Kalamassery municipality asked to ensure scientific treatment of refuse The State Level Monitoring Committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal has said that the Kalamassery municipality can
Complaints of overexploitation of groundwater The Assembly Committee on Environment, which visited the bottling plant of PepsiCo at Kanjikode on Tuesday, directed the Groundwater Department to monitor and restrict strictly the use of groundwater by the company. The committee, on complaints from various organisations that the soft-drink giant was overexploiting groundwater, asked the department to examine if the company was tapping groundwater in excess of the permitted quantity. The complaints said the overexploitation was lowering the water table, affecting the drinking water sources of the local people.
Council demands closure of dumping yard The conflict between Kottayam municipal authorities and the people of Vadavathur over the dumping of municipal waste at the yard there appears to be resurfacing. The action council that was spearheading the protests against dumping of waste at the yard decided on Sunday to re-launch their agitation. The movement had been lying dormant for a while on account of court strictures. However, intense struggle would be re-launched with a declaration on October 2, according to Paulson Peter, convener of the action council.
The State government will implement a Rs.5.60-crore health scheme named ‘Tejaswini’ for the benefit of endosulfan victims in the district, Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar has said. The government would enlist a number of hospitals where endosulfan victims would get free treatment, he told mediapersons here on Tuesday. Two modern ambulances would be operational from Wednesday. In appointing doctors, the government intended to accord priority to those domiciled in the district. Only seven of the 300 doctors posted in the district through the Public Service Commission opted to join service, Mr. Sivakumar said.
Demand to consider plea to write off loans Hundreds of endosulfan victims in the district are awaiting news from the State government which has, in principal, agreed to implement the relief and rehabilitation packages suggested by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Hopes were raised after the visit of the three-member team of Ministers who held discussions with various agencies and organisations that have been fighting for the cause of the victims for years.
‘Project tunnels not to reach State’s territory’ No direct study has been done on the possible ecological impact in Idukki from the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project as “no surface activity/construction is envisaged in the area [district],” says the rapid Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the project. P.A. Aziz, Director of the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), who led the assessment, says Kerala has been excluded from the study as the project map provided shows its tunnels not reaching the State’s territory.
Tourism is a success in Kerala as it revolves around the region’s roots — its art forms, cuisine, ethnic products, martial art forms etc., Amitabh Kant, managing director and CEO of Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, who was formerly secretary of Kerala Tourism, said. At a session on tourism at the Emerging Kerala meet on Friday, he spoke of how tourism came to the rescue of many ‘nalukettus’ (a type of traditional building), which would otherwise have been torn down and sold. “We must constantly innovate, while retaining the State’s native charm. We should also restrict construction in pristine locales.
Eight small hydro power schemes mooted In a bid to enhance power generation, the Small Hydro Promotion Cell of the Energy Management Centre, attached to the Department of Power, has proposed eight small hydro-power schemes in Kozhikode district. Some of these projects, already showcased at Emerging Kerala, which concluded in Kochi on Friday, have been envisaged to attract investors through the ‘Independent Power Producer’ and the ‘Captive Power Producer’ initiatives.
An Union Environment Ministry panel has recommended clearance for developing a Rs.2,000-crore international private airport at Aranmula. The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for Building Construction, Coastal Regulation Zone, Infrastructure Development and Miscellaneous projects has recommended the proposal for environmental clearance with conditions, officials said here on Thursday. The airport, planned to be built on about 500 acres of land at Mallappuzhassery in Aranmula, has been hit by a controversy after the Opposition Left Democratic Front and a section of local people alleged that it would have disastrous environmental consequences and cause displacement of families.
District accounts for 90% of cases reported in State this year The Health Department says that it is chalking out a special strategy and action plan for the capital district for tackling the threat of dengue fever, which seems to be assuming alarming proportions year after year in the district. The district has reportedly registered an all-time high number of confirmed dengue cases this year so far, accounting for almost 90 per cent of the cases reported across the State.
Union Minister of State for Power K.C. Venugopal said that Alappuzha will be included in the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) part of the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Project (RAPDRP) soon. As of now, Alappuzha is included in the Part A and B of the RAPDRP. The RAPDRP sanctioned for 42 towns in the State is being implemented in three parts — Part A, B and SCADA. Part A consists of setting up an IT-based data base line, which will be setup in towns with a population of more than 30,000. Part B will focus on bringing down losses in power transmission and distribution.
