST THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Karunakaran faction in the Congress will wait till January 28 for a favourable decision by the party high command to end the crisis in the State unit of the party. ‘‘Karunakaran will announce the decision of the ‘I’ group at the State-level leadership convention being held here on that day if the high command fails to solve the problem,’’ KPCC general secretary Rajmohan Unnithan told newsmen here after a meeting of the MLAs and KPCC office-bearers loyal to K Karunakaran. Unnithan said that the ‘I’ group would solidly back Karunakaran on any decision he takes on the future course of action of the group. He also said that there was no change in the ‘I’ group demand for removal of A K Antony as Chief Minister.
Cinema bandh on Feb 12
Friday, January 23, 2004
KOCHI: The Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce will observe a cinema bandh in the State on February 12 in protest against the Government’s indifference towards the crisis faced by the film industry. A convention will also be held at Ernakulam Town Hall on the same day. Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Siyad Kokker, chairman and T T Baby, convener, of the chamber said the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) is violating the conditions in the MACTA contract to help the film industry. AMMA is still organising stage shows in the country and abroad and its members are receiving awards instituted by private organisations without prior permission of the chamber. The contract had clearly stated that actors should not participate in stage shows and private award functions without the permission of the chamber and AMMA.
A day of sops for non-resident Keralites
Friday, January 23, 2004
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It became evident on Thursday that Kerala's political parties speak in one voice on the issue of non-resident Keralites (NRKs) as the state government presented a bouquet of sops in the assembly. There were no voices of protest as the government announced its concessions for NRKs, the major decisions among them being an exclusive cooperative bank for NRKs and the setting up of an attestation centre here for those departing for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). NRKs have long been the backbone of the Kerala economy with a record 1.5 million of them settled abroad, mostly in the Middle East. State Cooperation Minister M.V. Raghavan said the government was formulating rules and regulations as stipulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up the bank. "The RBI has asked us to see that the proposed cooperative bank be set up according to the stipulations of the Banking Regulation Act. The act would require the proposed bank to have a share capital of Rs. 2 billion," he said in the assembly. The bank, headquartered in the state capital here, would offer higher rates of interest as compared to other banks in the country, he added. K.N.A. Khader of the Indian Union Muslim League said he had asked the government to ensure that the bank be staffed by NRKs, their dependants or those NRKs who have returned home. According to figures for the second quarter ending September 30, 2003, commercial banks in Kerala are flush with deposits from abroad. Cumulative non-resident Indian deposits went up to Rs. 289 billion as compared to Rs. 288 billion in the first quarter of the current financial year. Varkala Kahar of the Congress said the government had been unfair to the NRKs who have long propped up the Kerala economy. "Today, the commercial banks are flush with funds from NRKs. In return, they have done nothing for them when it comes to sanctioning loans for their needs. "I hope that the proposed bank becomes a reality and looks after the needs of the NRKs," he said. M. Ali of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) said raising Rs. 2 billion was not a problem as NRKS would be only too glad to contribute because commercial banks had failed to do justice for them, Minister for NRKs M.M. Hassan said the attestation centre, to verify certificates of those going to the UAE, would be set up here by next month. Officials from the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry in Delhi were expected to arrive here next week to see the premises. The centre would function from the office of the Non-Resident Keralite Affairs Department (Norka). Hasan said a similar centre could open in Kochi.
Jagathy escapes in road accident
Thursday, January 22, 2004
Kollam: The Comedy King of malayalam cinema for the last two decades, Jagathy Sreekumar escaped a road mishap unhurt in the wee hours today morning. The accident occured when the car in which he was travelling lost control after the wheel got punctured and rammed in to a road divider in Madannada near Kollam. Luckily for the actor and his millions of fans he escaped without any serious injuries.
Bus operators planning indefinite strike
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Bus operators planning indefinite strike Thiruvananthapuram January 21, 2004 Private bus operators in Kerala will take a final decision tomorrow on their proposed indefinite strike from January 22, demanding strong measures from the Government to save the industry from a serious crisis. They took the decision after the talks between Kerala Transport Minister R Balakrishna Pillai and bus operators' representatives failed to yield any concrete result. The Government had assured that it would consider measures on the basis of the report of the K V Ravindran Nair Committee which studied the matter. However, the Government required at least three months' time to implement the recommendations. Bus operators insisted that the Government should announce certain interim measures till it took the final decision on bus fare hike, besides reducing the sales tax on petroleum products.
House to take up notice against Speaker on Feb 9
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
House to take up notice against Speaker on Feb 9 Thiruvananthapuram January 21, 2004 The Kerala Assembly will consider on February 9, the fresh notice moved by the Opposition Marxist-led Left Democratic Front, seeking leave for a motion for the removal of Speaker Vakkom Purushothaman from office. Chief Minister A K Antony announced this in the state assembly on Wednesday and added that the session has been extended by one more day to take up the motion. Cultural directorate The State Minister in charge of Culture Affairs G Karthikeyan today said the government will form a Cultural Directorate in a bid to bring various cultural bodies under singular control. Replying to questions by K K Shaju MLA , he said that the directorate will come under the indirect control of the government and will be monitored by the Culture department. Replying to a question raised by Rajan Babu MLA, Kerala Chief Minister A K Antony informed that the government would establish an International Study Centre in Chempazanthy in memory of Sri Narayana Guru. Kerala Agriculture Minister K R Gauri told the House that the government has finalized schemes to prevent the diseases affecting the cattle. She said Mother Dairy has agreed to allow Rs 33 crore for the purpose.
State School Youth festival: Kannur Dist leads
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Kannur is leading as champions in the 44th State School Youth Festival, bagging 46 points , when results of competitions in 9 out of 139 events were announced at the Corporation Stadium in Thrissur today. Thiruvananthapuram leads in second place with 43 points. Third place was being shared by Ernakulam and Thrissur bagging 41 points each. Though the conduct of the festival was generally streamlined this time, confusion broke out at the stadium on Wednesday over the announcement of results and delay in starting competition items . A spate of appeals by the losers and participants turning up at the last minute with special orders disturbed the pre-arranged schedules, reports said.
Congress heading for a vertical split in state??
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram: Congress I leader K. Karunakaran came back from NEWDELHI empty handed and crestfallen today as he couldn't even manage a one to one talk with the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi. All his efforts failed to replace his arch rival from the Cheif Ministership and his one last effort to save the face by atleast taking away the Home portfolio from A.K.Antony and giving it to his own son backfired. Now the time has come for the vetran of many a battles to play his final game. I group has announced that the next move will be announced on the 28 th of January.Will the Leader take the extreme step of splitting the party vertically into two before the crucial Loksabha polls and if so how many of his cadres will stand by him in the moment of crisis.
Highcommand rejects Karunakaran's demand
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Newdelhi:20-Jan In a very bold move the AICC subcomittee formed for solving the Kerala crisis, categorically rejected the senior leader K Karunakaran's plea to include his son and KPCC Cheif K. Muraleedharan in the state cabinet giving the prestigious portfolio of Home or Finance. It was reported that this move will have dire consequences as Karunakaran is furious over the rejection and will not meet the Congress Supremo, Sonia Gandhi if the subcomittee doesnt budge to his demands. Earlier Karunakaran had demanded that his Son should be made either the State Home or Finance minister before the Parliment election and that A.K. Antony should resign after the elections.Currently the Cheif minister is holding the Home portfolio while A group strong man , Shankaranarayanan is the Finance Minister and is considered to be the Number 2 in the cabinet.With this demand Karunakaran had dreamed that his Son being the Number 2 in the cabinet , will be automatically elevated to the Cheif ministership once Antony resigns after the elections.But with a defiant decision by the subcomitee, Sonia is sending clear signal that she is not going to budge to pressure tatics.
Honours for TV Chandran, KPAC Sulochana
Monday, January 19, 2004
THRISSUR: Noted movie maker TV Chandran has been selected for the Ramu Kariat Award 2003 for his movie "Padom Onnu Oru Vilapom" . KPAC Sulochana bagged the Premji Award for contributions in the fields of cinema and drama. The awards will be presented at Thrissur on February 10, the death anniversary of Ramu Kariat.
Attestation centre in Kerala for Gulf-bound to open next month
Monday, January 19, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram, kerala: In response to demands from thousands of Kerala residents headed for the Gulf, authorities will open a centre to attest immigration and travel documents for people going to the United Arab Emirates. Minister for Non-Resident Keralites M.M. Hassan said: "We have been informed by the human resource development ministry in New Delhi that their officials would arrive in Kerala by the end of this month. They will function from the office of the non-resident Keralite affairs department here." The officials from Delhi will deal with the verification and attestation of certificates, which will then be sent to the ministry of external affairs and the UAE embassy in New Delhi for a final check, the minister said. "This office will be the responsibility of the non-resident Keralite affairs department. Apart from fees for certification, a nominal service charge will be levied. The entire process will take a month before the attestation process is complete and the certificates are handed back to the applicants," said Hassan. Currently, the entire process is being done in New Delhi. Touts and agents charge extravagant amounts to get travel documents cleared by authorities. According to a study done by the Centre for Development Studies here, the number of Keralites going to the UAE has seen a drastic increase. From a mere 11,962 people in 1990, the figure had crossed 150,000 by the end of the 1990s. There are close to 450,000 expatriates from Kerala currently in the UAE. Indo-Asian News Service
Kerala University Youth festival from today
Monday, January 19, 2004
Kerala University Youth festival from today 19-January-2004 Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala : The Kerala University youth festival with the participation of more than three thousand young talents would start here today evening with a colorful procession. The fete will be inaugurated by famous actress and director Revathi at University Senate Hall, and Minister for Cultural Affairs G Karthikeyan would be Chief Guest. University Union chairman Ben Darwin would preside over the inaugural function. The procession would start from Kanakakunnu palace premises with a participation of about 5000 students from different colleges from the Thiruvananthapuram city. The venues are Senate Hall, VJT Hall, University College, Sanskrit College, Women's college, Ayurveda College and Fine Arts College. The organising committee informed that all arrangements have been made for the six day festival.
Kochi to host luxury cruise liners
Monday, January 19, 2004
Kochi to host luxury cruise liners Thiruvananthapuram January 19, 2004 Buoyed by the 'quality tourism boom', the Tourist Resorts Kerala Limited (TRKL), a subsidiary of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, has decided to launch three unique projects a berthing facility for luxury cruise liners at Bolghatty Island called Marina International, a Golf Course at Vallarpadom and a Dream City in Kozhikode. The total investment expected for these projects is Rs 100 crore. Tourism Secretary Dr.Balakrishnan told this website's newspaper that the TRKL had envisaged these projects with an eye on the high-end tourists as Kerala is gradually evolving as a premium destination among the international tourists."The proposed Marina International and Golf Course will be of international standards and will be on par with any similar project in the world," he said. The Rs 35-crore Marina International project, the first of its kind in the country, will be a joint venture of the TRKL and the Malaysia-based Trans Resource Corporation. "The Marina would be a stopover for luxury cruisers from Europe en route to the Far East which usually avoid Kerala coast due to the lack of berthing facility," said Project Manager of TRKL A.L.Charles. According to him, Marina would have lodging and entertainment facilities of international standards. It would also sport-shopping complexes catering to the needs of international tourists. As per the understanding between the Malaysian company and the TRKL, the latter would get 3 percent of the gross turnover and a payment of Rs 25.60 lakh per year as royalty. Nearly, 200 acres of land, near the container terminal at Vallarpadom, had been earmarked to develop a golf course of international standards, according to the TRKL project manager. The proposed investment is Rs 40 crore and the target group is golf-loving tourists, mainly the Japanese. "The primary preference of the big-budget Japanese tourists is the availability of a golf course and the absence of one in the State had been a major deterrent for them to choose Kerala as a tourist destination,"he said. The Rs 25-crore Dream City Entertainment Park at Kozhikode would also be a joint venture. The Government had asked the ICICI and Kinfra to structure the project. Thirteen acres of land had been identified for the project and the partner for the joint venture would be finalised by the end of this month. Dubai-based Holiday Group of Companies and Appu Ghar Entertainments, Delhi, were the major bidders for the project, he said. The other initiatives currently undertaken by the TRKL are the Taj Kerala Hotels and Resorts Limited (TKHRL) and the Oberoi Kerala Hotel and Resorts Limited (OKHRL). (NIE)
Karunakaran to meet Sonia Gandhi
Monday, January 19, 2004
Karunakaran to meet Sonia Gandhi Thiruvananthapuram January 19, 2004 Veteran Congress leader K Karunakaran may meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi tomorrow and will have a one-to one meeting with her on the crisis in the party's state unit. Sources close to Karunakaran said that his meeting with party leaders in the next two days would be crucial as the future plans of the faction would be based on these talks. Sources at the AICC headquarters said that Karunakaran reached New Delhi, after getting clear indications of a meeting with Sonia. So far, Sonia Gandhi had engaged Karunakaran in dialogue through mediators and KPCC president K Muralidharan only. According to sources close to Sonia, the efforts to patch up with the veteran leader, forgetting all that has happened in the last two years, make sense as they believe that with the new allainces and equations being formed at national level, the party is all set to give BJP a tough fight in the next elections. In such an event, the party cannot afford to lose Kerala, which is one, its bastions in the country. Today, Karunakaran is expected to meet the AICC panel, led by Pranab Mukherjee and discuss the political situation. Meanwhile, spokesman of the 'I' faction Rajmohan Unnithan said here that they stuck to their demand for a leadership change. The crucial 'I' faction meeting, scheduled to be held in Thiruvananthapuram on January 21, had been postponed to January 28 in view of the talks in Delhi to end the crisis. ''Our stand is that the Congress can perform well in the coming Lok Sabha election only if the leadership is changed,'' Unnithan added. The Karunakaran faction had announced earlier that it would not take part in the discussions in the Assembly on the motion of thanks to the Governor's Address being held from Monday as a mark of protest against the continuance of Antony as Chief Minister.
Murali to meet AICC panel today
Sunday, January 18, 2004
KPCC president K Muralidharan will meet the three-member AICC panel in New Delhi today as part of the discussions to resolve the Congress crisis in the state. Murali will meet the committee chairman Pranab Mukherjee and committee member and the AICC general secretary Ahamed Patel who in charge of Kerala affairs and hold discussions with them. "Even though the discussions regarding the problems facing the state Congress is over, it is as per the directions of Sonia Gandhi that the present meeting is being undertaken", Murali said.
Escotel sells mobile business to Idea
Friday, January 16, 2004
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian cellular services provider Escotel Mobile Communications Ltd has sold its mobile operations to rival Idea Cellular Ltd for $66 million, a top Escotel official told Reuters on Friday. Mid-sized Escotel Mobile, 51 percent owned by farm equipment maker Escorts Ltd and 49 percent by Hong Kong's First Pacific Co Ltd, provides GSM-based cellular services to 830,000 customers in three states: Haryana, Kerala and the western part of Uttar Pradesh. "About three billion rupees will be paid to the owners of Escotel and Idea will also take over the debt of the company which is about nine billion rupees," said Rajan Swaroop, chief executive officer of New Delhi-based Escotel. Swaroop said the deal included three cellular licences for the states of Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and part of Uttar Pradesh which were held by another group firm. "We've taken over six circles -- three operational and three licences," an Idea Cellular official, who declined to be named, told Reuters. The deal would help Idea Cellular, equally owned by powerful business groups Birla and Tata and U.S.-based AT&T Wireless Services Inc, to expand its reach in the booming market and boost its customer base to about three million out of the existing national subscriber base of more 28 million. Three-year-old Idea provides GSM-based mobile services in five of the 23 circles, or zones, that make up India's flourishing telecoms sector, one of the fastest growing globally.
Lakhs witness Makarajyothi at Sabarimala
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Lakhs of pilgrims witnessed the Makarajyothi at Ponnambalamedu during the Deeparadhana at the Lord Ayyappa Temple here on Wednesday evening amidst chanting of Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa. Pilgrims who thronged the Sannidhanam and its surrounding areas spotted the Makarajyothi and the star on the eastern horizon of the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple at 6.45 p.m. during the time of Deeparadhana after adorning the Thiruvabharanam, the gold ornaments carried in a procession from Pandalam Valiakoickal Sree Dharma Sastha Temple. Thousands of pilgrims have been camping at Sannidhanam to witness the Makarajyothi and the holy star. The 11-member Parliament Public Accounts Committee headed by former Union Minister Buta Singh, which is on a fact-finding mission on the demand to make available more forest land for providing more facilities for pilgrims, witnessed the Makarajyothi, the holy star and the deeparadhana. Devaswom Minister G. Karthikeyan, Travancore Devaswom Board president N. Babu, Special Commissioner D. Sreevallabhan and Devaswom Commissioner S. Ayyappan Nair were at the Sopanam during the time of Deeparadhana. Earlier, the Thiruvabharanam procession was given a traditional reception at Saramkuthi by Sabarimala executive officer Krishnan Nair, Devaswom manager Sankaran Nair and Sopanam officer Mohan. Caparisoned elephants and playing panchavadyam and percussion instruments added special attraction to the reception. At Valianvattam in Pampa, the Thiruvabharanam procession was given a reception when it reached there after three days' journey from Pandalam Valiakoickal Sree Dharma Sastha temple.
Assembly begins as political turmoil continues
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala : Assembly session is beginning in Kerala on Thursday with the unresolved crisis in the Congress casting shadow over the three-year-old A K Antony Government. Government would present a broad framework of the developmental and welfare activities to be pursued for the year in the policy address to be delivered to the house by Governor Sikander Bakht on Thursday. Though no dramatic realignment is expected in the political composition of the ruling UDF in the house, sufficient indications are there that the intense inner-strife in the Congress would have its reflection in the debates in the house. The CPI-M led LDF opposition, pressing for the assembly session since October, would be unsparing in its efforts to embarrass the Government, passing through an agonising phase ever since the Karunakaran faction came out in the open demanding removal of A K Antony as Chief Minister. The ruling front too has a few potent weapons in its armoury against the LDF like the ideological convulsions in the CPI-M and the loss of face suffered by the party on account of its failed attempt to prop up an alternative government, exploiting the factional divide in the Congress. Though the Government had earlier scheduled the session to last till April 7, it is likely to be cut short in view of the Centre's move to advance the Lok Sabha poll. The Government has also given up its plan to pass the full budget before March 31 due to time constraint.
B Ed colleges: Govt cancels new list
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
The state cabinet today decided to cancel its earlier decision to grant NOC to an additional eleven colleges, during this year. Announcing this at a post cabinet meeting press briefing in Thiruvananthapuram today, Chief Minister A K Antony also informed that the government will recommend Lok Ayukta to look into the allegations leveled against IUML leaders, by Malankara Metropolitan in his letter to the Chief Minister. Antony said that as decided earlier, only 64 B Ed colleges would be given NOC this year. The decision comes in the wake of widespread allegations of malpractices in bringing in an additional list. The Chief Minister said hat the decision was taken on the recommendations of the state Advocate General. Referring to the Bishop's letter, Antony confirmed that he is receipt of both the letters from him. " I want the Lok Ayukta to look into the allegations to ensure that the enquiry is impartial, "he added. He claimed that the government's image has not taken a beating over the controversy, as a prompt action has been taken.
Nayantara is Fazil’s heroine
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
The big news is that Nayantara is the heroine of Mohanlal in Fazil’s untitled film, for which shooting has started in Kochi. She has replaced Kannada heroine Spandana. Nayantara had a dream debut in Manasinakkare. The film is doing well and her performance has been appreciated. She has the right looks to be cast as a matured heroine that Malayalam cinema lacks at the moment. After Samyuktha Varma left for marital bliss there were no heroines who could act opposite our senior actors like Mammootty, Mohanlal and Jayaram. Fazil was hunting for a heroine and after seeing Manasinakkare, he opted for Nayantara who will play the role of a spirit in love with the hero. The music of the film is by Ouseppachan. The others in the cast are Mukesh, Innocent and Nedumudi Venu. http://sify.com/movies/malayalam/
Chakram
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
In one word Lohithadas’ Chakram is disappointing. The writer-director has rehashed his old stories including an old M.T.Vasudevan Nair short story and mixed it with a Bharathan classic Thazhvaram to make this ‘kichdi’. There is nothing new. The script and presentation are banal while the lead role seems to be too heavy on Pritviraj’s tender shoulders. Lohi’s idea to taunt the audience with the story of Lorry drivers and their lives is seeped in bad and ugly deeds. Unfortunately the screenplay is merely content with a far too flaccid characterisation. Chandrahaasan (Pritviraj) had a bad childhood and grows up to be a rough and tough lorry driver and gambler. Through gambling he is able to build an empire of seven lorries, houses and all good things in life. His best friend Giri (Chandrabhanu) is an alcoholic and womaniser. On one of their road journeys Chandrahaasan meets Indira (Meera Jasmine) a Punjabi girl selling pans and cigarettes. Giri has an eye on her but Chandrahaasan falls in love with her and marries her. One day Giri loses in a game and Chandru helps him by playing for him. But it was a trap and Giri cheats his friend. Giri then kidnaps Indira, which leads to a bloody climax. Lohi had no story to tell as Pritvi’s character of Chandrahaasan drives the film. But our poor Pritvi is no Mohanlal or Mammootty who would have done the role with far more credibility. One wonders what Meera Jasmine was doing in this half-baked story? The villain character is not up to the mark. On the whole Chakram with all its controversies is much ado about nothing. http://sify.com/movies/malayalam/
Pattanathil Sundaran
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
The law of averages is fast catching up with our comedy king Dileep. His Christmas release Pattanathil Sundaran has collapsed at the box-office. Among the other releases, his film is the biggest flop. In many theatres in Kerala it has made way for Tamil Pongal releases. The trouble with Pattanathil Sundaran was that it was neither a full-length comedy nor a family drama. Added to this Dileep in the role of a loser till the climax was not accepted by his fans. Now Dileep has four flops in a row - Sadananthe Samayam, Gramaphone, War And Love and now Sundaran and only one hit in CID Moosa. The message is loud and clear that Dileep can only do crass low class comedy films and if he tries to experiment with other subjects or class comedy the audience will plainly reject it! http://sify.com/movies/malayalam/
Manasinakkare
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
http://sify.com/movies/malayalam/ Manasinakkare Director Satyan Anthikkad Producer Subair Music Ilayaraja Cast Jayaram, Sheela, Innocent, Nedumudi Venu During the 70’s Sheela used to sizzle on screen. Sheela and Prem Nazir was one of the greatest romantic pair in Indian cinema. They have done over 120 films and created world history. Sheela who had called it a day and took a retirement more than a decade ago is back once again in front of the camera with Satyan Anthikkad’s Manasinakkare with Jayaram and Innocent for company. Kochu Thresia (Sheela) is a 60 plus rich lonely lady who is jovial and talkative living in a huge farmhouse. Her neighbours Reji (Jayaram) and his father Chacko Mappila (Innocent) are hardworking and helpful. Thresia has everything but no one to love and care for her. Slowly Reji wins her over by his good nature and Thresia helps the father and son by solving their problems. She becomes very attached to them and what happens in the end forms the rest of the story. The cast also has Siddique, K.P.A.C.Lalitha, Nedumudi Venu and Oduvil Unnikrishnan. According to director Satyan Anthikkad: It will be an unusual film that will break the conventional mould with Sheela staging a fantastic comeback in a character that suits her to a T. Satyan also feels that Reji played by Jayaram is crucial for the story to move ahead. This film will not only be a feather on his cap but will fetch him that badly needed hit. Manasinakkare has music by Ilayaraja and is produced by Subair. The story, screenplay and dialogues are by Renjan Pramod and camera is by Azhagappan. The film is slated for Christmas release. http://sify.com/movies/malayalam/
Mohanlal in Kottaram
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Kottaram produced by Kireedom Unni under the banner of Kripa Films is directed by Venu Nagavally. Mohanlal will do the lead role in the film. The film is scripted by Cheriyan Kalpakavady. This is for the first time Venu Nagavally is directing a film for Kripa Films with Mohanlal in the lead. Kireedom and Chenkol were produced by Kripa Films. Sukhamo Devi, Sarvakalashala, Hey Auto, Lal Salam, Kizhakkunarum Pakshi, Rakhthasakshikal Sindabad are some of Venu Nagavally's hit films in which Mohanlal in lead roles. http://malayalam.cinesouth.com
Alarm signs for Dileep as collections fall
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
While everything seems to be going smoothly for Dileep, there are reports that things aren’t as healthy as they seem to, from the outside. Dileep was the best thing that had happened to Malayalam cinema in the year 2003. His film ‘CID Moosa’ was one of the two megahits of the year. In an industry that had seen the release of just about 70 or so films, only two had turned out to be megahits. One was ‘Balettan’. The other was ‘CID Moosa’. But, analysts believe that Dileep’s success is not all round. Collections from the B and C centers have been very bad for Dileep. The only film that did very well in these centers was ‘Meesha Madhavan’. Will Dileep do something about it this year? Let’s wait and watch. http://malayalam.cinesouth.com
I will not do an ‘Avalude Raavugal’- Anu Sashi
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
If you thought that Anu Sashi, daughter of IV Sashi and Seema looks a lot like her mother and wants to become an actress too like her, then you are in for a surprise. The girl believes in learning from her mother’s mistakes. I love my mother but I don’t want to get into her style of acting. I loved her performances in films like ‘Eenadu’, ‘Aalkudathil Thaniyae’ and ‘Vaartha’. She was very good in the sacrificing lady kind of roles. Will you do a role like Seema did in the film ‘Avalude Raavugal’? That is one of my favorite films, but I don’t think I would do such a film myself because frankly, I don’t plan to be in the industry for a long time. http://malayalam.cinesouth.com
Yesudas's Rolls Royce not coming to India
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Yesudas's Rolls Royce not coming to India Yesudas has decided to retain his Rolls Royce at his US residence since he does not wish to run behind anybody for import duty exemption from the Central Govt. B R Shetty the rich NRI in Dubai was listening to a classical concert at the Indian High School in Dubai, it was a spur of the moment decision to gift the car. Shetty, who heads the NMC group of companies, is a Dubai resident for more than three decades and is a millionaire many times over. Yesudas who had left Dubai for a European tour back in Chennai and took this decision to not to import the car. The 1992 model Rolls Royce 'Silver Spirit' car costs nearly a crore rupees.. http://malayalam.cinesouth.com
Mohanlal plays a Hijda
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Mohanlal, the Superstar in Malayalam has still not exhausted his list of roles. Probably for the first time, a superstar in the south Indian cine industry is going to play a hermaphrodite person. In case you don’t know who a hermaphrodite is- hermaphrodites are genderless, androgynous people. This revolutionary transformation and brave attempt is going to be presented to you in the film ‘Vamanapuram Bus Route’. Nobody is sure yet if the risk is a sensible one but, Mohanlal is all set to take it. In the film, he plays a trouble shooter for Kamadhenu Bus Service that has five buses plying the Vamanapuram route. Lakshmi Gpoalaswamy co-stars. Watch out for this one! http://malayalam.cinesouth.com
Mohanlal shifting to Dubai :
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Mohanlal is planning to shift to Dubai as his wife Suchitra is planning to do some business there. She has plans to take up the running of the restaurant Taste Buds and also spruce up the business of marketing pickles in Gulf countries. Sources say that the superstar has tied up with a pickle manufacturing company to market their products abroad and with the superstar endorsing it the migrant Malayali population in Gulf countries is expected to buy the product. Suchitra also plans to make 'Taste Buds' a chain of restaurant. Mohanlal has a stake in the seafood shrimp processing plant in Kerala. When asked about his house in Chennai, Mohanlal said they haven't decided about it.
Biju Menon enters Kollywood
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Biju Menon enters Kollywood in an anti-hero role. He plays the villain in Thiru starring Nanda and Rudra Singh. Nagarajan who directed Aravindan starring Sarath Kumar is the director. Yuvan Shankar Raaja scores the music. Biju's wife Samyuktha Varma was earlier offered the heroine role in Baba but she turned it down. Later she acted in the Tamil remake of Thenkasipattanam. With shortage of villains in Tamil films Biju has all the scope to excel. Manoj K Jayan the recent entrant to Tamil films has starred in Dhool and Thirumalai.
Mohanlal's Mohabat show in Gulf
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
The rivalry between Mohanlal and Dileep is not confined to big screen but even outside. Dileep's Arabian Thriller Express how in the Gulf is termed a big success. Due to this the Malayalam industry has come to standstill because all heroines and comedians are taking part in this show. Now Mohanlal is planning his own Gulf Tour. The tour has been named Mohabat.E ast Coast Vijayan is directing and organizing this tour. The tour is scheduled for April. The team starts on April 18. Along with Mohanlal goes Jayaram, Jagathy, Siddhique, Navya Nair (who was dropped out of Dileep's show), Vasundara Das, Rambha, Geethu Mohandas, Sheela, Indrans and the team of Asianet's Cinemala.
Ananthabhadram
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Sabu Cyril is turning to direction with a Malayalam film titled Ananthabhadram with Mammootty, Prithviraj and Meera Jasmine in the lead. After many years, Maniyan Pilla Raju is coming back as a producer with this big budget film to be made under the banner of Sri Bhadra pictures. Sabu's debut film is based on a story by Sunil Parameswaran, which had bagged an award for the most popular novel of the year from Malayala Manorama. Mammootty and Prithviraj are also coming together for the first time along with Nedumudi Venu, Oduvil, Manoj K Jayan, Ganesh Kumar, Sai Kumar and Siddique. Ananthabhadram will be a horror thriller with a lot of graphics and special effects. Sunil Parameswaran writes the screenplay and Sabu will be taking care of the art direction.
Kerala govt. plans several measures for NRIs
Monday, January 12, 2004
New Delhi,India: The Kerala Government has taken up with the Centre and Embassies of various Gulf countries certain measures aimed to remove problems faced by the emigrants from the state. Addressing a gathering of NRIs at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations here on Sunday, Minister for non-resident Keralaites, M M Hassan said a three-member ministerial delgation met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee recently and drew his attention to the problems of NRIs. As a result, the government withdrew the much resented clause which stipulates the depositing of single economy class air fare in advance by the prospective job seekers. Similarly, the process of attesting the qualifying certificates of the job seekers takes away much time, energy and money in the the ministeries of human resource Development and External Affairs Minsitries in Delhi. The State Government's request to set up a counter in Kerala for attestation the qualifying certificate has been accepted after the issue was taken up with the concerned ministeries and also at the prime minister's level. Confronted by the periodic hike in air fare between India and Gulf from three airports in kerala, there has been a consistent demand from the Gulf bound travellers for an alternate and cheaper mode of transport. There were much resentment among the people in the gulf, especially Malayalees when Air India shelved the proposal of a budget airline. Mr Hassan urged the Central government for its resolution immediately to save lakhs of people living in Gulf countries. Labour Minister Babu Diwakaran, PWD minister M K Muneer also spoke on the occasion. At the function, 12 prominent Malayalees working in various Gulf countries were honoured. They were Mr C K Menon (Doha), Mansur Palur (Doha), K P Abdul hameed (Doha), M A Yusuf Ali (Abu Dhabi), Mohammad Ali (Abu Dhabi), Jacob Thomas (Kuwait) Y A Rahim (Saudi Arabi), Soman Baby (Baharain), Sebastin (Saudi Arabia) and Hassan bbas (Baharain).
Fertility clinics mushroom in Kerala
Monday, January 12, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala: With infertility in Kerala population on the rise, fertilization centres across the state are drawing childless couples in big numbers. It's a market worth Rs 120 crore annually in just this state. "About 20 years ago the infertility rate in couples was only 10 but now it has gone up to 20 per cent," says Dr Sathy M Pillai, Samad Test Tube Baby Centre. The more expensive Invitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment in Kerala is about a lakh cheaper as compared to other places where it could cost about Rs 2 lakh. Attracted by low treatment rates, many people from outside the state and even non-resident Keralites from Gulf are coming to Kerala. "We give good treatment and its cost effective too. When you compare the expenses they have to meet in assisted reproductive techniques, especially in IVF and ICSE, in Kerala it is cheaper," says Dr Shanthamma Mathew, Credence, Centre for Reproductive Medicine.
Kerala university breeds superior goat
Monday, January 12, 2004
Suresh Menon in Thrissur http://www.business-standard.com Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has successfully cross-bred a new strain of goats with high weight gain and good meat texture. The meat was expected to sell well, making goat farming popular in the state. The development of the new strain was done by a post-graduate research team at the University and took 10 months. The success would revolutionise Kerala’s goat farming sector, KAU research scientist Dr P Nandakumar claimed. Poor meat quality and slow weight gain of existing strains had led farmers to shun goat rearing. Goat farming and meat production had remained stagnant for years. Nandakumar, head of KAU’s goat and sheep farm said that the newly developed strain was cross-bred using local Malabari, Swiss Alpine and South African Boer breeds. The new strain would attain body weight of 12.5 kg at three months and 20 kg by six months compared to 4.5kg in three months and 8-10 kg in six months for Malabari goats. The average daily weight gain of the new variety was 40 gm against 20 gm per day for the Malabari strain. Mortality was six per cent for the new variety against 12 per cent for the Malabari. The KAU strain would yield superior meat and boost the meat industry in the state, he claimed. It would have tropical adaptability and could be bred as easily as the South African Boer. The strain would be ideal for goat meat production. The appropriate package for rearing was being worked out. It was not economical for farmers to rear slow-growing varieties which took nine months to attain 12 kg body weight. The new variety would weigh 30 kg in nine months with the same fodder intake. The new strain would have the qualities of local varieties, like low climatic stress, good resistance to disease and adaptability to local fodder. KAU experts said the improved South African Boer goat was in many respects suitable for India but importing them would costs not less than Rs 25,000 per animal. Importing goats and other animals was risky as they brought in diseases from their country. Treatment for imported diseases was difficult. Meat of goats was popular in Europe, north America and west and south-east Asia as it had much less fat than meat from lambs. The global goat meat sector was dominated by Australia, which produced 3.7 million tonne in 2000 worth $15 million. With 2.2 million heads of goats, meat production in India was worth only $600,000. Australian growers used a locally cross-bred strain as Australia had no true meat breeds. Growers there imported Boer goats from South Africa in 1990 and cross-bred them with feral goats to develop an animal with better meat quality and high-yielding properties. The crossbred animals were Boer bucks mated to feral and dairy goats. Canada, USA and France have recently launched goat meat development programmes using European Spanish and Alpine strains and the Boer. A suitable strain would make India a leading global meat player. More at http://www.business-standard.com
Come clear on Narendran panel, Murali tells CM
Monday, January 12, 2004
MALAPPURAM, KERALA: KPCC president K Muraleedharan on Saturday said that Chief Minister A K Antony have no right to continue in the post without regaining the confidence of minorities. Speaking to mediapersons after attending the foundation stone laying ceremony of the proposed Haj House at Kondotty, he said, the Chief Minister should spell out his stand on implementation of the Narendran Commission Report. Insisting on ‘I’ group’s demand for a leadership change, Muraleedharan said, Congress leader K Karunakaran would not go to Delhi for ‘conditional’ talks to solve the crisis. ‘‘The situation will worsen if the issues are not sorted out before the next Assembly session,’’ he said and added that the Assembly will witness uproarious scenes if the crisis is not resolved by January 15. On the implementation of the Narendran Commission Report, he said it was a poll promise given by the UDF in the last election. ‘‘It is not proper to retract from promises after winning the elections,’’ he added. Source: NewIndian Express
US looks to India for more nurses
Monday, January 12, 2004
New Delhi, An Indian American businessman who has set up training schools for nurses across India says there are huge employment opportunities for nurses in the US. With an estimated requirement of one million nurses by 2010, employment opportunities for Indian nurses in the US would exceed that for IT professionals experienced in the boom years of early 1990s, said Amit Limaye, president of the New Jersey-based Logistic Solutions Inc., a multinational IT consulting company. "With life expectancy of the Americans getting higher, more and more nurses are in demand. At the same time US nurses do not want to do clinical jobs; they only want administrative jobs," Limaye, who has varied business interests apart from IT, told here. Limaye's company has set up nurses training centres in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai and many places in Kerala. He said the Kerala government was supporting the training centres as the state produces the largest number of nurses. Limaye was here as a member of a visiting 11-member business delegation from New Jersey to explore the possibilities of joint ventures with Indian companies in various spheres, including IT, and to attract Indian investments to the state. Ironically, New Jersey had proposed a law against outsourcing of jobs to India. The delegation, which concluded its nine-day visit to India Sunday, was headed by Seema Singh, president of the Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce, and a high-ranking Indian American in the cabinet of New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey. It included Representative Frank Pallone, former co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India, and leading businessmen from the state. The delegation visited Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Ahmedabad and met chief ministers, government officials and captains of industry. It also attended the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Indian Diaspora Day) conference here. Limaye said while there was genuine concern in New Jersey and elsewhere in the US about movement of jobs to India, it was not a new phenomenon. "There have been job losses in the garment and manufacturing industry in the past, but this time the noise is more because white-collar jobs are being lost," he said. But he quoted Pallone as having said that this had a flip side also. Indian companies were setting up facilities in the US. For instance, pharmaceutical major Ranbaxy had set up a facility in New Jersey providing employment to more than 600 locals. Besides interests in IT and nursing training schools, Limaye's company also markets "biometric security" gadgets that enable identification of an individual through fingerprints, iris and face. He said some leading Indian companies were already using his system and many more had shown an interest in doing so. Indo-Asian News Service
Campaign to Boycott Air India & Indian Airlines
Saturday, January 10, 2004
Dear Viewer The following is an email campaign for reducing the exorbitant fares to many gulf sectors by our national carriers. We at My-Kerala support this campaign and rge you to support this campaign.. Best of Luck! Alex, A.P. President/CEO MINet Kuwait
Boycott Air India & Indian Airlines
As all of you are aware, Air India has once again denied justice to the south Indian sector, by declining to start a low fare airline. The majority of the people working in the Gulf region belong to middle or lower income group and these people pay from their pockets to purchase tickets once in two or three years to travel home to see the dear ones. At the moment Air India charges around UAE Dirhams 2,200.00 (IRS 26,400.00) for a round the trip journey from Abu Dhabi to Trivandrum and even more to Cochin and Calicut, this is for a 3½ hour journey, Whereas, the lowest fare to London Heathrow from Abu Dhabi is Dhs. 2,160.00 and this is for 9 hour journey. At least now we Keralites should unite and protest against this unjust and big brother attitude Air India. I'm not asking you to take to the streets for protesting but we can protest by boycotting Air India and Indian Airlines, we must pledge that we will not travel by Air India for any reason until the fares are reduced. I will give you an example of how an airline reduced the fares by a similar protest, as you know Pattans in the Gulf are one of the low paid category and illiterates but they were united when their national carrier charged them exorbitant fares, each person decided not to travel on PIA and how they spread the news is by word of mouth, each person told the other one not to travel by PIA slowly the news spread and the passengers dropped to single digits, just then the airline realized the effect of this protest and they reduced the ticket fares. Similarly, we must all boycott Air India and Indian Airlines until they reduce the fares. It is because of these two airlines that the other airliners too hike the prices and refuse to bring it down. Air India is surviving on our money and if we boycott it will definitely make a big difference. Forward this message to as many Keralites as possible. Jacob Paravila -------------------------------------------
Mohanlal’s 25- tongues start wagging
Friday, January 9, 2004
It came late, but, tongues have begun wagging- was Mohanlal really celebrating his 25 years in films or did he simply make a money spinning event out of it? Mohanlal is a hero who knows how to market himself. The number of friends that he has is a good proof of it. So, when he completed his 25 years in the film industry, it was time for a big celebration. The celebrations finally ended in a grand finale and almost everybody had turned up for the function. But, the Ernakulam celebrations drew flak from some of his own friends for the crass commercialization that was rampant. He was trying to make money out of his own 25th year celebrations. He made it an entertainment event, like a stage show, was the general opinion. The dissent began to grow so big that AMMA had to finally pass a resolution on it. Whatever the general opinion be, Mohanlal should have known better. All those who had bought more than 160 grams of gold from one of the event sponsors got a special pass to see the event and even meet Mohanlal backstage. If this isn’t commercialization, what is? Whose celebrations was it anyway- Mohanlal’s or the sponsors? (Source: http://malayalam.cinesouth.com)
Sethuraman Iyer, IPS
Friday, January 9, 2004
Cast - This time, Mammooty and his usual team of Jagadi and Mukesh is joined by Vineeth Kumar. Kalyani is slated to play Mammooty’s heroine this time. Navya Nair plays his niece. Director - K Madhu is directing this film. Story Sethuraman Iyer is out to investigate an interesting case this time. A murderer awaiting death penalty for killing six people confesses that he had killed only five. He claims that someone else is passing the blame of the sixth murder on him. So, Sethuraman Iyer and his team begin tracking the murderer. (Source: http://malayalam.cinesouth.com)
Navya makes it big in Tamil!
Friday, January 9, 2004
Move away Meera Jasmine coz Navya Nair is here to stay in Tamil The ban from Kerala Film Chamber is working its charm on Navya Nair. This is a film produced by Prakashraj. Navya Nair's co-star in the film is Prasanna. The film has been titled 'Azagiya Theeyae' (Beautiful Fire). Nandinee (played by Navya) hates the wedding proposal that her father had brought in. Hr father finds out that her hatred stems from the fact that she is in love with another man. So, he plans to break the relationship between the two. A young man assists him in this task. This is a very ordinary story made interesting by the flavor of comedy and a good screenplay. The film is going to be shot in India and Sri Lanka. Malayalis rule! (Source: http://malayalam.cinesouth.com)
‘Chakram’ issue goes to High Court
Friday, January 9, 2004
When friends turn foes, the scene really becomes ugly. Take Johny Sagarika and Lohitadas for example. The film ‘Chakram’ has hit the theatres, but the controversy is still not over While the lower Courts dismissed the case by Johnny Sagarika for his failure in showing any prima facie reason or case. The Court in its judgment claimed that Johnny Sagarika wasn’t able to prove that the screenplay was written for him and not for Lohitadas himself. Had he proved it, he would have had a legal claim over the screenplay. Therefore, the Court ruled that Sagarika’s case was inadmissible. But, Johnny Sagarika is not going to give up. He has decided to appeal in the High Courts. Preparations have already begun. (Source: http://malayalam.cinesouth.com)
Meera Jasmine turns to Telugu with local Superstar!
Friday, January 9, 2004
Just when Navya Nair was making her entry in Tamil, her senior, Meera Jasmine has decided to move to Telugu. And, as usual, she is making her entry in style with one of the superstars in Telugu. 'Tagore' was a hit film from actor Chiranjeevi last year. The film had Jyothika starring with him. For his next film, he has chosen an even younger actress to act with him. That's where Meera Jasmine comes in. She had already been signed up for the film. All of a sudden, Chiranjeevi decided that Pavan Kalyan, his brother, who was simply going to be the producer, should also be the hero of the film. So, Meera Jasmine is making her Telugu debut with Pavan Kalyan. (Source: http://malayalam.cinesouth.com)
Navya looking for a godfather
Friday, January 9, 2004
The ban from Kerala Film Chamber has begun to work its magic on Navya Nair too. But, it is her debut in a Tamil film and all the hidden meanings that is making the headlines these days. From time immemorial, directors, film makers and even heroes from Tamil cine industry have been looking at Malayalam cinema for some unusually attractive faces. Still, the number of heroines that go out of Malayalam is far less than the number of heroines from Tamil and other south Indian languages who make their debut in Malayalam. Actress Abhirami announced her willingness to do anything before she got an offer in the Tamil film with actor Kamalhasan. It has always been an understood condition that each time an actress goes to Tamil, she has to begin co-operating with the heroes and the film makers. Navya Nair has made her debut in Tamil in a film. She wants to fly higher than even Meera Jasmine. But, the problem is- Meera had a godfather. Navya doesn’t. (Source: http://malayalam.cinesouth.com)
Navya makes it big in Tamil!
Friday, January 9, 2004
Move away Meera Jasmine coz Navya Nair is here to stay in Tamil The ban from Kerala Film Chamber is working its charm on Navya Nair. This is a film produced by Prakashraj. Navya Nair's co-star in the film is Prasanna. The film has been titled 'Azagiya Theeyae' (Beautiful Fire). Nandinee (played by Navya) hates the wedding proposal that her father had brought in. Hr father finds out that her hatred stems from the fact that she is in love with another man. So, he plans to break the relationship between the two. A young man assists him in this task. This is a very ordinary story made interesting by the flavor of comedy and a good screenplay. The film is going to be shot in India and Sri Lanka. Malayalis rule! (Source: http://malayalam.cinesouth.com)
Chandy says his differences with CM are 'constructive'
Friday, January 9, 2004
UDF convener Oommen Chandy today said that his differences with the Chief Minister A K Antony over the party crisis, are constructive and may not be interpreted in a negative manner. "Efforts are going on to establish that there are differences between us. If at all there are differences, it may taken in a positive manner. Our efforts are to strengthen the hands of the Chief Minister and the government," Chandy said while talking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram airport on his return from New Delhi. Oommen Chandy pointed out that discipline was sacrificed for the sake of party unity during the last Rajya Sbha election. " The results are for everybody to see," he said adding that both discipline and unity are equally important to take the party forward. The UDF convener said that he has presented the arguments before the AICC panel and they were convinced. " The only demand which I reiterated was to avoid any further delay in taking the next step. I expect them to act soon," he said.
Anonymous call of bomb threat turns 'hoax'
Friday, January 9, 2004
Kozhikode, Jan 08 - An anonymous call threatening that some explosives had been planted at a CBSE residential school turned out to be a hoax here on Thursday. According to the police, the caller told the Pavangad Muslim Educational Society (MES) Raja Residential School Principal, Ajitha Hemachandran, around 11.45 am that `by noon the school will be blown into pieces'. Soon after receiving the call, the school authorities besides alerting police also ensured that about 900 children were taken out of the school premises to a nearby place of worship as a precautionary measure. However, a thorough search by the police, who engaged bomb disposal squads, did not yield anything, they said. When contacted, Ajitha said the students were brought back to the school soon after the search was over and classes were also resumed.
Indefinite bus strike from Jan 22 in the state
Friday, January 9, 2004
Thrissur, Jan 08 - Bus owners union's striking committee representatives stated in a press meet today that private buses in the state will go on indefinite strike from January 22, demanding a hike in bus charges. The committee pointed out that after the hike in bus charges in October 2001, there has been considerable increase in the running cost of the bus services including the recent rise in diesel prices. The committee demanded reduction in the vehicle tax which has been increased by 50%. The other demands raised by representatives of bus owners include reduction in sales tax of diesel, formulation of transport policy, removal of concession for students and control in issuing new permits.
Cusat makes certificates foolproof
Friday, January 9, 2004
KOCHI: Stepping up its vigil against fake certificates, the Cochin University of Science and Technology has introduced several security features on its certificates. Though no incident of duplicating of its certificates has been reported, Cusat officials decided to introduce special features with a view to preventing even a remote possibility to fake its certificates. Moreover, the university has also decided to introduce uniform format for all the certificates. The most salient feature of the new format is the hologram. A rainbow-coloured, original, authentic hot foil-stamped hologram, which cannot be peeled off as in the case of stickers, will be affixed on the left top corner of the facing page. ''The first simple check to verify its originality is to place it in light. The word 'ORIGINAL' can be read on the hologram when light falls on it,'' Cusat's Controller of Examinations said in a statement. The name of the university and place will be embossed on the rear to make the certificate more secure.The certificate will also have a custom designed coloured border. Bar code with number for scanning, storing and reading purposes will be introduced. The university logo in crimson red will be affixed in the top-middle portion. ''This will be similar to watermark on currency notes. The university's round seal will be embossed in white. There will be a host of other confidential features also,'' Cusat Vice Chancellor N Unnikrishnan Nair said. The set of security features will be communicated to partner universities and other institutions also. This will help these institutions to read the certificates for originality in their office itself. ''We will introduce the practice of machine writing to eliminate even minor chances of creating fakes,'' the Vice Chancellor said. It is also an economy measure for the varsity. ''We used to print 27 varieties of certificates for recognising students who clear various courses under different faculties. By introducing a common format, we can go for bulk printing of plain certificates,'' Cusat sources said.
Child-safe Net (for parents) arrives
Friday, January 9, 2004
KOCHI: To provide 'child-safe internet', Absolutions, the Kochi-based company offering solutions for businesses on Internet including identity solutions and Internet content-filtering software development, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA). Backed by many of Internet's leading companies, ICRA aims to empower parents to safeguard their children from potentially harmful material while protecting the free-speech rights of Internet users through a self-labelling and filtering system. The MoU was signed by Sreeju P Sreedharan, Head (Technology Services), on behalf of Absolutions and Phil Archer, chief technology officer, on behalf of ICRA. And it sets the company on its course to become the first entrant from India into the expanding international content-filtering market. The MoU will enable Absolutions to contribute a new module - InnoCensor - for use with ICRA's new filtering platform, ICRAplus. InnoCensor will contain a comprehensive list of block (pornographic) sites and allow sites, which could be regularly updated from the Absolutions Master database, compiled using the advanced web-crawling technology developed by the company. This will make it easier for parents to download and share lists of websites they wish to block or allow. ''The new module will further empower parents to make choices about what their children should and should not see online,'' said Phil Archer. He said that India is an increasingly important part of the digital world that is under-represented on the Internet. ''We are confident that parents in India and elsewhere will make use of ICRAplus option to the fullest,'' said Arun Abraham, president of Absolutions. The company, which was set up in January last year currently, operates India's premier web-enabled trademarking outfit, Trademarks4India, under its Identity Solutions division. It is also diversifying into the untapped Indian domain-name market through DomainNames4India. ICRAplus and its modules can be downloaded from ICRA's website, www.icra.org/icraplus/.
Tourism to rescue heritage structures
Friday, January 9, 2004
KOCHI: Bringing relief to crumbling monuments like Vadakke Kotta Vathil (North Fort Gate), Puthen Bungalow, main building of the RLV College of Music and many beautiful palaces, a panel of officials and people's representatives on Thursday decided to appoint the Aranmula Vasthu Vidya Gurukulam to conduct a detailed study about the heritage structures in Tripunithura. The meeting held at Thiruvananthapuram, chaired by Tourism Minister K V Thomas, prepared a detailed list of around 27 prestigious structures in Tripunithura, which needed immediate attention from the Archaeology Department. The experts who had inspected the old important buildings in the erstwhile capital of Kochi had reported that they were in absolute danger. The experts had taken photographs of nearly 21 structures and demarcated the structures, which deserved immediate attention. The heritage zone is situated mainly around the Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple. A speeding bus destroyed the last remaining fort wall, the North Fort Gate, recently. Most of the old buildings and monuments are either in private hands or the Municipality, the Corporation of Cochin or the Cochin Devaswam Board. Besides the renovation of the prestigious monuments, beautification of the royal street leading to Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple from Statue Junction, Kalikotta Palace road and Irumpanam Road will also be included in a mega project designed by the Tourism Department. Tourism Secretary T Balakrishnan, Archaeology Director Manmadhan Nair, Tripunithura Municipal chairman K K Mohanan and K Babu MLA attended the meeting. A decision was taken in the meeting to hand over the reconstruction of the destroyed North Fort Gate to the Archaeology Director. ''We the people of Tripunithura still weep over the loss of the beautiful palaces like Devatha Malika,'' says M Raman Namboothiri, retired archeological officer, who had tried his best to include the name of Padinjare Gopuram of Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple in the list of protected monuments.
3 houses, 5 shops catch fire in Fort Kochi
Friday, January 9, 2004
Three houses, five shops catch fire in Fort Kochi Friday January 9 2004 10:33 IST KOCHI: Three houses and five shops caught fire early Thursday morning at Amaravathy, Fort Kochi, creating some tense moments for the residents in the area. The incident occurred at by 4.30 a.m. First to catch fire was the stationary shop run by Sunil Kumar. Soon it spread to a furniture shop run by Joy Joseph and cycle shop of Asokan. The fire also spread to the house of Saramma Fernandez. Another furniture shop and a cycle shop run by V K Prabhakaran and Sasi respectively and the houses of P M Peter and P A Joy also caught fire. The roof of Saramma's house was totally charred. The cupboard, refrigerator and TV in the house too were damaged. A policeman living nearby woke up Saramma's family and saved their lives. The stationery and cycle shops were fully gutted in the fire. The wooden articles of the furniture shop too were charred. Soon after the fire broke out, six fire units rushed to the spot. The police also joined the rescue operations. It took nearly two hours to extinguish the fire. No casualty was reported in the incident. Electric short circuit is suspected to be the reason behind the fire breakout. The loss of Thursday's fire is calculated to be around Rs 3 lakh.
Probe CIA links of Kunhanathan Nair: Veliyam
Friday, January 9, 2004
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPI State secretary Veliyam Bhargavan on Thursday said that the CPM should inquire into the suspected CIA links of Berlin Kunhanathan Nair who has termed certain CPM leaders in Kerala as CIA tools. Talking to newsmen here on Thursday, Veliyam said that he really suspected that Kunhanathan Nair had a hidden agenda in linking Communist leaders with CIA. Terming Kunhanathan Nair as a sheer opportunist, Veliyam said that it was the CPI that had sent him to Germany. ``But on his return he joined the CPM,'' Veliyam said. The CPI leader said that the party used to send troublesome intellectuals to work in party units abroad. This was the case with Kunhanathan Nair too, he said. Veliyam said that Kunhanathan Nair lacked political experience and knowledge. ``If he were a good party man, he would have raised the allegations in the party forum instead of airing it in public, he said.
KSEB bifurcation in two months
Friday, January 9, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala: Kerala Power Minister Kadavour Sivadasan on Thursday said the process of bifurcating Kerala State Electricity Board into two companies for transmission-production and distribution would be completed in two months. Both the companies would be in public sector itself and once they were registered, the existing KSEB would be wound up, said Sivadasan on the sidelines of Earthing training programme for KSEB engineers. Tender for appointing a consultant to value the assets and liabilities of the Board had been invited. The re-deployment of employees of the board would be discussed with the service organisations after the two companies were formed, he said. Sivadasan said due to drought, the Board had suffered an additional expenditure of Rs 600 crores on account of going in for high cost thermal power. The revenue deficit of the board would have been very low if this additional liability was not there, he said. Board did not hike the power charges this year due to the subsidy of Rs 500 crore granted by government and subsidy of next year had not been decided.
Oommen Chandy meets Congress panel
Friday, January 9, 2004
UDF convener Oommen Chandy, who reached New Delhi representing the anti-Karunakaran groups, met the AICC panel and conveyed strong resentment among the anti-Karunakaran factions in the party over the AICC move to avoid split by appeasing the 'I' group. Oommen Chandy met the AICC panel and held discussions for about an hour. According to reports, Oommen Chandy said that the inclusion of Muralidharan in the cabinet and decision to not take disciplinary action against those who violated party discipline will affect the party in the long run. He also told the party highcommand that concessions to avert a split was not necessary because even in the vent of a split , only a couple of MLAs would remain with Karunakaran and this would not affect the party's chances in the next Lok Sabha elections. However, the AICC panel reportedly urged the anti-I groups to accept the highcommand decision and end the crisis. Chandy will meet the panel once again in today evening. He may meet Congress president tomorrow, it is learnt. Meanwhile, Kerala legislative Speaker Vakkom Purushothaman, who met Congress president and the three-member AICC panel on Tuesday tried to resist the move to remove him form his post as part of the package.
Antony facing trouble from his own camp
Friday, January 9, 2004
With UDF convener Oommen Chandy openly registering resentment over A K Antony's softening stand towards the 'I' group, indications are that the Chief Minister is getting more and more isolated in his own camp, which now seems to be in the firm grip of Oommen Chandy. Many 'A' group leaders are fuming after Antony announced on Wednesday that he was ready to go to any extent to keep the party united. " Antony can afford to say that. After all, the party highcommand stood firmly behind him all through the crisis, refusing even to consider removing him from Chief Ministership. But that doesn't mean that he should remain silent when the highcommand is trying to appease Karunakaran and Murali to this extent. This is a big blow to our group and Karunakaran and Murali are bound to create new problems for Antony and us once the Lok Sabha elections are over. It is sad that Antony is not able to see through all this," a prominent Antony confidant told 'keralaonline' in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. He said that there is a general feeling in the 'A ' group that Antony has failed to appreciate the sentiments of his followers. In new Delhi, Oommen Chandy , after meeting the Congress panel yesterday, had disagreed with Antony's statement that unity was the most important factor and not discipline. In his meeting with the panel, aimed at making a last ditch effort to prevent any largess being offered to Karunakaran faction as part of the compromise package, UDF convener, Oommen Chandy maintained that those who had engaged in "anti-party activities" should not be given any position in the party or government. However reports from Delhi said that despite all these hiccups, the Congress highcommand is going ahead with the compromise formula evolved after several rounds of discussions with all the related persons and parties. Congress president Sonia Gandhi is expected to invite Karunakaran and Chief Minister A K Antony to Delhi next week to finalise the deal. In a related development, the 'I' group on Thursday alleged that a section within the 'anti-Karunakaran camp' was trying to undermine the AICC's initiatives to strengthen the party. Hitting out at anti-Karunakaran camp's tirade against the 'I' camp, KPCC general secretary N Venugopal alleged that these groups which had been crying for Karunakaran's blood since 1991 were now targeting Murali. Their attempts will further worsen the situation in the party, he said while talking to reporters in Kochi. He expressed hope that the party high command would come out with a decision acceptable to senior party leader K Karunakaran and Chief minister A K Antony before January 15, the date on which the Assembly session is scheduled to begin. If the party leadership fails to reach an 'acceptable formula' before the commencement of the session, they would take a common decision on the strategies to be adopted in the House, said Venugopal. The 'I' group MLAs are likely to meet to discuss the issue on January 13th and 14th in Thiruvananthapuram, he said.
Telescreen gallop poll award declared
Thursday, January 8, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala : Nedumudi Venu [best actor] and Sangeetha Mohan [ best actress] are among those who won the Telescreen gallop poll awards 2003, announced here on Wednesday. "The award winners were selected through a survey conducted among the Television viewers" the office bearers of the Telescreen monthly who constituted the award told a press conference here. Swapnam [best serial] Tom Jacob[best comedian] R Gopinath[ best director] Sasikumar Ambalathara [best director, Spandhanam ], Suraj Venjaramoodu [ best anchor] Rajeswari Mohan [best newsreader] Cinemala [ best comedy programme] Ilayanila [best musical programme] have been selected for the awards. The Managing Editor of Telescreen monthly Poly Mathew Arambankudy, Editor Anish J Karinadu and Executive Editor C M Joseph participated in the press conference.
HC stays processing of applications for 21 private BEd colleges
Thursday, January 8, 2004
KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday stayed the processing of applications of 21 private managements for starting BEd colleges, who had been given NOC by the Government in excess of the 75 colleges recommended by an expert committee. Justice C N Ramachandran Nair also made it clear that if any of these applicant institutions make appointments of teaching or non-teaching staff or admit students or advertise for admission of students without the prior approval of the National Council of Technical Education (NCTE), they would be liable to be proceeded against for contempt of court. A division bench of the Kerala High Court had earlier directed the Government to limit the grant of NOC to 75 colleges, strictly on the basis of merit. Pursuant to this direction, the Cabinet decided to grant NOC to 75 colleges. However, the education department secretary allegedly forwarded to the NCTE a list of 96 colleges seeking its nod to start BEd course, bypassing the cabinet decision and High Court judgment. The petitioner, Lazar Nadar Education and Research Foundation, Neyyattinkara, challenged the decision of the expert committee to deny NOC to the petitioner, in spite of the fact that they had all necessary facilities to run BEd course. According to the petitioner, its building with all the facilities had been given to Kerala University for running BEd college and the university conducted the course there for over 10 years. If the petitioner’s college and facilities were used by the Kerala University to conduct BEd course, there was no reason why the petitioner was denied the NOC, the court said. It has to be necessarily assumed that the other applicants have better facilities in their colleges. There is also serious allegations against the manner of selection of the colleges. In view of the allegation, the court directed the Government to file a detailed report in the court regarding the selection process, the number of candidates considered and the basis on which selection was made. The report should broadly state the facilities available in the colleges, which have been granted NOC, such as building, staff, laboratory etc. Even if a college has been denied university affiliation, but has got the NOC from the Government, that should also be included in the list of colleges for which NOC was issued. The NCTE has also been asked to file a report in the court before proceeding to conduct inspections in the institutions and recommending grants for them.
Royals bowled over by beauty all around
Thursday, January 8, 2004
KOCHI: They came, they saw and they were conquered. Michael and Marie Christine, Prince and Princess of Kent, arrived here on Wednesday afternoon with their friends, the Ferraros and the Berlingieris. ``We are enchanted by the loveliness all around,'' the couple said as they stepped into the hotel where they were booked. ``It's amazing, it's so beautiful,'' cooed the princess as she pointed a heavily bejewelled finger at an earthenware filled with pink lotus blooms. ``The last time I saw lotus flowers was 25 years ago when we'd gone to Srinagar,'' she said. The Prince, clad casually in a blue check shirt and a light fawn jacket, managed in true Brit style to firmly resist any interviews even as he smiled genially. ``This is strictly a private visit. So no interviews please,'' he said. He, however, said they had toured the desert expanses of Ranthambore and enjoyed that leg of the trip immensely. Gabriella Windsor, their 22-year-old daughter, who had arrived a day ahead of them, had already toured Willingdon Island along with a friend and done some shopping too. She stepped into the hotel shortly after her parents arrived, took the jasmine garland with which the hotel staff had welcomed her mother and inhaled the heady perfume of the blooms. The royal couple too was to have arrived on Tuesday but they missed the connecting Mumbai-Kochi flight when the weather delayed their Jaipur-Mumbai flight. The entourage were like typical tourists on a rushed tour, setting aside only a short time for freshening up after the long journey, before embarking on a sightseeing tour of Kochi. ``We must start from the Jewish quarters, they are the most interesting,'' said their Indian friend. Later, in the evening, they watched a Kathakali performance, said Sanjeev Kumar P of Travel Corporation of India, which organised their trip. On their itinerary is a stay at the luxury launch `Vrinda' at Alappuzha and a sojourn at Spice Village, Thekkady. Prince Michael, a first cousin of both Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, lost his position in the ascendancy to the throne after he married Marie Christine, a descendant of Gernam-Bohemian nobility, since she is a Roman Catholic. They were married on June 30, 1978. The Princess, one of the more glamorous royals of the previous generation, has a love for history and has authored two books _ 'Crowned in a Far Country, Eight Royal Brides' and 'Cupid and the King _ Five Royal Paramours'. Her third book, 'Serpent and the Moon' will be out in September. Here's hoping that the historical folklore of India inspires her to pen a book on the sub-continent.
Vehicle stir paralyses life in city
Thursday, January 8, 2004
KOCHI: Although the State-wide motor vehicle stir on Tuesday witnessed no violence, normal life in the city was severely hampered. The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) has pegged the losses due to the stir at Rs 450 crore, arising out of loss of man-days, resultant overtime payments, decrease in sales and the inability to meet deadlines of exports and deliveries. Due to the strike, a company like Apollo Tyres, having two units at Perambra and Kalamassery, has lost approximately 8,000 man-hours, resulting in an estimated loss of Rs 1.9 to Rs 2 crore, the CII stated in a press release. The CII has come down heavily on the frequent strikes. ‘‘At a time when the economy is in the recovery mode and the bottom line of corporates is slowly improving, frequent strikes and hartals hamper industrial performance,’’ the CII said. The Confederation noted that industries were facing stiff competition in a globalised economy which called for lean manufacturing practices. The industry has to bear the cost of incremental increase of stocking additional raw materials for such days, which would be 4 to 6 per cent of the cost of production. The cost of raw materials also increases due to materials stuck at the ports. The logistics and transit cost increases by 3 per cent. ‘‘On an average, the loss of production in Kerala due to a strike or hartal is between Rs 650 to 700 crore,’’ the CII said. Meanwhile, most schools remained closed and office attendance was affected. At Cochin University of Science and Technology, only 60 per cent of the staff turned up for work, and with most of the university buses also off the roads, precious little academic work was accomplished. At the Cochin Port Trust, there was 20 per cent absenteeism. Those who did go to work had to bring out their own vehicles or take lifts from colleagues. ‘‘All this is an unnecessary hassle,’’ said one office-goer. Police Commissioner Vinod Thomas noted that there were no incidents of violence during the stir, and that the police had provided protection to all those who sought their help. ‘‘The requests were mainly from people wanting to reach the airport or railway stations,’’ he said. KSRTC Ernakulam depot operated 14 schedules today morning. They operated services to Aluva, Vaikom, Thrissur and Cherthala. The dawn to dusk motor strike protesting against the hike of petroleum products was total and peaceful in Ernakulam rural district. The private buses, lorries, taxies and autorickshaws were off the road. Meanwhile the KSRTC operated service to Angamaly, Paravoor, Perumbavoor, and Ernakulam from the Aluva depot. The passengers who arrived at the Cochin International Airport by various flights found no difficulty in reaching their destination with the pre-paid taxis operating their services from the airport.
NDA will return to power , says Sreedharan Pillai
Thursday, January 8, 2004
BJP State president P S Sreedharan Pillai today expressed confidence that the Vajpayee-led NDA would return to power at the Centre in the next general elections. Addressing a meet the press programme in Kannur, Pillai said that the current political climate in the country is favourable for Vajpayee as well as the NDA. "Under Vajpayee's leadership , India is today a racing economy and on the way to become a developed nation," Pillai said. " India racing ahead but the situation of Kerala is pretty bad. Both the Fronts have lost credibility and the public has seen through all this," he added.
My priority is to keep party united, says CM
Thursday, January 8, 2004
Chief Minister A K Antony today said that he was ready 'to go to any extent' to keep the party united in Kerala. "For me keeping the party together is priority no.1" Antony said when pointed out that his own camp followers were opposing the compromise formula, evolved by the party highcommand. When asked whether he was ready to quit as Chief Minister for the sake of party unity, Antony said he was willing to go even beyond that. The Chief Minister admitted that a cabinet reshuffle was also being discussed as one of the options to end the crisis. "Let the high command take any decision, I will accept it," he added. "Parleys are going on at various levels. The Congress high command is well equipped to deal with the crisis. They will take a decision soon," he added. Antony confirmed that he will be visiting IUML supremo Panakkad Shihab Thangal at Malappuram on January 15th. " We will have discussions on a wide range of subjects , including the developments in recent past," he added.
There would be no compulsion: Antony
Thursday, January 8, 2004
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA: Chief Minister A K Antony reaffirmed that nobody in the Congress would be subject to compulsion. This was stated by Antony went met by pressmen here today. Antony pointed out that his attempt is maintain unity in the Congress. He also stated that he will hold a meeting with Muslim League Supremo Panakkad Muhammedali Shihab Thangal at January 11. The venue of the meet will be Panakkad and all problems will be discussed with him, added Antony.
Transport strike begins in Kerala
Tuesday, January 6, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 6 Transport services throughout Kerala were seriously affected following day-long strike by workers in the sector to protest against the frequent hike in diesel and petrol prices. The call for 12-hour strike was given by joint action council of various trande unions including CITU, INTUC, AITUC, BMS and STUC. Private buses, autorickshaws, taxis, tempo vans and mini-lorries were off the road as part of the strike. However, vehicles carrying Sabarimala pilgrims have been exempted from the strike. Pathanamthitta district was exmpted from the strike. PTI
Goondas strike again: one killed
Monday, January 5, 2004
Thekkumthala Parambil Sudheesh, a native of Elamassery, was killed today in Kochi by a group of unidentified persons. The incident is seen as part of increasing goonda attacks in Kochi, Police sources said. Sudheesh was found dead this morning at a chicken shop near SRM Road here. The police have arrested three persons and are in search of the main suspect, Assez. A case has been registered. According to police sources Sudheesh is a suspected goonda in a case and the goondas indulged in the same case is behind his death. Goonda menace is most acute in Kochi where they are feed by finance companies, politicians and abkaris, police sources said.
Controversies affecting progress,says CM
Monday, January 5, 2004
Kerala Chief Minister A K Antony today said that unnecessary controversies and debates are derailing the development of Kerala. Addressing a symposium organised by the State Public Relations Department for journalists on Modernising Government Programme in Thiruvananthapuram, Antony also added that there is nothing wrong in accepting foreign aid for the decentralization programme and previous government had also accepted forewign funds for implementation of the Plan. " When previous governments and some NGOs accepted foreign funds for developmental projects in the past, that did not even make headlines in the media. It became a big controversy when this government started pursuing the agenda. This attitude should change," Antony said. Information and Public Relation Minister M M Hassan presided over the meeting. Chief Secretary N Chandrasekharan Nair, PRD Director G Rajasekharan, senior journalists and other officials participated in the symposium . Meanwhile, Paloli Mohammed Kutty, who was the Local Self Government Minister in the previous LDF government, denied that the LDF government had accepted foreign funds for the People's Plan Programme.
Transport strike in Kerala on Tuesday
Monday, January 5, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram: Transport workers all over Kerala would strike work on Tuesday from dawn to dusk in protest against the frequent hike in diesel and petrol prices. Operators of private buses, trucks, taxies, tempo vans, auto rickshaws and mini-lorries would participate in the 12-hour state-wide strike called by joint action council of different trade unions including CITU, INTUC, AITUC, BMS, HMS and STUC. Meanwhile, state Transport Minister R Balakrishna Pillai asked the trade union leaders to call off the strike as it would only cause hardship to people especially to Ayyappa pilgs going to Sabarimala temple. Pillai told reporters that the government was in favour of the demand raised by striking workers. He said the government was in receipt of the K V Raveendran Nair commission report on the problems in transport sector. The commission has suggested among other things hike in fare charges as a solution to the present crisis in the transport sector, he said. The report would be submitted to the cabient which would take a decision after examining the recommendations, he said. adding the frequent petrol and diesel price increase along with high cost of tyres and spare parts was destroying the transport industry. Under this circumstances, government was in favour of the demands of the transport employees and government would take steps to solve their problems, he added.
Kerala IT park lures two more British companies
Monday, January 5, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Two more British firms are setting up shop in the sprawling Technopark complex here, close on the heels of four leading companies from that country. Alamy Limited and Linkair Travels are opening up call centres at the IT hub for their back office operations. A Technopark source told that Alamy chief and co-founder James West was here last month to finalise the agreement. "They have leased 12,000 square feet of space and are expected to open in a matter of two months," said the source. "Linkair Travels, to start with, has taken up 1,000 sq ft of space and is basically starting a call centre to handle their travel operations." Former Technopark CEO Rajiv Vasudevan said: "Four Britain-based companies are already operating, and naturally the new ones are arriving because the existing ones are happy. "That is how an IT park will grow," said Vasudevan, who was largely instrumental in drawing two of the British firms already functioning here. The British companies in Technopark today employ close to 500 people. Set up in 1996, the Technopark houses close to 55 software companies and includes prestigious firms like Infosys, IBS Software Services, NeST, Toonz Animation and US Software. The total staff strength in all the companies at the IT park has crossed the 5,000 mark. Indo-Asian News Service
Kerala IT park lures two more British companies
Monday, January 5, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Two more British firms are setting up shop in the sprawling Technopark complex here, close on the heels of four leading companies from that country. Alamy Limited and Linkair Travels are opening up call centres at the IT hub for their back office operations.
Unneccassary strikes on national issues:Pillai
Monday, January 5, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala: Transport Minister R Balakrishan Pillai cautioned the state from going on strike on account of hike in petrol and diesel prices especially when the rest of India remained silent on the issue. Buses will not ply along those routes where there is no police protection, he said. Pillai said that he did not condone an increase in bus charge. He also stated that the tendency to hike bus charge more than train charges is not a good.
Parambikulam - Aliyar accord to be renewed
Sunday, January 4, 2004
Jan 04 - A Kerala-Tamil Nadu ministerial level meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram today to discuss reviewing the Parambikulam-Aliyar agreement decided to renew the accord. Finance Minister C. Ponnaiyan and Irrigation Minister O. Panneerselvam lead the Tamil Nadu delegation while their counterparts K.Sankaranarayanan and T.M.Jacob represened Kerala. The Parambikulam- Aliyar agreement should have been renewed in 1987…Kerala is demanding immediate review of the accord. Hey say, the delay in addressing the issue has led the state to incur heavy losses in relation to power generation and irrigation. Kerala says, it will demand water from Tamil Nadu for the 2nd paddy harvest in Palghat district. They complain that the state has not even got the specified 2.5 TMC ft of water, as per the Parambikulam- Aliyar accord. The meeting, earlier scheduled for last month was postponed due The inconvenience of the Tamil Nadu.
Parambikulam - Aliyar accord to be renewed
Sunday, January 4, 2004
Jan 04 - A Kerala-Tamil Nadu ministerial level meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram today to discuss reviewing the Parambikulam-Aliyar agreement decided to renew the accord. Finance Minister C. Ponnaiyan and Irrigation Minister O. Panneerselvam lead the Tamil Nadu delegation while their counterparts K.Sankaranarayanan and T.M.Jacob represened Kerala. The Parambikulam- Aliyar agreement should have been renewed in 1987…Kerala is demanding immediate review of the accord. Hey say, the delay in addressing the issue has led the state to incur heavy losses in relation to power generation and irrigation. Kerala says, it will demand water from Tamil Nadu for the 2nd paddy harvest in Palghat district. They complain that the state has not even got the specified 2.5 TMC ft of water, as per the Parambikulam- Aliyar accord. The meeting, earlier scheduled for last month was postponed due The inconvenience of the Tamil Nadu.
Bathe an elephant when in Kerala
Sunday, January 4, 2004
Many tourists in the southern Indian state of Kerala work hard on vacation, washing elephants, sweeping courtyards or plucking pepper. Kerala, which is described as "God's own country", has reinvented itself and is marketing the opportunity to learn new things instead of lazing around during idyllic holidays, in order to attract more tourists. One hotel trains visitors to climb trees and pluck pepper. Another offers two-day courses on local cuisine. One rustic resort called Kalapura offers a slice of rural life. It accommodates about 20 guests at a time in an old mansion. They clean their rooms and cook their own food. The highlight is a day with an elephant, where visitors can ride, feed and bathe the animal. Officials in the tourism industry say the innovative ideas are paying off. In December the state attracted visitors from eastern Europe and Australia. Tourism Secretary Teh Balakrishnan said last year that about 257 000 foreign tourists and 258 000 domestic tourists visited Kerala, a 30-percent increase in traffic from the previous year. - Sapa-dpa
In Attingal another " Mini Bus" mishap:20 injured
Sunday, January 4, 2004
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Twenty persons were injured as the minibus in which they were traveling overturned at Mamom near Attingal. The marriage party from Vallakadavu in Thiruvananthapuram was proceeding to Kollam to attend a marriage. Out of the injured, the condition of four is said to be serious. All the injured has been admitted to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital. Just a couple of days back another minibus had met with an accident killing 10 people in Palakkad.
Police raid starts in Marad
Friday, January 2, 2004
The local and armed police has started raid in Marad under the guidance of City Police commissioner T K Vinod Kumar to prevent any problem in Marad in view of the 2nd anniversary of Marad issue. The raid started at 5 a. m today. According to Police, no law and order problems were expected to arise during January 4. But some precautions were being taken and the Police presence in the area is being stepped up. Police has conducted search in almost all places of the coastal village.
Nine die as bus plunges into paddy field
Friday, January 2, 2004
In a major road mishap at Panamaram in Wayanad district near here, nine persons died and many injured, when the bus in which they were traveling hit a tree and fell into a paddy field, on Friday morning. The tragedy occurred when a private bus `Vishnumaya', on the Pulpalli to Manathavadi route was making its trip this morning. According to sources the condition of the injured is critical. The injured was entered in to the Kozhikode Medical College and Mananthavadi district hospital. High police officials have reached the place and registered a case. The bus was coming from Panamaram. The exact cause of the accident was yet to be ascertained though some accounts said that the bus was trying to overtake a vehicle at high speed. The five deceased including two women have been identified. Besides the nine who died, about 20 have been admitted to the District Government Hospital at Mananthavady.
Computerised counterfeiting: Two youths held
Friday, January 2, 2004
KOCHI: in this land of Telgi bhai, innovations in counterfeiting hold no surprise. But this one incident, busted by the Palakkad Railway Police and Crime Branch, would make the great masters of the art sit up as two youths have shown that Kerala can outsmart the Sivakasi clan with just a personal computer, a photo scanner and a normal colour printer. This skill was not a part of their PGDCA syllabi. But Sunil and Chandran, hailing from Kodungallur and Kuttoor respectively, found new uses for photoshop in reproducing currency notes with near perfection. The modus operandi, sources say, is as simple as scanning a passport-size photograph. ``They first scanned the Rs 100 note, fine- tuned the image using photoshop and took a printout on plain paper while innovating a low-budget strategy to counterfeit notes. A silver pen was used for drawing the watermark line,'' an official of Crime Branch said. Sunil used the facility in a computer institute at Kodungallur to scan the note. He copied the image in a floppy and touched it up on his PC at home. The printout was also taken using his personal printer. ``We have seized all these and detected the image file in his hard disc,'' sources said. The detection of the fraud was a freak incident in itself. Having printed about 100 copies, the duo decided to meet acknowledged names in the trade who operate from Tamil Nadu. In the last week of December, they left for Chennai only to land in police custody after the bluff was called at Palakkad. ``They used one of the printouts to buy a bottle of mineral water from Palakkad railway station. When the vendor raised doubts about its originality, the duo picked up a fight with him. This brought the Railway Police to the scene who booked them. About 95 duplicate notes were confiscated. The case was later transferred to the Crime Branch,'' sources said. The Crime Branch team, led by DySP Thomas and Circle Inspector Shaji, produced Sunil and Chandran before the Judicial Magistrate Court. They have been remanded in custody till January 5. ``Palakkad continues to be main source of counterfeit currency in Kerala. Forged notes are brought from certain pockets in Tamil Nadu where the trade has literally assumed the status of a cottage industry. A Keralite named Mohammed Ali is believed to be the kingpin behind these operations,'' top sources said. Though the conventional techniques used in the trade still remain, Crime Branch officials admitted that the entry of computers in the business was quite worrying.
Complaint against Rahul rejected
Friday, January 2, 2004
KOTTAYAM: Police have turned down a complaint forwarded by Prof John M Itty to charge a case under Immoral Traffic Act against Rahul Gandhi and his Colombian companion Juvanitta for staying together at a Kumarakom hotel recently, citing that their act doesn't come under the purview of the Act. SP S Gopinath told that only when there is apparent suspicion of members of opposite sex paying money to either of them to seek sexual pleasure that charges of prostitution could be slapped against them. If the woman is married and if a person other than her husband indulges in sex fully knowing her marital status, then adultery could be charged. Prof Itty, a visiting fellow of the Centre for Socio-Economic and Environmental Studies, Kochi, and formerly of the Kerala Institute of Local Development(KILA), had observed in his complaint that man and woman not bound by marriage staying together in a room is being interpreted as prostitution and the police used to arrest such people and charge cases under the Immoral Traffic Act. He had alleged that the police gave subjective interpretation of the Act in favour of the offender (Rahul Gandhi) and sought action from the police on the premise that all citizens of the country should be treated as equal. The complainant had also questioned the inclusion of the offender's girl friend under SPG coverage. The district police authorities have rejected the complaint since it was untenable under any of the provisions of the Immoral Traffic Act and for the fact that action could not be initiated since the question of absence of mutual consent or forced acts didn't arise between Rahul Gandhi and his companion.
Infosys begins in Kerala
Friday, January 2, 2004
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As a precursor to a full-fledged campus in Kerala, Infosys Technologies is pitching tent outside the state government-sponsored Technopark next week. The makeshift camp will start with just 50-odd engineers. The temporary software facility is coming up exactly one year after Kerala Chief Minister AK Antony flew to Bangalore to convince Infosys founder N Narayana Murthy to set up a unit in the southern state. Mr Antony’s announcement in February that the company will set up a 500-employee facility in the state had started sounding like a hype, when the IT major finally made the move. According to Kerala IT secretary Aruna Sundararajan, the state government has already identified some land for the IT major to set up its campus. The new facility, within walking distance of the Technopark, will be along the lines of the Infosys campuses in Hyderabad and Bangalore. A Krishnamoorthy, vice-president, Infosys, will head the Kerala operations, Technopark sources told FE. Mr Krishnamoorthy and director Shibhu Lal were in Thiruvananthapuram last fortnight to inspect the arrangements. The number of technical personnel at the unit is set to touch 500 in six months time. However, the first core team will arrive from the Bangalore unit.
Karunakaran rejects compromise formula
Friday, January 2, 2004
Angamaly, Jan. 1.: Senior leader K Karunakaran today rejected the compromise formula, which reportedly envisages Deputy Chief Ministership to his son K Muraleedharan. The proposal was mooted by UDF constituents to resolve the crisis in Congress in Kerala. "There is no use in effecting small changes when the entire system needs to be replaced," he told reporters here when asked about the formula. "Only a change of leadership in the government can resolve the crisis in the state Congress," Karunakaran said.
Kerala witnesses tourist boom
Friday, January 2, 2004
(Thiruvananthapuram): As North India continues to shiver, warmer Kerala seems to enjoy the perfect weather for tourists from all across the world. This season has seen an unprecedented arrival of both foreign and domestic tourists. The state with its backwaters, beaches, hills and scenic beauty is a hot favourite for those who wish to make their holidays memorable. The number of foreign tourists has already crossed the two lakh mark. If this trend continues, the gross revenue from tourism will cross Rs 6,500 crore against roughly Rs 5,000 crore last year. "We have been able to create an urge among the people to come and see Kerala. It has become a must see destination. And the people who are coming here are not disappointed," said T Balakrishnan, Secretary, Kerala Tourism. "This is a very special place. We have actually chosen Kerala for our honeymoon and are spending three weeks here," said a tourist. Most of the major hotels and resorts in Kerala are fully booked till the end of March. In fact, the current cold wave in the north has also helped increase the number of domestic visitors to Kerala apart from European visitors. "Compared to the winter there, it is warm and nice here. There, it is chilly and foggy but here the sky is clear," said an Indian tourist. People in the hospitality industry say with its acceptance as a destination of global appeal, Kerala will now have to focus on developing infrastructure facilities to accommodate more visitors in God's own country.
Reshma George crowned Miss Kerala - 2003
Friday, January 2, 2004
Kochi: Second year Engineering student Reshma George of Kochi was crowned 'Elora Miss Kerala-2003' beating 18 other finalists at the pageant held here on Thursday night. Daughter of a local travel agent Lancy George, she was also adjudged the 'Miss Beautiful Hair' and 'Miss Talented' with Aparna Menon, a BDS student and Shravana, a post graduate student from Calicut, becoming the first and second runners up respectively in the new year eve contest organised in four rounds by Impresario. Last year's Miss Kerala Renjini Menon presented the crown to her successor at the function. Unlike in the past, the 2003 event did not encounter any protest demonstration against the contest.
Rambha teams with Jayaram
Thursday, January 1, 2004
Rambha plays the heroine opposite Jayaram in Mayilattam. Directed by V M Vinu the film has Jayaram in dual roles. Rambha made her debut with Sargam and later acted in Siddhartha, Chronic Bachelor. Vinu's Balettan was a hit. Music is by M Jaychandran the film is produced by Konathapalli films.
"Glamour is not vulgar"- Meera Jasmine
Thursday, January 1, 2004
From time immemorial, actresses who have chosen to suddenly go glamorous have said one of the two things- "The role demanded that" and "Whats wrong with glamour". Even though we have heard this too many times before, we still dont mind hearing it. Meera Jasmine defends her gradual switch to a little bit of glamour- If the heroine is a modern girl, then her costumes have to reflect it. My fans know very well the kind of roles I generally do. Im not even going to try to disappoint them. "Nobody has defined what glamour is. But, people in our industry somehow equate it with vulgarity. I think that glamour is a mixture of good looks and some attraction. Vulgarity lies in the eyes of the beholder. Glamour lies in the way we carry ourselves. I dont see anything bad about being glamorous." Neither do we, Meera, neither do we.
Mohanlal is writing an autobiography
Thursday, January 1, 2004
Mohanlal, who is celebrating silver jubilee of his cinema career this year, revealed that he is writing his autobiography, which will be completed in four months. Moncy Abraham, a journalist, is helping him in this task, he said. "I have written short anecdotes in many publications before. This book will include my experiences in life-both inside and outside my film career," he added. Lal also hoped that the book would put an end to the practice of many people writing on his life as an actor and on his personal life. The actor said that the Mathrubhumi books would publish the book. Mohanlal, also said that an abridged version of the book will be made available for his fans at a cheaper rate. (Galatta)
Kavya's lucky house
Thursday, January 1, 2004
Kavya Madhavan the top heroine of Malayalam cinema is very superstitious. She and her family shifted from Nileeswaram to a house in Palarivattom in Kochi since the film shootings were in and around this place. She moved into a rented house. Now she has bought land in Kakkanad (in Kochi itself) and built a house but she does not want to shift. She feels that her present rented house has proved to be lucky and so she does not want to shift to a new house and take her chances. As a result she has let out her new house. (Galatta)
Biju Menon enters Kollywood!
Thursday, January 1, 2004
Biju Menon enters kollywood in an anti-hero role. He plays the villain in Thiru starring Nanda and Rudra Singh. Nagarajan who directed Aravindan starring Sarath Kumar is the director. Yuvan Shankar Raaja scores the music.Biju's wife Samyuktha Varma was earlier offered the heroine role in Baba but she turned it down. Later she acted in the Tamil remake of Thenkasipattanam. With shortage of villains in Tamil films Biju has all the scope to excel. Manoj K Jayan the recent entrant to Tamil films has starred in Dhool and Thirumalai both hits. (Galatta)
Mohanlal to shift to Dubai?
Thursday, January 1, 2004
Mohanlal's wife Suchitra is soon to shift her base to Dubai. She is to take up the running of the restaurant "Taste Bud" and also spruce up the business of marketing pickles in Gulf countries. Sources say that the Superstar has tied up with a pickle manufacturing company to market their products abroad and with the Superstar endorsing it the migrant Malayali population in Gulf countries is expected to buy the product. Suchitra also plans to make 'Taste Buds' a chain of restaurant. Mohanlal has a stake in the seafood shrimp processing plant in Kerala. As part of this plan the Chennai residence of Mohanlal will be rented out to Prince of Prince Jeweler. A jewelerry shop owner bought Mohanlal's Trivandrum house. Mohanlal will stay with his parents in Trivandrum while his children study in Ooty. Is it goodbye to Chennai? (Galatta)
Jagathy v/s KSFDC
Thursday, January 1, 2004
Jagathy Sreekumar the ace comedian is known to stir up the hornet's nest every time he opens his mouth to speak. This time at the Kerala State awards function the comedian who is a member of KSFDC board stated that the board's offices were functioning badly and its staff were interested only in their salaries. He added that even the lab did not have proper air-conditioning to preserve the negatives and suggested cutting down on staff strength and sprucing up the studio, lab etc. Though this won applause from the industry the KSFDC chairman PV Ganghadharan a producer himself has put up a strong defense and even quoted a foreign committee's letter of appreciation of the lab conditions. Earlier MACTA the technicians' association had banned Jagathy and the latter withdrew his remark on import of heroines from Mumbai for Malayalam films. ( Galatta)
Mohanlal's Mohabat show in Gulf
Thursday, January 1, 2004
The rivalry between Mohanlal and Dileep is not confined to big screen but even outside. Dileep's "Arabian Thriller Express" show in the Gulf is termed a big success. Due to this the Malayalam industry has come to standstill because all heroines and comedians are taking part in this show. Now Mohanlal is planning his own Gulf Tour. The tour has been named "Mohabat". East Coast Vijayan is directing and organizing this tour. The tour is scheduled for April. The team starts on April 18. Along with Mohanlal goes Jayaram, Jagadi, Siddhique, Navya Nair (who dropped out of Dileep's show), Vasundara Das, Rambha, Geethu Mohandas, Sheela, Indrans and the team of Asianet's Cinemala. ( Galatta)
Kerala assembly to meet from Jan 15
Thursday, January 1, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala: In the backdrop of intense factionalism in the Kerala unit of Congress and High Command's efforts to resolve the crisis, the Kerala cabinet on Wednesday decided to ask the governor to convene the state assembly from January 15. The state budget would be presented on January 23 and the session would continue till April 7, Chief Minister A K Antony told reporters after a cabinet meeting. The decision to summon the assembly assumes significance in the backdrop of intense factional feud in the Congress triggered by senior party leader K Karunakaran demanding the removal of A K Antony as chief minister. Both the Karunakaran faction in Congress and LDF opposition has demanded that the assembly be convened. A solution to the problems in Congress is expected before the assembly begins as the congress high command is seized of the matter and is working out a patch up formula to resolve the issue.
State Bank floats a mobile ATM
Thursday, January 1, 2004
Thiruvananthapuram : The State Bank of India (SBI) appears to have beaten all others in the race for innovation by launching trials of a mobile ATM - on a ferry service from Ernakulam to Vypeen Island in Kerala. "We have started trial runs. It has been three days since the ATM was installed on the ferry service of the Kerala Inland Navigation and Shipping Service of the state government," said SBI's assistant general manager M.P. Azad Tuesday. There were 11 transactions on the first day Sunday. The bank is planning an extravagant opening of their latest service, the first in the country, Azad said proudly. Chief Minister A.K. Antony and the SBI chairman are expected to officially launch it some time early January, he added. The ferry carries vehicles and passengers going to and from Ernakulam to water-locked Vypeen. About 25,000 people are transported back and forth in a day. Each trip takes approximately 40 minutes. A bank official said the SBI's long-term plan is to have a permanent set-up because the ferry service would stop once the bridge connecting Vypeen Island to Ernakulam is complete. The ATM would then move around the backwaters of the area. "Today we are using the wireless on local loop (WLL) technology. Only after our trial runs are over would we be able to fine tune the functioning of our floating ATM," a SBI official said.
