THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The first instalment of an Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan worth $300 million to Kerala is likely to come through in October after nearly five years of talks with two different governments in the state.
After an hour-long meeting with Kerala Chief Minister A.K. Antony and senior cabinet ministers, Frank Polman, country director, ADB, India, said Monday: "If everything goes well, the first instalment of the $300 million would be released to the federal government, which would hand it over to the Kerala government." The loan is meant for the government's modernisation programme, including restructuring 112 state public enterprises.
Polman said the ADB was not going to put any state public enterprise "on the chopping block". "The Kerala government has already prepared an approach paper in this regard," he said.
The loan discussions between the ADB and the state started in 1997 under the then Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by E.K. Nayanar. The bank is also expected to disburse another $200 million for reforms in the power sector in the next financial year, for which the Kerala government has to hold talks with the federal government and the power ministry.
Antony said after a special cabinet meeting Monday that in 10 days, all the documents related to the loans would be made public. "We have decided to initiate a public discussion," he said. "We will circulate copies of the 'Modernisation of the Government' programme and take a final decision after hearing people's comments."
The LDF, led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist, created an uproar on the loan both in the assembly and outside, alleging that the conditions were not in the state's interests.
The ADB is also disbursing loans to Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Polman said the terms and conditions for all three states are broadly the same.
"The only difference is that in Kerala we have given more importance to the modernisation programme," he said.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
ADB loan in October
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM. The Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, said here on Wednesday that the agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on the Rs. 2,400-crore loan for fiscal and power sector reforms in the State would materialise by October.
The Chief Minister told presspersons after a meeting with the Country Director (ADB, India), Frank Polman, the Director, Klaus Gerhaeusser, and the ADB team led by William McCarten that discussions were continuing for signing of the agreement. Major issues were to be discussed with the Central Government. The final Appraisal Mission from the ADB would reach Kerala in July.
Mr. Antony said reforms were inevitable for the creation of a new Kerala. The State was not carrying out the reforms either on a directive from the Central Government or the ADB.
He said the Government had launched the Modernising Government Programme (MGP) to draw up a broad based agenda for reforms in fiscal management, governance and decentralisation in the State. The Government intended to develop the MGP as a road map for change to help the State reverse its decline over the past in its fiscal and administrative performance and move forward along the path of sustainable development focused on poverty reduction and creating the enabling environment for growth.
He reiterated that the people would be taken into confidence in all efforts for the reforms. Transparency would be ensured. The strategy document for the MGP drawn up by the workshop attended by Government officers and experts at Kovalam from April 21 to 23, was being released for wider discussions. It was expected that the first phase of this process could be completed in May.
The Cabinet, which had only noted the document, would take decisions on it after the discussions.
He said that the Government also proposed to release various other documents relating to the loan such as the concept paper and aide memoirs in ten days through the Public Relations Department. For the first time in five years, documents relating to the ADB loan were being released now.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Attack on houses: Six arrested
ALUVA: A group of antisocial elements unleashed terror and attacked two houses at Thuruthussery and Kuruppuneyam, near here, on Sunday night.
Police led by Aluva Dy SP Jose Sebastian, Binanipuram CI V Radhakrishnan and Chengamanad SI K M Jijimon, have nabbed six persons in this connection.
The accused are identified as Jobby, 20, a driver from Mekkad, Shibu, 25, a businessman from Kariyad, Vineendran, 21, an autorickshaw driver from Akaparambu, Biju, 27, a labourer from Cheriavappallassery, Reghu, 30, an autorickshaw driver from Angamaly and Kishore, 21, from Mekkad.
According to CI Radhakrishnan, an autorickshaw driver named Kishore was allegedly attacked by two persons named Saheer and Binoy at Athani near here the other day. Kishore, in connivance with Shibu, hired some gundas from Angamaly.
They attacked the houses of Rahim and Varkey at 11.30 p.m on Sunday night, snapped the telephone connections and caused damage to the street lights near the houses. The assailants who reached the houses in a car, two autorickshaws and a motorbike, with swords in hand, reportedly threatened the residents of the area before attacking the houses. On information, police led by SI Jijimon rushed to the spot, but the miscreants escaped. Police Superintendent Varghese George immediately alerted all stations in the district. Six of the accused were nabbed early this morning.
The accused were remanded in judicial custody for 14 days when they were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate here this evening. It may be recalled that around 23 houses were destroyed in and around Aluva in separate incidents last week.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
$500 million ADB loan for Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM APRIL 29. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is committed to providing a loan of $500 million (about Rs. 2,400 crores) in two instalments in the next two years, said the Country Director of the ADB in India, Frank Polman, here on Wednesday.
Addressing a brief press conference, the Director said the first instalment of the loan _ $300 million for fiscal reforms _ would be disbursed this year. The disbursement of $200 million for power sector reforms was slated for next year.
Mr. Polman said the loan would be granted only against the achievement of specific milestones and actual construction of assets. "We don't talk of conditions, but of performance indicators. There is a strong internal mechanism to monitor the progress of programmes.''
He said that agreements would have to be reached with the Government of India, the Ministry of Power and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) before the loan is sanctioned. "Once the agreements are concluded, we will come back here to work out the details.''Restructuring of public sector units, he said, would be part and parcel of the fiscal reforms programme. However, the ADB team has not gone into any details of privatisation or closure of public sector units.
He said that Kerala had a deeper and wider plan for reforms compared to that of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat that called for broad-based consultations. "We are very impressed by the way the Government of Kerala has carried the programme this far. It was the first time that an ADB loan for a reform-minded State necessitated such broad-based and wide-ranging consultations with all the people concerned. We had to subject ourselves to a heavy dose of criticism. All that was in right sense, which we appreciate,'' he said noting that this had delayed the implementation of the programme.
The interest rate on the loan, he said, would be based on the London Inter Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR). The spread will be 60 basis points (0.6 per cent). At the current LIBOR for the dollar, this comes to nearly three per cent. There will also be a front-end fee of 0.5 per cent.
He said the repayment of the loan is guaranteed by the Central Government. "We always get our money back.'' As the loan is routed through the Central Government, the State would be paying an interest of 12 per cent to the Centre in rupees on the loan."
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Kochi to host TAAI meet
KOCHI: Kochi will host the 51st annual convention of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) from September 20 to 23. This is the first time the TAAI convention is coming to Kerala.
Briefing mediapersons about the convention, TAAI Convention 2002 chairman C V Prasad said they are hoping to get Domnique Lapiere for the keynote address and Chief Minister A K Antony to inaugurate the conference.
There were other competitors like Malaysia for holding the convention. But finally it was decided to organise it in Kochi following the active support given by Tourism Minister K V Thomas. Around 2000 delegates are expected to participat in the convention to be held at Galfar International Convention Centre.
TAAI has chosen the theme `Changing challenges' for the convention. The growth of technology and security challenges will be the focus of the discussions. The effects of September 11 terrorist attacks in the US and the December 13 attack in India, the commission cut of travel agents and capacity squeeze enforced by the airlines will be addressed at the meeting.
The conference will also strive to promote regional tourism and improvement in railways and airways. Kerala is poorly connected with other countries and there is need to bring in more passengers to benefit the state's tourism. He said while many people are postponing their visits to other countries, India has emerged as a safe destination.
Tourism Minister K V Thomas released the convention logo. He said a conclave of Chief Ministers and Tourism Ministers is planned in Kochi.
K C Chandrahasan, chairman of TAAI, Kerala chapter welcomed the gathering. KTDC chairperson Padmaja Venugopal, Tourism Director Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India secretary Jose Domnic, Indian Air Travellers Organisation, South India chairman E M Najeeb and TAAI, Kerala chapter secretary Lancy George also spoke.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Religious parochialism leading to rift in society: Yesudas
KOTTAYAM: Singer K J Yesudas said that the root cause of communal rift in the society is the propaganda by different sections that salvation is possible only through their respective religions.
At a civic reception accorded to him here on Monday, Yesudas said that he believes in one God. ‘‘Whatever greatness a man may have, it will not help if he is not able to understand the oneness of God,’’ he noted. He added that fanaticism spreads when communally parochial views get an upper hand in society.
Yesudas said that the best compliment he is yearning for from the masses is an approach wherein all religions are considered to be one. ‘‘Don’t worship me. What I would like to have is blessings. Worship should be towards God alone. Treat all religions as one. This is my humble plea,’’ he said.
Breaking down many a time during the course of his speech, remembering his late father Augustine Joseph, Yesudas said that he is indebted to him. He also expressed his gratitude towards the people of Kottayam. ‘‘This is the first place I conducted a ganamela. And it is from here that a write-up about me came first in print,’’ Yesudas recollected.
Mahatma Gandhi University Vice-Chancellor Dr Cyriac Thomas inaugurated the meet. Municipal chairman Sunny Kaloor presided over. Thomas Chazhikkadan, MLA, district panchayat president Latika Subash, Balasahitya Institute director Pala K M Mathew and organising committee general convenor K R Aravindakshan spoke.
Singer Ambilikuttan delivered the welcome song and Kavanalayam Ashokan proposed a vote of thanks. A nagaswara concert led by Thiruvizha Jayasankar was held prior to the meet.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Mathikettanmala eviction from this week
Mathikettanmala eviction from this week
By George Jacob
SANTHANPARA (idukki district) APRIL 29. Full-scale eviction from the shola forests at Mathikettan will commence this week itself, sources said.
A three-member high-level commission headed by the Additional Chief Secretary, N. Chandrasekharan Nair, which visited the area today, directed completion of the eviction process before the onset of monsoon, they said.
The Commission will have a day-long sitting at the Santhanpara Panchayat Community Hall on Tuesday.
Those who have interests in Mathikettan should submit their documents for verification at Santhanpara. According to the commission, these documents would be compared with the original documents with the Revenue and Forest Departments. Documents from 1922 will be made available for the purpose, they said.
The commission will declare a cut-off date for final verification of documents. Settlers should submit the valid documents to the District Collector before the specified date.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
'Nammal Thammil' By Viji Thampi
'Nammal Thammil' Viji Thampi Film
Actor brothers Indrajith And Prithvi Raj have come together in Nammal Tammil in lead roles with Navya Nair as heroine. Director Viji Thampi will start shooting Nammal Thammil in April last week at Trivandrum.
Balachandra Menon, Siddique, Innocent, Jagathy Sreekumar, Harisree Asokan, Suhasini, Bhavani are the main actors in Nammal Tammil. Gireesh Puthancery has penned the Songs while Vidya Sagar has scored the music.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Dileep
Dileep has no dates to spare in 2002. He is so busy that he could not present himself to receive the 'Mathrubhumi' popular actor of the year award at Kochi. He sent Manju Varier, his wife, who was not seen on stage for a long time to receive the award.
His demand as a successful hero started with Parakkum Thalika and Ishtam. Mazhathullikkilukkam followed. His new film Kuberan with Samyuktha Varma and Uma as his heroines has just released and running well. The fact that there are only a fewer new films in the circuit and no superstar films came out during this period did contribute to the present status of Dileep.
Excerpts from the interview.
With the success of Parakkum Thalika and Ishtam You have become a prized actor in Malayalam films. How do you take this situation?
This is just my lady luck. Luck and gift of Providence. I had a feeling that ParakkumThalika. would be a success when I was acting in it. But I never thought it would become a hit.
Every hit brings a set of clones to the screen. That is the trend of the industry. Would you accept such monotonous roles?
One can't say that definitely. But it is natural to make similar films, when a humorous film becomes a hit. Nobody would risk his or her money in a project, which would fail. So every body connected with the show business takes a path of sure success. Actors also have no choice. I believe that many films fail in box office due to dearth of good stories. Sometimes the stories of present films remind me of old films.
You have acted along with superstars. What have you learned from them?
An actor would automatically learn a lot of things from others. I consider myself as a student of acting. I don't consider myself as a complete actor. I try to learn from my seniors also. (Dileep acted in, Raakshasaraajan along with Mammootty and almost shot a couple of scenes with Mohan Lal in now abandoned Chakram)
Why do you think the audience likes you?
I think people like my looks and expressions. For sometime I was an assistant to director Kamal. This helped me to measure up the possibilities of a character and meet the expectations of a audience.
We miss Manju Varier very much. She is an actress of unmatched talents. Nobody has replaced her so far. Audience is eager to see Manju Varier once again on screen. What is her reaction? Wouldn't you let her act?
It is her decision not to act again. I am happy that every body likes her. It gives me immense pleasure to hear that she is adored as an actress by Keralites. But I don't think she will change her decision. She is a housewife now. We have a daughter Meenakshi. She is content with her present life.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Shaji, Ranji and Mohanlal!
Shaji Kailas and Ranji panikkar team again!
Shaji Kailas started his victorious film career with Ranji Panikkar as his favourite scriptwriter, and Suresh Gopi as hero for his super action films. Shaji then for a short period worked on with other scriptwriters like Ranjith, just to get out of the monotony of working with Ranji Panikkar. His success made Mammootty and Mohanlal to accept roles in his films later.
Now Shaji Kailas and Ranji Panikkar are once again coming together to make a film, which will go to shooting floor in September. Mohan Lal is the hero of this film. Antony Perumbavoor will be producing this film.
Monday, April 29, 2002
Karunakaran makes dynastic moves ahead of retirement
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress veteran and four time Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran appears to have succeeded in extracting a promise from party president Sonia Gandhi to field his daughter Padmaja Venugopal in the Lok Sabha polls before his rumoured impending retirement from electoral politics.
Padmaja, who visited New Delhi last week following summons from her father, had an hour-long meeting with Gandhi, according to a close aide to the wily old man of Kerala politics.
The aide said the plan was for Padmaja to swap places with her brother and Kerala's Congress unit president K Muraleedharan, who is also a member of the Lok Sabha, when the current term of the lower house of Parliament ends.
Karunakaran wants Muraleedharan to play a more active role in state politics, the aide said. The veteran politician was piqued when the party leadership rejected his attempt to get party nomination for Padmaja for the state assembly elections last year.
Karunakaran's dynastic moves come in the wake of speculation that the 85-year-old veteran is finally ready to retire from electoral politics.
The speculation has gained strength following reports that a new house built by Padmaja, a stone's throw distance from the famous Sri Krishna Temple at Guruvayoor, was to enable her father to reside close to his favourite deity.
In or out of office, Karunakaran has invariably visited the Guruvayoor temple on the first day of every month in the Malayalam calendar and special arrangements are made for him to pray when he visits the temple.
Karunakaran, who represents Mukundapuram constituency in the Lok Sabha, is said to have made up his mind not to fight any more elections although he has no plans to retire from politics.
"I don't think my father is going to retire from politics, which has always been his first love," Padmaja said.
Karunakaran, along with his daughter and her husband, now lives in a rented house in the heart of the state capital. They may move into the Guruvayoor house after a housewarming ceremony fixed for May.
Monday, April 29, 2002
Former CPM leader KPS Menon is dead
KOCHI: Former Rajya Sabha member and CPM leader K P S Menon, 78, died here on Sunday. Funeral was held on the premises of his residence at Njarakkal, near here.
The CITU leader has been ailing for some time. He is survived by wife, two sons and a daughter.
Menon had worked as secretary of the parliamentary party office of the undivided communist party. When the party split, he continued in the CPM. In 1967, when EMS Namboothirippad became the Chief Minister of Kerala, Menon was appointed his private secretary. He also represented the party in the Rajya Sabha for six years from late 1960s.
In the seventies, he shifted his activities to Kochi. He worked as district secretary and president of the CITU. He served as the trade union representative in the Cochin Port Trust board for several years.
He was the president of the CITU-affiliated Cochin Port Employees Organisation. At the time of death, he was its secretary. He had also served as working president of the Water Transport Workers Federation of India. Menon began his career as a havildar clerk during the World War II.
In 1947, he worked in the Pierce Leslie. He was then elected as secretary of the Cochin Commercial Employees Association.
He then went to Mumbai. While working at the office of Joint Chief Controller of Import and Export, Menon was dismissed from service for being a communist. He worked in the office of united communist party in Mumbai and later in Delhi.
Monday, April 29, 2002
MCI sanction likely for 4 pvt Medical Colleges
KOZHIKODE: The Medical Council of India is likely to give sanction for four medical colleges in the private sector in the State, Health Minister P Sankaran said.
None of these colleges will be in Malabar as the Calicut University has refused to give affiliation certificates.
‘‘There were six applications from Malabar region. But the University did not give affiliation certificates to any of them. The MCI will not consider the applications without the certificates,’’ he said.
The Minister said efforts are on to complete the construction of the super specialty block at the Kozhikode Medical College. A sum of Rs 5.3 crore has been spent for the purpose. Another Rs 2.22 crore was sanctioned.
A herpetology unit has been set up under Gastroenterology department. A critical care unit will be set up bringing together medicine, surgery and anaesthesia departments.
The work on three-storied PG hostel will be completed this year itself. One more x-ray machine will procured for the hospital. A new cobalt therapy unit will be opened soon. Steps will be taken to set up blood banks at all taluk hospitals.
A sum of Rs 45 lakh has been allotted for the construction of new building for the Thiruvangoor Primary Health Centre.
Monday, April 29, 2002
Heavy turnout for medical entrance exam
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM April 28. The All India Medical Entrance Examination held in the city on Sunday recorded a heavy turnout of aspirants.
As many as 6,000 students from various parts of the State appeared for the entrance examination, held at various centres in the capital.
The examination for admission to various medical colleges in the country was conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) at 10 centres in the city.
The examination centres were at the VSSC school, Pattom Kendriya Vidyalaya, St. Mary's High school, Pattom, Arya Central School, Government Model HS, Mar Ivanios College, Pangode Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sainik School, Sarvodaya Vidyalaya and NSS public school. All the centres witnessed huge crowds of students.
Anxious parents were seen waiting outside the centres till their wards came out from the examination halls. At most venues, students and parents could be seen discussing the questions.
Most of the lodges in the city were occupied. Many of the candidates appearing for the examination were accompanied by their parents and had started pouring into the city two or three days before the examination.
As the examination concluded at 12-30 p.m, most restaurants were packed with parents and students.
Heavy rush was also registered at the bus station and the railway station.
Saturday, April 27, 2002
AG’s office bares Rs 200-cr reoption scam
AG’s office bares Rs 200-cr reoption scam
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The pay fixation headquarters in the Accountant General’s office has unearthed irregularities to the tune of over Rs 200 crore in the reoptions allowed to Government employees and teachers after the pay equalisation in 1992 and the pay revision in 1997 under the UDF and the LDF Governments.
However, making a mockery of the entire auditing process, the AG’s office has decided to put on hold the finalisation of the process and ordered the disbanding of the headquarters here which inquired into the fraud. The AG’s office has been under tremendous pressure to suspend the work as the next stage of detailed investigation by the pay fixation headquarters was into the aided school and the college sectors. The reoption fraud involves hundreds of drawing and disbursing officers and individual employees in the State service including aided teachers in schools and colleges. Reoption facilitates an employee to opt an increment date or promotion date of his choice to fix the pay scale after a pay revision.
The reoptions allowed after March 1, 1992 pay equalisation orders in respect of 1992 pay revision alone have an impact of over Rs 400 crore by recurring expenditure to the exchequer every year. It was detected that half of the claims were fraudulent. Through various orders and circulars issued by the Finance Department, even the Cabinet was misled and kept in the dark about the fraud by top officials.
The 1992 pay equalisation orders were issued on the basis of enhancement of pay by 7 per cent of the basic pay of the post held as on March 1, 1992 and fitment in the revised scale. The financial commitment on this account was estimated at nearly 15 per cent of the total salary bill of the State Government employees and aided college-school teachers.
An amendment was brought in by a special order on December 8, 1993 by which permission was granted to opt the pay of the promoted post to which an employee was promoted on or after March 1, 1992. This benefit was extended to teachers with reference to their grades through an order on June 9, 1994 and to Government employees through an order on December 5, 1995.
The Government specifically said that promotions and higher grades granted up to May 31, 1996 alone could be reopted. The impact of this order, with DA then prevailing at more than 100 per cent, was over Rs 100 crore a year, including pension benefits such as gratuity, commutation and enhanced pension.
Then came the pay revision under the LDF Government with effect from March 1, 1997. While issuing the pay revision orders, the Cabinet said that reoption would not be allowed for the past pay revision except in cases involving court interventions and retrospective promotions.
But, violating the Cabinet decision, orders were issued by the Finance Department on February 5, 1999 allowing reoption to those employees who could not exercise reoptions for 1992 pay revision with reference to higher grades on or after March 1, 1992 for a date beyond May 31, 1996. In the order, no cut-off date was mentioned for filing reoptions.
Since the order on the revision for 1997 was in force, it created confusion over reoption in many departments. But without consulting the Government, a clarification was issued on behalf of an Under Secretary in the Finance Department on December 20, 1999 stating that higher grades granted between June 1, 1996 and January 5, 1998 could be reopted. It virtually made void the April 11, 1996 order restricting the reoption. Following this, many drawing-controlling officers, particularly in the Education Department, allowed reoptions up to increment dates in 1999 for 1992 pay revision and simultaneously 1997 pay revision.
The Treasury payments came to a standstill in two months after the clarification order was issued by the Finance Department, violating the Cabinet decision to stop reoption to past pay revisions. Alarmed by the Treasury crisis, the order which violated the Cabinet decision was cancelled. Some of the affected parties moved the High Court, but the Government failed to argue its case and was forced to reverse the order and allowed that reoptions filed up to May 4, 1999 were valid.
In another parallel development, on the strength of the Finance Department order violating the Cabinet decision (allowing reoption to those employees who could not exercise reoptions for 1992 pay revision), some retired officers floated private consultancies for pay fixation. They detected that if 1992 pay revision was brought to increment dates of 1997 or 1998, many employees will benefit to the tune of Rs 450 to Rs 800 in the basic pay on account of reoption.
In each cases, these consultants prescribed suitable dates, finalised excess pay increments and drafted orders. The department officers being the subordinates of these consultants earlier or ignorant of the implications, approved pay fixation. Within days, arrears worth crores were claimed and disbursed. The only excuse offered by the drawing and disbursing officers for this fraud was administrative delay.
A Government circular on June 28, 1995 specifically stated that arrears on account of revision of options are payable only from the date of actual exercise or the filing of option and not from the date of option.
The circular also specified that the arrears of salary relating to periods prior to the date of exercising reoption will not be paid. This circular was misinterpreted by department officers and arrears from the date of effect of reoption were adjusted against excess payments and the balance were drawn and disbursed.
Saturday, April 27, 2002
Mathikettan issue an eye-opener to govt: Antony
KOTTAYAM: Chief Minister A K Antony has admitted that the Mathikettan issue is an 'eye-opener' to the government since its 'zeal to provide land to the landless tribals has given room for land grabbers to manipulate things.'
Antony told mediapersons here that the State Government is committed to take over all vested forests under the custody of private parties and also evict encroachers from government land.
He said that the Forest Protection Bill piloted by the UDF Government in the place of the ordinance presented by the predecessor government will take care of the green concerns of the State in a comprehensive manner. The Bill will be enacted soon after the Select Committee gives its recommendations.
"Henceforth, the government will take extreme care while identifying land to be given to the tribals. In no circumstance will dense forests be earmarked for this purpose. No land will be distributed in Mathikettan and all encroachers will be evicted from the area without fail. However, the decision will in no way affect the government's commitment to provide land to the landless tribals," he said.
Responding to the demand made by Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan while addressing a news conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday that the Chief Minister should quit the post owning moral responsibility for the encroachment in the Mathikettan hills, Antony said he was wondering all these days why such a demand is not being made by the former.
"The encroachment in the particular area has its genesis in 1958. During the last government's term, it reached its peak. Not even once was eviction carried out by the LDF Government. But the present government ordered eviction many times," he said.
Antony reiterated that the CPM policy on encroachment is nothing but a classic case of adopting double standards. While the party raises allegations over Mathikettan, CPM leaders led encroachment drives in at least 12 places in the State in the past three months in the name of Adivasis. In effect, the CPM wants to torpedo the land distribution to the tribals, he said.
On the charge that the government is hiding many things with regard to the proposed ADB loan, Antony said that everything will be disclosed at the appropriate time. "We've nothing to hide. Everything will be made public and even put on the Internet," he said.
Antony said that there are no moves to close down profit-making PSUs in the State. The propaganda that 2,000 schools will be closed down in the coming academic year is also not true. Only 48 schools are being closed down.
However, Antony made it clear that it is virtually impossible for the government to support the education sector as before. The decision to promote the unaided stream is the fallout of the financial crunch that the government faces, he said.
Antony claimed that the lesser turnout of applicants to become licensees of toddy shops is the result of their realisation that they can't sell spurious liquor as in the past.
He also disclosed that talks between the government and representatives of service organisations will be held on May 9 to discuss the administrative reforms and ways to check corruption in the civil service.
Saturday, April 27, 2002
Evidence against CPM councillor 'missing'
KOCHI: Even as the hearing on the disqualification case of Uma Antony, the CPM councillor in Kochi corporation, is to be held on April 30, a crucial file which may turn out to be a strong evidence against the councillor is reportedly ‘missing’ from the corporation office.
The ‘untraceable file’ assumes considerable significance given the existing UDF-LDF equations in the corporation council as disqualification of Uma Antony simply means the end of LDF rule in Cochin corporation.
In the 66-member council, the ruling LDF enjoys the support of only 33 members. Of this, CPM councillor and Dy Mayor A V George is continuing as a councillor on the support of a High Court stay, in another disqualification case.
In response to a petition filed by Congress councillor David Parambithara, the State Election Commission had asked Uma Antony to answer the charges levelled against, her last month. The major allegation against Uma is that by way of accepting monetary benefits from a homoeo hospital under Kochi corporation, the Homoeo Medical Co-operative Society funded by the corporation, she had violated the State Municipalities Act. And thus she was not eligible to hold her post as the councillor.
However, Uma’s argument was that her association with the Homoeo hospital had nothing do with the State Municipalities Act. It is pointed out that the corporation entered in to the agreement with the co-operative society while Uma Antony was the president of the society. It is this crucial file that has now disappeared from the corporation.
According to David Parambithara, the ‘missing file’ is a crucial evidence to prove his case pending before the State Election Commission. ‘‘In her capacity as the president of the co-operative society, it was Uma Antony who signed the pact with the corporation. The ruling front fears that the file would seal the fate of Uma and thus the LDF in the corporation,’’ he claimed.
The issue came to the fore when the Health Standing Committee met recently to renew the agreement between the Corporation and the Homoeo Co-operative Society. At the meeting Opposition leader N Venugopal demanded the tabling of the last agreement the corporation entered in to with the co-operative society. With the standing committee chairman failing to table this, the UDF member boycotted the meeting. Later, Venugopal formally wrote to the corporation secretary demanding a copy of the expired agreement. The secretary replied that the file was with the audit wing.
However, the audit director, in response to a petition from the Opposition leader wrote that the file was not with his department.
Mayor C M Dinesh Mani told this website's newspaper that he was not aware of the issue. A vigilance inquiry against the Kochi corporation Homoeo Medical Co-operative Society, including Uma Antony, is going on as per the direction of the joint registrar of the Ernakulam District Co-operative Society.
Saturday, April 27, 2002
Yesudas selected for M K K Nair award
KOCHI: Renowned playback singer K J Yesudas has been selected for this year's Fact-M K K Nair award, jointly instituted by Fact Laltakalakendra and the M K K Nair Foundation.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, C T Ramadas, its general secretary, said Yesudas had been selected for his immense contribution in the field of music and for social service.
The award carries a prize money of Rs 25,000, a citation and a statuette designed by well-known artist C N Karunakaran. The award would be given away on May 15 during the anniversary celebrations of the Laltakalakendra at Udyogamandal.
Saturday, April 27, 2002
Gang overpowered, booty recovered
Gang overpowered, booty recovered
KUTTIKANAM: Four youths of a six-member gang from Changanassery, who were speeding away in a van after attacking officials of Elappara Seminy Valley Tea Estate and snatching away Rs 3.25 lakh, were waylaid and caught by locals at Murinjapuzha near here. Two of the remaining members of the gang escaped from the overturned vehicle, from which the entire booty was recovered.
The filmi style action began from Elappara town in the morning. The youths followed Seminy Valley Estate section officer K N Neelakandan Nampoothiri, who was travelling in a car with his driver after withdrawing cash from the bank. The money was meant for disbursal of salaries to workers in the estate. The youths in the van overtook the car and blocked it near Odichukuthi area. They attacked Nampoothiri and driver Kunjan with swords, when the latter remained unwilling to part with the cash chest. Later, the youths began a speedy course towards the Mundakkayam route with the booty.
Meanwhile, passersby alerted the Peermade police station as well as contacts in places downstream. Alert locals also put roadblocks in the Murinjapuzha area. Though the youths in the van tried to jump the vehicle over the blocks, it turned turtle and fell into a wayside pit.
Changanasery Kurisummood Kottavila Puthenveettil Liju Antony, 25, Kallukulam Jomon, 25, Puthuparampil Shine alias Shaju, 24, and Karukachal Palackal Rajiv, 30, were caught hold of by locals, even as gang leader Kurisummoodu Baiju, 22, and another member Jinson, 30, escaped. Jomon and Shine sustained serious injuries. People also recovered two swords from the vehicle, apart from the cash.
Neelakandan Nampoothiri has been admitted to the Kottayam Medical College Hospital with grievous injuries. Driver Kunjan is under treatment at the Peermade government hospital. The Peermade police have registered a case.
Saturday, April 27, 2002
Six injured in communal clash
PALAKKAD: Tension mounted in Akkathethara on Friday when two sections of the Hindu community clashed over a trivial issue which resulted in stab wounds to six persons, including an additional sub-inspector.
Eight persons were held in this connection. Nairs and Vadugas clashed over seating arrangements for a music concert in connection with the Karivela of the Chathankulangara Bhagavathy temple in Akkathethara .
Mani who received knife injuries is in a serious condition and has been admitted to the Medical college, Thrissur.
The other injured have been identified as additional sub-inspector P M Unnikrishnan, his brother Mohandas, Ramdas, Sudhakaran and Asokan.
Unnikrishnan who hailed from the area had tried to arrange a reconciliation meet between the two communities.
A shop and a house were set afire by some miscreants. Some locals, including women, said police beat them up and have got themselves admitted to the district hospital here.
Saturday, April 27, 2002
Sachin, Hrithik, Shah Rukh associated with company booked for 'fraud'
MUMBAI/NAGPUR: It hit the headlines last year with an innovative Rs 10-crore ad campaign featuring three of India’s top three youth icons _ Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan. It’s hit the headlines again; only this time, HomeTrade.com is being charged with fraud.
The Nagpur Central Co-operative Bank has filed an FIR with the State CID (crime) alleging a Rs 94-crore government securities fraud and the website has already asked its employees to stay home till further instructions.
Once associated with big names of the corporate world, including Pricewaterhouse Coopers (which ran its back office operations), AT Kearney and Andersen Consulting, HomeTrade has been booked under sections 420, 406 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
In its FIR, the bank has alleged that HomeTrade defaulted on delivering government securities (Gilts) certificates worth Rs 94 crore, which it bought on behalf of the bank.
The complaint says it has been trading in government securities since February 2001 with five broking firms, including HomeTrade Securities, which provided original Gilt certificates till January 25 this year.
However, since then the brokers have failed to deliver the securities worth Rs 125.60 crore purchased from January onwards. Of this, HomeTrade is the biggest defaulter _ Gilts certificates worth Rs 94 crore haven’t been delivered to the bank, according to the complaint.
HomeTrade’s public relations agency said that they have resigned from the account ‘just last week’ due to the prevailing uncertainty over the portal and directed queries to Home Trade promoter Sanjay Agarwal.
His mobile was switched off and he couldn’t be contacted for his version by this website's newspaper despite repeated attempts. When contacted, RBI officials say that their probe is on and it has already alerted the top officials in the State government and the police about the fraud.
A report would be sumbitted to state government so that they can take appropriate action against the bank and other defaulters.
Under the prevailing laws, co-operative banks are governed by both the RBI and the registrar of cooperative societies which comes under the state government.
The bank management is expected to face some tough questioning on why they did not take any action when HomeTrade started defaulting, say RBI sources.
HomeTrade was promoted by Euro Discover Technology Ventures (EDTV), a global tech venture fund registered in Mauritius. EDTV, funded by a consortium of NRI investors, was set up by Sanjay Agarwal in 1997 with the objective of building sustainable and distinct businesses with a high value generating potential in the convergence economy.
Friday, April 26, 2002
All settlers at Mathikettanmala will be evicted: Antony
Chief Minister A K Antony categorically stated that the Mathikettanmala would be protected and all encroachers evicted.
Talking to newspersons in Kottayam, he said those overtly or covertly helped encroaching would also be brought before the law. The Government would not protect any one in that case. Because of the Mathikettan controversy all future actions, including allocation of lands to adivasis, would be taken with utmost care.
The government had acted with a little haste with regard to Mathikettan as it was a matter concerning the adivasis. Now steps were being taken to correct all omissions and commissions, he added.
Referring to the opposition leader's demand for his resignation owning moral responsibility for the Mathikettan controversy, he said there was nothing extraordinary in that demand and it was part of the CPI (M)'s double standard. During the last three months it had helped adivasis to encroach at 12 centres in the state. When the CPI (M) was in power it had adopted an apathetic attitude towards the adivasis, he added.
Referring to disinvestment, Mr Antony said no profit-making public sector unit would be closed. To a question, he said two self-financing institutions would be equal to one government institution vis-a-vis delivering the goods to common man.
Friday, April 26, 2002
Training in film-making imperative: jury
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM The Minister for Culture, G. Karthikeyan, who announced the awards at a press conference here with the Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, said that the awards would be presented at a function to be held in Kozhikode on May 16. The J. C. Daniel Award would be announced before that. It could not be announced now as the selection process was not over, Mr. Gopalakrishnan said.
The awards carry a statuette and a citation each besides cash prizes of varying amounts. For the best film, the producers, Latha Kurien, Rajiv and K. Madhavan, will get Rs. 45,000 and the director Rs. 20,000. The producers of the second best film, M. V. Sreyaz Kumar, will receive Rs. 30,000 and its director, Rs. 15,000. The best director will get Rs. 20,000.
Meanwhile, the State film awards jury headed by the noted director, Priyadarsan, said here today that the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy should evolve a mechanism to impart training in documentary and children's filmmaking, The jury expressed its unhappiness over the documentaries. Some of the films did not even have the desired format.
The condition of children's film was pathetic.
The stories were not meant for children. The older generation was trying to establish its thoughts and ideas on the children and make the children speak like them, the jury said.
They observed that the debut films were a far cry from the basic aesthetics and fundamental grammar of cinema. Still, the entry of a number of new directors gave room for hope.
There were 22 feature films, nine documentaries and four children's films. Some of the films became notable for selecting distinct stories and the use of latest technology.
Certain popular formulae were repeated.
The jury came down heavily on the evolution of a new concept of beauty, which detailed the mental and physical frailties of the mentally and physically challenged. Strong female characters were missing this year too, the jury said.
Friday, April 26, 2002
VS questions move on income limit
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM APRIL 25. The Leader of the Opposition, V. S. Achuthanandan, has expressed suspicions about the Government's intentions in raising the income limit for eligibility to the reservation quota in professional college admissions in the State.
In a statement here today, he noted that the Government had raised the family's annual income limit from Rs. 1.5 lakhs to Rs. 2.5 lakhs for a candidate to be eligible for the reservation benefits.
"The court itself had clarified that the benefits of reservation should be extended to the people not on the basis of caste alone. The financial status of the candidate too should be taken into consideration,'' he said.
Mr. Achuthanandan said such a principle would ensure that the students who came from the more backward families among the backward communities received admissions to professional colleges.
The children of the less-privileged would be deprived of the opportunity to come up in life because of the Government's new decision. The reservation quotas for backward communities used to be filled every year even when the annual family income limit had remained at Rs. 1.5 lakhs.
There had been no report about the backward communities being denied of their full quota because of this.
Mr. Achuthanandan asked whether it was on the basis of any study that this new decision to raise the income limit was taken. He said people would have understood it if the Government had appointed a commission to study the issue and the decision was on the basis of the commission's report.Instead, the Government had suddenly come up with an executive order intended to upset the very principle of reservation.
The High Court was presently looking into a case accusing the Education Minister of having tried to manipulate the income certificate of a candidate to help him win the reservation benefits. Mr. Achuthanandan asked whether it was to wriggle out of this case that the Education Minister had issued the order raising the income limit.
Friday, April 26, 2002
To hit the screens this season
This is the final list of all the films that were mean to hit the screens this season. One never knows how many would materialize, but if you see them in theatres nearby, you'll know if you'd want to see them or not.
Phantom - Biju Varkee is known to bring in unexpected subjects in his films. This is the first time that he is working with Superstar Mammootty. Mammootty had gone to Bollywood to become a film star but ends up becoming the stunt double of another famous star. He returns to his village to attend his brother's wedding. All the chaos he causes there is what the story is about.
Onnaman - This film is an out and out Mohanlal film. The film tries to capitalize on his star value and his image. But then, this is on top of the list of Vishu releases this year. Under the banner of GK Internationals, the film has been directed by Thambi Kannanthaanam. This film is expected to be another milestone in the star-studded career of Mohanlal. The film also stars Biju Menon, Ramya Krishnan and others. Story of this film has been around on this site for quiet some time now.
Kuberan - This is Dileep at his comic best. Under the banner of Revathi Kalamandir, the film has been directed by Sundardas. Dileep is 'Siddhartan'… we had its story last time. Two sentences- this is the story of a poor man who dreams of being rich someday. How he does that thanks to his neighbor Puja, that's the rest of the story.
Pagalpuram - Another comedy this season. This time it is from Mukesh. He plays the role of a powerful tantrik, Gowridaasan of Sooryamangalam mania. The film stars Jagadi, C.A. Paul, Harishri Ashokan, Geethu Mohandas and others.
Kanmashi - After his "Aakashathile Paravagal", this is VM Vinu's next directorial venture. Child star Vineeth Kumar is a group up star and this is his first film as an adult star. Nithya Das is the heroine. This is a clean romantic love story set in the backdrop of a close-knit family, says the director.
'Saavithriyude Aranyaanam' - this film is based on a short novel of M.Mukundan. This is a comedy that revolves around a waistlet that a beautiful woman's husband pawns for money. The troubles that this waistlet brings in the lives of the pawn broker and the one who pawned it is depicted humorously.
Nandanam - the film launches Prithviraj, a hunk in the making. Son of late actor Sukumaaran, he debuts in this film in a romantic role. Navya Nair, Revathy, Jagadi, Jagadeesh and others star with him.
Shivam - This film too is made under the banner of Revathi Kalamandir and has been directed by Shaaji Kailash. The film has Biju Menon in the role of a Police Officer. A very impressive performance this one is.
Friday, April 26, 2002
Discuss problems, they will vanish: Matha
PALAKKAD: Thousands of people braving scorching heat congregated to have darshan of, and listen to the lecture of, Matha Amrithanandamayi at the ashram at Puthur, on THursday, the first day of the visit to mark the first anniversary of the Brahmasthanam.
The Matha ascended the stage at 11 in the morning and performed bhajans and had satsang. She also gave darshan to devotees. Among those who visited the Amma was Union Minister of State for Railways O Rajagopal.
Speaking on the occasion, Matha Amrithanandamayi said that people should learn to face life irrespective of whether it offered joy or sorrow. Though one cannot control destiny an individual had the freedom to choose the act needed to counter it.
The Amma said that if one sulks for not getting what he or she wished the result would always be sorrow. One should learn to be thankful to what life has given and through perseverance could attain what we had lost.
Our problems are due to our egoistic attitude and one should learn to be patient and not to loose our cool even in tragic times.
The Matha said that it was lack of faith in one another which is the root cause of most of our problems. Most of the squabbles in households could be solved if they are discussed across the table – between husband and wife, parents and children and other members of the family. It is when confidence among the members of the family is lost that troubles erupt.
On Friday morning, the souvenir in connection with the visit of Matha Amrithanandamayi to Palakkad will be released by Finance Minister K Sankaranarayanan.
Friday, April 26, 2002
ADB assistance by October
ADB assistance by October
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister A K Antony said onThursday that departments should obtain the technical and administrative sanction for all projects proposed to be implemented this year before August 31.
Addressing a meeting of Secretaries and department heads at the Thycaud Guest House in the presence of his cabinet colleagues, Antony said that the trend of spending a major chunk of the Plan funds in the last few days of the financial year should be stopped. Projects should be implemented on time with the objective of improving administrative efficiency and the State’s financial position, he added.
Seeking a change in the mindset, right from the level of Ministers to that of lower-level staff, the Chief Minister said, ‘‘A large number of people are coming forward to invest in the State in the light of the changed situation. The State is slowly coming out of its financial crisis due to the Government’s belt-tightening measures. World Bank assistance has become a reality. We will receive ADB assistance by October. Last year, we received the maximum financial assistance from the Centre. This year too, viable projects have to be submitted for Central assistance. All Secretaries and department heads should study the recommendations in the Central budget,’’ he added.
‘‘The trend of even trivial matters being brought to the consideration of the Cabinet should stop. There should be a system in place by which officials should spend a minimum of three years and a maximum of five years in a post. Ministers and Secretaries should hold talks with service organisations to decide on the transfer norms for the department concerned. The Finance Department should inform each department of the maximum amount it can spend each month. Redeployment of staff to local bodies should be completed by May 31,’’ he said.
Friday, April 26, 2002
Director Priyadarshan's house stoned after awards announcement
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hours after he heaved a sigh of relief at the controversy-free passing of the Kerala film award announcements on Thursday, acclaimed director and jury chairman Priyadarshan learnt his home here had come under attack.
The filmmaker's elderly mother Rajamma was alone at the house in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram at about 9.15 p.m. when a barrage of stones landed in the compound, some shattering windowpanes. The attack reportedly lasted a few minutes.
A shaken Rajamma told Priyadarshan that she had earlier received several mysterious telephone calls, with the callers expressing anger that her son had not given superstar Mammooty any Kerala State Film Award.
"Now I realise that heading the jury is not a safe proposition," said Priyadarshan, who suspects that upset Mammooty fans were responsible for the attack.
"My mother received several threatening telephone calls. She ignored them, but soon after that this incident happened," he told IANS.
Added Priyadarshan, who has been staying at a hotel since he arrived here to chair the jury: "When I came to take charge as chairman, there could have been issues. But till this incident happened, I felt everything went off well.
Said Rajamma, who is yet to recover from the shock: "Initially I thought it was thunder because the lights in the house went off for a minute. When I peeped out of the window I saw lights in the nearby houses and I was scared. Since I was alone I was afraid to go out.
"After my husband came, I told him about the incident and called up Priyan (Priyadarshan) too. It was only in the morning that I saw huge stones in my compound. We have lodged a complaint with the police."
The Priyadarshan-led jury had adjudged Murali the best actor for his role in "Neythukaran." The jury chairman had earlier remarked that "Danny," which starred Mammooty and fetched the best director award for T.V. Chandran, was more of a director's film than an actor's.
Priyadarshan said Mammooty was never in the running for the best actor's award this year as Murali and Jayaram, who played the lead role in "Sesham," were the top contenders.
Friday, April 26, 2002
Award for Kamal may kick up a row
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The selection of Kamal as the best scriptwriter for the film ‘Megh Malhar’, after he had informed the Chalchitra Academy in writing that he need not be considered for any individual award as he was an executive committee member of the Academy, seems set to kick off a controversy.
Kamal has said that he would go by the Academy decision on the issue. Priyadarshan, the jury chairman, said in reply to a question that the jury only looked into the merit of the works that came up before it.
‘‘We are not bothered by the Academy decision. Kamal deserved the award. It is as simple as that,’’ he added.
Academy officials said that the jury knew that Kamal had decided to stay away from the race for individual awards. ‘‘We got Kamal’s letter and that was given to the jury before it got down to work,’’ they said.
A few of the jury members, when contacted, however said that they were unaware of Kamal’s decision. ‘‘We had seen reports in the media but there was no communication from the Academy,’’ some said.
According to sources, the jury found the standard of films so poor that only four films–– Sesham , Danny , Megh Malhar , Neythukaran and Theerthadanam –– figured in the their deliberations. ‘‘Both Sesham and Danny cannot be called great films. Both the films start excellently but fall away soon. But they were undoubtedly the best among the films we go to see. Some of the films were so crude and loud that it was a torture to sit through them,’’ said a member.
The jury thought Neythukaran was a ‘‘sincere attempt’’ although the creeping in of some elements of theatre did not do the film any good. Despite Megh Malhar ’s screenplay impressed the jury but the film lost out due to its technical flaws. Theerthadanam also came in for scrutiny but the majority of the members were of the opinion that the film did not do justice to the literary play on which it is based.
Friday, April 26, 2002
Samooha archana begins at Malayalappuzha
PATHANAMTHITTA: Hundreds of devotees participated in the Samooha archana which began at the Malayalappuzha Devi Temple on Thursday.
Devotees from the various parts of the State took part in the archana which was conducted at a specified location in the Yagnamandapam. The devotees, mostly women, brought flowers for the archana. The Devaswom authorities had made arrangements for providing food to the devotees.
Special Commissioner D Sreevallabhan who was at the Malayalappuzha temple, toldòf132ó The New Indian Express òf131óthat the arrangements for providing accommodation to more than 300 priests had been completed at a nearby school. With this, more priests were expected to participate in the archana and keep the time schedule, he said.
KADUM PAYASAM: Arrangements have been made for the distribution of the "Sathakodi Kadum Payasam" at the Malayalappuzha devi temple. Panchami Packs which prepares the 'Aravana' at the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple will undertake the task here also.
The company has been provided with the necessary infra-structure for the same. The sources said that the 'prasadam', in 250-gm containers, would be priced at Rs 35 a container.
Friday, April 26, 2002
Kerala State Awards 2001-Complete List
Best Movie - Shesham directed by T.K.Rajeev Kumar
Best actor - Murali for his role as Appamesthri in Movie Neythukaran
Best actress- Suhasini for her performance in the movie Theerthadanam
Best Director- T.V.Chandran for the movie Danny.
Best Playback singer-K.J.Jeshudas and Chithra
Other Awards:
Second Best Movie: Meghamalahar
Best supporting actor-Kochin Haneefa (In Movie Soothradaran)
Best supporting actress-Sona Nair (In Movie Neythukaran)
Best Child artiste-Krishna (Sari)
Best story-T.K.Rajeevkumar (Shesham)
Best Lyricist-Girish Puthenjeril
Best Music Director- M.G.Radhakrishnan (For Movie Achhaneyanikkishttam)
Best Background Music -Kaithapram Vishwanath (For movie Kannaki)
Best Photographer-K.G.Jayan
Best Screen Play-Kamal
Best Editor-Sreekar Prasad (Shesham)
Best Sound Recordist-Simon Selvaraj
Best processing Laboratory-Chithranjali Studio (For movie Dani)
Best Costume Designer-Sabitha Jayaraj and Thankamani (Kannaki)
Best Children Film-Pularum Vettam
Director of Best children film-Harikumar
Best book on cinema-Anukalpanathintey Attaprakaram written by Dr Sudha Warrier.
Friday, April 26, 2002
State Film Awards Announced
The Kerala Film State Awards were announced in Thiruvananthapuram by state minister G Karthikeyan. Murali bagged the best actor award for the film Neythukaran and Suhasini was voted Best Actress for 'Theerthadanam'. This is Murali's fourth award, his having won the Kerala state award on three previopus occasions, and Suhasini's second. She had won once before for 'Vanaprastham'. Shesham was judged the best film and T V Chandran the best director for Dany. The chairman of the deciding jury was Priyadarshan, Kavitha Lankesh and Rajiv Menon were members of the panel.
Jayaram walked away with the special jury award for his performances in 'Shesham' and 'Theerthadanam'. Cochin Hanifa was adjudged the second best actor for his role in 'Suthradharan' and Sona Nair received second place for her role in 'Neythukaran'. The second ranking film was 'Meghamalahar'. The screenplay for this film was written by Kamal who bagged the best screenplay award. K G Jayan was adjudged best cameraman for his work in 'Dany'. Most popular film was understandably 'Ravana Prabhu'. Sreekar Prasad received the best editor award for 'Shesham'. Priyanandan was considered the best debut director for 'Neythukaran', and the best children's film prize went to 'Pularavattom' directed by Harikumar. Best music director M G Radhakrishnan was appreciated for 'Achanaishtam' and the best background score award went to Kaithapram for 'Kannagi'. Best lyricist this year is Girish Puthencheri for 'Ravana Prabhu' and Yesudas received the best singer prize for his song in the same film, while best female singer was Chitra for her song in 'Theerthadanam'. Screen writer Kamal who is a member of the Chalchitra academy, which is in charge of the awards selection, said that he had not decided whether to accept the award or not. There is a view that academy members should not put their films for judgement before the jury, and this was the reason for his hesitation. 'Shesham's' director Rajiv Kumar who was also an academy member had resigned from the body when this criticism came up.
Friday, April 26, 2002
Antony condoning police excesses: Padmanabhan
Antony condoning police excesses: Padmanabhan
KANNUR: BJP state president C K Padmanabhan today said instances of police excesses were on the rise in the state and that Chief Minister A K Antony was condoning ‘‘unbridled exercise of power’’ by the police.
Talking to mediapersons here, Padmanabhan said the police were not acting impartially while dealing with the criminal offences and this had already caused much discontent among the people.
Taking strong exception to the police action of listing BJP district president O K Vasu as one of the accused in a country-bomb explosion case, Padmanabhan said this was part of a bid to harass and silence political leaders. He said the district office of his party here was raided by the police without any valid reason and added, the police hadn’t resorted to such an action even during the LDF rule in the state.
on the encroachment of land in Mathikettan Mala, he said the Government was trying to hush up the whole issue by transferring officials. Seeking an investigation by a ‘special agency’ into the issue of encroachment, he said the Government was bound to protect forest land and added, this was why the Central Government had sought a detailed report on the issue.
Friday, April 26, 2002
Another channel for Malayalam entertainment: Jeevan TV to start from July 14
KOCHI: With Jeevan Telecasting Corporation Ltd (JTCL) deciding to start telecasting from July 14, Kerala has got another Malayalam channel.
The public limited company with an initial investment of Rs 25 crore will beam a 24-hour satellite TV channel from its two studios set up at Palarivattam in Kochi for news and for other programmes including discussions, debates, musicals and talkshows.
The company chairman, Archbishop of Thrissur Mar Jacob Thoomkuzhi, and managing director P C Cyriac said at a press conference here on Wednesday that the studios would be inaugurated by Revenue Minister K M Mani and filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan at 6 pm on Friday.
Former Chief Minister P K Vasudevan Nair will inaugurate 'Jeevan Clubs', which are grassroots level societies with television viewers of Jeevan TV as members.
Already there are 6000 shareholders and more will be added through private placement of shares. The face value of a share is Rs 1000 and the ordinary investors can become shareholders through Jeevan Clubs by investing as a group. The channel is expected to break even in two years.
Jeevan TV will focus on information and education without ignoring entertainment. The channel will show films on Saturdays and Sundays.
The new programmes will be objective and the entertainment programmes will not compromise on moral values. "The programmes will be such that they can be watched by the whole family sitting together," Cyriac said.
It will be run as a commercial channel and will not be under the control of the Church. Programmes worth Rs 4 crore are available with the company while more programmes are under production.
The channel will be using digital technology. A part of the equipment has been purchased and is in use. Another batch of equipment will be installed and commissioned within six weeks.
The channel's main income will be from advertisements. It has banned ads of liquor. News bureaus will be set up at Kochi, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram and Delhi.
Paul Alukka, a director of the channel, was also present.
The studios were blessed at a function on Thursday by Major Archbishop Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil. He said at a time when the TV programmes are ruled by violence and excess of sex, a channel like Jeevan TV, which will uphold moral values, has much relevance.
JTCL chairman Jacob Mar Thoomkuzhi, working chairman Fr Andrews Thazhath, vice-chairman Fr Augustine Vallooran, Jeevan Club co-ordinator P J Antony, managing director P C Cyriac, Bishop Thomas Chakyath and Rashtra Deepika resident manager Edison G Varghese were present.
Friday, April 26, 2002
Sesham adjudged best feature film; Top honours for T V Chandran, Murali, Suhasini
Sesham adjudged best feature film; Top honours for T V Chandran, Murali, Suhasini
Special jury award for Jayaram
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sesham, directed by T K Rajeev Kumar, edged out T V Chandran's Danny in the contest for the best film while Murali bagged the best actor award for his role of an old communist in Neythukaran and Suhasini walked away with the best actress award for Theerthadanam as the State film awards for 2001 were announced here on Thursday.
T V Chandran was chosen the best director for his film Danny. Krishna is the best child artiste for her role in Saree. Kanavumalayilaekku, directed by M G Sasi is the best documentary film while Pularvettom, directed by Harikumar, was adjudged the best children's film.
Jayaram, who was the only actor who provided competition for Murali, has been given a special jury award for the strikingly different roles that he played in three of his films that came up for consideration. The award for the best directorial debut went to Priyanandanan for Neythukaran.
The awards were announced by Cultural Affairs Minister G Karthikeyan at a news conference here on Thursday, in the presence of jury chairman Priyadarshan, jury members and Chalchitra Academy chairman Adoor Gopalakrishnan.
K J Yesudas and K S Chithra won the best playback singer awards in the male and female categories, for the songs Akashadeepangal Sakshi and Mooli Mooli respectively.
"Most of the decisions were unanimous. We had a tough time only in picking the best actor. Murali and Jayaram were equally good but then, the rather bad make-up took much away from Jayaram's performance in Theerthadanam. There was no other actor in the race," said Priyadarshan, who was impressive while fielding questions from the media.
Asked about Mammootty's performance in Danny, the jury chairman said, "Danny is a director's film and there was not much of a scope for Mammootty to display his acting skills."
The winner of the prestigious annual `K C Daniel award' for lifetime contribution to Malayalam cinema would be announced before May 16 when the State awards would be presented at a function here.
The award is usually announced along with the State film awards. "We could not choose the award winner because we were busy with the conduct of the International Film Festival of Kerala. A decision will be made soon ," Adoor Gopalakrishnan said.
It was Suhasini's totally natural style of acting as well as her capacity for restraint that won her the best actress award. Cochin Haneefa was picked as the second best actor for his role in Soothradharan while Sona Nair's performance in Neythukaran won her the second best actress award.
The film Changathikuttom, which deals with the socially relevant theme of AIDS and the society's response to it, won a special jury mention. Ravanaprabhu, the Mohanlal film directed by Ranjith, was adjudged the best film with aesthetic and popular appeal.
Meghamalhar, directed by Kamal, was selected as the second best feature film. Kamal won the award for the script of Meghamalhar. Harikumar was also chosen the best director of the children's film.
Dr Sudha Warrier got the award for the best book on cinema for her work Anukalpanathinte Attaprakaram. O K Johny won a special jury award for his work Cinemayude Varthamanam. Although 19 works came up for the best article on cinema award, none was found good enough for an award.
The following are the other awards: Story writer - T K Rajeev Kumar (Sesham), cinematographer: K G Jayan (Danny), lyricist: Girish Puthencherri (Ravanaprabhu), editor - Sreekar Prasad (Sesham), music director - M G Radhakrishnan (Achaneyanenikkishtan), background score - Kaithapram Viswanath (Kannaki), sound recordist - Simon Selvaraj (Sesham), costume - Sabitha Jayaraj (Kannaki), dubbing artiste - Thankamani (Theerthadanam).
As many as 22 feature films, nine documentaries and four children's films were in the fray for the awards. The jury, in its report, appreciated the fact that as many as 10 films were by newcomers.
It however expressed concern at the fact that strong female characters are missing in Malayalam cinema. The poor quality of children's films as well as documentaries also came up for mention.
The feature film/non-feature film jury headed by Priyadarshan comprised U A Khader, Dr Rajendrababu, Kavitha Lankesh, Rajeev Menon, S Basurachandran and Sivaprasad with Academy secretary K V Mohankumar as member secretary. The panel for writing on cinema, headed by Gracy, included Sahadevan and Pavithran as members.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
State to have two more forensic labs
KOCHI: Kerala will soon have two more forensic laboratories to ensure speedy disposal of crime cases awaiting expert scientific opinion at the lone speciality centre at Thiruvananthapuram.
The new laboratories will be set up in Kannur and Thrissur and will take care of medico-legal aspects of cases originating from northern and central districts respectively. The Government is according high priority to the Kannur facility, given the heavy demand on the forensic laboratory at Thiruvananthapuram, sources said. About Rs 75 lakh has been sanctioned for the Kannur regional laboratory. It will also receive a matching Central grant.
``There are several cases awaiting forensic opinion at Thiruvananthapuram. We are still working on incidents that took place in late 1999 and early 2000. This lab alone cannot cope with the pressure,'' sources said.
Though the State Government was also aware about the need for more forensic facilities, nothing materialised due to financial problems. But with the delay in obtaining expert opinion affecting smooth investigation into many cases, the Home Department decided to expand the network. ``We are also going ahead with the proposal to set up another lab at Thrissur. Both projects are being assisted by the Central Government. While Kannur lab will come up this year itself, the Thrissur facility will be commissioned next year,'' sources said.
The setting up of new labs alone will not help speedy disposal of cases. ``An acute shortage of manpower, including experts and personnel at all levels, is plaguing the forensic system. The State Government has to ensure timely recruitment to fill up all vacancies,'' sources said.
There are more than 10 vacancies at the Thiruvananthapuram lab. Kannur will need another additional 25 hands. If the vacancies are not filled up, we will again fail to achieve envisaged goals, an official said.
The Kerala Police are heavily dependent on expert forensic opinion for proceeding with their probe into sensational cases. ``We have been demanding modernisation of the forensic network for long. At present, a forensic expert has to travel all the way to Kannur for carrying out any specialised study. This not only caused considerable delay in probe but also reflected on its result,'' an official said.
All three labs will be linked when the police plan to build an exclusive computer backbone connecting all stations is completed. ``The network should be in place within four to five months. This will also mean faster communication between Police HQ and various districts,'' sources said.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Mavoor march turns violent
KOZHIKODE: Over 20 persons, including two police personnel, sustained injuries this morning when a march organised by casual and contract workers attached to the Grasim Gwalior Rayons at Mavoor near here turned violent. They were demanding proper compensation for their termination from service following the lockout of the factory.
Trouble began at around 11.30 am when the agitators, numbering around 100, tried to barge into the company compound raising slogans against the Government and factory management. A few among them, who succeeded to sneak into the 400-acre factory compound disregarding the presence of a heavy posse of police, also started attempts to take away various movable commodities from the factory compound. Yet another group climbed coconut trees in the compound to collect coconuts.
The agitators, including women, pelted stones at the police party led by Assistant Commissioner Viswanatha Kurup when the force tried to prevent them from destroying valuable assets of the factory. Constables K Venu and E Unnikrishnan suffered injuries in the attack. As many as 18 agitators received injuries when the police resorted to lathicharge at around 12 noon. Keezhvanchery Ranjith, N V Bhaskaran and V Narayanan, who suffered serious injuries in the lathicharge, were taken to the Medical College hospital later. Injuries sustained by all others were reportedly of minor nature.
Police have registered a case against 10 people including trade union leaders C N Vidhyadharan, V Aravindan, M
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Sudhakaran, Mani stick to their guns
THIRUVANATAHPURAM: The Mathikettanmala issue generated heat, yet again, at the Cabinet meeting this morning with both Forest Minister K Sudhakaran and Revenue Minister K M Mani sticking to their conflicting stands on the controversial issue.
When the meeting started, Mani expressed disgust at the way information on what transpired at Cabinet meetings was being leaked out to the media.
Industry Minister P K Kunhalikutty and Chief Minister A K Antony also said that it was a trend that should be arrested immediately.
It was also decided at the meeting that none of the Ministers would issue public statements on the Mathikettanmala issue.
Sudhakaran, who arrived with a specially prepared note on the issue, quoted relevant portions of the 1980 Forest Conservation Act to support his argument that the Forest Department should be given full control of the Mathikettan forest land.
Mani however stuck to his stand that it was revenue land and that the dual ownership should continue.
He added that while the Revenue Department had acted immediately after the controversy broke out, the response from the Forest Department was comparatively lukewarm.
Sudhakaran, on his part, said that the department was not empowered to act strongly against tree-fellers.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
BSNL withdraws facility
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BSNL is withdrawing from Thiruvananthapuram Telecom District the facility to make telephone calls using codes 91 and 92 to places up to 50 km from April 27 this year.
A BSNL statement said here on Wednesday that the withdrawal was due to technical reasons. However calls could be made to such areas using the numbers of the STD code omitting the zero from the code and using the number 95 in its place. For example, if a subscriber has to make a call to Kollam number, 740800, he should dial 95-474-740800. These calls will be treated as local calls. The telephones without the STD facility could also be used for such calls, the statement added.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Chilling stories from killing fields
KANNUR : A trickled droplet of blood makes its voyage from the killing fields of Kannur or Gujarat. Very often its a very long journey to Ashraf’s work places, where he tames concrete and mortar into houses or shopping complexes. And when the droplet reaches him, the heap of mortar before him suddenly smells of blood and death. He freezes even in the mid-summer heat.
Ashraf Adoor, a construction worker and author of a collection of short stories titled ‘Maranam Manakkunna Veedu’ (The house that smells of blood), has had this eerie experience since his childhood which gets reflected in his writings in a unique way.
The book has has fetched him as many as 25 awards, including the prestigious AKG memorial award.
Containing 35 stories, the book was first published by the Zero Publications Kadachira in August 2000. A few months ago the Papion brought out the second edition by adding three more stories.
It was his father’s death that shocked and chilled his senses first. (Ashraf wrote the story ‘Maranam Manakkunna Veedu’ based on the death of his father.
In this story, his father gets killed in the aftermath of the demolition of Babri masjid, though his father’s death had nothing to do with the Babri masjid issue as such. Besides, he was already dead anyway, in Ashraf’s own mind).
Ashraf was seven when a friend of his father’s brought the bad news. Ashraf has only a faint memory of his father, who had abandoned his wife and four little children years ago.
In Ashraf’s own words, his memory of his father does not go beyond a familiar name written on a hundred page note book. Still, the news shocked him.
‘‘All deaths make me cry, no matter who died. I weep for hours,’’ says the young writer who firmly believes that death and death alone is the ultimate reality.
Life has always been an excruciatingly painful experience for Ashraf. His family lived in grinding poverty since his father Muhammed abandoned them. Since then, Hajira, his mother, had to take up various odd jobs to feed her four children.
‘‘Umma would hold us to her at night, tears rolling down her eyes as she told us how she felt when father abandoned us and how much she was struggling to feed us. Umma’s face was always pale and wet. In fact, I am merely penning whatever she had told me time and again, while trying to lull us to sleep,’’ says Ashraf.
The shirt Ashraf wore on the first day in the local school was that of a sixteen year old boy, which his mother had borrowed from a neighbour. He looked like a clown in that oversized shirt. His mother washed and dried it every night so that he could wear it again the next day.
Ashraf had to discontinue his studies after SSLC to support his hapless mother who had been struggling to make both ends meet. He worked as a shop assistant, and then salesman in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, before becoming a construction worker in his own home town.
Mother was everything to Ashraf.
Father, mother, teacher and God rolled into one.
Though married with a child, this 31-year-old construction worker still feels the warmth of his mother’s tears on his cheek. Rather, it is omnipresent in his short but penetrating stories that smell of love, tears, blood and death.
One of the reasons why Ashraf’s stories smell of blood and death is that he hails from Adoor, a nondescript village in the blood-spattered Kannur district.
The young construction worker, who lives with his wife Hajira and son Athil at Muzhappilangad near Thalassery, still finds time to write after his tedious routine work, which he is doing to feed his wife and kid, as the haunting images that burn in his mind keep on hitting his conscience like a sledge hammer.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Father, son stabbed to death over dispute
KODAKRA: Varghese, 45, proprietor of a bakery, and his son Raigon, 20, were stabbed to death allegedly by Shiju, 28, hailing from Chellanam in Ernakulam district, late on Tuesday night.
Police said that, according to reports, Shiju had stabbed both the father and the son following a dispute between him and Varghese over change after buying a matchbox from the shop.
Shiju, who had bought a matchbox from the shop, presented a ten-rupee note to Varghese. Varghese insisted on change as the cost of the matchbox and Shiju left the shop after a quarrel.
About half an hour later, Shiju attacked the shopkeeper with a knife. Raigon and Thressiamma, wife of Varghese, who intervened, also got injured.
Varghese and Raigon succumbed to their injuries early this morning.
Police said a case has been registered and search for Shiji is on.
The injuries suffered by Threasiamma are not serious, police said.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Thrissur Pooram concludes
THRISSUR: Thrissur Pooram, the 30-hour-long display of colourful pageantry and unique orchestra and pyrotechnics, ended here this noon with the deities of Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady paying obeisance to Sri Vadakkunnathan and farewell to each other after the pakalppooram.
The two Devaswoms lined up their array of 15 elephants each on either side of the Sreemoolasthanam at 7 am. As the celebrated kudamattam yesterday had been disrupted by an unexpected downpour, the multi-coloured parasols were presented during the pakalppooram on Wednesday.
The pageants moved to the Sreemoolasthanam by about 12 noon when the orchestra stopped for the farewell ceremony. Bidding farewell to each other, the deities of Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady paid their respects to Sri Vadakkunnathan and left for their respective abodes.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Neythukaran
Category : Drama Year of Release : 2002 Rating / Certification : U
Review 'Neythukaran' ('The Weaver'), the first film of director Priyanandanan, is a film that deserves special mention. Produced by Sri. Balaji Films, it is a real experience for film lovers. Murali essays the role of Appamestri with characteristic ease. His performance no doubt is superb. Vijayaraghavan as Joshi and M.R.Gopakumar as Bahuleyan have done their roles perfectly well. Sona Nair as Appamestri's loving and caring daughter-in-law is also well cast. Cinematography by Jayan Joseph, editing by Venugopal and music by John.P.Varkey are the highlights of 'Neythukaran'. The script is by N. Sasidharan. A main feature of 'Neythukaran' is that the film does not attempt a deliberate glorification of EMS - the man, but attempts to depict EMS just as part of the communist movement. And it is this very fact that saves the film from being a mere biographical film or a political propaganda. It makes 'Neythukaran' a brilliant documentation of our times.
Story Line 'Neythukaran' tells the story of Appamestri, an old weaver, who is almost bedridden due to old age. Appamestri, a true activist, was very much associated with the communist movement in Kerala. The film begins with the death of EMS Namboothiripad, popularly called EMS, the most renowned leader of the communist movement in Kerala and the head of the first democratically elected communist government in the world. When old Appamestri hears on the radio the news of the leader's death, he drifts into a flash-back of his role during the formative years of the communist movement in Kerala. All along, the presence of EMS is very strong. Along with etching the role of EMS in promoting the communist movement in Kerala, the film also attempts to depict the political and cultural history of Kerala and also suggests the degeneration and decay of the communist movement over time. As part of this, is shown Joshi, Appamestri's son, who was once a revolutionary, but has now become a successful businessman and conveniently overlooks his political past. Also shown in the film is a character Bahuleyan, a friend of Joshi, who too, though a revolutionary once, is rather indifferent to such things now. The third generation, represented by the grandchildren, are representatives of a totally different culture. They are busy in their own world - cricket, pop-songs et al and are not a whit bothered about revolution, communism etc. Anyhow, in the two days following the death of EMS, Appamestri drifts in and out of the past, and then on the third day, when the body of the deceased leader is consigned to flames, Appamestri too collapses.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Pattiyude Divasam
Category : Drama Year of Release : 2002 Rating / Certification : U
Review Murali Nair, who shot to fame with 'Marana Simhasanam', is back with another film - 'Pattiyude Divasam' ('A Dog's Day'), a brilliant political satire. The film, shot in a totally rural background in Kuttanad, represents on a microscopic scale the state of affairs all over the world in the present day. Political developments, coup attempts, meaningless peace-talks and accords, third-party mediation - everything is taken up for discussion, of course on a miniature level. And the film becomes a really thought-provoking, brilliant social and political satire. A highlight of the film is that it has got very good quality spot recording that renders it an air of naturality.
Story Line A local ruler bows down to pressure from democratic forces and is forced to hand over a part of his province to a democratically elected leader. He also presents his pet dog to a poor peasant and his wife. For the poor peasant and his wife, the dog is not a mere dog, but a symbol of the Royalty which had always inspired in them feelings of respect, admiration and blind worship. They bathe the dog in a very ceremonious manner and take great care of it. They even desist from tying it up somewhere. But when the dog bites and kills a duck and then a boy, it leads to problems. The democratic leader orders the arrest of the dog, followed by the arrest of the poor peasant. Then follow protests, talks and negotiations leading to more interesting developments.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Geethu Mohandas: The Ghost in "Pakalppooram"
The ghosts in Indian films are invariably female ones. They are always draped in white sari. Do ghosts wear saris? Nobody has asked this question to any director but the tradition continues. They have long hair, which is spread out on their back. They never tie their hair. They always sing songs, conceived as enchanting ones but screaming scary when appearing on screen.
Geethu Mohandas who did a good role in Sesham, as a freelance press photographer and won the critics award is appearing in tantalizing poses in Pakalpooram. It is in the pretext of a ghost that Geethu Mohandas is portrayed in this attire. She is made to take bath in a river in some scenes in Pakalpooram a scene, which mainstream directors, had forgotten for some time.
Geethu is in the river in white. The black thick hair is spread all over. She is catching fish with a basket like utility. Her name is Mandakini. A black, village beauty. No sooner she springs up from the depths of the river a young man like a slippery fish falls flat on her. He is out of his senses. Mandakini helps the bundle of unconscious male body to the riverbank. When he comes back to senses he reveals everything to her. He is there to exorcist a ghost from the village. He did not succeed and is in trouble.
Yes he is really in trouble now for Mandakini wants to accompany him to the village. Who is she? There is something enigmatic about her. The young man is not able to decide. A sequence prior to the ghost scene conceived by Anil Babu is beautifully picturised in Pakalppooram. Geethu Mohandas of Tenkasippattanam is bringing all the spirit and mirth out of her in this scene
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Tusker injured in road accident
A tusker and its mahout were seriously injured when a speeding KSRTC bus hit them on the National Highway at Chathannur in Kollam district.
The tusker, Vanarajan(45), sustained serious injuries and would be able to move for at least three months, veterinary doctors said. The mahout was admitted to a local hospital. Police said the tusker was being taken to Kundara in connection with a temple festival when the accident took place. A crane was used to shift the elephant from the roadside for providing treatment.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Thousands witness Pooram Festival
The splendorous spectacles of 'Thekkottirakkam' (southward march) and 'Kudamattam"(change of parasols on elephants in competition), the highlights of the Thrissur Pooram, the annual national festival at the cultural capital of Kerala, were witnessed by hundreds of thousands of people, in the backdrop of the glittering setting sun, at the Thekkinkad Maidan in Thrissur in the evening.
As the caparisoned elephants, fifteen each from the 'rival sides', Thiruvambadi and Paramekkavu, stood in rows facing each other and the 'kudamattam' started, the milling crowed cheered either side and the traditional Chendamelam and Panchavadyam gave added glamour to the extravaganza.
The festival would conclude tomorrow with the usual bidding farewell by the rival sides promising to meet again next year. The other major highlight of the festival, the pyrotechnics competition between the two would be held early tomorrow morning.
The authorities had made elaborate arrangements for the convenience of the people from far and near converging at the Thekkinkad Maidan, the outer compound of the 'Vadakkunathan temple' of Siva.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
All revenue officials in Udumbanchola to be shifted: Mani
Kerala Revenue Minister K M Mani ordered the transfer of all officials in the Revenue, Survey and Cardamom Settlement in Udumbanchola taluk in connection with the large-scale encroachment of the Mathikettanmala in Idukki district.
Talking to newspersons in Thiruvananthapuram, he said the Land Revenue Commissioner had been issued directions to replace the existing officials in the taluk with new ones.
Stating that 90 per cent of the encroachments occurred during the regime of the previous Marxist-led Left Democratic Front government, Mr Mani said all illegal encroachers would be evicted from the Mathikettanmala Shola. During his visit to the area, he found that the Marxist-ruled Santhanpara panchayat tried to legalise the illegal settlement in the area. However, no action was taken by the previous government.
The new district collector had been issued necessary directions for the eviction of all the encroachers in the area. An action plan would be prepared in coordination with all the departments concerned, he added. He reiterated that the Mathikettanmala would not come under the Forest Conservation acts as it was under the Revenue Department.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Youngster held for splashing web with morphed porn
In what is claimed to be the first cyber sex crime in Kerala, police Tuesday arrested a youth on charges of sending through e-mail obscene pictures of women fabricated by computer-morphing.
Pathanamthitta Superintendent of Police K Radhakrishnan Nair told newsmen here that Aneesh(20), a B.Com student, was taken into custody at the end of a two-month long investigation into the complaint lodged by T S Abraham, President of the Indian Pentecostal Church.
The modus operandi of Aneesh was to send nude pictures of known girls in the area, created through morphing, to various e-mail addresses.
The availability of such pictures was given wide publicity through the periodical Defender, edited and published by his father T S Balan.
Police seized the computer used for morphing, hard disk and photos from the rented house of Aneesh at Perumbavoor. Police suspected the involvement of Balan in his son's secret operation.
The SP said Balan had been using his magazine for the purpose of blackmailing. Aneesh was arrested under the relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.
He was produced before the Pathanamthitta Judicial First Class Magistrate who remanded him to 14 days judicial custody.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
eBill Pay and eShopping comes to Kerala
KOCHI: The ePost – the bridge across the digital divide service of the Postal Department – has failed to make any headway in the State, but the postal authorities are gearing up to launch two additional services shortly: the eBill Pay and the eShopping.
The eBill Pay has already been launched in Bangalore and Kolkata and found to be a success. ‘‘The eBill Pay will enable a customer to pay bills through our website either using credit cards or Post Office Pre-paid Cards.
A customer can pay any bill from that of a cell phone company to electricity and corporation taxes,’’ says Shibu M Job, Director of Postal Services. The Postal Department has already held talks with cellphone companies in the State in this regard.
The advantage is that the customer can make the payments either using credit cards or the Post Office Pre-paid Cards. The cards are available in the denominations of Rs 250, 500, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000. While the eBill Pay is being launched as the second phase of the pilot project, the eShopping will be the icing in the third phase.
‘‘The customer will be able to place order on any product displayed in our website. He can pay using credit card or the pre-paid card. The Nettlinx, which does the web management for the Postal Department, will forward it to the local post office which in turn will deliver the goods if possible on the same day,’’ says Shibu.
The ePost was introduced as a pilot project in five States – Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat – a few months ago. Officials in the Postal Department say the service would have found users if marketed in a better way.
The USP of the ePost was that even people without internet connection and PCs could use it to send emails across and have it delivered to a postal address. Delivery post offices would have generic email IDs based on the PIN code and the domain name indianpostoffice.net
CAT forms The tie-up between the Postal Department and the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) for sale of Common Admission Test (CAT) applications has fetched the latter Rs 1.39 crore.
CUSAT could sell around 40,000 application forms through the Postal Department. The last date of receiving application forms in post offices across the country was the same as that in CUSAT, according to the agreement
Mails sent to the address would be downloaded at the nearest ePost office, printed, enveloped and delivered at the premises through dedicated delivery staff. To avail the facility, one has to become an ePost account holder by paying Rs 250 and use the facility either by using credit cards or ePost pre-paid cards.
Kerala has 40 ePost centres and people from around the globe can send emails to addresses in the State using the facility. ‘‘The computer screens will not display the message and the strict supervision structure ensures privacy,’’ says another official. You can also know whether your mail has been downloaded at the ePost centre, through a reply mail in your message box.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
20 houses destroyed in attacks by gangs
ALUVA: Two groups of people, in separate incidents of attacks, destroyed about 20 houses and injured 11 people including five women, in Thiruvaloor, Alangad, Mambra and Kottapuram areas near here last night.
Police immediately introduced pickets and intensified patrolling bringing the situation back to normalcy. Police team led by SP Varghese George and DySP Jose Sebastine visited the areas.
According to police, a group of RSS activists allegedly threw country bombs at one Vazhely Anilkumar who was returning home in his car at Thiruvaloor last night. In a bid to escape, his vehicle hit at an electric post. The activists allegedly attacked him and his friend Libin with swords. They got admitted in hospitals at Aluva and Palarivattom.
The RSS activists then attacked the houses of Anilkumar and his associates Sainudeen, Robin Elsy, Appukuttan and Salam, police said.
The gang of Anilkumar retaliated by attacking the RSS activists and destroying at least 14 houses which belonged to Karshaka Morcha district general secretary V B Jawaharlal, RSS mukya sikshak Anilkumar, physical instructor Babu, Biju, Sathyan, Shaji, Peethambaran, Rajesh, Kannan, Sajeev, Manjesh, Suni, Velayudhan and Suresh Babu.
Syamala,32, Suresh Babu,39, Kurumban,60, Sarasan,60, Ammini,45, Omana,30, Rugmani,40, Thankamma,49, and Babu,40, were admitted to government hospital here.
RSS district secretary R V Babu alleged that Anilkumar was a notorious criminal getting protection from some police officials. Anilkumar had fired a shot at Jawaharlal and the cartridge had been recovered by the police, Babu said.
Anilkumar was arrested in the evening and the police said that the situation was under control.
The RSS activists also held a protest march and public meeting demanding the arrest of the culprits.
Police are in search of a pistol and a country-made gun allegedly used by Anilkumar to shoot at Jawaharlal.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
Mauritius couple rescued from kidnappers
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a swoop, police rescued a Mauritius couple, who had been abducted and confined to a house at Kottarakara near Kollam district, after being abducted from Chennai recently.
Kollam Superintendent of Police, P Sreenivasan, said on Monday that the couple - Mahendraraj Radhakishen and his wife Fathimabeevi - had come to Chennai in connection with ready-made cloth business on April 8.
They were be-friended by one Shaji, who has some business connection in Mauritius. Shaji, later took them to a place on the pretext of showing a godown, he said.
Unfortunately, for the couple, they were forced into a vehicle and were then taken to farm house in Palakkad on April 13 and were confined till April 18, when they were once again taken and lodged at Kottarakara.
Shaji, the brain behind the abduction, along with six others threatened the couple and demanded a ransom of US $1 lakh and forced the couple to telephone their relatives in Mauritius for the ransom money, he said.
However, the couple managed to convey to the relatives about their abduction. The relatives immediately informed the Indian embassy, who alerted the police in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, he said.
Sreenivasan, said the couple were presently staying at the police club at Kollam and will leave for Mauritius as soon as their travel documents were ready.
Shaji and another person have been taken into custody, he added.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
Janu threatens indefinite fast
PALAKKAD: Adivasi-Dalit Samrakshana Samithy leader C K Janu on Monday threatened to go on an indefinite fast before the Secretariat from May 15 in protest against the delay on the part of the Government in honouring the settlement regarding providing land to the Adivasis.
Addressing mediapersons here, C K Janu said the encroachment of the Mathikettan forests was an old issue and it was being raked up now in order to deflect the issue of providing land to the Adivasis.
She called on the Government to remove Revenue Minister K M Mani and Forest Minister Sudhakaran from the Ministry since they were responsible for the encroachment of land in the Mathikettan forests.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
Kochi brothers build indigenous airborne antennas
KOCHI: In a dingy workshop in Konthuruthy, city's fringe landscape, two brothers are moulding the history of aviation communication in the country.
Winners of the Excellence in Aerospace Indigenisation Award, Louis J George and Kuruvila J George have carved a niche for themselves in the ancillary defence industry scenario by successfully building indigenous airborne antennas for the first time in the country.
The ambience of their workstation belies their achievement. Tucked away under the green canopy of huge trees and bamboos, the Verdant Telemetry is today approached by public sector giants like the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the National Physical Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) for building antennas that can be mounted on aircraft.
The brothers, both science graduates, have built antennas for the Jaguar fighters, Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and Dorniers. All their innovations have been tested under strenuous circumstances and have been cleared for use, paving way for the indigenisation of complicated airborne communication and allied areas.
"Airborne communication is a totally different ball game. The parameters are stringent. We have succeeded in meeting international standards with locally available technology and materials," said Louis.
The Verdant Telemetry produced antennas at a fraction of the amount that would have incurred in procuring them from foreign sources.
"India has talent that can produce any stuff at minimum cost. What we need is only Government support," pointed out Kuruvila. We managed to keep the cost low by inventing techniques for prototyping and innovating the composite used for manufacturing antennas.
"Any technology available to convert a design into a model would cost upward Rs 50 lakh. And the amount we had to start off was Rs 1 lakh. So we had to invent our own method to perform the task," said Kuruvila.
But what put us off was the attitude of the banks. None was ready to finance a hope. We were even advised to produce screws and bolts and to forget antennas. But we persisted. Thanks to the family who financed our dream, they said.
The brothers began their experiments in telemetry with dish antennas. "But we were bad in marketing and soon lost out to inferior equipment. Later, we produced radio collars for the Karnataka Forest Department. That too was not found feasible," said Kuruvila.
It was at this juncture that they came across an HAL enquiry for a partner to indigenise the production of antenna for the ALH. That was the starting point. The latest equipment that the brothers produced is the Automatic Direction Finding (ADF) antenna for the Jaguar fighter.
"Our antennas are useful for different applications. They are used for anti-submarine warfare in Kamov helos. We're also working on surveillance antennas," Louis said.
They are of the opinion that the Government should promote tie-up between various units for creating a market atmosphere conducive for indigensation.
"During post-Pokharan sanction, there was a glimpse of it. Indigenisation was the buzz word. With sanctions being lifted, the focus once again is on buying off the shelf from the West," they pointed out.
But now we've started getting enquiries from the West. A US-based civil aviation firm has contacted us. We're hopeful of some collaboration, they said.
The George brothers will receive the Excellence in Aerospace Indigenisation Award, instituted by the Society of Indian Aerospace Technology and Indigenisation, Bangalore, later this month.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
Forest Dept to take over encroached land
PATHANMTHITTA: Forest Minister K Sudhakaran has said that the entire stretch of more than 3000 acres of encroached forest land at Mathikettan, excluding those having revenue records, would be brought under the Forest Department for conservation.
Sudhakaran told newsmen at Konni on Monday that the eviction of encroachers from the forest land was in full swing and the entire families would be evicted in a short period.
The Supreme Court verdict on forest conservation and the laws enacted by the State from time to time would be the guiding factor in evicting the encroachers from Mathikettan, he said
All those who had encroached upon the land at Mathikettan were from outside the Udumbanchola taluk and the encroachment had been taking place for the past few years, he said.
The duplicity in the present Forest rules and the lack of adequate powers for the Revenue and the Forest Departments were causing hardships for implementing various forest rules, he said.
Sudhakaran, who launched the Forest Rapid Action Force southern region, with a strength of 30 men, at Konni this evening, said that the first batch of the force was deployed at Mathikettanmala. The northern region force would be launched at Nilambur soon.
The function in this connection was presided over by Adoor Prakash, MLA. Chief Conservator of Forests R Rajaraja Varma, District Panchayat president Mathew Kulathunkal, Forest Conservator R Shukla and grama panchayat president Syam Lal spoke.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
Toonz to woo kids with animation workshop; 8-year-old's film to be shown at fete
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Close on the heels of last year's highly successful, Children's Animation Workshop (CAW) in Kerala, Toonz Animation has decided to go nation-wide with the even this year.
Teaming up with Cartoon Network, Toonz will be conducting the event in May.
Details of the contest are being aired on Cartoon Network throughout the month of April.
"We expect to receive more than 50,000 entries from which 200 will be selected for final consideration. A team of top writers, story tellers, animators and artists will then make the selection of ten stories, which will be made into short animated films.", said Jayakumar, Operations Manager of Toonz.
The ten finalists, along with their parents will be invited to the Toonz studios here for a two-week workshop. Working alongside the animators at Toonz, they will be involved in further developing their stories and characters and getting their stories ready for actual production.
According to Jayakumar, even after they've returned to school, the children will continue to serve as consultants on their film as production progresses.
In some cases, they will lend their own voices to the films. The completed films will be aired on Cartoon Network in an exclusive telecast on Children's Day in November.
CITY KID'S FILM FOR INTERNATIONAL FETE: 'Torty's Day Out', one of the films produced by Toonz Animation India as part of the Children's Animation Workshop 2001 has been selected for the Italian Animation Festival, 'Cartoon on the Bay', being held late this month in Positano, Italy.
The film has also been chosen for competition in the Nashville Animation Festival (USA). This film, created by 8 year old Srisankaran of the City, tells the story of how a little tortoise finds happiness in being himself.
TOONZ-DIGITAL TIE UP: Technopark based Toonz Animation India has entered the arena of 3D by joining hands with Digital Fantasy Pvt Ltd, based in the City.
According to the agreement reached between the animation companies, Digital Fantasy's 3D animators and modelers will work for the Toonz premises using the latest 3D hardware and software.
"For the past year, Toonz has been focusing on enhancing its skills and capabilities in the digital arena. With this new addition, we have quadrupled our 3D capacity and we are now poised to take on longer format projects. It also further enhances our capabilities in providing special effects for live action films and commercials", said Toonz CEO Bill Dennis commenting on the agreement reached between the two studios.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
Blow to Karunakaran; Murali demand rebuffed
THIRUVANANATHAPURAM: Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s decision to bring back former KPCC president and leader of the fourth group Vayalar Ravi to the Central leadership has come as a severe blow to senior leader K Karunakaran who has never missed a chance to lock horns with Ravi ever since he started moving closer towards the Antony camp.
By reinducting Ravi into the Congress Working Committee, Sonia has also rebuffed KPCC president K Muraleedharan’s demand that action may be taken against leaders, including Ravi, for criticising Karunakaran and the State leadership. The decision by the party president came as a shot in the arm of Chief Minister A K Antony as Ravi had stood by him whenever the UDF Government was under attack by Karunakaran.
It is all the more embarrassing to Muraleedharan who had met Sonia Gandhi recently with the demand that Ravi and V M Sudheeran may be issued a warning for making public statements affecting party unity and image of the UDF Government.
By increasing the representation of Kerala in the CWC to three with the inclusion of Ravi, Sonia has also recast the power equations in the State leadership in favour of Antony.
The latest provocation was Ravi’s open comments against Karunakaran for his reported tirade against Sonia Gandhi at the last KPCC executive committee. The anti-Karunakaran factions had decided to bring to the attention of Sonia Gandhi the comments made by Karunakaran criticising the performance of the party at the national-level.
Following the controversy, Karunakaran had reaffirmed his loyalty to the Nehru family while denying that he had spoken against the leadership of Sonia Gandhi at the KPCC executive committee meeting. He even wrote a letter to Sonia clarifying his position. Muraleedharan also backed him claiming that Karunakaran had never spoken anything against the party leadership.
It may be recalled that Sonia was also unhappy with the position taken by Karunakaran on the indefinite strike by Government teachers and employees. She had to send Ghulam Nabi Azad with an ultimatum to Karunakaran, urging the latter to create an atmosphere to settle the strike.
Vayalar Ravi, one of the founder leaders of the KSU, went up in the party ladder following the split in the Congress over the candidature of Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy as the President during the late 60s. When almost all senior leaders of the party supported the Nijalingappa faction, a group of young Congress leaders including Vayalar Ravi and Antony stood by Indira Gandhi.
Ravi was rewarded by Indira Gandhi with Chirayankeezh Lok Sabaha seat which he won in style. He was later elevated to the Congress Working Committee at the age of 33.
Ravi was the Home Minister in the Karunakaran Ministry during 1982-86 period. Following a stand-off with Antony, he crossed over to the Karunakaran camp and became the KPCC chief as the ‘I’ group nominee defeating Antony in 1992.
Later, he fell apart with Karunakaran and was identified with the fourth group in the State unit. For the last few years he was virtually in political wilderness.
Mercy Ravi, his wife, was elected from Kottayam in the last Assembly elections.
I can serve party better: Ravi ‘‘I hope that I can serve the party in a better way following the new assignment,’’ Vayalar Ravi told this website's newspaper on Monday.
Sonia Gandhi sent me to several States as party observer during the past several months and I hope that she is satisfied with my work,’’ Vayalar Ravi said.
However, he pooh-poohed reports that he had been appointed to clip the wings of senior Congress leader K Karunakaran and his son and KPCC president K Muraleedharan.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
Thrissur Pooram Today
THRISSUR: Thrissur Pooram, the 30-hour-long splendour of traditions and ceremonies and the magnificent parade of magnificently decorated elephants will be staged at the Thekkinkad Maidan on Tuesday.
The Pooram will begin in the morning at about 6 a.m. with the minor participant Kanimangalam Shasta moving gracefully to the Vadakkunathan Temple followed by other minor temples participating in the Pooram.
At the conclusion of the ezhunnellippu of the minors, the two majors – Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu – will begin their show of 15 tuskers each.
The show of the two majors will culminate in the hour-long highlight of the Pooram – the Kudamattam – at 5.30 p.m.
After an interval, the night pooram of both the devaswoms begin at 10 p.m.
The conclusion of the night pooram will be marked by fireworks around 3 am.
Meanwhile, thousands of people from different parts of the district visited the halls in the town where the articles used for decorating the tuskers participating in the pooram and the multi-coloured parasols and other items are displayed.
Monday, April 22, 2002
I don't need a future in Bollywood: Mohanlal
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Superstar Mohanlal, whose debut Hindi film "Company" has received an enthusiastic audience response, says he isn't looking for a career in Bollywood.
On his first visit to Kerala after the release of "Company" April 12, Mohanlal said: "I don't need a future in Hindi films and I don't have to prove anything about myself. I am quite happy with Malayalam films. But that doesn't mean I would not act in Bollywood any more."
On the sets of his latest Malayalam film "Thaandavam," Mohanlal told IANS: "The Bollywood experience was like acting in any other film. There was absolutely no difference and my acclimatisation was perfect."
"Company," directed by Ram Gopal Varma, also stars Ajay Devgan, Manisha Koirala and debutant Vivek Oberoi.
"My future in Bollywood depends on the roles I get, but I am in no hurry," said Mohanlal. "Only if a project suits me will I go ahead."
Mohanlal forayed into Bollywood on the heels of many other southern superstars who turned to the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry but failed to leave a deep impression.
Mammooty, the other superstar of Malayalam cinema, flopped with his debut Hindi venture a few years ago. Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan, superstars of Tamil cinema, have fared better, but never soared to the top in Hindi films.
Mohanlal said there wasn't much difference between the way southern films and Hindi movies were made. "There is no north-south divide as perceived by many. Tastes do differ and Bollywood is more extravagant. Apart from that, I find no difference."
Mohanlal was thrilled by the congratulatory calls he received from several big guns of Bollywood like Amrish Puri, Abhishek Bachchan and Aamir Khan as soon as "Company" was released.
The superstar will be busy with "Thaandavam" for about 40 days and then has a Tamil film in hand, besides another Malayalam movie directed by K. Madhu.
Monday, April 22, 2002
Second entry at TVM station inaugurated
Thiruvananthapuram: The second entry at the Thiruvananthapuram Central Station was inaugurated today by Union Minister of State for Railways O Rajagopal in connection with the commemoration of 150 years of Indian Railways.
At a function organised at the railway station, the Minister also released "Bholu," the Indian Railway mascot. Kerala Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar presided over the function.
The second entry was set up at the Power House Roadside as part of the Rs 30 crore developmental activities being carried out at the station. A new foot over bridge from the second entry side to all the platforms had been set up.
Monday, April 22, 2002
Five persons killed in bus-jeep collision at Kothamangalam
Five persons, all occupants of a jeep, were killed and eight others sustained serious injuries when the vehicle collided with a KSRTC bus at Oonnukal, near Kothamangalam.
The deceased were identified as Sheri Thankappan, Sunil, Shiji, Joemon and Shaji, all in the 25 to 35 age group. The injured were admitted to the St Joseph's hospital at Kothamangalam, police said.
The jeep had left Chelat, near Kothamangalam, to participate in a betrothal ceremony at Adimaly. Many of the occupants of the bus, plying on the Kattapana-Ernakulam route, sustained minor injuries, police added.
Monday, April 22, 2002
Tripartite agreement on Goshree project signed
KOCHI: The Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) and the tri-partite agreement of the much-awaited 'Goshree Bridges Project', connecting three islands in the backwaters with the Ernakulam mainland, was signed on Sunday in the presence of the Kerala Chief Minister A K Antony.
The MOU was inked by M Paul Mathew, regional manager of the Union Bank of India, which is the lead bank in the consortium of banks, and the Goshree Island Development Authority (GIDA) secretary and district collector, Gynanesh Kumar. The consortium of banks, including Union Bank, Canara Bank, State Bank of Travancore and Corporation Bank, would be extending Rs 84 crore for the project.
The tripartite agreement was singed by Elias George, local self government secretary, Jacob Thomas, Cochin Port Trust chairman and GIDA secretary, Gynanesh Kumar.
Speaking on the occasion, Antony said the project should be completed in a time-bound manner and if possible ahead of its scheduled date of completion in October 2003. The roadblocks, if any, for its construction should be overcome to compelete the project, which would put the islands of Vypeen, Mulavakadu and Narakkal on to the road of development.
Antony said the 'teething' problems in the implenmentation of the project should be overcome and cautioned that problems were bound to be there in each phase, he said.
Referring to the Vallarpadam Container Terminal, which had been hanging fire for long, the Chief Minister said the 'problems' with regard to the terminal should be sorted out soon and the global tenders invited. The state government would extend all necessary help for the project, he said.
In the next few months, two new international flights would operate from the Nedumbassery airport, he said.
On the Technopark project at Kalamassery, he said work on the same would commence soon.
Stressing the need to have a positive attitude to overcome difficulties, the Chief Minister said there was a need for a change in the mindset of the people at all levels, only then investors would flock the state, he said giving the examples of neighbouring states-- Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, which provides investor friendly climate.
State ministers, K V Thomas, M A Kuttapan, Kochi mayor, C M Dinesh Mani and Union Bank chairman, V Leeladharan, were among those who attended the function.
Monday, April 22, 2002
India's first rubber park coming up near Perumbavoor
India's first rubber park coming up near Perumbavoor
KOCHI: A 102-acre area at Irapuram near Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district will house India's first rubber park, which aims at providing top class industrial environment for rubber and rubber wood based industries.
Already 25 acres have been developed and ready for lease while the development of the remaining area is expected to be completed by January next, George Joseph, managing director of Rubber Park of India (RPI) and K S Gopalakrishnan, director (T&TC), Rubber Board, told a joint press conference here on Saturday night.
Promoted as a joint venture company of the Union and Kerala governments, RPI has been set up with an objective to kick-off the progress of rubber based industries in the country.
The authorized share capital of the company is Rs 20 crore _ Rs 10 crore each from Rubber Board and Kinfra.
The park will be a self-contained industrial park with a dedicated 110 kv substation for quality power supply and well balanced 11 kv distribution system. BSES Ltd, which has set up the substation and distribution system at the park, is the sole licencee for power distribution within the park.
It will also have quality water supply, both for industrial and drinking purposes, by Kerala Water Authority and a storage capacity of 4,50,000 litre had been put in place, Joseph said.
As an incentive for companies setting up units inside the park, it has been decided to provide 25 percent subsidy on investment by companies. ``This will be provided only for those companies which set up units before June this year,'' said Joseph.
According to Gopalakrishnan three companies have expressed interest to set up units inside the park. This will include the first automatic balloon manufacturing unit, which is having a collaboration with a Malaysian firm.
The park has well laid out plots earmarked exclusively for setting up rubber industries such as tyre retreading, production of chemically treated quality rubber wood and manufacturing of surgical gloves and conveyor belts.
Common effluent treatment plants, central centrifuging units, fully equipped testing and certification labs, customs and bonded warehouses, container stuffing and banking facilities are among those envisaged.
Investors would also be provided assistance with regard to project identification, project feasibility studies, project clearance, subsidy schemes, market development and export promotion support.
Besides, single window clearance would be extended for all required licences and sanctions within 45 days, he said.
Exporters would be helped to identify overseas markets for rubber goods, identification of sources for the right type of rubber for manufacturing and other raw materials.
The land in the park would be given on lease to the units for 90 years.
Monday, April 22, 2002
Female condoms come to India
Thiruvananthapuram
Hindustan Latex Limited, the nation's leading manufacturer of condoms, has entered into a tie up with a British firm for the manufacture of female condoms.
HLL Chairman and Managing Director G Rajamohan told newspersons that the machinery and the technology would be provided by the British firm, Female Health Company, and the manufacturing done in the premises of HLL.
While HLL would look after the domestic marketing of the product, exports would be handled by the FHC.
He said initially the cost of the condom would be rather high but it would come down if large volumes could be produced.
According to present indications, the female condom would cost about Rs 25 a piece. One of the reasons for this was the cost of the raw material used, special quality polyurethane.
In view of the high cost the Union Government would be requested to subsidise the product so as to make it affordable to the consumers, he said.
UNI
Sunday, April 21, 2002
Interview: Actor Lal
Tall, bearded and rough - not at all hero material! That's what Lal may seem at the outset. But he is currently one of the busiest stars of Malayalam cinema. Lal, hailing from Ernakulam began as a mimicry artist, performing along with his friend Siddique. Together, Siddique and Lal worked as scenarists and associates to noted filmmaker Fazil. Then they took to direction with 'Ramji Rao Speaking', a trend-setting comedy and the duo later came up with big hits like 'In Harihar Nagar', 'God Father', 'Vietnam Colony' etc (They don't direct together at present. Siddique directs films and Lal acts).
Lal took to acting with Jayaraj's 'Kaliyattom' and won praise and appreciation. Then came films like 'Ormacheppu', 'Kanmadam', 'Punjabi House', 'Arayannangalude Veedu', 'Chandranudikkunna Dikkil', 'Mazha', 'Randaam Bhaavam', 'Thenkaasipattanam', 'Unnathangalil', 'One-Man Show' etc. Recently, he gave an impressive performance as Maanikyan in Jayaraj's 'Kannagi', an adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Antony and Cleopatra'. He is also doing the lead role in Bharath Gopi's new film 'Ente Hrudayaththinte Udama', which is likely to win him accolades. Lal has also established himself as a producer and distributor. Here's Lal, in a quick chat with Hansazone...
Q: How did you become an actor?
A: Jayaraj had asked me to do a role in his 'Johny Walker'. But since I was not interested in acting then, I somehow evaded it. But when he made 'Kaliyattom', he insisted that I do the role of Paniyan, based on Shakespeare's Iago. His insistence and a lot of pressure from my friends made me take up the role.
Q: How did you feel while doing your first character on screen?
A: I was not very confident. After doing the film, I even said in some interviews, that I wouldn't act in even a single film after that. I felt that I was not a good actor. But later, when I saw and assessed my own performance, I was wonderstruck. I gained a lot of confidence and thus I continued as an actor.
Q: You're a good dancer too, on-screen. Where did you learn it?
A: I never learnt dancing. I have a sense of rhythm and music in me. Combined with this, I have the capability to imitate anything, especially since I am a mimicry artist. All this, with able guidance from well-experienced dance masters, projects me as a dancer on screen.
Q: Acting or directing - which do you prefer most?
A: I prefer acting to directing. Not that I don't like directing. It has its own charm and attraction. But acting satisfies me more that directing. That's all.
Q: Of your many characters on screen, which is your favourite?
A: A rather difficult question indeed! For me, all my characters have their own importance and appeal. (Muses a moment) Yes, I love my character in 'Thenkaasipattanam' a lot. I liked, or rather loved, doing it.
Q: Any plans to direct a film soon?
A: Again a difficult question! To be frank, I don't know the answer. All I can say is this - if it happens, it happens. Otherwise, no. Let's wait and see.
Q: About Siddique and you, what's wrong between you two?
A: Nothing at all. We are still close friends. It's just that due to some very personal reasons, we don't direct films together.
Q: So, won't you direct any film together in the future?
A: Can't say. Who's seen the future?
Sunday, April 21, 2002
Interview: Director Kamal on 'Gramophone'
It's celebration time for Kamal, one of the most-loved Malayalam film director. His latest film 'Meghamalhaar' is on an award-winning spree and is also being talked about everywhere. However, his recent quotes about big-budget cinema and the star-system have landed him in a bit of a controversy too. Still, Kamal continues to speak, to do. He is currently in Fort Kochi, shooting for his forthcoming film 'Gramophone', starring Dileep, Navya Nair and Meera Jasmine. Here's Kamal in a chat about 'Meghamalhaar', 'Gramophone' and more...
Q: How do you feel after 'Meghmalhaar'?
A: 'Meghmalhaar' for me is one of the most satisfying experiences in my life. And I am happy that people have accepted the film.
Q: Did you expect it to turn out so well?
A: To be honest, no. I never expected this level of acceptance on the part of the people. Now that it has been accepted, I am very happy, satisfied and thankful too.
Q: It is said that 'Meghmalhaar' is going to be remade in Tamil. Is it true?
A: Yes. There are plans to remake it in Tamil and Telugu too. It is very likely that Balu Mahendra might direct the Tamil version.
Q: Really?
A: Yes. But things are yet to be worked out fully.
Q: Why don't you direct the re-makes yourself?
A: I had earlier remade one of my films 'Niram' in Tamil as 'Piriyaatha Varam Vendum'. That did not work out well. So, maybe a Tamil director could remake 'Meghmalhaar' much better than I could.
Q: What about this new film, 'Gramophone'? What's it all about?
A: The story revolves around a famous singer who is dead and who doesn't appear on screen. This singer had also established himself in films. The focus here is on the young son of this singer. The young man has to take up the responsibility of his family because his father, though a great singer, hadn't done anything for the family. He also begins to hate music and songs, though a good singer himself. This young man is the focal point of my story and most of the main characters in the film, including the two heroines, have some connection with the father in some way. I am narrating the story with the Jewish community of Fort Kochi and Mattancherry as the backdrop.
Q: Jewish Community! Has it been inspired by the recent developments in Israel and Palestine?
A: No, it has got nothing to do with it.
Q: Will it be a commercial venture?
A: Yes. A commercial film with songs and everything else. Above all, I want to make a film that will be enjoyed by the people. It will also be a musical, in a way.
Q: Any other projects in the offing?
A: After 'Gramophone', I'm doing a film on the campus, with newcomers in the cast. The script will be by 'Ishtam'-fame Kalavoor Ravikumar. Details are still to be worked out.
Sunday, April 21, 2002
Mr Dependable
Dileep has done it again. His Kuberan, a very average film has become a hit. In fact Kuberan is doing better business than Vinayan’s Ooma Penninu Uriyada Payyan and has collected a distributors share of Rs 37 lakhs in its first week in these depressed times.
Nobody expected the film to run, as it was a hotch-potch of various old Mohanlal hits. But Dileep’s stars are shining brighter at the box office than others. Dileep’s films have become viable because on an investment of Rs 1.25 to 1.50 crore, the returns come at a faster rate. Dileep’s Mazhathullikilukkam has covered its cost in releasing stations itself and has started making profit after 35 days of its release!
Today Dileep has no dates till 2004. His next release Meesha Madhavan and his Onam release Kamal’s Gramaphone are hot properties in the trade.
Sunday, April 21, 2002
Fazil’s New Find
At last Fazil has found the new girl he was looking out for the last two years to act opposite his son Shanu. She is Nikhita, a 17-year-old Punjabi girl from Mumbai. A relieved Fazil says, "Yes, it took me quite some time to find the right girl for the role. I was actually keen on a Malayalee girl and went through the portfolios of nearly 300 girls but was not satisfied. One look at Nikhita and I was sure that this was the face of Sushma, the character in my film."
Fazil has been always lucky with Mumbai girls - Poornima Jayaram, Sangeeta, Kushboo, Nadia Moidu and recently Juhi Chawla. The film titled Kaiyethum Doorathuis a love story of two teenagers who are friends and they get married. Soon they divorce due to trivial issues. According to Fazil, there are more number of divorces happening in India and especially Kerala. All this happens as parents in nuclear families do not have time for their children. The children become selfish and they lack maturity, and they are not able to adjust in the new environment after marriage.
Mammootty plays an important role in the film. His character, though small is that of a lawyer who helps the couple to separate and later brings them back together. The film is a musical family entertainer, which will be released for Onam 2002.
Sunday, April 21, 2002
4 killed, 40 injured in bus accident
MALAPPURAM: Four persons, including a six-month-old, were killed and over 40 persons injured when a private bus fell into a house compound, around 10 feet off the main road, at Padikkal near Chelari on Friday morning.
Kollenchira Neelakandan, 42, the Village Extention Officer of the Tirurangadi Block office, Bushra, 25, wife of Muhammedalli of Kallarakuttiyil House, Peruvaloor, and Appukuttan, 60, of Chembakasseri House, Parambilpeedika, succumbed to injuries at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.
Six-month-old Irfaan, son of Illikkal Nazar and niece of Bushra, died on the spot.
The accident occurred when the ill-fated mini bus ‘Irfaan Deluxe’, on its way from Parambilpeedika to Kottakkal, veered off the road after loosing control while negotiating a curve near the Kumanthali bridge near Padikkal.
The bus first rammed into a coconut tree before it fell into the house compound. The bus was badly damaged in the accident which took place at 9.30 am.
The coconut tree into which the bus first crashed into collapsed under the impact.
The passengers of the bus were rescued by the travellers of another private bus which reached the spot shortly.
It is learnt that the mini bus was crammed with passengers to the full and eyewitnesses said the bus was travelling at over speed when the mishap occurred.
Sunday, April 21, 2002
Rampant prostitution in Kerala, alleges National Women's Forum
KOCHI: The National Forum for Women's Rights on Saturday expressed concern over what it called ''the rampant prostitution and growing violence against women taking place in Kerala'', one of the most literate states in the country.
Addressing a news conference here, forum spokesperson Mabel Rebello, MP, alleged that the growing unemployment in the agricultural sector, resulting mainly from shrinking paddy fields in the state, was forcing women to resort to flesh trade. Violence against them were also on the rise.
Rebello and Ranjana Kumari, director Centre for Social Research, New Delhi, said the Kerala government's decision to wind up the state Women's Commission headed by D Sreedevi, former judge of the Kerala High Court, was also causing great concern to them.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister A K Antony, who was in the city, said he firmly believed that the chief ministership was a mixture of both flowers and thorns.
He, however, declined to comment on the government's decision on the Women's Commission, stating that he was on a private visit and, therefore, did not want to be dragged into any issues.
When reminded of the presence of women mediapersons, he said they would be free to pose these questions to him during his next visit.
The women leaders, who were here to participate in the regional seminar on ``The National Policy for Empowerment of Women'', said they were surprised to learn that a large number of women in the state also did not know of the existence of the family courts in Kerala, the functioning of which was also not satisfactory, they added.
Despite the claim of high literacy among women in Kerala, they were still controlled by the patriarchal dominance still prevailing in the state, Rebello said.
She said a plan of action was necessary to empower the women politically and socially in order to face the challenges of modern society.
Sunday, April 21, 2002
‘Super Star’ Vinayan
The baron of the box office Vinayan has done it again! His latest film, Ooma Penninu Uriyada Payyan(OPUP) which opened on Easter Sunday (March31) has taken a fantastic opening. The film with no big stars is turning out to be a super hit like his earlier films. The hero Jayasurya and villain Inderjit are new faces and the heroine is Kavya Madhavan. Houseful crowds in all the 35 centres are appreciating the villain in the film, Inderjit who is late actor Sukumaran’s son.
OPUP is said to be inspired from the Tamil film, Sollamalae, though Vinayan denies it. Anyway, now that the film has clicked there is no looking back for Vinayan. He has proved once again that small is beautiful and he needs no superstars in his films to make it a hit. Today, Vinayan as a filmmaker is bigger superstar than the reel stars.
Sunday, April 21, 2002
48 Schools will be closed by June: Soopy
48 Schools will be closed by June: Soopy
KANNUR: As many as 48 uneconomic schools in the state would be closed down by the end of June, Education Minister Nalakath Soopy said here on Friday.
Addressing a news conference at the Government Guest House, he said the final list of schools to be closed down was prepared after giving ample time for the people's representatives and the Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) to represent their cause.
The Government was yet to take a final decision on the recommendation of the Planning Board to close down 393 other schools found to be uneconomic, he added.
Closure of uneconomic schools would not mean loss of job for anyone. The excess teaching and non-teaching staff would be re-deployed, Soopy said, adding that the Government had decided to let the PTAs run parallel English medium classes in both government and aided schools. However, the PTA would have to pay salaries to the staff in such classes, he added.
Ernakulam figures first with 12 schools in the final list of uneconomic schools to be closed down followed by Thrissur (9), Kozhikode (7), Kottayam (7), Kannur (6), Pathanamthitta (4), Alappuzha (2) and Kollam (1).
The following is the detailed list of the schools to be closed down immediately:
'Mainstream actors will not be allowed to act in TV serials'
KOCHI: The disciplinary committee of the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce will impose a code of discipline, including restrictions on mainstream film artistes from acting in television serials in order to help the crisis-ridden Malayalam film industry from the brink of collapse.
Disclosing this at a news conference here on Friday, Film Chamber president C R Ramadas and general secretary C V Ramakrishnan said the recently constituted 25-member committee had taken a series of decisions to ensure sustenance of the film industry and to prevent film exhibition becoming a continuing loss-making proposition.
The committee, represented by film industry organisations affiliated to the chamber, had also decided to restrict the duration of films to two-and-a-half hours and to make only one-third of the contract payments during the film shooting and the balance during lab settlement period.
New producers and distributors, desirous of availing fund advance from the theatre owners should submit their project proposals through the producers association for the committee's clearance.
The chamber would also take measures to deny facilities in Kerala for exhibition of films produced in violation of the committee's guidelines, they added.
Asked whether the code of conduct violated the fundamental rights of the artistes and technicians, Ramadas said that certain element of discipline had become necessary to protect the industry and ensure its progress.
The committee had unanimously decided to implement the regulations effective from July one this year to give sufficient time to the artistes and technicians to prepare for themselves.
The committee hoped that the artistes and technicians would cooperate with the guidelines in the interest of the survival of the industry.
Sunday, April 21, 2002
Heavy rush at Malayalappuzha temple
PATHANAMTHITTA: Thousands of devotees on Friday offered prayers at the Malayalappuzha Devi temple and the yagnasala where the Sathakodi Archana is being held.
Long queues were seen since morning in front of the temple and the yajnasala. Devotees from the neighboring States also visited the temple. On account of the heavy rush, the `jeevitha procession' taken out from the sreekovil was late by more than an hour.
The total number of archanas completed on the 20th day today stood at 7.25 crore. A total of 427 priests took part in the archana on Friday.
Sunday, April 21, 2002
Samyukta Verma with Jayaram again?
Sathyan Anthicaud-Samyukta Verma-Jayaram together again... in an as-yet-untitled film. Remember Samyukta Verma made her entry into filmdom with Satyan Anthicaud's 'Veendum Chila Veettukaaryangal', in which she had starred opposite Jayaram? Well, this is the second time, that the threesome are coming together again. The film, to be scripted by Lohitadas, will also have in its cast, Innocent, Oduvil Unnikrishnan and KPAC Lalitha.
Murali-Kalabhavan Mani... are to play key roles in 'Roopantharam', to be produced by Selvaraj under the banner of Sreelekshmi Productions, to be directed by Sivaprasad. Scripted by Sharath Chandran Wyanaadan, the film will narrate the story of an undertaker and his son, who are engaged in a bitter fight with each other. While Murali plays the father, Mani plays the son. It's quite likely that film lovers will get a chance to see Murali in full form after a long gap.
Kamal-Dileep team up... for 'Gramaphone', director Kamal's latest film after his low-budget 'Meghmalhaar' recently emerged successful at the box-office. To be based on a story by Iqbal Kuttipuram, the film will have Dileep playing the lead. The script will be by the director himself. The film, which is likely to be a musical, will be handled by Vidyasagar.
Prithviraj steps into Tamil films... with actress Radhika's home production and debut directorial venture to be shot in New Zealand. Prithviraj, the son of late actor Sukumaran, is making his debut in the Renjith-directed 'Nandanam' and is busy in Malayalam with many new offers coming his way. But this interesting offer from Radhika has apparently caught his attention since he will be playing the lead.
Sunday, April 21, 2002
Agitators beware, water cannons arriving
THIRUVANANTHAPURAN: In order to deal effectively with the challenges on the law and order front, the State police are all set to acquire sophisticated anti-riot gear and other state-of-the art equipment as part of its modernisation drive.
The first in the series would be the induction of three mounted water cannons. These would be deployed in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode. The water jet, as it is popularly known, is considered to be one of the most effective gears to disperse unruly mobs, causing minimum injuries to the demonstrators. This method is being extensively used by the Delhi police.
The high pressure with which water is released from the nozzle, can sweep the agitators off their feet within minutes. It is more effective during short range confrontation.
Another new addition would be fully protected vehicles with teargas shell firing cannons. Since ‘Vajra’, a special vehicle used by Rapid Action Force (RAF), is quite expensive, the police are toying with the idea to mount teargas shell firing cannons on the existing vehicles. The Tamil Nadu police have already designed such vehicles.
The fully-shielded vehicle is useful in dealing with heavy stone-pelting since the police personnel can fire shells from within using an electronic gadget.
To deal with the menace of wrong parking, which according to traffic police is one of the main reasons for the congestion and frequent jams on the roads, the police are acquiring a recovery van shortly. It will be used to toe away vehicles from ‘no parking zones’ to the traffic police stations. The indomitable woman supercop Kiran Bedi used this method effectively during her Delhi days.
Friday, April 19, 2002
Sikandar Bakht assumes office as Kerala Governor
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Octogenarian Sikandar Bakht on Thursday assumed office of the Kerala Governor.
Kerala High Court Chief Justice B N Sreekrishna administered the oath to him at a simple function organised at the Raj Bhavan here. Bakht (83), a recipient of Padmabhushan, is a prominent Muslim figure in the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Chief Minister A K Antony, his cabinet colleagues, speaker Vakkom Purushothaman, BJP state president C K Padmanabhan, leaders of major political parties and other prominent personalities were among those who attended the function.
Before taking over the gubernatorial post, Bakht has held several organisational posts in the BJP. Besides being the party's national vice-president and treasurer, he had also served as Union Minister. His first ministerial assignment was during the tenure of Morarji Desai government in 1977 when he was the housing and rehabilitation Minister.
In the Vajpayee cabinet, he had held the portfolios of urban development and labour in 1996 and industries in 1998.
He succeeds Justice (retd) Sukhdev Singh Kang, who on Wednesday bade adieu after the completion of his tenure.
Earlier, Antony and his cabinet collegues received Bakht at the airport on his arrival from New Delhi.
Friday, April 19, 2002
500-year-old yacht excavated in state
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Archaeologists have excavated a yacht dating back 500 years in a coastal hamlet of Kerala.
The boat, which is 25 metres long and five metres wide, was found on the property of a doctor at Kadakkara Palli near Shertalai, 100 km from the state capital.
P. Sreedharan of the state archaeological department said the first trace of an archaeological treasure buried at the site came in 1992.
"Workers digging in the compound first stumbled upon skeletons believed to be of human beings and a peculiar piece of fine wood which was not Indian. I saw it and felt there could be a treasure underneath," Sreedharan told IANS.
The director general of archaeology in Delhi turned down two of his requests to excavate the site. But Sreedharan got lucky on his third attempt and sanction for the excavation came this year.
On April 2, Sreedharan set off for the site along with a dozen officers of his department and 10 labourers to begin digging. When they dug down a metre, they stumbled upon pieces of rope, a piece of Chinese pottery, charcoal, burnt wood and bones. "When we reached close to 1.5 metres, the top part of the yacht was visible," said an excited Sreedharan.
He said the place where the yacht lies used to be a 100-metre waterway. The yacht, he said, probably sank while navigating the waterway five centuries ago. The excavation has run into problems on account of a funds crunch and inclement weather.
The archaeologists have used up the Rs.50,000 they were sanctioned in the first phase. The second phase, which would involve scooping, requires twice that sum and the money is yet to be sanctioned. Digging has stopped on account of heavy rain as the entire site is submerged.
"Water-logging is a major problem. We had to dig with four motors on to pump the water out," said Sreedharan. "We are planning to reinforce the base and the sides of the dug up area and provide some protection above the yacht so it would not be damaged by bad weather.
" The site has already become a tourist spot, with people descending in large numbers to see the relic. Two busloads of archaeology students have also been there for a first hand experience of an excavation.
Friday, April 19, 2002
BJP activist hacked to death
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A BJP activist was hacked to death this morning in Kadakavoor police station limits.
The deceased has been identified as BJP Manamboor mandalam president Sunderesan (35). According to the police, the incident was in retaliation of an attack on two youths, Kumar and Prakash, by people close to Sunderasan.
Kadakavoor Police has registered a case in this regard.
Friday, April 19, 2002
Pop Carn - fusion of music and love
As the name of the film suggests, it is inspired from the word Pop-Carnival. Nasser who had earlier done movies like Devathai, Avartharam and Maayan now is totally behind the camera. With the screenplay demanding a mature artiste he had approached Mohan Lal, his friend and the Malayalam superstar who agreed to play the role of the musician in the film.
Simran stars opposite Mohanlal as a dancer. With one mega music festival in the center stage of the movie, the other characters revolve around it.
The movie depicts the love between two musically inclined people ending up in a marriage, which finally turns sour. Determined to bring her father and mother back together to realize the love they once had, she goes about working to rejuvenate not just their relationship but also her father's long lost style of music. She also ends up finding the love of her life in the music festival.
Jyothi Nawal, the sister of Simran plays the role of the daughter and you cannot but miss the striking resemblance she has with her sister Monal, who recently committed suicide.
With music playing as one of the main ingredient, Nasser is already all praises for the numbers Yuvan Shankar Raja has scored for the movie.
The other cast for the movie includes Sakthi, Oorvasi, Chandrasekar, Vivek, Pop Shalini, Janakaraj, Vadivelu, Delhi Ganesh, Thyagu, Madan Bob. Story, Screenplay and Direction by Nasser, cinematography by P.S.Dharan. Lyrics by Vaali and Art Direction by Padmashri Thotta Tharani.
Friday, April 19, 2002
Balachandra Menon: Second attempt?
Balachandra Menon, better known as the Bhagyaraj of Kerala, is making his second attempt to enter Tamil filmdom. The first time around, he launched a Tamil film starring himself, to be directed by him too.
But, 'misunderstandings' with the producer Bhagyaraj forced him to drop the venture. This time, he is to act in the film 'Album' from Kavithalaya.
Directed by Vasanthbalan, the love story will star a new pair from Telugu filmdom - Aryan Rajesh and Anitha, in the lead. Karthikraja scores the music.
Friday, April 19, 2002
Mohanlal's Hindi debut creates excitement!
Looks like our Mallu star Mohanlal is now creating waves up North. According to the latest buzz, his Hindi debut film 'Company', is stirring up a lot of excitement among the Malayalee crowds living there.
The South Indian community is apparently very eager to see their hero speak Hindi. This has made producers and distributors re-think. While earlier TV promos and posters did not feature the superstar, there's been a last-minute change, and Mohanlal is now dominating all posters and lamp-post signs.
Advance reports in the media have been favourable to Mohanlal. After watching a special screening of the film at Chitra Talkies, the regional director of CBI Mr.Sivanandan, on whom the charcater of Mohanlal was based, said he was happy that the police had been portrayed in a postive way.
Friday, April 19, 2002
Starbuzz: Suresh Gopi, Mani, Divya Unni
Suresh Gopi - 'When 'Dubai' was released, there were some people who bought all the tickets for the show and tore them up. There were people who had to try for more than 10 days to beat the queue when 'Niram' was released. There were some people who'd said that there were too many dialogues in 'Praja'.'
Kalabhavan Mani - I want to do the lead roles in only those films that are directed by good directors and that have good stories.
Divya Unni - I want a doctorate in classical dance.
Friday, April 19, 2002
Preview: The Grandmother
When the question of looking after the aged mother arose, her children decided to appoint a personal maid for her [The personal maid/house nurse storyline seems to be the most favorite one for Malayalam cinema].
The maid's name is Usha [Aathira].
The Old mother, Kalyaniamma's expenses were being looked after her eldest son, Govindan kutty. His daughter, Vanaja, was Kalyaaniamma's dearest grandchild. The affection was mutual. Vanaja's brother Gopikuttan was also very close to the Grandma. He was the one that carried out whatever Grandma desired for. So, Grandma wasn't quiet ready to accept the service of a stranger girl, as a replacement of her own grandchildren. She therefore hated Usha. Usha didn't try to change her either. She accepted the old woman's state of mind and went about doing her job. She knew that the hatred was only superficial. It would disappear soon. Her deductions were right. The old woman began changing the attitude. Usha was happy. Soon, the grandma began seeing Usha as her own grandchild.
Then one day, a very despicable young man turned up at the household looking for Usha. He seemed to have some kind of control over her. Turns out that he, Iyappan, is her brother. He is a drunkard and a gambler. He got the money for all his indulgences from his sister. He harassed her if she refused to give money to him. Usha kept this hidden from the Kalyaaniamma family. When they came to know about it, they were only more accommodative. The story grows...
This is what 'Grand mother' is all about. The film is being directed by Sunil.
The film stars Aathira (as Usha), K.P.A.C.Lalitha (as Kalyaaniamma), Tony (Iyappan), Jagadheesh, Jagadi and others.
Friday, April 19, 2002
Preview: Chirikkudukka
Chirikkudukka: Laughing all the way
Director T.S Saji is busy once again with the shooting of his new movie Chirikkudukka. Vinu Kiriyath writes the story for this movie.
A total comedy entertainer, this movie has two new faces, Jayachandran and Deepthi Prasad, making their debut, the leading characters in Chirikkudukka.
Jayachandran is more known to those who watch the Comedy Times in Surya T.V. Deepthi Prasad is a dancer from Kollam. Jagadish, Madhupal, Kochin Haneefa, Jagathy, Byju, Salim Kumar, Janardhanan, Kalpana, Kanakalatha, Anupama, are the other stars acting in this movie. Girish Puthenjeril scores music for this movie.
Chirikkudukka, for us to laugh all the way.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Kerala tribals plan grand court to 'try' corrupt officials
Kerala tribals plan grand court to 'try' corrupt officials
UNI
KOZHIKODE: Claiming themselves to be the ''loyal custodians'' of forest lands, the tribals in Kerala have demanded the right to vest the property back from the hands of ''corrupt'' officials.
What is more, they are planning to ''try'' the forest officials at a grand tribal court next month.
The tribal leaders, as part of an alternative development plan for the state, have mooted the idea of a new forest management after dissolving the present Forest Department, tribal leader C K Janu said on Tuesday.
The tribals, while sensing that the Forest Department was colluding with mafia groups, were of the opinion that the vested forest area had come down largely under the administration, she told reporters here.
After evicting the tribals, who in the past had preserved the land and fauna intact, the authorities had leased out such lands to non-tribals and the rich. ''One day the very existence of the nature would be at stake,'' Janu added.
At the same time, the state government was begging before the institutions like World Bank and Asian Development Bank for loans to feed the ''corrupt'' forest officials, she said.
The adivasis, under the aegis of the Adivasi Mahagothra Sabha, are also planning to organise a big 'tribal court' at Mananthavadi on May 25 to publicly try the corrupt officials. Six representatives from 2,000 settlements (ooru sabhas) will lead the trial. Summons would be issued to the corrupt and chargesheets would released at the court, to be attended by eminent activists from outside the state.
In the run-up to the tribal court session, a campaign by the Adivasi-Dalit Action Council was launched from Kasaragod on April five and it would conclude at Thiruvananthapuram on May 15. Janu, the rally captain, was interacting with the press after the campaign entered the city.
The council had prepared a blueprint of alternative development model for the state, denouncing the ongoing 'Kerala Model' of governance in which both the Right and the Left fronts had allegedly worked against the Dalits and Adivasis.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Proceedings stayed in mass-rape case
KOCHI: Following the allegation that the public prosecutor has hands with the accused, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday stayed the proceedings in the mass-rape case pending before Kalpetta Sessions Court.
A gang of six taxi drivers had allegedly kidnapped four 17-year-old college girls from Ambalavayal to Meppadi Soochichra and threatening to push them down into the deep gorge, raped them on October 17, 1999.
According to one of the victims, the present public prosecutor had compelled them to depose in favour of the accused telling that they know not the accused.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
To ensure uninterrupted SAFE link from Kochi, VSNL evolves contingency plan
KOCHI: Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL), all set to launch the first phase of SAFE inter-continent submarine link, has evolved a contingency plan to ensure uninterrupted worldwide link to its customers from Kochi.
The strategy, sources said, envisages immediate switching over from SEA-ME-WE-3 to the SAFE and vice-versa, if one of the submarine cables malfunctions. The contingency mechanism has been installed to dispel doubts about possible interruption and eventual break in communication through the South East Asia-Middle East-West Asia and South Africa Far East (SAFE) networks in the minds of prospective customers.
The contingency plan will be in place along with the commissioning of the first phase of SAFE which will connect Kochi to Mauritius through a 2 MB link. The Kochi node will also be connected to Mumbai through a 2 MB link for easy, faster and low-tariff traffic between the two destinations.
‘‘The contingency plan assures the customer of an alternative arrangement if one of the cables fails. The strategy has been evolved to impart confidence among customers,’’ said A S Menon, VSNL senior general manager. The availability of the submarine connectivity has been attracting many IT-service providers to Kochi.
‘‘We have been getting a good feedback. There were several enquiries ever since the completion of SEA-ME-WE 3 and the SAFE. Many of the firms are from outside the State,’’ he said.
Sources also told this newspaper that these firms are mooting tie-up with local service providers also. ‘‘The interest they evince underscores their confidence in the reliability of the networks. The guarantee of uninterrupted connectivity will only further the interest of IT-companies in Kochi,’’ Menon said.
With the completion of the submarine connectivity, a major portion of the traffic, currently being routed through satellites, will be shifted to cables. This will mean faster and cheaper connectivity, sources pointed out.
While the minimum delay in satellite link is 300 milliseconds, it is only 30 milliseconds in cables. ‘‘Also the cost will come down to more than 50 per cent in Kochi and Mumbai as both the Cities are cable stations. This, in turn, will help ISPs to slash their rates, sources pointed out.
The annual port charge for a 2 MB Internet Leased Line Service will be Rs 11.6 lakh in Kochi and Mumbai while it will be above Rs 17.6 lakh in other cities which are connected to the cable heads through terrestrial links. The rate is Rs 35 lakh in centres where connectivity is possible only through satellite, sources pointed out.
Similarly, International Private Leased Circuit Services will have to pay only Rs 26 lakh in Kochi whereas the tariff in other centres will be Rs 45 lakh. It is about Rs 75 lakh in centres that can be connected only through satellites, sources said.
The VSNL is planning to complete the SAFE network in a phased manner. The complete commissioning is expected within three months.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Advani to open Onam pageant in Trivandrum
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Home Minister L K Advani will inaugurate the Onam pageant on August 25 in Thiruvananthapuram.
Kerala Tourism Minister K V Thomas on Tuesday invited Advani to open the Onam celebrations.
Union Tourism Minister Jagmohan would be the chief guest at the State- level inauguration of Onam celebrations at Nishagandhi auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram, on August 19.
Tourism Secretary T Balakrishnan and Director Alkeshkumar were present when Thomas invited the Union Ministers.
MOPLAH BAY: For the Rs 9.35-crore Moplah Bay Fishing Harbour, a sum of Rs 1.19 crore would be made available within one month, Union Agriculture Minister Ajith Singh told Thomas.
The Government of India has already given Rs 8.16 crore for the project.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Bomb hoax at Shenoy’s Theatre
KOCHI: A bomb scare at Shenoy’s Theatre forced the police and bomb squad to evacuate the crowd from the cinema hall, while the second show was on, on Tuesday.
According to sources, the Police Control Room received a call from a woman identifying herself as Reshmi, late night.
The caller said she had overheard a conversation between two youths that a bomb was placed at the theatre, which was set to explode during the time of the second show.
The bomb squad reached the theatre at around 9.45 p.m. after the second show of the movie ‘Kuberan’ had started.
People were asked to stay outside till the search was completed. The show resumed 45 minutes later as no bomb was found.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Written test for BBC quiz
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The preliminary written test of the ‘BBC Mastermind India’ quiz will be held here on April 28.
Mastermind India said in a statement on Tuesday that those who qualified in the written test would be selected for the TV round hosted by the eminent quiz master Sidhartha Basu.
The quiz competition aired through the BBC Television has completed five years.
The application forms are available in the website www.funtoo.com and also can be had from e-mail address, mastermindindia@funtoo.com. Further details can be had from G S Rajmohan over phone: 0471-330977.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
MLA arrested for obstructing land demarcation for substation
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The demarcation of boundary of 55 acres of the acquired land in Pallippuram paddies and fixing of survey stones on it this morning by Revenue Department officials ended up in trouble as some local people led by MLA M A Wahid tried to prevent them from going about their work.
The police force led by Attingal DySP Ravi Lal intervened when the protestors obstructed the officers and dispersed them wielding lathis. Several people were injured in the police action and the MLA and about a dozen others were taken into custody.
The protestors called themselves members of Ela Samrakshana Samithi and their contention was that the paddies in question, Elavankiri Ela, was the best rice-growing paddies in Thiruvananthapuram district and the electrical sub station which had been planned on the site could be built either on the site chosen earlier for it at Andoorkonam or at the vacant place at CRP Camp at Pallippuram or on the unused place on the University campus at Kariavattom.
The MLA was taken to Mangalapuram police station and after the necessary formalities police are believed to have offered to release him on bail as he had been booked on a bailable offcence. However he refused to get himself enlarged on bail, and consequently he was produced before the magistrate at Attingal who remanded him to judicial custody. Subsequently he was taken to the sub jail at Attingal and from there he was later moved to the taluk hospital at Chirayinkeezh. Some of his supporters threw stones at transport buses in front of the police station forcing the police personnel to use lathis again.
K R Gilbert, Kazhakkoottam block president of Desiya Karshaka Thozhilali Federation, said that the Police had used unnecessary force and the MLA was also beaten up and his shirt was torn.
Revenue divisional officer S Bahuleyan who led Deputy Collectors Purushothaman Potti and K P Ganesan, tahsildar Ismail and other Revenue officials for the work told this paper later that the land was acquired for building a 400 KV sub station. (The State Government has entrusted Power Grid Corporation with the work). He said that the acquisition of the land from its original 189 owners was completed in 2001 and the draft declaration was made in that year itself. The land was handed over to the Power Grid Corporation in March this year. However the demarcation of outer boundary remained to be done and the official team went there to accomplish this piece of work on Tuesday.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Academy to bar officials from including films for festival
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Film-makers who are executive committee members of the Chalachitra Academy will henceforth not be allowed to include their works in the competition section or ‘Malayalam cinema now’ category of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). Likewise, directors in the executive committee will have to resign from the committee if they are seeking recognition for themselves or for their works at the State film awards.
The decision, coming as it does in the wake of the recent controversy over the selection of T K Rajeevkumar’s film ‘Sesham’ in the competition section of IFFK 2002 and Kamal’s ‘Megh Malhar’ in the ‘Malayalam cinema now’ category, was taken after discussions at the executive committee and general council meetings of the academy. Film-makers in the executive committee can enter their films for the State awards but will have to give in writing that they are not in the race for the best film award or individual awards that may otherwise come their way. The others associated with the films will be considered for the awards.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan, academy chairman, made it clear at a news conference on Tuesday that it was a decision that was forced on the academy. ‘‘We are not happy taking such a decision but then, one has to put an end to unnecessary controversies. I don’t think it was right on the part of certain sections of the film fraternity to say that there was a conspiracy against their works. Once a jury is appointed for selecting films, there is no question of anyone from the academy influencing its decisions,’’ he said.
Rajeevkumar, who was the academy vice-chairman, has submitted his resignation and Cultural Affairs Minister G Karthikeyan on Tuesday said the Government had accepted it. ‘‘Rajeevkumar is essentially a film-maker. The decision to quit was purely a personal one,’’ he added.
The Minister lauded the academy for making the festival a success. ‘‘The total expenses for the festival was just Rs 64.7 lakh, compared to Rs 86 lakh last year, Rs 1.14 crore for the festival held at Kochi in 1999 and Rs 1.48 crore for the edition at Kozhikode. We were able to organise a clean festival and the credit goes to the academy. The Government had given Rs 50 lakh for the festival,’’ he said.
However, official sources said that the Government had only given Rs 10 lakh for the conduct of the festival. An amount of Rs 50 lakh was released while the festival was in progress but that amount was for carrying out various other schemes of the academy and for other administrative expenses. The Government had reportedly promised to provide some money from the contingency fund but nothing has materialised so far.
As many as 5,050 delegates attended IFFK 2002 which featured films from 37 countries, Karthikeyan said. As many as 145 films, including 102 feature films and 43 short
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Top ADB officials meet Antony
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As a prelude to beginning detailed discussion on sanctioning development loan to Kerala, a team of senior officials from Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday held preliminary talks with Chief Minister A K Antony here.
The team, headed by ADB director Clauss Gerhausser, spoke to the Chief Minister and Finance Minister K Sankaranarayanan for 30 minutes in the presence of senior finance department officials, government sources said.
Later, Antony told reporters that the discussions with the bank would be held in a "transparent manner."
The reform process set in motion in the state was not under pressure from any external agencies but formed part of the UDF government's earnest efforts to pull the state out of the fiscal crisis it was experiencing, he said.
According to the sources,the bank officials would be examining in detail various aspects of the state's financial and developmental issues as part of the discussions in the coming days.
The bank team also included the team leader william Mac Carten, senior governance specialist Asha Newsum and Dr Sujatha Viswanathan.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Iranian film festival from April 19
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Film Lovers Cultural Association (Filca) and KSFDC, in association with the Culture House of the Iran, are organising a three-day Iranian film festival here at Kalabhavan from April 19.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M M Hassan will inaugurate the festival at 7 pm on April 19. The inaugural ceremony will be followed by the screening of ‘Leila’ by Darioush Mehrjui.
Other films to be screened are ‘The Father’ directed by Majid Majidi (6 pm on April 20) ‘And Life Goes On’ directed by Abbas Kiarostami (8 pm on April 20), ‘Sara’ by Darioush Mehrjui (11 am on April 21), Abbas Kairostami’s ‘Close Up’ (4 pm on April 21), ‘The Last Act’ by Varuzh Karim Masihi (6 pm on April 21) and ‘To Be or Not To Be’ by K Ayyari (8 pm on April 21).
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Stir hits public sector units
KOCHI: The one-day All-India Public Sector strike on Tuesday paralysed the banking sector and hit other public sector enterprises in petroleum, telecom and insurance sectors of the State.
The strike called by various trade unions was in protest against the Central Government policies of privatising the public sector.
No major incidents of violence was reported in the State.
With officers participating in the strike, banking operations came to a standstill. Things were not different in the telecom sector as customer services were hit though there was no disruption in communications.
‘‘The lower level staff had participated in the strike affecting customer services but otherwise work went on normally,’’ said A K Saxena, Chief General Manager of the BSNL.
The strike also hit the functioning of the Cochin Port Trust and public sector undertakings like the FACT, HMT, Kochi Refineries Ltd, Cochin Shipyard Ltd and Hindustan Insecticides.
Strike was complete in Cochin Port and officers and even private employees under the CITU participated, claimed Thomas Sebastian, secretary of the Cochin Port Staff Association.
While the movement of containers was affected severely, crude oil was pumped to the Kochi Refineries from an oil tanker, sources said. Petroleum products were also being loaded, according to sources.
The insurance sector was also severely affected by the strike. General Insurance officers who didn’t participate in the strike observed a day of protest.
‘‘While the customer services were hit by the strike, the other operations went on normally,’’ said R R Nair, Senior Divisional Manager, LIC, Kochi.
Fifty per cent attendance has been reported at the FACT while at Indian Rare Earths, the attendance was 29 per cent.
In separate statements, All Kerala Bank Employees Federation, All India Bank Officers Confederation, BSNL Employees Union, Cochin Port Employees Organisation, Cochin Shipyard Joint Action Council Against Privatisation, Petroleum Employees Association, Cochin Refineries Workers Association, District Cooperative Bank Employees Federation and United Forum of Bank Unions claimed that the strike was a success.
Tuesday, April 16, 2002
Special plan to develop waterways
The Government will draw up a special action plan to make waterways in the State serviceable, the Water Resources Minister, T. M. Jacob, has said. The Minister was addressing a high-level conference convened here today to discuss the development of waterways.
Mr. Jacob said the objective of the Government was to develop all waterways, including inland waterways with Central assistance, so as to facilitate travel, tourism and cargo movement.
Initially, the Kollam-Kovalam inland waterway would be developed. This would be followed by the development of the waterway between Kottappuram and Kasaragod.
He called for the cooperation and help of user agencies for development of the waterways. This was necessary to avoid jams and reduce costs for cargo movement.
The Transport Minister, K. B. Ganesh Kumar, told the conference that improvement of waterways was crucial to the development of transportation in the State. So, priority would be given for its development. He called for joint efforts by all concerned to renovate the waterway that had fallen into disuse.
The Secretary to the Chief Minister, Gopalkrishna Pillai, senior officials and chief engineers of Irrigation, Transport and Ports Departments and representatives of user agencies attended the conference.
Tuesday, April 16, 2002
50 heads of U.S. IT firms to visit Kerala
The Indian Foreign Investment Agency (IFIA), a U.S.-based group facilitating foreign investment into the country, will be bringing a contingent of around 50 chief executives of IT companies to Kerala in November this year.
``This encouraging development shows that our efforts to market Kerala as an investment destination are beginning to bring results,'' said the Industries Minister, P. K. Kunhalikutty, at an interaction with presspersons here today.
He had with him Keith Fiveson and Zubin Kapadia, who are currently leading a delegation of the IFIA to the State to prepare the groundwork for the visit of the top executives of the foreign IT companies to the State.
Mr. Fiveson said the team from outside would be visiting New Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi in November. Kerala would be hosting a `Business Process Outsourcing' conclave in Kochi to coincide with the team's visit.
He said Kerala had come into the IFIA's agenda because of a combination of factors. The State had the right kind of ``people, networking infrastructure and technology'' to make it an attractive proposition to IT companies wishing to invest in India. ``We are looking at the future and we believe Kerala and these companies have a big future together,'' he said.
Mr. Kunhalikutty said the State was keen on a long-term tie-up with such an agency capable of bringing foreign investors to the country. The IFIA had brought the top executives of over 60 IT companies to the country in 2000, but Kerala was not in the tour itinerary of the team then.
The IT secretary, Aruna Sundararaj, who too was present at the interaction, said the State Government and the IFIA team had detailed discussions today on the topic of the proposed conclave. What kind of institution tie-up could be made to ensure foreign investment into the State, which were the areas where IT investments could be advantageous to the State and the foreign companies and what should be done to step up the State's marketing efforts in the sector were the subjects discussed.
The IFIA team would call on the Chief Minister
Tuesday, April 16, 2002
Central Film Board to intensify checks
KOZHIKODE APRIL 15. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has come up with a novel idea of engaging private agencies to enforce the provisions enshrined in the Cinematograph Act of 1952 in all the States.
It is learnt that the fresh proposal has been envisaged to curb the violation of the rules of exhibition of films in cinema theatres throughout the country.
These "market watch companies'' (private agencies), once appointed, will, maintain a constant look-out for pornographic and other unlawful activities in cinema halls. They will report the matter to the authorities for initiating punitive action against errant theatres.
Sources said various forms of censorship violations had been found to be taking place in most of the States.
Rarely does a person get caught for screening pornographic films. The onus of enforcing the provisions of the Cinematograph Act lie with the State Governments and the Union Territories. But the administrators have been apathetic to the violations at the cinema houses in their respective regions.
The Act provides for certification of films for exhibition and for regulating exhibition by means of its various provisions.
According to Section 6 (a) and section 6 (b) of the Act, a person who screens a film "unsuitable for the public'', may be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine of Rs. 1 lakh , or both.
The accused would also be liable to pay Rs 20,000 per day for continuing the offence.
As part of the project of taking action against erring theatres, the authorities have divided the country into nine zones with the respective headquarters at one of the main centres in a State.
The theatres in Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Union Territories of Dadra and Nager Haveli and Daman and Diu will come under the jurisdiction of the Mumbai region.
Similarly, Thiruvananthapuram will be the headquarters for Kerala, Bangalore for Karnataka, Kolkata for Bihar and West Bengal, Cuttack for the State of Orissa, Delhi for Harayana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Union territories of Chandigarh and New Delhi, Guwahati for Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, Hyderabad for Andhra Pradesh, Chennai for Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Pondicherry.
Officials said that pornographic film material was a flourishing multi-crore enterprise in the country. Most of the uncensored films were being screened in the rural areas. But there was yet another larger market involved in the mixing and editing of some of the uncensored parts into the films earlier certified by the Censor Board.
The executive member of the South Indian Film Chamber M. Rajan, said that most of the films brought to Kerala were produced in Chennai. It was then the job of the distributors to market them in the middle-class theatres in the State.''
However proprietors were very cautious not to exhibit the films in the city,'' he pointed out.
There were more than 1,300 theatres in the State. Most of them were facing a downward business trend following the recession. A majority of the cinema houses were on the verge of closure. And a large number of them had shut shop during the last decade. The number of theatres in Ernakulam had diminished. In Kozhikode district, the number had come down to 111.
The Kozhikode District Cine Exhibitors Association general secretary, E. Chandrashekaran, said that the `sex' film industry had captured a substantial share of the market in rural areas.
"The so-called sex films were crowd-pullers. Yet it was difficult for the theatre owners to survive because of the heavy burden of taxes,'' said Mr. Chandrashekaran, owner of the Mallika theatre in Feroke here.
The Shogun Films Limited director, R. Raju, pointed out that the `A' certified movies having a fair share of the film industry were eating into the profits of mainstream cinema. "These films made on a shoe-string budget had become a big source of income to some of the producers.
The theatre owners also did not mind exhibiting them.
An owner of an AC theatre would pay Rs 1.75 lakhs monthly bill on electricity,'' he said stressing the growing expenditure for exhibiting films.
Mr Raju said that the film industry was struggling to overcome the onslaught of the electronic media. Last year, the Malayalam film industry had suffered a staggering loss of more than Rs. 50 crores, he said. Now the film industry is already in the red.
It remains to be seen how the well-intentioned move of the Central Board of Film Certification to enforce the morality code will effect the cinema business.
Tuesday, April 16, 2002
Competition hots up in cellular telephony
Competition among cellular operators is hotting up like never before in the State and it is poised for an interesting phase with the imminent entry of two more players. Taking a cue from the market feedback, one of the operators in the Kerala circle, BPL Mobile, is all set to go in for retailerisation in a big way. The strategy is to have product leadership, customer service and better coverage in the coming months, say Mr. K.A. Mohammed Saleem and Mr. R. Suresh of the company.
Kerala, they point out, would witness the entry of Bharti and BSNL in the near future and the tele-density and mobile telephony penetration would be higher here. Reduction in tariffs, affordable and easy availability of mobile phones and the country's largest waiting list for landline telephones make the State unique in the market, they pointed out.
The company has during the past two months opened up six new galleries in Kannur, Thrissur, Kochi (two), Alappuzha and Kollam. The idea is to make the customers have a complete `feel' of the mobile phone experience at the smartly designed outlets. These centres would provide value added services right from subscribing to mobile phone services, information on new services, bill payment, tariff plan changes et al. In short, these would be a one-stop-shop for all the subscribers' needs. The galleries are equipped with on-line connectivity with Kochi.
The company has plans to start five more such galleries by May in Kozhikkode, Kottayam, Palakkad and Kochi. Complementing the galleries are the channel partner (dealer) showrooms which are the next layer of customer touch points. Already there are 10 such showrooms in the State which will be increased to 25 by May
In Thiruvananthapuram/Kollam cluster, BPL Mobile has expanded its coverage to places such as Kottiyam, Kundara and enhanced its coverage within Kollam city, Kottarakara, Adoor, Neyyattinkara and Balaramapuram are to be launched shortly and coverage enhanced in Attingal.
In Kottayam/Alappuzha cluster, coverage will soon be expanded to Pathanamthitta, Kozhencherry, Ettumanur, Haripad, Ambalapuzha and Kayamkulam. In Kochi cluster, coverage has been enhanced in Aluva and Paravur recently and will soon be enhanced in Palluruthy.
Thriprayar, Ottappalam, Shornur, Alathur, Wadakkancherry and Wadanappally will be added to the Thrissur/Palakkad cluster coverage expansion. In Kozhikkode/Malappuram/Kannur cluster, recently coverage has been extended to Tirur, Perinthalmanna, Koyilandy and Mahe. Soon to follow are Ponnani,Edappal, Kottakkal and Valancherry.
Mr. R.A. Venkitachalam, chief operating officer of the company for Kerala and Tamil Nadu, said that the company expected that with its three pronged plan with elements of `service coverage' and 'relevant GSM coverage' backed up with its proven track record of innovative products would differentiate it from other GSM and basic operators.
The tele-density (per thousand) in the country was 29 as against 75 in Kerala. BSNL waiting list (in lakhs) is 32 in the country as against 8.5 in Kerala. There are 3.55 lakh mobile customers in the State as against 60 lakhs in the country. Mobile penetration at the national level is only 0.60 % as against 1.20 % in the State.
The high tele-density and double the national level of mobile penetration coupled with highest waitlist in the country for landlines makes Kerala a welcome proposition for the cellular operators., .
The other leading operator, Messrs Escotel Mobile Communications (which has the largest number of subscribers here), has also come out with a number of offers for the festival season.
The company, which recently announced incoming roaming facilities for its prepaid customers has come out with a new Smartfone InstaCard and Vishu offer. As per the offer, all those who buy a new Smartfone connection between April 10 and April 16 will get a gold coin free.
The new card enables the customer to talk instantly and save time taken for activation. It has also plans for lower monthly membership fee and airtime rates.
Tuesday, April 16, 2002
Muslim bodies wary of talks with RSS
Even as the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) is busy with the spade work for a "hopeful'' series of talks between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Muslim community leaders "for bringing about better understanding and amity between the two communities'', the response from some of the leaders on the latter side is lukewarm and wary.
The NCM member, John Joseph, who is trying to coordinate such a meeting, had earlier said that the NCM was by all means hopeful that such a meeting would become a reality and that no political leaders would be invited for the talks. He also said that the first round of such talks was likely to be held in Kerala.
However, the president of the Dekshina Kerala Jama-ath Federation, Kadakkal Abdul Aziz Moulavi, said that while any talks aimed at improving relations between Muslims and Hindus was most welcome, he had second thoughts about holding such talks with the RSS leaders.
Talking to The Hindu, the Moulavi, who is a popular Muslim community leader especially in the Travancore area of the State, said that the March 17 Bangalore resolution of the RSS had demolished whatever positive aspects could emerge or were expected from such talks. The three-day Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha of the RSS held in Bangalore had adopted the controversial resolution which said "let Muslims understand that their real safety lies in the goodwill of the majority''.
Such a resolution passed against a community was tantamount to a threatening posture and too in a country based on secular foundations. Moreover, the RSS can in no way claim to represent the Hindus of the country, he said adding, "I firmly believe that 90 per cent of the Hindus are secularists''.
Hence the imperative prerogative for even the Muslim community leaders mooting the idea of talks with the RSS could be thought of only if the RSS was prepared to withdraw the "threatening resolution'' adopted against Muslims in the country. After that, let the NCM approach us and we will examine it, he said.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Employees Cultural Association (Meca) does not favour any meeting by the Muslim community leaders with the RSS. The State president of Meca, M.A. Samad, said that the whole idea for such talks mooted by the NCM appeared to be some sort of a conspiracy and should be rejected by all Muslim community and organisational leaders.
If any one felt that their patriotism can be proved only by sitting for talks with the RSS, then the Meca does not believe in such patriotism, he said. Meca will not allow John Joseph to implement the RSS agenda in Kerala. The Meca called upon him to give up the "venture''.
The Meca general secretary, N.K. Ali, said that in case any Muslim community leaders went in for such talks, they would get isolated from the community.
When the above reactions were brought to the attention of Mr. Joseph, he said it was painful to note that some sections were misinterpreting the good intentions behind the proposed talks. "The talks do not intend pointing fingers at each other for whatever has happened in the past''. The aim is to prevent unpleasantness in the future.''
About the controversial Bangalore resolution of the RSS, he said that both the RSS and those from the Muslim side had passed remarks against each other. If the Bangalore resolution had to be withdrawn, what was the harm in sitting with the RSS leaders and convincing them about the need for the same. When asked for his personal reaction to the Bangalore resolution, he said that the security of both the minority and majority communities depended upon each others' goodwill.
Tuesday, April 16, 2002
Poachers targeting migrant birds
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM APRIL 15. Rampant poaching and pilferage of nests is posing a serious threat to a large population of migrant as well as indigenous birds which flock to paddy fields and wetlands in the city and suburbs during April-May.
The birds favour the marshy areas such as Punchakkari near Vellayani, Kakkammoola, Pallichal, Aakkulam, Veli and Pallippuram. These include several species of herons from North India, wild ducks from North and South Asian countries, which start arriving in December. The arrivals peak in April-May and the birds stay on till harvesting is over.
While a section of the poachers use air-guns, crude methods are also adopted by a section of migrant poachers from Tamil Nadu. The birds are trapped in nets placed in the paddy field. In some cases, arrows shaped from wood are thrown to kill the bird. Another method is to smear the resin of jackfruit on trees to catch the birds when their feet get stuck.
Bird-watchers say the poachers also target the eggs of pigeons, wild ducks, pheasants and other birds or catch the hatchlings as they come out.
Though hunting of birds has been going on at Punchakkari from March, the Forest Department came to know of this only after some bird-watchers informed the officials.
The Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Gopinathan, said patrolling by the Flying Squad had been intensified in these areas. The police have also stepped in to the rescue of the birds with the Fort Assistant Commissioner, A.K. Venugopalan, directing the Thiruvallam station to carry out patrolling in the Punchakkari area.
Though about 40 species of birds have been listed in the various schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, the species most frequently targeted by poachers are pigeons, quails, thrushes, starlings, woodpeckers and teals, bird-watchers say. The Grey Pelican, whose nesting has not been recorded in the State, is also under threat from poachers.
Mr. Gopinathan said officials of the rank of Wildlife Warden and Divisional Forest Officer as well as the Flying Squad were empowered to book offenders. However, the department was handicapped by the lack of tip-offs from locals regarding poaching activities.
The poachers usually operate in the early morning hours when there are no workers in the paddy fields. Even if the information is passed on to the officials of the department, the hunters make a getaway before the squad arrives.
Mr. Gopinathan said that birdwatchers and NGOs help the department in tackling the poachers by forming vigilante groups under the guidance of reading clubs.
Since the marshy lands do not come under the department, such an information network was needed. "We will take prompt action on receiving a tip-off,'' he asserted.
The coordinator of the city-based group of bird watchers, Warblers & Waders, Sushanth, said the poaching of birds at Akkulam and Veli had come down over the past few years due to the intervention of locals.
Tuesday, April 16, 2002
Hindi Prachar Sabha functionary dead
M K Velayudhan Nair, secretary of the Kerala Hindi Prachar Sabha, has died at the Regional Cancer Centre.
He was 67. He is survived by wife, four daughters and a son.
Nair had been the Secretary of the Hindi Prachar Sabha for a long time and has contributed significantly to the growth of the organisation.
He had served as Treasurer and Secretary of the Akhil Bharateeya Hindi Sanstha Sangh, New Delhi, and as member of various central and state committees, including Kendriya Hindi Samiti and Hindi Advisory Committees of several central ministries.
He was the winner of Ganga Saran Singh Award of the Central Hindi Institute, Agra, and the Bihar State Government award. Honorary titles of Sahitya Mahopadyaya and Sahitya Vachaspathi were conferrred on him by Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, Allahabad.
Tuesday, April 16, 2002
Tamil Ramayana to be translated into Malayalam
Malayalam version of Tamil poet Kambar's 'Ramayana' will be published within three months.
At a review meeting at Thiruvananthapuram, K Sreedharan Nair and Palavesam,who were behind the project, said the work was in its final stages.They began the work five years ago. The meeting also decided to constitute a society in the name of Kambar National Foundation for Oriental Research.
Dr G Balamohan Thampy, Dr Puthusseri Ramachandran, Prof V KunjuSankara Pillai, Dr K Nachimuthu and Prof Kumaran Nair were among those who attended the meeting.
Monday, April 15, 2002
Divya Unni - Her Big Plans
Divya is suffering from exam fever these days. The actress is appearing for her Final year B.A. papers. As soon as the exams get over, she'd fly back to Hyderabad to continue with her films. She says she's getting lots of offers in Telugu these days. 'Snehabandham' is the film she's working on right now.
Her family is preparing for a different kind of event. Her wedding.
In 'Snehabandham', Divya says she has a strong role - a character that goes through the stages of being a lover, a wife and a mother. She has received an offer from Kodi Ramakrishna. In the meantime, her Kannada film had turned out to be a massive hit too. The film, 'Vaanalu Nee Bhoomiyilu Nee' is a remake of 'Innale'. Now, she's a wanted star in Kannada too.
She had arrived 4 years ago with 'Kalyana Sougandhika'. She had acted in about 38 films - 30 Malayalam, 6 Tamil, 1 Telugu and Kannana films each.
Due to her busy schedules in other language films, she had to give up some Malayalam projects.
She says she's not going to give up her career after marriage. Her dream role is a dance based character.
Well, we wish her the best.
Monday, April 15, 2002
Preview: 'You've got mail'
Difference with creative innovation is some of the few keywords, which decide the success of a directorial debut. The new talent to make a debut this time is Shibu who also happens to be an assistant to Director Sathyan Anthikkad who has churned out successful Malyalam films.
The shooting for the film are happening in the outskirts of Ottappalam. Sathyan Anthikkad, the director's guru officially started of film with the first clap. Lohithadas, Sibi Malayil, Siyadh Kokker, cinematographer Venugopal, M.Sindhu Raj were also present during the launch of the film.
Kunjackko Boban plays the role of a postman who falls in love with the girl Maya and finally faces consequences out of his affair with the girl.
Another new actress Renuka will be making her debut into the film industry; she will be playing the role of Maya.
The movie, which portrays the splendor and integrity of the village, also reveals the deceitful rudiments that prevail there.
The other cast and crew members include Manoj.K.Jayan, Nedumudi Venu, Bharath Gopi, Jagathy, Janardhanan, Cochin Haneefa, Oduvil, Mala, Geetha Salam, K.P.A.C. Lalitha and Jiji Surendran.
Monday, April 15, 2002
Less known faces this Vishu
The much-expected wait for the release of Mohanlal's Onnaman and Mammotty's Phantom Paili are prolonged even more as they will not be released for Vishu this year. While the producers are busy spreading the word that they had decided to postpone the release due to the SSLC examinations in Kerala the actual reason being that Mohanlal had given priority to the movie Thandavam by Shaji Kailas. Earlier Mohanlal had brushed aside another offer as a lead role in Bhadran's movie Swarnam. While for Mamootty the other reigning icon of Malayalam cine world the theater owners are not giving their full support to Swargachitra Appachan who is now undertaking the project. So for Vishu, the movies of new faces will run in the theaters reflecting subtly that a way is being paved way for a new generation in the Malayalam Cinema world. Though the senior's movies are not arriving as a Vishu release, they will be due in a month of May.
Monday, April 15, 2002
Two Sabarimala pilgrims killed in mishap
Two Sabarimala pilgirms from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu were killed and four others injured when the car in which they were travelling overturned at Peruvanthanam near Mundakkayam in Kottayam.
The deceased were identified by police as Sreenivasan, 24, who was driving the car and Chokkalingam, 30. The injured were admitted to the medical college hospital in Kottayam. The occupants of the car were proceeding to Sabarimala where the `vishuvilakku' pilgrim season is now on.
Monday, April 15, 2002
Fervour, gaiety mark Vishu in Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Keralites on Sunday celebrated 'Vishu', the festival OF hope and promise, with traditional fervour and gaiety.
People woke up early in the morning to the sight of 'Vishukkani', comprising symbols of prosperity like idols of Gods, Gold, Fruits and vegetables with a bunch of yellow 'Konna' flowers for decoration, anticipating a prosperous year ahead.
'Vishukkani' was also arranged in major temples, including the Sree Krishna temple at Guruvayur and the Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala, where devotees thronged in large numbers in the small hours to witness the auspicious 'Kani'.
A sumptuous Vishu feast was part of the celebration, while children cheered the arrival of Vishu with bursting of crackers.
Vishu falls on the first day of Malayalam month, 'medom', marking the transition of sun from 'meenam rasi'.
The Kerala governor S S Kang and Chief Minister A K Antony were among those who greeted people on the occasion of Vishu.
Monday, April 15, 2002
Governor, CM greet people on eve of Vishu
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Governor S S Kang, Chief Minister A K Antony and his cabinet colleagues greeted Keralites on the occasion of Vishu.
"I join the people of Kerala in celebration of vishu. I hope this auspicious day would cheer up all Malayalees in and outside Kerala. Let it usher in a period of communal harmony, social Justice and all-round prosperity for the state", the Governor said in his message.
"A symbol of prosperity and plenty, let Vishu bring happiness to all", Antony said in his greetings.
Saturday, April 13, 2002
Movie Review : Company
High on hype, high on substance as well!
That sums up COMPANY, directed by Ramgopal Varma.
One has witnessed underworld sagas since time immemorial. But COMPANY has a new language - a language that's even more hard-hitting when compared to its predecessors. And, of course, it's ingenuous as well.
A saga of two friends - Malik (Ajay Devgan) and Chandu (Vivek Oberoi) - the story travels from the streets of Mumbai to Hong Kong and then Nairobi.
Malik is a trusted lieutenant of an underworld don. He recruits Chandu in the gang when the activities begin to expand. Differences between Malik and his colleagues surface when Malik starts siding Chandu.
Malik decides to take the reins in his hands and together with Chandu, starts running the 'company'. Later, they shift base to Hong Kong and start remote controlling their men from this foreign land.
But a misunderstanding turns the two friends into foes. In a bid to achieve supremacy, they decide to eliminate the other. Malik stays in Hong Kong with his close associates (Manisha Koirala, Ganesh Yadav, Rajpal Yadav), while Chandu shifts to Nairobi.
The dangerous game of death begins!
This is the second time that Varma is attempting a film of this genre, after SATYA, and like his previous attempt, COMPANY also underlines a message that is loud and clear - Crime never pays.
The initial reels are easygoing. The storytelling is ordinary and the pace is just about okay. But the film gathers momentum once the two friends decide to run the 'company' together. And the narrative gets even more interesting when the friends turn foes.
The best thing about the film is that it catches you unaware at several paces. Just when you start thinking 'What next?', comes up an incident that wobbles you completely.
The post-interval portions are even more captivating than the first part. This part focuses entirely on the enmity aspect, with subtle doses of emotions attached to the characters so that they don't become one-dimensional.
Ajay's sequences with Manisha and Vivek's with his wife (Antara Mali) and mother (Seema Biswas) subsequently are brilliantly executed. The climax is unconventional, but just right keeping the graph of the film in mind.
Directorially, Varma takes you to a world that is much-discussed and has become a part of our everyday life. One identifies instantly with the goings-on. Picking up incidents from newspaper and television news headlines, the narrative gives the viewer a microscopic view of how the mafia functions.
The director's contribution is visible in several sequences in the film, like -
* Ajay and Vivek corner their colleagues in the car and shoot them at point blank range;
* The sequence in the Commissioner's (Mohanlal) office, when the Commissioner questions Ajay, Vivek and Akash Khurana soon after the shoot out at a studio;
* The misunderstanding that results in the friendship going kaput and Akash Khurana's murder;
* Ajay's blood-thirsty men entering Vivek's hideout in Nairobi in a bid to eliminate him;
* Manisha and Antara coming face to face in a shopping centre;
* Vivek's telephonic conversation with his mother, wife and brother-in-law from the hospital, where he is undergoing treatment;
* Antara rushing to Hong Kong and the subsequent scene with Ajay and Manisha when she points the gun at Ajay;
* The culmination of Ajay's character...
If at all the viewer feels slightly letdown, it's on two counts -
* One, the post-interval portions tend to get a bit too heavy, with no relief in the form of light moments;
* Two, absence of songs in the film. The film boasts of just one song - the immensely popular 'Khallas' - while the remaining songs form part of the background.
Writer Jaideep Sahni deserves a pat for serialising the occurrences to precision. Sandeep Chowta's background music is first-rate. It enhances the impact of several sequences. Action sequences (Allan Amin) are realistic and are sure to pick an award or two for their skilful execution. Cinematography (Hemant Chaturvedi) is up to the mark.
Ajay Devgan enacts his role to perfection. A controlled performance, the actor takes to this complex character like a fish takes to water. He underplays his part with admirable ease.
Vivek Oberoi surprises you with a performance that is a cut above the rest. He seems to have prepared for the character, bestowing it with finer nuances. The usage of the slum dweller's dialect and the intonations give his character a vividly distinct look. A performance that merits the highest marks!
Mohanlal is the pick of the lot - his entry adds a lot of dimension to the drama. Mohanlal is excellent as the tough cop. His South Indian accent gels well with his role. His scenes with Vivek Oberoi towards the latter part of the film are refined. One waits for the man to light up the screen with his presence.
Manisha Koirala doesn't have a meaty role, but she expresses herself magnificently through gestures. She looks the part she plays. Antara Mali is superb. Playing a completely deglamourised role, she makes her presence felt in a male-dominated flick.
Seema Biswas is outstanding as Vivek's mother. Akash Khurana is effective. Bharat Dabholkar, Rajpal Yadav, Ganesh Yadav and Vijay Raaz support well.
On the whole, COMPANY is amongst Ramgopal Varma's finest works. A stylishly narrated tale, the film will win plaudits and reap a rich harvest at the box-office for its hard-hitting content.
Rating:- * * *.
Saturday, April 13, 2002
Kalabhavan Mani’s euphoria
Kalabhavan Mani is known to wear his heart on his sleeve. And now a days, he is euphoric.
After Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njanum, he din’t get much roles which could exploit his potential. Now, he has been roped in by noted director Sibi Malayil for Ayirathil Oruvan In other languages too Mani has landed plum roles.
His popularity is soaring in Tamil. Mani has bagged a key role in AVM’s latest production named Gemini, which will hit the screens on Vishu.
"I am cast as a villain in Gemini. It has given me enough room to parade my talents," he says with typical enthusiasm. This is his second major release for him in Tamil after Vanchinathan in which too Mani played the villain. "That was a totally different kind of film," he says.
Insiders say that Mani's importance in the Vanchinathan was scaled down after reported differences of opinion with the director. "I don't want to go into that now," he said.
Mani is enthusiastic about Sibi Malayil’s film. "I am thoroughly delighted," he says. "It is true that after Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Najnum, with the exception of Karumadikuttan, I was starving for quality roles. But somehow things were not happening to my liking," he says.
But Mani doesn’t want to put the blame on anyone for that. "When I reflect seriously, I appreciate that roles like that I did in Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njanum. It can’t happen every day. You have to be patient," he says, brimming with confidence.
"The fact that serious film directors are coming to me just helps to underscore my belief in myself," he says.
Mani says there are also plenty of offers in Tamil. "Most of them are of crude villains. I have to pick and choose. Otherwise, I will be typecast, and soon will be out of offers," he adds with caution.
Saturday, April 13, 2002
Onnaman and Phantom Pailey will not be released for Vishu
It looks like the superstars Mohanlal and Mammootty have been made ‘April Fools’ by their distributors! Mohanlal’s much awaited Onnaman and Mammootty’s Phantom Pailey are not releasing for Vishu. It is the first time in 12 years that superstars will not be having a Vishu release. The excuse given by the producers is that it is because of the postponement of the SSLC exams.
But Good Knight Mohan of Shogun Films and distributor of Onnaman is peeved with Mohanlal for not giving immediate dates to their prestigious Bhadran directed Swarnam. Instead Mohanlal has given more importance to Johnny Sagarika produced, Shaji Kailas directed film, Thandavam. The superstar wants the film as his Onam release this August.
In the case of Mammootty’s Phantom Pailey, Swargachitra Appachan, the distributor got cold feet at the last minute when theatre owners refused to give an advance for a Mammootty film. So now he has to cough-up the extra money from financiers in Chennai to release the film.
Both Onnaman and Phantom Pailey would be released either on April 26 or May 3. Meanwhile with no major opposition from the superstars, Vinayan directed Ooma Penninu Uriyada Payyan and Dileep’s Kuberan will take over the Vishu Box office.
Saturday, April 13, 2002
It looks like the superstars Mohanlal and Mammootty have been made ‘April Fools’ by their distributors! Mohanlal’s much awaited Onnaman and Mammootty’s Phantom Pailey are not releasing for Vishu. It is the first time in 12 years that superstars will not be having a Vishu release. The excuse given by the producers is that it is because of the postponement of the SSLC exams.
But Sify.com understands that Good Knight Mohan of Shogun Films and distributor of Onnaman is peeved with Mohanlal for not giving immediate dates to their prestigious Bhadran directed Swarnam. Instead Mohanlal has given more importance to Johnny Sagarika produced, Shaji Kailas directed film, Thandavam. The superstar wants the film as his Onam release this August.
In the case of Mammootty’s Phantom Pailey, Swargachitra Appachan, the distributor got cold feet at the last minute when theatre owners refused to give an advance for a Mammootty film. So now he has to cough-up the extra money from financiers in Chennai to release the film.
Both Onnaman and Phantom Pailey would be released either on April 26 or May 3. Meanwhile with no major opposition from the superstars, Vinayan directed Ooma Penninu Uriyada Payyan and Dileep’s Kuberan will take over the Vishu Box office.
Saturday, April 13, 2002
Pritviraj, new craze!
Pritviraj has become a craze in Malayalam even before the release of his maiden film, Nandanam. This handsome hunk has already signed four Malayalam films and a Tamil film!
Suddenly this 20 something hunk has become hot, as producers queue outside his huge house in Trivandrum. But says his mother Mallika, who is herself a busy TV actress, now forced to look after his dates “ I wanted him to continue his studies in Australia but a lot of old friends of Suku vettan(Late Superstar Sukumaran) wanted to sign him up".
Pritvi’s debut film Nandanam is releasing in May but already he is getting a lot of fan mail, especially from teenagers. The boy wonder will start work on his next film Nakshatra Kannulla Rajakumaran Avanundoru Rajakumari with Gayathri Raghuram. This will be followed by a Viji Thampy film.
So the hunk is here to stay.
Saturday, April 13, 2002
Ooma Penninu Uriyada Payyan(OPUP) a Hit!
The baron of the box office Vinayan has done it again! His latest film, Ooma Penninu Uriyada Payyan(OPUP) which opened on Easter Sunday (March31) has taken a fantastic opening. The film with no big stars is turning out to be a super hit like his earlier films. The hero Jayasurya and villain Inderjit are new faces and the heroine is Kavya Madhavan. Houseful crowds in all the 35 centres are appreciating the villain in the film, Inderjit who is late actor Sukumaran’s son.
OPUP is said to be inspired from the Tamil film, Sollamalae, though Vinayan denies it. Anyway, now that the film has clicked there is no looking back for Vinayan. He has proved once again that small is beautiful and he needs no superstars in his films to make it a hit. Today, Vinayan as a filmmaker is bigger superstar than the reel stars.
Saturday, April 13, 2002
Two killed in lightning
Two killed in lightning
Two people were killed when lightning struck them in different places in Kollam district of Kerala in the evening.
Police identified the deceased as Manikantan(34) of Sasthamkottah and Joseph(24) of Pallithottam. Southern parts of Kerala received heavy summer showers, accompanied by lightning and thunder.
Saturday, April 13, 2002
BSNL mobile phones in Kerala
BSNL mobile phones in Kerala Search for More News Thiruvananthapuram, April 12: The much-awaited mobile telephone service from BSNL would be launched in Kerala in August next, a senior BSNL official said today.
'We are planning to provide two lakh cellular mobile connections during the current financial year and setting up the equipment for commissioning the service is nearing completion", BSNL Kerala telecommunications chief general manager, P P Ramachandarna told reporters here.
Comprehensive coverage with linking all state highways and important National highways in the state, nationwide roaming facility and competitive tariff would be the main attraction of the service, he said.
Besides this, the cirlce was also planning 3.3 lakh telephone connections using Wireless Local Loop technology and another four lakh landline connections, he said.
The total amount expected to be invested for other development activities this year in the state was about Rs.1500 crore, he said.
Referring to the performance of the circle last year, he said it provided 5.33 lakh new connections. The Indian telephone cards had become very popular in the state and BSNL registered a 'revenue of rs.14 crore last year.
Total revenue expected during the year was Rs.1375 crore against last year's collection of Rs.1128 crore, he added. (Agencies)
Saturday, April 13, 2002
Irregularities in abkari auction
The Kerala government today placed under suspension 57 revenue officials, including three deputy collectors and additional district magistrates, for alleged irregularities in issuing solvency certificates for bidders in last year’s abkari auction.
The action against the officials was on the basis of an inquiry by the land revenue assistant commissioner (housing), an official press release said here today.
The allegation against the officials was that they had issued solvency certificates, showing much higher rate than the value of the properties against which the certificates were issued.
The list also includes tahsildars, deputy tahsildars, village officers and a few administrative staff. (Agencies)
Saturday, April 13, 2002
'Green Bogey' service to transport fruits and veggies flagged off
KOCHI: The Railways on Friday launched its first 'Green Bogey' service to transport vegetables and fruits from Kerala to New Delhi by carrying about 23 tonnes of vegetables and fruits procured by Infam, a non-governmental organisation of farmers.
The weekly 'Green Bogey' service, temporarily attached to the Mangala Express, was flagged off by Union Minister of State for Railways O Rajagopal at a function at the Ernakulam Junction railway station at 11.55 am on Friday. The train will reach Delhi on Sunday.
Later, at an impromptu public meeting on the railway platform, he said that the 'Green Bogie' would be shifted to the Millennium Express (Train no 2645) soon. He urged Infam to sign an MoU with the Railways so as to ensure smooth service.
Responding to Infam chairman Mathew Vadakkemuri's request to introduce a more sophisticated coach for sending Kerala's farm produce to New Delhi, he said that Railways has already placed orders for the construction of refrigerated coaches for the purpose.
Rajagopal also said that in order to lure tourists to Kerala, Railways will provide special trains or coaches, exclusively for tourists, from Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, visiting the State. This decision coincides with the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Railways.
Saturday, April 13, 2002
Internet telephony in 4 months
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM April 12. The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) expects to provide its Internet telephony service in Kerala within the next three or four months, according to its chief general manager for Kerala Circle, P. P. Ramachandran.
At a press conference here today, he said the BSNL would be giving a higher priority to giving phone connections through the Wireless on Local Loop (WLL) in Kerala in future. Of the 9.3 lakhs new connections programmed to be given in the Kerala Circle during the current financial year, 57 per cent will be through WLL and cellular technologies.
He said the waiting list in the circle had 7.4 lakhs applications at present. The number of applications in the waiting list had fallen compared to the same period last year mainly because of the use of WLL technology.
Already, 4,000 WLL connections had been extended in Ernakulam and 1,000 connections in Thiruvananthapuram. Over 8,500 WLL phones were functioning the Circle at present spread over 17 locations. The target for the current year was 3.3 lakhs new connections through WLL. Many of the applicants in the waiting list for land phone connections too would be getting WLL connections instead, depending on the locality.
He said the BSNL would start giving its cellular phone connections to customers by August, this year. The Kerala Circle had been allotted 3.25 lakhs cellular phone connections, of which 2 lakh connections would be given in the first phase during the current financial year itself. The BSNL would be investing Rs. 144 crores in the Circle on infrastructure required for the cellular phone service. The Motorola was executing the project on turn-key basis. Nationwide roaming facility would be available to the cellular phone customers.
Mr. Ramachandran said BSNL could now provide broadband service to customers in the State.
To begin with, the priority would be to extend this service to corporate customers. The BSNL, further, had plans to introduce direct internet service in the State.
Optical fibre cables could be laid to the last point of the phone connections to ensure higher band width to customers who demand it.
During the current financial year, 9.23 lakhs connections would be added to the net capacity of the BSNL in the Circle. This included 4.47 lakhs in large exchanges, 26,600 in small and medium exchanges, 1,65,000 through WLL in urban areas and 2,82,000 through WLL in rural areas.
Thursday, April 11, 2002
Sabarimala temple opened for Vishu poojas
PATHANAMTHITTA: The Sabarimala Ayyappa temple was opened for annual Vishu festival on Wednesday. Melsanthi A R Raman Nampoothiri opened the sanctum sanctorum at 1730 hrs in the presence of Tantri Kantararu Mohanararu and lighted the ceremonial lamps installed in front of the Ayyappa idol.
The Sannidhanam witnessed unprecedented rush of pilgrims mostly from neighbouring southern states who chanted the saranamantras in an atmosphere surcharged with devotion and religious fervour.
No poojas were performed on Wednesday. Neyyabhishekam, Udayasthamana pooja and Padipooha will begin from Thursday morning.
The auspicious Vishu day falls on April 14. On that day, Vishukkani Darsanam'will be held from 0400 hrs, to Ushapooja. The Tantri and Melsanthi will offer Vishukkaineetam to the devotees on Vishu day.
Kalabhabhishekam will be performed on April 16 and 18. The hill-shrine will be closed at the conclusion of Vishu fete on April 18 at 2200 hrs after Athazhapooja.
The production of Aravana has started at full swing in the Sannidhanam. heavy police bandobust has been made at Pampa and the Sannidhanam for duties connected with security and crowd-control.
KSRTC has started operating special services from major depots to Pampa. Ayyappa Seva Sangham opened its camp offices at Pampa and the Sannidhanam in view of the anticipated large crowd of pilgrims.
Thursday, April 11, 2002
Fresh tenders for Kerala water project
Fresh tenders for Kerala water project
By Our Special Correspondent
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM APRIL 10 . The Cabinet has decided to revive the controversial Kerala Water Supply Project to be funded by the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).
The Chief Minister, A. K. Antony, told presspersons after the Cabinet meeting that fresh tenders would be called for the consultancy contract for the project. The probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into allegations relating to the choice of the consultants would continue.
The Chief Minister said that the bank, which had pressed for the confirmation of a Japanese firm as consultants, would be informed of the decision. The Cabinet had further decided to authorise the Irrigation Minister, T. M. Jacob, to work out the details.
The validity of PSC lists expiring shortly, he said, would be extended by six months from today. This was the pending assessment of excess staff by the Senthil Committee. The time given to the committee to identify excess staff and redeploy them would be extended up to June 30.
The Cabinet decided to advance the date of expiry of PSC lists, as the committee's clearance was needed for fresh appointments. This would benefit candidates, including those who had received advice memos.
Mr. Antony said that the Government would go on appeal against the High Court decision that cooperatives should also be allowed to apply for licence to run toddy shops. The Government was implementing the UDF's policy in this regard. The present arrangements would continue until the court decides the appeal. The Cabinet authorised the District Collectors of Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Palakkad and Thrissur to use police force against headload workers who were blocking the lifting of food grains given by the Centre under its Food for Work Programme.
Mr. Antony said that while the rates for loading and unloading of grains for the ration shops was Rs. 2.50 a bag, the headload workers were demanding Rs. 10 a bag for grains received under the Food for Work Programme.
The headload workers were remaining adamant in five districts while the issue could be settled in other districts.
He said that the final decision on legislation on loading and unloading would be taken only after discussions on the labour policy with political parties, industrialists and trade unions. Discussions with political parties would be held on May 2. Separate discussions with industrialists and workers had been scheduled for May 3.
He said that the Cabinet had approved various proposals of the Senthil Committee on reducing the number of Government vehicles, telephone charges and electricity charges.
Thursday, April 11, 2002
Wife-beating common in Kerala, says study
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM. At least one in 10 married women in Kerala has experienced domestic violence at some time or the other since the age of 15, according to the latest report of the U.N.-sponsored National Family Health Survey India, conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences.
According to the report of the survey, conducted in 1998-'99, women from nuclear households were more likely than women from non-nuclear households to experience domestic violence. Women who are not currently married (widowed, divorced, separated or abandoned) report the highest rate of violence (22 per cent). Urban women (nine per cent) are only slightly less likely than rural women (11 per cent) to experience violence.
Illiterate women (18 per cent) are three times as likely to have experienced violence than women who have completed at least high school (six per cent). Women who have been married for less than five years are less likely to have been beaten up (five per cent) than women who have been married longer (eight to 11 per cent).
The prevalence of domestic violence decreases substantially as the standard of living increases, according to the survey. As much as 21 per cent of the women from households from the lower strata of society in Kerala are beaten up or physically mistreated by their husbands.
Only 10 per cent of women from households with a medium standard of living and four per cent from households with a high standard of living are subjected to violence.
Multiple beatings are particularly common for women in households with a low standard of living and women who have only completed high school.
In addition, women who have been married for five to nine years and those who have both sons and daughters, also report multiple beatings more frequently than most other women.
The report says three out of four women who experience violence, are beaten up by their husbands. Three per cent report beatings or physical mistreatment by persons other than the husband and in-laws. Women reporting a high frequency of violence by others include those in the age group of 15 to 29 years and those married for five to nine years.
Not bearing children or not bearing a son are not important reasons for wife-beating in Kerala as in certain other States, according to the survey. It was found that in Kerala, domestic violence appeared to be relatively high among women with only sons (12 per cent). It was, in fact, higher than in the case of women with only daughters (nine per cent).
Interestingly, even in a highly literate State like Kerala, it was found that a good chunk of women conceded to their husbands the right to use force to discipline wives who are perceived to be violating traditional gender norms.
It was found that 61 per cent of the women in the State accept at least one reason as justification for wife-beating. As much as 47 per cent of the women felt that wife-beating was justified if the wife neglected the family, while only three per cent felt that beating was justified if the wife's natal family does not give the expected money or other items.
As many as 39 per cent of women felt that wife-beating is justified if the wife shows disrespect for her in-laws, 38 per cent felt that it was justified if the wife goes out without telling her husband, 25 per cent felt that it was justified if the wife does not cook food properly and 22 per cent felt that it was justified if the husband suspects the wife of being unfaithful to him.
Overall, about half or more women in all population sub-groups in the State justified wife-beating for at least one reason. The proportion of women, who feel that wife-beating is justified for one reason or the other, declines as the standard of living increases.
The difference is greatest between women from households with a low standard of living (66 per cent) and women from households with a high standard of living (55 per cent), the study says.
Thursday, April 11, 2002
Kerala liquor policy war intensifies
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The battle over Kerala's new liquor policy has intensified with a court stepping in on behalf of toddy workers' cooperatives that till recently ran liquor stores.
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday took the side of 15 toddy workers' cooperatives that demanded they too be allowed to run for toddy shop licences. The government immediately said the three-day licensing schedule, which was to begin soon, was being postponed.
Under the new liquor policy, which was finalised days before the new financial year began April 1, the United Democratic Front (UDF) government decided to disband the existing workers' cooperatives running the liquor stores and resume individual licensing.
Excise Minister K Sankaranarayanan said the government would appeal the high court order. "We cannot go back on the stand taken by the UDF on the toddy shops issue. We are going to fight the case for a favourable order," he said.
Under the new policy, 1,920 toddy shops were ordered shut, bringing their number down to 4,000. Close to 100,000 people are directly or indirectly engaged in the toddy business, with 40,000 of them toddy tappers.
The court order has brought cheer to agents running the toddy shops till the licensing arrangement is complete. Since the beginning of the current financial year, workers' cooperatives have closed shop and the excise department is running the stores with the help of these agents.
Close to 400,000 litres of toddy is produced and consumed in a day in Kerala. But unofficial estimates peg the volume at 700,000 litres a day, with agents and liquor contractors making hay by selling spurious spirits.
An aide of a liquor contractor said the delay in implementing the new policy would prove a goldmine for these agents as well as the politicians sponsoring them. The war over the policy has also singed political groups.
Leaders of Chief Minister A K Antony's Congress, which heads the ruling UDF, were shocked when party lawmaker V M Sudheeran lashed out against the new policy within days of it being announced. He said it would only help liquor contractors, a concern church groups opposed to the new policy have also expressed.
State Congress unit president K Muraleedharan shot
Thursday, April 11, 2002
Pota not for Kerala: Antony
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) would not be implemented in Kerala, Chief Minister A K Antony said on Wednesday.
"There is no need for Pota in the state. Whatever problems are here, can be dealt with the help of laws other than Pota," Antony said in reply to queries during his cabinet briefing.
Asked about Union Minister of State for Home, Vidyasagar Rao's statement that Kerala could not go without Pota, in view of militant tendencies in some parts of the state, he said, "I am not saying there is no militant outfit in the state. But the problems here can be dealt with existing laws.
Also, it is within the powers of the state government on whether to implement a law or not."
Antony alleged that the RSS and National Development Front were involved in trouble witnessed in parts of Kerala recently. It was rather unfortunate that workers of secular parties, instead of asserting themselves against communal outfits creating problems, were also getting into trouble.
Asked why he was not demanding the resignation of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Antony shot back, "Did I ever say that Modi need not resign?" "The Congress party has taken a position on the issue. I am a Congressman and whatever decision my party takes is applicable to me as well," he said.
He said he did not agree with the manner in which Modi had handled the situation. "Even the Prime Minister has expressed dissatisfaction."
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
Interview: Director Kamal
Director Kamal shot into the limelight with 'Pervunnapurathile Vivesham', 'Kakoothikavile Apoopan Thaadi', 'Ee Puyam Kadanu' and now dominates the awards section with 'Meghamalahaar'. Here's Kamal in a chat with Hansazone...
Q: There seems to be 'Kamal formula' like village settings, music and romance in your films. Why?
A: The village lives in everybody's heart and we all wish to go back to our village but it is not possible. We are stuck in our rut. In cinema, it evokes a feeling of being lost. Similarly, music is my weakness. I cannot think of films without music. As for romance... have we not felt love? I too carry a thought of my first love. Romance - villages - music... you are right. It is my formula!
Q: Are you happy with the way 'Meghamalahaar' turned out?
A: It was an experience of sorts, because we shot 'Meghmalahaar' on Super 16 Film, to cut costs. We made the film at the lowest rates but had no theatre or distributors to buy it. They were not willing to touch it. They are willing to pay advance money for a Shakeela or a superstar's film but not for a good film.
Q: Do you feel that tie-ups with television channels for production are good?
A:Today, we have producers who come in with the money earned from other businesses. They see this as another commodity and they are here to exploit us and misuse the industry for their own gains. Songs are shot using graphics because the producers say so. Producers should be lovers of cinema and not money-making machines. Kerala has the best stars and technicians, but show me a good producer?
Q: Have you not faced bad producers?
A: Each film of mine has been released only after I managed to retain my identity in it. They just try to bulldoze you into doing it their way. If it's a big star, then they keep quiet, otherwise they try to dominate.
Q: Budget costs shoot up...
A: Why should a producer allow it? If it's a big star's film then he goads the director to spend. When I go with a good film that has excellent story value, the distributor and theatre owner scoff. These three sectors are willing to make any film, as long as it fills up their coffers.
Q: You have given flops too...
A: Sure. 'Maduranombarakattu' or a ghazal might have flopped, but it was not big budget film that ruined the producer. It would recover its cost. Apart from this, the producer need not hide his face in shame, because I have given him a classy film to show everyone.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
Stir against Govt hospital charges turns violent
The ongoing stir against imposing fees for certain services in the Government hospitals took an ugly turn with a protest march to the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode turning violent and the district collector taking quick action against the alleged bungling of such collected fees.
The pro-CPI (M) DYFI activists, who took out the protest march, ransacked the cash counter causing tension for long and leading to the closure of some departments. Over a hundred agitators, led by district leaders, smashed cash counter glasses and one staff in the counter was injured in the scuffle. However, more police forces were brought and the situation was brought under control later, police said.
District Collector Biswanath Sinha, who is also the chairman of the Hospital Development Society, suspended some staff and ordered detailed inquiry into alleged bungling of fees collected from the patients.
He took immediate action after finding prime facie guilty those HDS staff in the counter for misappropriating the money. He announced suspension when some media men produced proofs in this regard at a press conference, originally convened by the collector to explain situation to impose fees.
``Whoever has done it, stands suspended with immediate effect and criminal case will be registered against them. A detailed enquiry will be taken up,'' he said while claiming that he was not aware of the practice.
Mr Sinha also made it clear that ``if any HDS or government staff is trying to defeat the policies of the Health Minister, he will be taken for task.'' He was replying to a question on the allegation by Health Minister P Sankaran that some forces were conspiring to create problems in his hometown. It is alleged that the entries on the duplicate counterfoils were rewritten by hand and thus huge amount of money collected from the patients did not come to the HDS as desired.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
300 Million Dollar assistance to Kerala: ADB
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it is planning to sanction a loan of about 300 million dollars to Kerala to help the state tide over its fiscal crisis.
An ADB team will visit Kerala in about a week to analyse the fiscal management problem and reforms in government, Mr Yoshihiro Iwasaki, Director General of ADB's South Asia Region Department, told reporters in New Delhi. The loan, which will be 200 million to 300 million dollars, will be on the lines of the assistance extended to Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, he said.
Ruling out stipulating conditions such as government downsizing, Mr Iwasaki said the terms of the loan would, however, set ''milestones of achievement,'' including a reduction in the fiscal deficit, besides restructuring of loss making public sector enterprises (PSEs). Some of the PSEs have to be either closed or merged with others, he said.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
HC orders CBI inquiry into Aluva massacre
The High Court ordered an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the sensational Aluva family murder case.
Six members the Manjooran Vittil Augustin family were brutally killed on January 6, 2001. The Police and the Crime Branch had come to the conclusion that Antony alias Antappan, a distant relative of the deceased Augustin Family, who was arrested, was the sole accused in the case.
Mr Justice K A Abdul Gafoor directed the CBI Director, New Delhi, to entrust the investigation of the case to an SP of the CBI. "It is up to the SP to decide whether there shall be a further investigation in the case."
The Court was of the view that in the 'nature of the investigation so far conducted by the present investigating agency though not willful are sufficient enough to direct the CBI to take over the investigation.'
The Court said that the failure of the Crime Branch to subject certain body elements recovered from the body of one of the killed (woman) for DNA test was a serious shortfall in the investigation. This lapse indicated that the investigating agency had not fully gone into every aspect of the crime.
The Court issued this order on a writ petition filed by M P Joseph, father-in-law of the deceased Manjooran Augustine praying for CBI inquiry into the case. The petitioner contended that the story of the Crime Branch was unbelievable.
The present order follows the report by CBI SP G Venkateswaran who examined the case diary on a directive the High Court, stating that there were some defects in the investigation of the case.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
SSLC exams on Wednesday; 2,650 centres in Kerala, Lakshadweep, Gulf
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: All official sources said on Wednesday that an all-time high number of 593,276 candidates would appear for the SSLC examinations this year.
Information received from the Gulf stated that preparations were complete in the 13 centres in the UAE and one each in Muscat and Qatar. There would be eleven centres in the Lakshadweep group of islands.
Over 51,000 invigilators, including the chief and additional chief superintendents, have been assigned to different centres.
The question papers and answer sheets have already been dispatched to all the educational districts and were in the custody of the district educational officers concerned.
In the case of the examination centres abroad, the question papers have been kept in safe custody at the Indian embassy concerned. To prevent any malpractice, special squads have been constituted to make surprise visits to the examination centres.
On account of the state-wide strike by government employees and teachers, the examination had to be rescheduled and was currently a month behind, compared to the previous years. However, efforts would be taken to publish the result by the next month-end.
With the examination ending on April 29, the valuation of answer scripts would be held in 48 centralised valuation camps spread over four zones in the state, from May 2 to 19. The centralised tabulation of marks would commence on May 3.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
Sabarimala temple to be opened for poojas on Wednesday
PATHANAMTHITTA: The Sabarimala Ayyappa temple will be opened on Wednesday for poojas connected with the annual Vishu festival.
The sanctum sanctorum will be opened at 1730 hrs and the ceremonial lamps installed in front of the presiding deity will be lit. However, there will be no poojas on the opening day and regular poojas will begin at 0500 hrs from Wednesday.
Kalabhabhishekam will be performed on April 16 and 18. Padipooja will be held on all days when the temple remains open. Except on Vishu day on April 14, Udayasthamaya Pooja will be offered on all other days. On Vishu day, Kani Darshan will be arranged between 0400 hrs and 0800 hrs.
The hill shrine will be closed on April 18 at 2200 hours after Athazha Pooja.
The Travancore Devaswom Board has posted its employees on special duty at Pampa and Sannidhanam for the smooth conduct of Vishu. The Health Department will open temporary hospitals at Sannidhanam, Pampa and Appachimedu.
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will operate Vishu special services from all its main depots to Pampa and the KSRTC depot will function at Pampa during the festival.
The Tamil Nadu government will also operate a special service to Pampa. Additional police personnel will be deployed at Pampa and Sannidhanam for crowd control operation.
Tuesday, April 9, 2002
Old, worn out bridge caused Kadalundi disaster, admits O Rajagopal
KOZHIKODE: Union Minister of State for Railways O Rajagopal on Monday admitted that the probe into the Kadalundi rail mishap which claimed 52 lives last June had found the "distressed old bridge" as the prime cause for the tragedy.
Stating that the Railway Ministry had received the final report on the probe by Chief Commissioner (Railway Safety), he told newsmen it was under the scrutiny of the railway board and would be made public later.
He also admitted that the report had found certain officials guilty in this regard and promised that action would be taken against them. The board would decide on the punishment.
When pointed out that the official had inspected the bridge three days before the accident, he said, "There were some lapses on the part of some officials. And action will be taken".
The Minister ruled out the allegations of old bogies had caused the accident, sticking to the findings that the overaged 140-year-old Kadalundi bridge was the prime reason.
The usual life of a bridge is 100 years. The girders were last replaced in 1986. The collapse of the bridge led to the tragedy, he said but refused to go in detail over the report.
To a question whether the report had reference to bridges of same age, he said he "has to find it out from the bulky report just received by the ministry."
The tragedy involving the Mangalore-Chennai Express had also left over a 100 injured after six bogies plunged into the Kadalundi river. The preliminary inquiry also had found the breakage of pier had lead to the tragedy.
Tuesday, April 9, 2002
Antony misleading people: VS
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM The Leader of the Opposition, V.S. Achuthanandan, has accused the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, of misleading the people about what is happening in West Bengal.
In a statement here today, Mr. Achuthanandan pointed out that the West Bengal Finance Minister, Ashim Das Gupta, had repeatedly clarified that his Government had not signed any agreement with the Centre regarding economic reforms as alleged by the Kerala Chief Minister.
He said Mr. Gupta had also clarified that his Government had not curtailed the benefits of State employees and teachers and that the Government had availed of loans from the World Bank and other funding agencies on stringent terms.
He hoped that the Congress leaders in Kerala would at least now realise their mistake and stop misleading the people.
Tuesday, April 9, 2002
Sabarimala shrine opens tomorrow
The Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple will open on April 10 afternoon for the Vishu festival poojas that begins on April 11 morning.
The Vishu day falls on April 14 and the temple will close after the 8-day poojas on April 18.
Tuesday, April 9, 2002
Law to tame headload workers
An Ordinance aimed at effectively bringing under control the ``menace'' posed by headload workers on all domestic loading and unloading activities will be promulgated by the State Government shortly. The law has a provision stipulating jail-term for headload workers who violate the same.
Under the proposed Ordinance, the local police will have to compulsorily intervene in any domestic-related loading and unloading dispute, since such disputes will be brought under the law and order purview. The law would also specify whether the headload workers can engage in domestic-related loading and unloading activities as a matter of right.
The law titled ``Loading and Unloading Activities Regulation Ordinance'' has already been given final touches in consultation with concerned persons and is likely to be promulgated next week after due Cabinet approval. Though the law was intended to be enacted in the last Assembly session, it could not be worked out on account of the Government's pre-occupation in dealing with the employees' strike.
The Ordinance is designed to remain in tune with the new labour policy announced by the State Government. However, the law will not intervene, for the time being, in the commercial loading and unloading activities related to market areas. Commercial loading and unloading activities are already covered by a separate Act and any change in that area would require an amendment to that Act.
The new Ordinance will bring relief to the domestic sector. It will notify the wage to be paid for each item and the same would be published at the district level. The wage figures for each item would be determined and arrived at by a committee with the respective District Collector as convener. The Labour Department and the police would be given imperative orders to strictly enforce the provisions of the law. In case of any dispute, the concerned assistant labour officer or the in-charge of the local police station will have to take cognisance of the same and proceed as per the law.
At no cost would the headload workers be allowed to disrupt work the vehicles which arrive or leave with domestic items. Intimidation, extortion and use of abusive language in the midst of loading and unloading activities would be treated as a criminal offence. Headload workers charged for violating the provisions of the law can undergo a prison term ranging from two months to three years.
Tuesday, April 9, 2002
Cabinet will discuss Church row: CM
KOCHI The State Government is likely to take an initiative to end the decades-old infighting in the Malankara Orthodox Church in view of the possibility of its turning into a serious law-and-order issue.
This was hinted at by the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, following a one-hour one-to-one discussion with the Patriarch faction's Catholicos-designate, Thomas Mar Deevannasiyos, here on Monday. Mar Deevannasiyos had made a formal request to the Chief Minister for an intervention by the Government.
The Chief Minister, during a brief chat with presspersons, said the Cabinet would, after consulting all sections concerned, discuss the issue and devise its stand. ``The Cabinet will take a decision after discussing the issue in detail,'' he said. Until then, Government officials would be instructed to strictly follow a non-partisan stand on the issue. ``The Government would favour neither faction,'' he promised.
The decision of the Cabinet on the issue would be intimated to the people, the Chief Minister said. He urged both factions not to cause any law-and-order problem in the meantime. Mr. Antony, however, said that the Catholicos faction had not made a plea for Government intervention.
Mar Deevannasiyos, briefing mediapersons on his meeting with the Chief Minister, said he had urged him to take the initiative for a negotiated settlement, in the presence of mediators, to the conflict. He had told the Chief Minister that certain Government officials were siding with the Catholicos faction and wanted that the Government not side neither faction.
Mar Deevannasiyos, also suggested to the Chief Minister that a committee of senior bishops of other Christian denominations could be asked to find a negotiated settlement. His faction would fully co-operate with such a committee. Alternatively, the Catholicos-designate suggested that a committee of eminent persons, comprising persons like V.R. Krishna Iyer, could be set up.
The Patriarch faction was also willing to find a negotiated settlement to get the large number of closed churches opened. All court cases relating to these churches could be withdrawn before a settlement.
He hoped a solution to the Orthodox church row could be found during the term of the UDF Government. He also hoped that the solution would be based on humanitarian considerations and Christian values.
Monday, April 8, 2002
Thunderous "Thandavam": Kasinathan Enters!
Shaji Kailas is getting ready himself for his super film with Mohanlal in the lead. Though he admitted he is not sure of making a hit with super stars like Mohanlal and Mammootty any more, some time before, is going to try his best in this film.
It is waiting time for Mohanlal fans. They are waiting for their hero to turn up on screen with new thunderous 'numbers' and power packed dialogues, next August.
Shaji has announced the name of the film recently and it has aroused the Kerala Movie fans! "Thandavam"!. The name will of course be synonym for the superhero's nature during the next Onam festival season. The film will start shooting in May and is scheduled to be released for Onam.
Kasinathan the hero of Thandavam is a straightforward politician who has earned his good name. Kasi follows the footsteps of his political Guru Sri Menon, who has retired from politics not able to cop up with its highly corrupt ways of the state politics. Kasi will not heed to anybody except Menon.
Kasinathan has another trait. He preciously maintains his life as a rural farmer. His elder brother Swaminathan is a great farmer. Swaminathan thrives through his agricultural experiments. While other agriculturists had lost heavily and become bankrupt Swami Nathan never allowed failure to come anywhere near him.
Shaji Kailas brings a cine formula of agrarian Kerala society, which has turned itself into a giant consumer. Great! Mohanlal is sure to become a successful rural economist and politician, a two-in-one role model in Thandavam. Agriculture and politics the favorite pastime of Keralites will play a major part in Thandavam.
Mohanlal plays Kasinathan and Nedumudi Venu plays Swaminathan. Suresh Babu has written the script for Thandavam. Gireesh Puthanchery has penned the lyrics.
Ravindran scores music. Murali, Lalu Alex, Jagathy, Innocent, Kalabhavan Mani, Maiyan Pilla Raju are the main artists in this film. Heroine is to be selected soon.
Jhonny Sagarika will be producing Thandavam for Dimple cinema. The prime locations for the film are Thenkasi, Pazhani, and Trivandrum. The shooting will commence in April.
Monday, April 8, 2002
Satyan, Lohita das, Sreenivasan
Sreenivasan has left hot and humid Chennai and is in Kerala. Satyan Antikkad and Lohita Das have left to a hill station. They were all touring various locations prior to shooting Satyan's film. Lohita Das is in the process of penning the script for this movie. Sreenivasan is also writing script for another film. Satyan has signed Samyukta and Jayaram as lead pair in his new film.
Monday, April 8, 2002
Mukesh in 'Vasanthamalika'
Mukesh and new heroine Umasankari are paired in Vasanthamalika which has started its shooting in Palghat. Suresh Krishnan is directing this film, which has Jagathy, Kalabhavan Mani, KPAC Lalitha, and Kalpana in the cast. Gireesh Puthanchery has writen the songs for which G Ravindranath has scored music.
Monday, April 8, 2002
Suresh Gopi & a game of cards
Why are people picking up Suresh Gopi for any thing and everything always? Can't he play cards? What is wrong in making a little pocket money out of playing cards during breaks in shooting? He doesn't take the money home. He spends the money for some refreshments for all the artists in the sets.
It is just that some magazines see stars playing cards in the set as a nuisance. May be there are some producers who want a bit of discipline in the sets. Now the million-dollar question is what was the director doing? Isn't he supposed to be the commander in chief on the sets? If he calls the actor for a shot the latter should fall in without a seconds delay.
Has anybody heard any star (even Mr. Mammootty) going irresponsible in Shaji Kailas sets? Ok Okay. Can Suresh Gopi play cards now?
Yes certainly! Especially since he believes if he does not play cards in the sets the film will get wound up unfinished! Yes that what happened in the case of Jamindar. He decided not to play cards in the sets and the shooting of film stopped in Pollachi schedule!
You know now why Malayalam films fail in box office also!
Monday, April 8, 2002
Antony allays fears over retrenchment
KOZHIKODE The Chief Minister, A.K.Antony, has categorically stated that retrenchment of employees is not his Government's policy.
"Any unjustified retrenchment process, if brought to my notice, would be dealt with accordingly. Interestingly, the salary of government employees in the State has doubled in five years. Have you heard of such a proposition in any other employment sector?'' he queried.
The Chief Minister, however, admitted that no new posts would be created in Government departments. The retrenchment process envisaged by the Government would be a phase-by-phase process in such a way as to cause the minimum hardship. Mr. Antony was responding to a volley of queries during an informal chat with presspersons at the Kozhikode Press Club here today after presenting the Theruvath Raman Award.
Mr. Antony touched upon a host of issues including the new abkari policy, Marad rehabilitation initiatives, his not visiting Nadapuram even once, and his reported standoff with the senior Congress leader, K. Karunakaran.
The Chief Minister found nothing unusual or out of the ordinary in the UDF leaders meeting community leaders when his attention was drawn to Mr.Oommen Chandy and others holding discussions with SNDP leaders.
``The abkari policy of the Government has always been a controversial issue in the State, and it was nothing unusual if the policy announced recently by the Government has invited flak from various quarters.''
``The Government was only implementing the election manifesto of the UDF on the abkari issue taking into account the contemporary realities. The clause in the new policy to give preference to those who had earlier experience in the field would no doubt give rise to complaints here and there. But any complaint on this account brought to our notice would be looked into,'' he said.
"I have no differences with Mr. Karunakaran. Both of us have our own individual style of functioning, and the matter ended there. Please do not try to create an imaginary rift between us.''
He stated that differences if any in the party would be ironed out through discussions. "What we are facing now is only a breeze. The party has weathered storms earlier,'' the Chief Minister said.
Mr. Antony pointed out that the well-meaning public financed the lion's share of the rehabilitation work in Marad after the violence. "Ninety per cent of rehabilitation assistance was channelised through peace committees set up in the area. The Government contribution was only marginal under the new dispensation. Besides, Government providing relief to communal violence victims could have a negative impact. Such a practice was likely to increase such clashes,'' he said.
On his not visiting the trouble-torn Nadapuram, the Chief Minister explained that he had gone to Cherthala as it was his constituency. "I am the MLA from Cherthala. But have I not come twice to Kozhikode to chair all party meetings on the Nadapuram issue and peace initiatives to restore normalcy?'' However, he made it a point to stress the fact that the former Chief Minister too had not visited the trouble-torn Nadapuram though he had gone to a neighbouring area to address a meeting.
On a query of the growing incidence of communal clashes in the State since the UDF came to power, the Chief Minister was of the view that it mirrored what was happening in the country. "The instances of communal clashes experienced here were only a reflection of what was happening in other parts of the country or the world. The Afganisthan problem too had its impact here in a minor way. On the whole, Kerala was one State where communal amity existed in good measure,'' he added.
Monday, April 8, 2002
Marad: CM inaugurates rehabilitation process
KOZHIKODE The Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, today handed over the keys of reconstructed houses to the Marad victims as part of the first rehabilitation package, on the Marad beach in Beypore here. The keys were given to 10 persons, including Pallithodi Jaffer, Jayachandran, Abu Baker, Shyamala, Noorudeen, Vasanti, Subair, Damodaran, Hussein and Bharathan. As many as 41 persons had their houses repaired with the fund of Rs. 14 lakhs collected from the public and other sources. The rehabilitation works were done under the auspices of the Marad Beach Relief Committee.
Mr. Antony was visiting the riot-hit areas for the first time since the violent incidents more than three months ago. The clashes between two different communities had claimed five lives and had left scores of others, including women and children, injured. Besides, the rioting had resulted in a massive damage to property, houses and fishing boats estimated to be running into crores of rupees.
Delivering the inaugural address, the Chief Minister said that the rehabilitation works jointly conducted by the Araya Samajan and the Jumaath Mahal Committee were a role model for the country in dousing the fire of hatred in the name of religion.
He said the State Government had only supported the development activities on the beach. It was the earnest efforts of the public, voluntary agencies and associations that helped in mobilising the funds, he said.
However, Mr. Antony said that the State Government would contribute a sum to the relief committee for further development programmes. He said that the people should take the initiative to solve their problems and maintain communal harmony.
The clashes on the beach were a blot on the secular and peaceful fabric of the State, he said.
Presiding over the function, the Industries Minister, P.K. Kunhalikutty, said the State Government was not fully satisfied with the rehabilitation works. There were some more issues to be settled like giving compensation to fishermen whose boats had been destroyed. These would be favourably considered in course of time, he said.
He said that all the political parties had come forward to cooperate in the relief activities.
The KPCC president, K. Muraleedharan, MP, honoured the Jumaath Mahal Committee president, P.K. Moideen Koya, and the Araya Samajam, president, T. A. Devadas, by draping them with a `ponnada' on the occasion
The CPI (M) Central Committee member, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, MLA, said the collective responsibility of the two communities in resurrecting a new life for the people was an optimistic beginning in the history of the State. "All religions stand for communal harmony. It is only a minority that creates mischief among the people. Political leaders should take note of such groups working within their organisations, '' he cautioned.
The BJP State president, C.K.Padmanabhan, was all praise for the manner in which the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader, P.K.Kunhalikutty, tackled the issue and helped bring peace to the sensitive spots. "There should be an end to the riots taking place in the name of religion and politics,'' he added.
Prof. A.K. Premajam, MP, V.K.C. Mammed Koya, P.K.K. Bava, A.C. Shanmughadas, C.K. Nanu, Binoy Viswom, MLAs and the Beypore panchayat president, P.P. Beeran Koya, spoke at the function. The Kozhikode Collector, Biswanath Sinha, welcomed the gathering.
Monday, April 8, 2002
Gold biscuits seized
THRISSUR The Town East police, on Saturday, seized 3. 35 kg of gold biscuits worth Rs.18 lakhs and arrested two persons in this connection. The seizure brought to light the shady deals in gold business going on in the city, where many prominent jewellers in the State have their headquarters. The police identified the arrested as Babu (40) and Ajayan (35).
According to a complaint received by the police from Utham Sait, a whole-scale gold businessman, Babu, was Mr. Sait's assistant. When Mr. Sait was away, Babu had allegedly told his (Mr. Sait's) nephew, Sathish, on the phone that a prominent jeweller in Thrissur wanted 3.35 kg of gold.
Mr. Babu agreed to transport the gold to a place near the KSRTC bus station as it was not safe to hand it over at the jeweller's office as they feared a raid. Though Mr. Sathish handed over the gold to Babu, Mr. Sathish found out that Babu had not handed it over to the jewellers. Mr Sait submitted the complaint when he came to know of this.
Monday, April 8, 2002
Karunakaran has a hidden agenda, says Chennithala
KOTTAYAM The AICC secretary, Ramesh Chennithala, MP, has accused the senior Congress leader, K. Karunakaran, of resorting to ``blackmailing tactics to achieve his hidden agenda''.
Joining issue on the ongoing controversy over the reported comment made by Mr Karunakaran (that the issues raised by Sharad Pawar during his split with the party were still relevant) at the State executive committee meeting of the party last week, Mr. Chennithala called upon his one-time mentor to put an end to the covert and overt war he (Karunakaran) was waging with the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi.
According to him, the senior party leader had resorted to such tactics earlier also, but the party had taken a lenient view about it. During the seat-sharing exercise for the last Assembly elections and later during the organisational reshuffle, he had used this tactics, Mr Chennithala alleged.
``Such actions, especially at a time when the Congress was on a come back trail, was most unfortunate and condemnable,'' he said. The party may not be able to tolerate it anymore. However, Mr. Chennithala did not come out in the open when asked about the nature of the so-called `hidden agenda'.
Mr. Chennithala said the issues raised by Mr. Pawar while raising a challenge to the leadership of Ms. Gandhi were a closed chapter. The Congress Working Committee (of which Mr. Karunakaran was a member) and the various State party units had rejected it. During the last few years, the people had also approved the stance taken by the Congress party on the issue, as was evident from the results of the various Assembly elections, the latest being the Delhi elections, he said.
Raking up such non issues at a time when the party had already emerged as the only alternative to save the nation from the Sangh Parivar machinations would only help to create confusion in the minds of party workers, he said.
Demanding a clarification from Mr. Karunakaran, Mr. Chennithala said though Mr. Karunakaran had denied that he had either met Mr. Pawar or talked to him, the confusion created by his stance remained and it was only natural that he made it clear whether he agreed with the stand taken by Mr. Pawar or not.
Mr. Chennithala, who is also the leader of the `Third group' in the party State unit, came down heavily on the conduct of the KPCC president, Mr. K. Muraleedharan, who according to him had the duty to enforce discipline when such issues were taken up in party forums.
``Such issues should not have been allowed to be taken up in the party forum,'' he said. Reacting to a question, Mr. Chennithala said raking up issues which were rejected by the party and the people at large, amounted to an act of indiscipline and that applying the yardstick of inner-party democracy was not justifiable.
Without naming the KPCC president, Mr. Chennithala said there was a tendency to discriminate against certain leaders while implementing the code of conduct on discipline. Alleging the KPCC leadership (read Mr. Muraleedharan) of employing double standards, he said when senior leaders like Vayalar Ravi and V. M. Sudheeran made remarks, these were dubbed as acts of indiscipline. But when Mr. Karuanakaran criticised the AICC leadership, no disciplinary action was taken, he alleged.
The Congress was engaged in an effort to bring back all those sections of society who had alienated from the party. The party was on a come back trail and this was evident in 14 States where the party had regained people's confidence under the leadership of Ms. Gandhi.
Monday, April 8, 2002
Rs. 5-lakh Central grant for Aranmula boat race
PATHANAMTHITTA The Central Tourism Department has disbursed Rs. 5 lakh-grant to the Palliyoda Seva Sanghom (PSS) at Aranmula for the smooth conduct of the annual Uthrittathi snake boat pageantry and race on the River Pampa during the Onam season as promised by the Union Finance Minister, Yashwant Sinha way back in 1998.
The Palliyoda Seva Sanghom president, K.V. Sambadevan told The Hindu that the grant sanctioned was for the Uthrittathi Vallomkali of 1999 and the Union Ministry had promised to clear the arrears of 2000 and 2001 soon.
He said that the Union Minister of State for Railways, O. Rajagopal, had further informed the PSS that the annual grant would be disbursed prior to the annual event from this year onwards.
Mr. Sambadevan said that the AICC secretary and the local MP, Ramesh Chennithala, Ms. Malethu Saraladevi, MLA, and the BJP district president, V.N. Unni, had taken sincere initiatives in the sanctioning of the Central aid for the Uthrittathi Vallomkali.
According to him, the Centre had also cleared the proposed two-storey pavilion at the Sathramkadavu in Aranmula with a view to provide more facilities for the annual vallomkali.
The PSS had submitted a proposal to construct the pavilion and a bridge-cum-regulator in the downstream of Sathramkadavu on River Pampa to the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Sushma Swaraj, when she had visited Aranmula to inaugurate the boat pageantry last year.
The PSS had also sought Central assistance to remove the sand dune formations along the racecourse, Mr. Sambadevan said. Mr. Sambadevan said that the work on the new Thiruvonathoni was fast progressing so that it could be launched by June first week itself.
Sunday, April 7, 2002
Global Malayalee Convention-2002 in August
KOCHI: The fourth Global Malayalee Convention-2002 , ‘Malayalee Sangamam’ organised by the Union of German Malayalee Associations (UGMA), would be opened here on August 17.
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, UGMA president Abraham John said that over 500 delegates from various countries would participate in the two-day meet.
The convention to be held at Ernakulam Avenue Convention Centre would be inaugurated by Information Minister M M Hassan.
The convention would be marked by a session on the development of Kerala.
Among the other programmes planned during the course of the convention include seminars on new economic projects, media and tourism. Several experts in the fields are expected to attend the seminar. Besides, a free medical camp and an exhibition would also be held along with the convention, said Abraham John.
The concluding session of the convention would be held in Germany from October 4 to 6, he said.
Sunday, April 7, 2002
Dry run of new Malayalam TV channel on April 14
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The newest Malayalam satellite channel appears set for a test run on April 15.
India Vision Channel's key promoter M K Muneer, a Muslim League leader and the Public Works Minister, said work is on at a frenetic pace at the uplinking centre and studio at Kochi to see the dry run goes off without a hitch.
"This is not the official launch. We have invited a select audience on that day and we would have a test run," Muneer told IANS. "After that we would invite suggestions from the audience and fine tune the shortfalls before we finally launch the channel."
The date of the launch has not yet been decided.
India Vision's promoters are slightly apprehensive given the poor performance of Kairali TV, which reported a loss of Rs 7 crore when it completed a year on air in August.
Another setback for India Vision, which initially planned to go on air in August, came when the Sony TV network backed out of a marketing and distribution arrangement. That is primarily why Muneer -- son of former chief minister C H Mohammed Koya -- and his associates are in no hurry to launch the channel.
"We are now talking with STAR TV for technical and backup support," said Muneer, who dismissed fears that India Vision might end up as a Muslim channel. "We have promoters from all religions," he pointed out. India Vision would be free to air in India and the Middle East while viewers would have to pay to watch it in the US.
When it goes on air, India Vision would be the fifth Malayalam TV channel. Already beaming down are Asianet, Surya, Kairali and Doordarshan. A sixth channel, Jeevan TV, is also expected to begin broadcast soon. The channel, which has already begun recruiting, has the backing of major churhes in Kerala.
There is also talk of a TV channel being launched by the spiritual leader Mata Amrithananda Mayi.
Sunday, April 7, 2002
No work, drawing salary for past five years
PALAKKAD: Even as the State Government is reeling under severe cash crunch, over 80 Government employees deputed to the Kuriarkutty-Karappara irrigation project are drawing their salary virtually for no work for the past five years since the execution of the project was abandoned in the wake of Vigilance cases relating to corruption and irregularities in the implementation of the project.
Moreover, the Government is incurring a sum of Rs 84,000 annually towards rental for the three buildings in Kozhinjampara town housing the project offices. It is a mystery why the Irrigation Department still opts for rented buildings when it has nearly 14 double quarters and nine single quarters near Meenakshipuram.
Apart from it, there are also office buildings owned by the Department. Though some of the quarters are dilapidated most of them could be repaired and converted into offices which could have saved Rs 84,000 annually for the cash-strapped Government.
The 80 odd staff members are being retained purportedly for carrying out the maintenance work of the Right Bank canal. But this work is given annually on contract and does not involve much office work.
The work on the Rs 197.24 crore Kuriarkutty-Karappara irrigation project commenced in 1995. The laying of canals was undertaken by a contractor at an estimated cost of Rs 825 crore. While the contractor was paid a sum of Rs 3 crore, he is yet to receive the balance amount of Rs 5.25 crore. In 1996, after the LDF Government assumed office, irregularities were detected in the execution of the work and a Vigilance case was instituted, leading to the suspension of the work. The successive budgets presented by then Finance Minister T Sivadasa Menon did not make any provision for work on the project.
Even after budgetary support was discontinued for the project, the Irrigation Ministry did not feel the compulsion to redeploy the 80 odd staff or vacate the rented buildings which entailed a monthly outgo of Rs 7000.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau filed a case against seven persons on January 29, 1997 on the charge that the contractors who had undertaken earth-work at the project site were paid Rs 1.10 lakh which was far in excess of the actual amount due to them. The Vigilance authorities on January 6, 1998 added five others, including the then and present Irrigation Minister T M Jacob, to the list of the accused. The chargesheet is still under the consideration of the Special Judge trying Vigilance cases in Kozhikode.
The measurement taken as part of the Vigilance probe showed the extent of work done as 88,873.8 cubic metres. One of the accused in the case moved the High court on July 16,2001 alleging that the measurements taken as part of the Vigilance inquiry was incorrect and pleading that the measurements should be taken again. The court granted permission and consequent to it the Kozhinjampara Assistant Executive Engineer took the measurements again and found that it varied from the measurements taken by the Vigilance authorities.
Then the accused made a request to the then LDF Government seeking ``further inquiry'' into the matter on January 2000 but was not granted. The present UDF Government, vide the Cabinet decision on November 21, 2001, has decided to grant permission for ``further inquiry'' subject to the approval of the court.
The Vigilance authorities here said as part of the Cabinet decision, a team is being constituted consisting of engineers from the Vigilance Department and the PWD to measure the earth work done by the contractors all over again.
Meanwhile, the frmers who had made free surrender of 48 acres of land for laying the canal approached the Kerala High court with the plea that they should either be supplied the promised water from the project or their land be returned. But the respondents who include the Chief Secretary and the Irrigation secretary, maintained before the court that the work on the project could not be resumed in view of the Vigilance case.
In its verdict on February 23 ,2000, the High Court directed the PWD (Irrigation) to complete the work from Neelankachi to Korayar river within six months and provide water to the petitioners (farmers) and the other residents of Kozhipathy village.
The court noted that the Vigilance inquiry did not ask the Department to stop the work since the Kuriarkutty-Karappara scheme was a development project intended to provide water to the public which was a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. But two years have gone by since the High Court gave its direction and nothing has happened.
The project envisages laying a 32-km canal in six years. Until the Kuriarkutty dam materialises, water has to be channelled from the Aliyar river and diverted through the Right Bank canal to irrigate 32,000 acres of Ayacut area.
Present Finance Minister Shankaranaryanan has made a provision of Rs 10 crore in the current budget for the project. Work costing Rs 5 crore has been tendered to lay a canal from Moolathara Right Bank canal to the Korayar river. This is just a token sum which does not justify retention of such huge workforce.
Sunday, April 7, 2002
IFFK SPECIAL: Chinese film 'Orphan of Anyang' bags best picture award
'Orphan of Anyang', a Chinese film directed by Wang Chao, has won the 'Survarna Chakoram' (golden pheasant) for best picture at the seventh International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) which concluded here today.
The film was noted for its economy of expression and complex dramaturgy, the jury, chaired by Hungarian film-maker Marta Meszaros, observed. Wang Chao received the award from Chief Minister A K Antony at the valedictory function.
"I love India," Chao said after receiving the coveted prize carrying a Rs 10 lakh purse. Reinhard Hauff, jury member, announced the award in the absence of Meszaros.
The 'Rajata Chakoram' award for second best film went to Tunisian film, 'Fatma' by Khaled Ghorbal, while, 'Taxi, an encounter', a movie from Argentina, directed by debutant Gabriela David, finished in the third place for special jury prize in the competition category.
'Danny' by Malayalam film-maker T V Chandran won the first-ever audience award with a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh instituted by the IFFK directorate. The film received 281 of the total 895 votes cast by the festival delegates.
Brazilian films, 'To the left of my father' by Luiz Fernando Carvalho and 'Posthumous memoirs' (Andre Koltzel) were placed second and third respectively.
'Taxi, an encounter' also won the FIPRESCI critics prize which was chosen by a jury chaired by British film critic Dere Malcolm. (Agencies)
Saturday, April 6, 2002
Interview: Mohanlal on "Company" & "Thandavam"
Mohanlal, the Malayalam megastar, and winner of several National and State awards, has never struck a false note since he began his acting career in 1980. Having the most literate state in the country spell bound for over two decades, this great actor is stepping out into the National arena, with Ram Gopal Varma’s Company. Yes! Mohanlal is making an effort to be recognised outside the land of backwaters and snake boats.
Q: I feel as though I’ve entered a museum or an art gallery!
A: A lot of people tell me this. This is a passion or you can call it an obsession of mine to collect antiques and the result you see here is the outcome of years. This one (leading me to a painting) is a latest one to my collection and was drawn by an elephant!
Q: You are too busy these days. Comment.
A: Yes, sort of. I have just completed Ramuji’s Company and the dubbing of Onnaman. I am shooting for Nassar’s Pop Carn from tomorrow and after that a Shaji Kailas film Thandavam in Malayalam.
Q: So you have become a multi lingual actor. Why did you choose Company as your first film in Hindi?
A: I had done films in other languages before. Iruvar in Tamil, and a Telugu film directed by Priyadarshan. Regarding my entry into Hindi (smiles), believe me, this is the first time that someone is offering me a role. When Ramuji narrated the story and told me that the role of Srinivasan, the IPS officer in Company is that of a real person Sivanandan IPS, who was the Police Commissioner of Mumbai, I was fascinated.
Q: Did you have any resemblance to the real Sivanandan?
A: Maybe Ramuji thought so. But I never wanted to see him before the film was completed. I have tried to be natural and did not want to imitate his mannerisms. But later, when I met Mr. Sivanandan he told me that even the way I wore the reading glass was exactly the way he did, which was sheer coincidence!
Q: So, you met him after the film was completed?
A: That was a great experience. Ramuji arranged a meeting with Mr. Sivanandan (seen in the picture) after the shooting and dubbing of the film. He told me that he had seen my Sanskrit play Karnabharam when it was screened in Mumbai. We showed him the rushes of Company, and he was extremely happy the way the film has shaped out. He thought that I would have resembled him more if I were a little thinner (Smiles!).
Q: How good is your Hindi? Have you dubbed in your own voice for Company?
A: See for me, working in Company was just like doing another film. Language is not a barrier for good cinema. As in the case of this film, my character is a Palakkad Brahmin. And Ramuji told me that by dubbing in my own voice would be a plus point for the film, as the character speaks with a South Indian accent.
Q: You are referred to as the Robert De Nero of Indian Cinema. And in a recent interview Ram Gopal Varma has said that he has never worked with a more natural actor than you. Comment.
A: Is it so? It feels nice when you are compared to someone much greater than you. But honestly, I don’t know how to comment on his. I have always tried to be natural in my acting.
Q: So if Company is a hit, will you be open to more Hindi films?
A: I don’t think I fit in there, neither by way of looks or acting style. The role in Company was just right for me. Right now I want to concentrate on my commitments here.
Q: What is Pop Carn all about?
A: It is a musical. I am a singer and my wife Simran is a dancer. The film revolves around the ego clashes between the couple. Nassar is a close friend of mine and hence I am working in the film.
Q: Where do you see yourself five years from now?
A: I’ll be around doing one or two films a year. Nothing was ever planned in my life. I just float with the current, with the events. In fact I’ve learnt that that one can’t plan or predict anything. I believe in fate, though it doesn’t mean I leave everything to it. Whatever happened to me till now is destiny and I want to live life for today. Lets see what happens tomorrow and face it.
Q: What are your other interests in life?
A: I have a chain of restaurants called 'Mohanlal’s Taste Buds' in the Middle East. Maybe I’m the first actor in India to own a restaurant outside India! I am trying to expand it to Europe and the US. Recently I have started a Studio in Trivandrum. Maybe, all these will keep me busy in the years to come.
Friday, April 5, 2002
Decade-old Sister Abhaya death case back in the spotlight
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The church's sudden push for a thorough probe into the mysterious death of a nun a decade ago has raised many an eyebrow in Kerala.
Church authorities Monday asked for a fresh probe by the federal investigation agency into the death of Sister Abhaya of the Pius X Convent attached to the Kottayam Knanaya Church.
Abhaya was found dead in mysterious circumstances on March 27, 1992, in the convent. Several investigations since have failed to solve the sensational case. The first investigation was by the local police, then by the crime branch of the state police and subsequently by five different teams of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
It is still not known whether Abhaya was killed or took her own life.
Among those who addressed the church press conference at Kottayam Monday was Father Jose Poothrikayil, who had undergone a polygraph test for his suspected involvement in the case.
A church official said it had become imperative to speak out about the case. "Canards are being spread that some priests and nuns have been transferred to foreign countries to save them from being caught for their alleged role in the Abhaya case," he said. Æ
"The church has done nothing of this sort and we have always maintained an open stand because it is the prestige of the community at stake." Poothrikayil had told the press: "I kept quiet because I felt that I shouldn't plead for myself. I have nothing to do directly or indirectly with the case and the CBI had vindicated this. Truth would prevail in the end." The church statements came in the wake of the case's 10th anniversary, when the sensational case got extensive coverage in the local print and electronic media.
Joemon Puthenpurackal, convenor of the Abhaya Action Council formed soon after the death in 1992, said the church's sudden awakening made its motives suspect.
"Where were they when the action council took up this case just three days after the murder? We have filed close to 25 public interest petitions and organised more than 100 marches to various places like the Kerala assembly and CBI offices demanding the truth come out. Till today the church has never cooperated with us," Puthenpurackal said.
Abhaya's father, Thomas A. Mathai, also came down heavily on the church for breaking its silence after 10 long years.
"If they were sincere about this case, they should have arranged a press conference immediately after my daughter was found dead. A strong stand at the time would have brought the culprits to book," Mathai said at Kottayam Wednesday.
"Right from the beginning the attitude of the church was negative."
Puthenpurackal also criticised the fact that the fifth CBI inquiry, which began last month, is headed by P.D. Meena, who was criticised by an Ernakulam magistrate in 2000 when the agency said that while all evidence indicated Abhaya was murdered, it was unable to pin down the culprits.
"What is the point of handing over the investigation again to the same officer?" he asked.
Friday, April 5, 2002
Resist pressures from foreign lenders: Karunakaran
KOTTAYAAM: Congress leader K Karunakaran, MP, has said though foreign aid may be necessary for Kerala in view of the precarious financial position, the State has a history of not succumbing to pressures and conditions, like technical assistance, of lending agencies.
Inaugurating the State conference of Kerala Aided Primary Teachers Union (KAPTU) here on Thursday, Karunakaran made a veiled attack on Chief Minister A K Antony and the UDF Government regarding foreign aid and said he had, while he was chief minister, successfully negotiated and availed a huge World Bank loan for irrigation projects in the State without accepting conditions.
KAPTU president P P Joshi presided over the function.
Municipal chairman Sunny Kaloor released a souvenir. SETO convener K Sudevan, NGO Association president Mangad Rajendran and municipal vice-chairman M P Santhosh Kumar spoke.
Inaugurating a meet on education, Education Minister Naalakath Soopy said the State Government will try its best to protect teachers in uneconomic schools listed for closure. ‘‘There is no point in saying that uneconomic schools should not be closed down. Let the teachers bring the required number of students’’, he said.
The State council meet of the union will be held on Friday.
Friday, April 5, 2002
IFFK SPECIAL: Moments of pure cinema
Moments of pure cinema
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The penultimate day of the International Film Festival of Kerala 2002 provided the audience a few moments of pure cinema but the focus has now shifted from the visuals on screen to the Suvarna Chakoram, the prize for the best film in the competition section of the festival.
The concluding ceremony of the festival is to be held at Nishagandhi Auditorium on Thursday evening. Up for grabs is a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh for the best film. The best director will get a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh for the Rajatha Chakoram while a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh, and a Rajatha Chakoram, will be given for excellence in any area of filmmaking. The audience will also pick their best film and that award will make the winner richer by Rs 1 lakh. The Suvarna Chakoram winning film will be screened after the prizes are presented.
The organisers have arranged a special screening of Oru Pattiyude Divasam, noted director Murali Nair’s second feature film, at 9.30 am at New Theatre.
Among the notable films that were screened on the penultimate day were Girish Kasaravalli’s Dweepa (special screening), T K Rajeevkumar’s Sesham and Sokurov’s Moloch.
Friday, April 5, 2002
Escotel launches roaming facility
Kochi: Taking mobile telephony to greater heights, Escotel, one of the leading cellular operators in the country, today launched roaming facility on its pre-paid connections.
“This facility would allow the pre-paid customers to receive incoming calls even when they travel outside Kerala on their mobile connection with the same number. The consumers would be able to send and receive SMS while roaming”, V G Somasekhar, chief operating officer, Escotel, Kerala, told reporters here.
“Customers can get connected to over 875 cities throughout the country under the facility”, he said.
With recent drop in long distance tariffs and roaming airtime rates, from a maximum tariff of Rs 24 to Rs 9 and roaming airtime tariffs from Rs 10 to Rs 3 per minute, pre-paid customers were likely to go roaming in a big way, he said.
Escotel Mobile Communications Ltd, a joint venture of Escorts Ltd and First Pacific Company Ltd of Hong Kong, presently covers 164 towns, highway coverage in 77 towns and 3,000 villages in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Kerala.
“It has established the most extensive roaming tie-ups in the country and provides services in 900 cities and major highways with automatic networks,” he said. (Agencies)
Thursday, April 4, 2002
IFFK SPECIAL: Call to develop exhibition circuit for serious cinema
The noted critic, Derek Malcolm, has stressed the need to evolve a circuit to distribute and exhibit low budget films. Funding such films alone would not save the situation. Small theatres should be set up to exhibit serious films, he said.
Inaugurating a seminar on `Alternative strategies for funding and distribution of low budget films', held in connection with the International Film Festival of Kerala-2002 (IFFK-2002) here yesterday, Mr. Malcolm pointed out that the U.K. had a parallel system to exhibit serious cinema, which was the envy of commercial film-makers.
He said that Hollywood films still dominated the theatres in England. Yet, serious cinema had its own audience. Though the new Film Council formed in the U.K. supports serious cinema, there was pressure on directors to make films with mass appeal. Directors venture for co-productions mainly with Spain, Germany, France and the US. Mr. Malcolm stressed the need to evolve a framework in Europe for the promotion of independent films.
Festivals are the only alternative circuit for low budget films. There are many directors who have not got enough money by showing their films in the festivals. Without ensuring distribution there is no meaning in financing new ventures, he said.
He said that the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) had done little to exhibit serious cinema. Had the corporation developed a network of small theatres, it would have been helpful in screening serious cinema, he said.
The NFDC representative, P. Parameswaran, said that the corporation had financed the construction of a number of theatres all over the country including the Kairali and Sree Theatres in the city.
But repayment was not at the expected levels. The Industrial Development Bank of India had given shape to a financing scheme of up to Rs.2 crores for Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi films as per the Reserve Bank of India policy.
The bank insisted that the producer and director should give a completion bond, completed script, shooting schedule, and also the contracts signed with artistes and technicians. Since the industry fails in fulfilling these conditions, the scheme failed to take off, he explained.
The NFDC is now planning to hike the aid up to Rs.2 crores. Mr.Parameswaran also pointed out that television channels in the south were demanding exclusive rights of films for 15 years. The Hindi channels were now willing to sign even three-year contracts. He wanted the TV channels in the South to reconsider their policies. Mr. Parameswaran said that the corporation was ready for co-productions. The critic, Vidyarthi Chatterjee, was the moderator.
Thursday, April 4, 2002
IFFK SPECIAL: Directors flay distributors
Exhibitors and distributors are the enemies of Malayalam cinema. They are concerned only about filling their coffers and have scant regard for the welfare of the industry, the director, Kamal, has said.
Addressing a `Meet-the-Press' programme held in connection with the International Film Festival of Kerala-2002 (IFFK 2002) here yesterday, Mr. Kamal said the exhibitors were unconcerned about what was shown in the theatres and were only interested in making money.
The two debut directors, G.R. Kannan who directed `Theerthadanam' and Priyanandanan who made `Neythukaran,' said distribution was tougher than making a film. Mr. Kannan said that once he realised that a commercial release was impossible, he had to opt for the free distribution of `Theerthadanam.'
Mr. Priyan said that he had hired a theatre in Thrissur and sold tickets in advance to show `Neythukaran.'
Once the film ran to packed houses for a week, the exhibitor was ready to show the film for another one week, he said.
They said that the prohibitive production cost was another problem confronting the industry.
Almost half of the production cost goes as remuneration to the artistes.
The best films were made by producers who made films with a shoe-string budget, Mr.Kamal said.
During the Seventies there were committed producers
Thursday, April 4, 2002
IFFK SPECIAL: Delegates tour film park
The film personalities from various countries participating in the ongoing Seventh International Film Festival of Kerala-2002, were yesterday taken around the KINFRA Film and Video Park, a company owned by the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation under the Industries Department of the Government of Kerala, at Kazhakootam, on the outskirts of the city.
The Minister for Industries and Information Technology, P.K. Kunhalikutty, was there to host the foreign dignitaries. They were told about the facilities provided at the park. The first `infotainment industrial park' in the country was fast getting ready with all basic infrastructure facilities.
The park has been developed on aesthetically landscaped surroundings, complete with an artificial lake.
The park would provide a cluster of service providers in both the film and video industry by offering the best production and post- production facilities in this era of convergence.
Mr.Kunhalikutty told the visitors that an Animation Zone would be within the park
Thursday, April 4, 2002
`Malayalam cinema lacks bold producers' -K.G. George
`Malayalam cinema lacks bold producers'
Lack of producers who are bold enough to experiment, is one of the main reasons for the crisis in the Malayalam film industry, the noted director, K.G. George, has said.
Addressing the `Open Forum' held in connection with the International Film Festival of Kerala-2002 (IFFK 2002) here yesterday, Mr. George said that though he had been in the film industry for the past 25 years, he had to make a commercial film to overcome the financial crisis. There are not many socially and ideologically committed producers too, Mr. George said.
The director, T.V. Chandran, said that his target audience was always Malayalis.
A film-maker should always show justice to social realities.
He had to face a lot more travails than the late G.Aravindan or any other director to win accolades, he said.
The director, Kamal, said that after John Abraham, Aravindan and Adoor Gopalakrishnan, there are no directors who have made an indelible mark in cinema.
The list of stalwarts still remains the same, he said. The directors, T.K. Rajiv Kumar, G.R.Kannan, and Priyanandanan, also spoke.
Thursday, April 4, 2002
Kerala Cabinet to consider 5-day week
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM. The Cabinet would consider introduction of a five-day working week in the State, the Chief Minister, A. K. Antony, said here on Wednesday after a Cabinet meeting.
He said this was one of the several proposals being considered by the committees concerned to streamline the administration. Any official decision in this matter would be taken only after the KPCC and the UDF discussed the matter in detail. Only a cursory discussion had taken place on the matter at the last meeting of the KPCC. There was opinion at the meeting that while the performance of the Government in some areas was good, improvement was needed in some others. All in the party were free to air criticisms.
Mr. Antony admitted that there was no consensus on certain issues in the party. So, a two-day meeting of the KPCC executive had been planned to discuss all matters threadbare. The final decision on policy matters would be that of the UDF. However, as the main party in the Front, the KPCC's views would get prominence.
The excise policy was decided after detailed discussions in the party and the UDF. The decisions of the UDF were binding on the Government, he said when asked about the criticisms being raised by the Congress leader, V. M. Sudheeran.
He said that the Government was of the view that minority rights specified in the Constitution should be retained. It would state this view when the case before the Supreme Court on minority status came up for hearing. The Advocate General had been asked to engage a senior counsel for representing the State in the case. He said that the Cabinet had decided to table the report of the Justice Narendran Commission on representation of Backward Classes in Government service in the Assembly for discussions. The Government would take a decision on the recommendations only after that.
He said that the Government would stand guarantee for the Rs. 29-crore Vypeen Goshree project in Kochi. The Cabinet had approved the tripartite agreement on financing the project by a consortium of bankers led by the Union Bank of India. The Cochin Port Trust is the third party to the agreement.
He said that the World Malayalee Council and the Department for Non-Resident Keralites Affairs would jointly organise a conference of overseas Keralites, `Samavayam 2002', in Germany. The Council would meet the expenses for that. The State would have to spend only the cost of sending a delegation to Germany.
The Cabinet, he said, had decided to issue a no-objection certificate for starting a Bachelor of Pharmacy course at the Pariyaram Medical College.
The Government would take steps to pay arrears due to contractors in instalments before Onam.
He said that a special medical team had been rushed to Alappuzha district from where cholera had been reported. The Collector had been asked to make arrangements for supply of drinking water in tanks.
He said that no new project had been proposed for water supply at Cherthala. Nor has any decision been taken to revive the Kerala Water Supply project assisted by the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation.
The Chief Minister said that he was not commenting on the affidavits filed in the court case related to the alleged attempt by the Education Minister, Nalakath Soopy, to manipulate the rank list of the entrance examination last year, as the matter was sub judice.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002
I'm happy to be the Governor of God's own country
NEW DELHI: "I am happy to be the Governor of Kerala.It is a lovely place,and God's own country",Governor-designate Sikander Bakht recounted to visiting journalists at his 25 Tuglak Road residence here on Tuesday.
He said when Chief Minister A K Antony apprises him of the swearing-in date,he would make preparations for the Kerala sojourn.
But he expected the swearing-in to be held sometime during the middle of April.
He said he was prepared to take on the onerous responsibility.
So far he had ties with Kerala only in his political capacity.
But as Governor "I will be apolitical",even though he explained that politics is in his blood.
Therefore,he kept off from answering political questions. He pointed out that he had been keeping away from active politics for a long time.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002
Kerala putting together schemes for its expatriates
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cash-strapped Kerala is putting together a slew of schemes for its expatriate population, including those who have returned, to tap the much-needed funds to be used for the development of the state.
The A K Antony-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government will announce a pensions scheme for the nearly 1.5 million non-resident Keralites (NRKs) as well as an insurance scheme for nearly 900,000 expatriates who have returned to the state.
Speaking to IANS, state's Minister for NRKs and Expatriates M M Hassan said the pension scheme was being put together with the help of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), the country's largest life insurer, while the insurance scheme was being formulated in consultation with the state insurance department.
"The talks with LIC is over and the proposal is ready for approval of the cabinet and I see no reason for any problem. The pension scheme is a contributory one with the NRKs paying a minimum of Rs.1,200 a year and the (state) government is expected to put in Rs.300 a year. Pension would be paid from age 60 onwards," said Hassan.
"For the insurance scheme, we are working out a plan wherein a death benefit of Rs 100,000 would be paid out for a one-time premium of Rs 300 to be paid by the returnees. The policy also has a permanent disability clause where a fixed sum would be paid out if the policyholder is permanently disabled. We are also working out if we could pay a fixed sum in case of partial disability also," added Hassan.
The minister said the state government was also in talks with the State Bank of India (SBI) to launch a growth fund from contributions by the expatriate population. "Initially, we are planning to mobilise Rs 2 billion and out of this 50 percent would be invested in projects which has participation of NRKs or returnees. The balance amount would be invested in development projects," said Hassan.
He said several expatriate groups had responded favourably to the proposal and the state government was confident of raising even bigger amounts with the help of growth funds.
"As of today we feel we would be able to provide better returns to investors than what is presently available," he said.
The state government has taken up in all seriousness its plans to woo the expatriates. It organised the first ever meeting of the Keralites living abroad called Samavayam at Kochi in August to discuss and debate their problems. "With the huge success of this, the next Samavayam would be held in Germany during the course of the year and we have started work on it," said Hassan.
The Kerala government is also set to hold the first ever Global Investors Meet at Kochi in November. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has agreed to inaugurate the conclave, which will be the first step by the Kerala government to bring investments of Rs.500 billion into the state.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002
Too expensive a bribe!
KOCHI: A bribe of Rs 1500 literally became too expensive for an inspector duo of central excise, Air Cargo Complex, Thiruvananthapuram, who have been convicted and sentenced by CBI special judge, Ernakulam, to undergo rigorous imprisonment (RI) ranging from one to three years and a fine of Rs 20,000 and Rs 5000 respectively.
While accused C M Girish Babu has been sentenced to undergo RI for three years and a fine of Rs 20,000, another accused, K Shankar, has been sentenced to one year RI and a fine of Rs 5000.
In case of default, Babu would have to undergo RI for another six months. He has also been sentenced to undergo RI for two years for another offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The sentences are to run concurrently. In the event of default, Shankar would have to undergo another three months RI.
The allegation against them is that the two had demanded a bribe of Rs 1500 from the complainant, Prakash Kumar, for sending a wet grinder to Dubai. Girish Babu was caught red handed while accepting the bribe.
The case was investigated and prosecuted by CBI, Cochin.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002
CBSE exam questions bamboozle students
KOCHI: Principals of almost all CBSE schools in the district have written to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to adopt a lenient view vis-a-vis valuation of mathematics and chemistry answer sheets after Standard XII students cried hoarse that this edition of the questions was the toughest in the decade.
Though the maximum complaints pouring in are about the maths and chemistry question papers, a few students said physics was equally bad. At least, one question was out of syllabus, they said.
However, principals said they were more worried about mathematics and chemistry than physics. ‘‘Not many students complained about physics. But almost everyone is worried about the other two subjects,’’ said V Ganesan, principal of Chinmaya, Tripunithura.
‘‘We have written to the subject-coordinators concerned. We hope that they will take care of the situation,’’ he said.
Two questions in the mathematics paper were really tough. It, possibly, is a printing mistake, pointed out P Vijayachandran, principal of SBOA School, Chittoor. ‘‘The I and II sets of mathematics question papers were the toughest. The set III was easy,’’ he said.
It was question no: 28 on set I and II that confused students most. ‘‘A square that should’ve been inside the bracket was placed outside, making it impossible for anyone to prove that LH was equal to RH,’’ a student pointed out.
But, according to Neena of Bhavan’s Vidya Mandir, several physics questions were very difficult. ‘‘There was one question asking us to derive an expression for the electric potential at the point along the axial line of an electric dipole. Also under the head of well-known symbols, several obscure equations and symbols were listed,’’ she said.
Devasia, former Physics professor who coaches Plus-Two students, fully agrees to this. ‘‘Students and teachers are equally confused about the subject matter and the mode of presentation. This is the fallout of an ‘ambitious programme’ where the task of preparing the syllabus was entrusted with leading physicists. There was nil participation of teaching community in the exercise,’’ he pointed out.
Often, the scholars who prepared the syllabus seem to have lost sight of the target audience. They have ignored the fact that the very purpose of the syllabus is to bridge the gap between Standard X and degree course. None seems to have judged the cerebral power of a Standard X student before dumping the syllabus on him,’’ Prof Devasia said.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002
Mary Roy wins her share in father’s properties
KOCHI: Mary Roy, who created history by securing the landmark ruling from the Supreme Court that Christian women were entitled to equal share with their brothers in ancestral properties, has at last won her share in her father’s properties at Kottayam.
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Monday allowed her suit allotting 1/6 share in the property. The Sub Court, Kottayam, had dismissed her suit for partition of the property.
Her father, P V Issac, had died intestate (without leaving a will) in December 1960. Consequently, on the date of his death, his legal heirs - Mary Roy, her mother Susie Issac, sister and two brothers - became entitled to his properties. As per Section 33 of the Indian Divorce Act, 1/3 of the properties will go to the widow and the rest 2/3 to the children in equal parts.
Issac had a landed property in Ootty - Clifton Estate. The defendants in the suit (the mother, sister and brothers of Mary Roy) transferred their shares in Clifton Estate to Mary Roy by three settlement deeds executed by them. Such transfer of rights in the estate, according to them, was in lieu of Mary Roy’s share in the Kottayam properties, which Susie Issac was entitled to enjoy till her death but without any right to alienate.
The lower court accepted the argument of the defendants that in view of the settlement deeds and acceptance of the Ootty property which is more valuable than the Kottayam properties, Mary Roy should be deemed to have forfeited her claim over her share in Kottayam property.
But the High Court disagreed with the reasoning of the court below. The court said the terms of the settlement deeds do not show that the Ootty property was given to Mary Roy in lieu of her share in the Kottayam properties.
On the other hand, the terms of the deeds clearly show that they were gift deeds executed by the defendants in view of their natural love and affection towards Mary Roy.
From the terms of the documents it cannot be inferred that Mary Roy had relinquished her rights in the Kottayam properties.
The documents should have been made stating that the defendants do not claim any share in Ootty property since Mary Roy does not claim any right in the Kottayam property, the Bench, consisting of Justice S Sankarasubban and Justice R Bhaskaran said.
Applications invited for MSc Nursing KOZHIKODE: The Calicut University will accept applications for its MSc Nursing course, which is to commence at the Thalassery Cooperative Hospital, till April 30.
Candidates holding a degree in BSc Nursing and having a minimum of two-year work experience in a 150-bed hospital/nursing college/school/community health programme are eligible to apply. A one-year internship after completing the BSc Nursing course will also be considered as work experience. The selection will be based on an entrance examination.
Application forms can be obtained by submitting a crossed demand draft of Rs 500 in favour of University Finance Officer payable at the Tenhipalam branch of State Bank of Travancore. For obtaining the application forms by post, a self-addressed and stamped (Rs 8) envelope should be sent to: The Monitoring Director, Centre for Health Science, Lakshmi Building, Kannur Road, Kozhikode.
MA HINDI RESULTS: The University has published the results of MA Hindi second semester examinations held in October. Applications for scrutiny will be accepted till April 30.
MCom RESULTS: The results of MCom (previous) regular examinations of the University held in May have been published.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002
Four of family found dead in lodge
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bodies of four members of a family were found on Monday in a decomposed state in a lodge at Thampanoor here.
The deceased have been identified as K R Valsan of Mookotuthara in Kottayam, his wife Usha and children Linish and Lisha.
Thampanoor police said that they suspected that the family had committed suicide by consuming poison. A suicide note and phone numbers of some relatives were recovered from the room. According to the note the reason for the ‘suicide’ was financial difficulties.
The police said that the family which occupied the room on March 30 never came out of the room for any purpose. Even telephone calls to the room were unanswered.
Later, the room was forcibly opened in the presence of the police. They said that the bodies were kept in the Medical College Hospital mortuary after postmortem examination. They said that the police had contacted the relatives of Valsan on the telephone numbers recovered from his pocket.
According to the police the relatives of Valsan had informed them that they would be reaching here at the earliest.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002
Shareholders' meeting crucial for Kairali channel
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A meeting of shareholders on Friday promises to be crucial for the future of the loss-making Kairali television channel as well as well as for the CPM in Kerala that is said to own it.
The 19-month-old channel has accumulated losses of nearly Rs.80 million and Friday's meeting at Palakkad, about 320 km from here, has been called to discuss the need for, and ways to raise, Rs.250 million to fund its expansion and growth plans.
The authorised share capital of the channel is Rs.750 million with a paid up capital of Rs.590 million.
Reports indicate that only about a hundred thousand out of 235,546 shareholders have been called for the general body meeting.
According to reports, the party has held discussions with other television companies who have shown interest in taking over the loss-making Kairali channel. And as such the CPI-M may not take further interest in mobilising funds for it.
The CPM had raised the share capital for the channel through a massive drive before its launch in August 2000. Top party leaders had even travelled abroad to raise funds. Party's state secretary Pinnarayi Vijayan was the backbone of the collection drive.
The party had come in for severe criticism in the media for its fund collection drive and in its bid to not to be seen as owning the channel, it appointed as chairman superstar Mammooty who has continued in that post.
Mammooty has been the running the channel with an iron hand and last year he sacked close to a dozen employees, including journalists, to cut down losses. The pro-labour CPI-M had to face considerable criticism over the move.
Speaking to IANS, channel's director Thomas Issac said the increase in the share capital was proposed to fund the channel's expansion plans.
"To keep up with the technological developments in this field we have to immediately buy new equipments and this money would be utilised for it," said Issac, who is also a CPI-M legislator.
He denied plans to sell off the channel.
"Yes, we are in the red but this is just our second year of operations and we had told our shareholders that to break even it would take a minimum of three years. So there is no cause for worry," said Issac.
A highly placed source told IANS that this time the party would not make any effort to raise the money.
"You should remember that we have several influential people as our friends and we are hopeful of raising Rs.250 million. I do not think the party as such is going to go out for a (collection) campaign," said the source.
With indications that the CPI-M may not come to the channel's aid, Mammooty has an opportunity to increase his hold over the channel. But that would depend a great deal on how quickly he manages to mobilise Rs.250 million.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002
Sri Lanka stirs revival hopes in Kerala cinema
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With Sri Lanka showing interest in buying Malayalam cinema and entering joint production ventures, the beleaguered film industry in Kerala is hoping for a revival.
During the ongoing 7th International Film Festival in Kerala, the Sri Lankan delegation confirmed interest in doing business with the Malayalam film industry.
Sri Lanka, in fact, had first sent out feelers a year ago. "Yes, it is true they were keen, but due to some constraints on their side it did not happen. But now it appears the stage is set," said N. Vasudevan, managing director of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation.
As the first step, Sri Lanka's National Film Corporation (NFC) is to buy the award winning Malayalam film "Agnisakshi" by young director Shyamaprasad in two weeks.
"We are now working out the details on how we could take up joint financing of films with the film development corporation officials," said Don Ivan Weerakkody, senior manager of the NFC who is here for the film festival.
According to some reports, the NFC is expected to partly finance Shyamaprasad's next venture.
Officials of the Norwegian Film Commission also said they would be interested in co-productions with Indians.
Jan Erik Hoist, director of the Norwegian Film Institute, said that preference would be given to directors who are planning to make films of interest to the Scandinavian country.
"Preferably it should be on Indians who live in Norway or about Norwegians who come to India. We will provide facilities like locations, infrastructure and even jointly finance these projects," said Hoist.
Festival organisers are doing their utmost to see Malayalam films find new markets. An office has been opened to give out brochures and leaflets of close to 15 Malayalam films available for sale.
Film buffs from across the state and other parts of the country have been streaming into the Kerala capital for the festival, which features special screening and discussions.
The state government is also making sure that all those visiting the festival are informed about the Film and Video Park coming up on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram. The park will provide sets, recording, editing and all post-production facilities.
Monday saw the release of a directory of all Keralites working in the film industry.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002
Rajeev Kumar justifies inclusion of `Shesham' in competition section
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Noted director and Kerala State Chalachitra Academy vice-chairman T K Rajeev Kumar has justified the inclusion of his film Sesham in the competition section of the IFFK.
"I did not violate any rule", he told a meet-the-press programme on Monday.
Reacting to the reported statement by IFFK jury chairperson and renowned Hungarian director Marta Meszaros that neither the jury members nor the organisers of film festival should include their films in the competition section, he said there was no such rule that prevented the screening of his film.
"It is a team effort. If I refuse to submit the film for the festival, I will be doing injustice to the artists associated with the film," Rajeev Kumar said.
Director T V Chandran also came to the rescue of Rajeev. "There is no harm in screening a good film in the festival even if it is by a member of the Academy", he said.
Argentinian film director Gabriela David (Taxi an Encounter), Brazilian director Andre Koltzel (Posthumous Memoirs), Tunisian director Khaled Ghorbal (Fatma), Chinese director Wang Chaou (The Orphan of Anyang) and Linton Semage (Pickpocket) were also present.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Preview: Shivam
The film which recently commenced shoot titled 'Dial 100' has now been re-named 'Shivam'. Of course, as announced earlier, 'Dial 100' would be made later, produced jointly by Revathy Kalamandir and Asianet, scripted by T.K. Rajeev Kumar and directed by Shaji Kailas.
'Shivam', produced under the banner of Revathy Kalamandir, is directed by Shaji Kailas, and is based on the story and script by B. Unnikrishnan.
The film tells the story of Bhadran, a young police officer and his wife Gayathri, a homeopathy doctor. Bhadran, who takes charge in a new town, takes up the investigation of a new case, which changes the course of his life.
Biju Menon is Bhadran while Nandini is Gayathri. Also in the cast are
Murali, Saikumar, P. Balachandran, Vijayakumar, Ratheesh, N.F. Varghese, Rajan. P. Dev and others.
'Shivam', which does not have any songs, features camera work by Sanjeev Shankar, editing by L. Bhoominathan and art-work by Krishnankutty.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Interview: Director K.K.Haridas
K.K. Haridas is one of the new generation directors who emerged in the ninties making light, humorous films like Vadhu Doctoraanu, Kokkarakko, Kaakkaykkum Poochchaykkum Kalyaanam, all of which did good business at the box office.
In the last eight years he has made more such films and has established himself as a director belonging to the genre represented by Rajasenan and Thulasidas. After working in 48 films, either as an assistant director or the associate director (the last of these was Sudinam), Haridas finally became an independent director with Vadhu Doctoraanu in 1994. (Haridas remembers 1994 as the year that saw the emergence of 16 new directors). Vadhu Doctoraanu was commercially successful and Haridas had finally arrived.
Q: All your films are light and humorous ones. Has your association with Rajasenan influenced you very much?
A: Yes of course. I have done about 16 films with him and, knowingly or unknowingly, he and his way of film making has influenced me a lot. I see Rajasenan as my guru.
Q: What do you feel about the present trends in Malayalam cinema?
A: As a maker of humour-based films, I sincerely feel that good humour will always be in demand. But when humour gives way to mere mimicry, people get tired quickly . Good films will always be accepted by viewers.
Q: What is your main concern as a filmmaker?
A: I always try to give my audience the best of entertainment that I can. As for film making, it is my profession and since there are people who invest large amounts of money and put their trust in me, it is always my concern not to betray that trust. I should see to it that they get back what they invest. We are living in an age when no one will lend you even a thousand rupees to start a small cigarette shop. And the producers lend you lakhs of rupees. Naturally that bestows upon you a sense of responsibility and commitment.
Q: What are your future projects?
A: I have planned a film with Dileep in the lead and another with Jayaram. I am also planing a Tamil film with Meena playing the central character. Some Tamil producers have approached me.
Q: You started as director in the 90's when lot of comedy films were being made. What has happened now?
A: In the 90's there were lot of good comedies made in Malayalam. At the same time mimicry was being mistaken for comedy.When there was too much of mimicry in cinema, the trend became rather unhealthy.
Q: Tell us about your miniscreen ventures.
A: I had earlier made Nandu Paranja Katha for KAIRALI TV. Now I am making a daily, Archana. Aradhana, for JEEVAN TV, It's scripted by A.R. Mukesh and tells the story of two sisters. I am also planning to adapt the popular novel 'Home Nurse' on the mini-screen.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Dileep: The power packed role
In films, success is like a number game.
So if you like contrived, tacky pun lines then here it goes: he is the number one, who is second to none in getting three cheers, for his five star performances.
Anyway, what should follow next?
A six, perhaps?
That's what Dileep is doing! He is donning six get-ups in his forthcoming film Kuberan. He turns up in the robes of six interesting and historical characters such as Emperor Akbar, Chatrapathi Sivaji, Sage Durvasa, Lord Hanuman, Vivekananda and even Charlie Chaplin.
Sundardas, the director says, "It is an interesting role for Dileep. He is playing a role of an employee in a holiday resort in Kudagu district" And, Dileep's character in the film has him dressing up as different personalities in the resort in a bid to attract the tourists.
Sundardas says, Dileep’s role is based on a real life job that he saw in a holiday place." The attraction to the tourists is that whoever gets to make him laugh gets to win a cash award.
In the film, Dileep makes everyone laugh, while he maintains a stoic attitude. "It is a fun film with love as its centre point," says the director.
The two heroines of the film are Samyuktha Verma and Uma (daughter of yesteryear actress Sumithra). Uma plays the Kudagu girl while Samyuktha is cast as a rich man's daughter. Humour and comedy give the film a face-lift in spite of the conventional love triangle theme.
Dileep, having enjoyed a sequence of successful films, is obviously intent on extending the winning streak. "It is a clean and wholesome entertainer," Dileep says of Kuberan.
For Samyuktha Verma this is a typical film but for newcomer Uma this is an opportunity to ensure her place with a good performance. "I have already acted in a Bharathiraja film, in Tamil" Uma points out.
This film is expected to be released for Vishu. It sure has the audiences waiting.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Kamal with "Gramaphone"
Dileep, Meera, Navya In 'Gramaphone'
After the success of Megha Malhar Kamal is to direct Gramaphone which will begin shooting by April 5. The shooting will take place at Mattanchery in Kochi. Dileep is signed to play the lead role. Gramaphone will feature two heroines Navya Nair and Meera Jasmine.
Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Nedumudi Venu, Bindu Panikkar and a few other senior artists are also to play crucial role in Gramaphone. The story is by Kamal for which Dr Iqbal Kuttippuram has written the screenplay and dialogues. It has lyrics by Gireesh Puthanchery and Music is scored by Vidya Sagar. Poems of Sachidaanandan Puzhankara is included in Gramaphone. This film is produced by Kabeer.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Mani Matters
Kalabhavan Mani is the unconventional looking, very flexible and talented actor in Malayalam. Though he entered the industry as a comedian, he proved himself as a hero in films like Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njanum and Karumadi Kuttan. Later, he was flooded with similar roles or characters having physical disabilities, but Mani had refused them. He went back to doing comedy roles and even tried a hand doing villain roles.
Now ace director Sibi Malayil has offered him a ‘once in a lifetime role’ in his new film Aayirathil Oruvan. Said a beaming Mani, “Thank God, my character in the film is not a handicap. I play Aravindan, a small time trader in a village.” Suchitra, the television artist plays the heroine's role. Sibi feels that the film would push Mani’s ratings as a hero.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Sizzling hot Vishu
It is literally sizzling hot in Kerala as summer has set in, and it is the best season to release films in Malayalam. Traditionally over the years, summer season (March 31 to May 31) has people flocking to the theatres. Collections are the best during this period. Schools and colleges are closed and all non-resident Malayalees come home for holiday and generally the state is in a holiday mood. However this year there has been a small change as the state board exams were postponed due to employees' strike.
Vishu festival is fast approaching and eight Malayalam films are ready for release. One hopes they do not make congestion in theatres all together on April 14.
Mammootty’s action packed Phantom Pailey is releasing on April 14(Vishu day). Mohan Lal's film, Onnaaman directed by Thampi Kannanthanam comes next among the eight. This one took almost 6 months and six schedules in various locations to finish.
Sunder Das brings Dileep and Samyuktha together in Kuberan. Viewers have expectations in Sunder Das since his Sallapam days. Ranjith who had always associated with big budget films and super stars introduces Prithviraj opposite Navya Nair in Nandanam.
Every body has complemented Races Prithviraj opposite Navya Nair in Nandanam.
Every body has complemented Ranjith on this count. They believe this film has every chance of creating a trend in the industry. Vinayan known as the 'fast food chef' of Malayalam film field is ready with his Oomappenninu Uriyaadappayyan with a new hero Jayasoorya opposite Kavya, and another new face Prithviraj as villain.
A spring of new young artists in this summer is bound to create an impact in Malayalam. Mukesh is the hero in Pakalppooram directed by Anil Babu. VM Vinu has completed his Kanmazhi. Atheena with Kasthuri, Kakke Kakke Koodevide with Vijaya Raghavan in the lead are the other films in the queue for release.
So get ready to visit the theatres and save the industry. If one of these films becomes a hit, production of Malayalam films would boom!
