Smart City

Kerala - Kochi
More land for Smart City

Staff Reporter

Additional land identified at Kunnathunadu and Kizhakkambalam

KOCHI: The District Administration will acquire 167 acres more for the proposed Smart City project.

District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish said in a press release that additional land had been identified in Kunnathunadu and Kizhakkambalam.

He said the district administration would freeze all land transactions in those areas identified for development under the project.

A decision in this regard was taken during the high-level meeting on Smart City held at Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.

HUDCO meeting
Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran has convened a meeting of MPs, MLAs, and Mayor on August 24 to discuss the progress of a HUDCO-aided drinking water project in the city.

The Minister had called a meeting on July 1 to discuss the drinking water scarcity in Ernakulam district.

The meeting on the HUDCO project has been convened based on reports that work on the project has not been progressing according to the schedule.

The District Administration has re-organised the food advisory and vigilance wing as part of efforts to strengthen public distribution system in Ernakulam. The new committee will consist of members of student and youth organisations and members of SC/STs.

Each category can nominate one person to the committee.
(The Hindu, Friday, August 18, 2006)

Acquisition for Vallarpadam Road

Kerala - Kochi
Land acquisition work to begin soon

Staff Reporter

For road connecting Vallarpadam island with Kalamassery

KOCHI: The acquisition and handing over of the land for the proposed Vallarpadam- Kalamassery Road will start immediately, according to Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish.

The Collector said that the survey for expanding the Special Economic Zone at Puthuvyppu and Vallarpadam started on Wednesday.

The Cochin Port Trust will hand over Rs.20 crores as the first instalment of the funds required for compensation for completing the acquisition proceedings.

The Trust will hand over Rs.5 crores for shifting the electric posts, pipelines and cables to the respective agencies. The handing over of the land for the road will begin from Kalamassery, where there is not much problems for the acquisition.

The action plan for handing over of the land will be announced next week, according to the Collector.

Steps have been taken to fix the price of the land after holding discussions with the Government. According to this, the landowners will get the best possible price.

Meeting convened
A meeting of the officials from the Department of Land Acquisition will be convened immediately to discuss the issues related to the acquisition.
(The Hindu, Friday, August 11, 2006)

Film screenings

Kerala - Kochi
'Tsotsi' to be screened in Kochi

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: The South African film, 'Tsotsi,' directed by Gavin Hood, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006, will be screened at Savitha Theatre, Kochi, on Sunday morning.

The screening is being organised by the Cochin Film Society. The film, considered as an outstanding feature in South Africa, was also a box office hit in the native country. `Tsotsi,' which means gangster or thug, portrays six days in the life of a gangster in Johannesburg. Though Hood wrote the script based on a novel by renowned South African writer Athol Fugard in the 1950s, he has set the film version in the post-colonial modern day of South Africa.

Tsotsi grew up on the streets of Johannesburg, after being orphaned at the age of nine. However, an incident during his life changes the course of the young thug's life. Presley Chweneyagae, who had earlier acted only in community theatre and school plays, dons the role of Tsotsi. 'Tsotsi' became the first film in more than seven years to win both the Standard Life Audience Award for the most popular film and the Michael Powell Award for the Best film at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2005. The screening will begin at 10 a.m.

A documentary on master artist K.G. Subramanyan, directed by filmmaker Shaji N. Karun, will be screened. Titled, 'Moving Focus - A Voyage with Artist, Philosopher of Art, Designer and Author K.G. Subramanyan,' the documentary traces the artist's journey through Kerala, which he left decades ago. The film draws its title from one of the books published by Subramanyan, 'Moving Focus: Essays on Indian Art.' The documentary will be screened at 9 a.m. at Savitha Theatre.
(The Hindu, Wednesday, August 9, 2006)

Narayaneeyam as Mohiniyattam

Kerala - Kochi
Presenting 'Narayaneeyam' through Mohiniyattam

Suchithra Visweswaran, Mohiniyattam dancer, is gearing up to present the classical Sanskrit text 'Narayaneeyam,' as a Mohiniyattam recital.

Interestingly, the plight of this dancer holds many similarities to that of the author of the spiritual text Melpathur Bhattathiri. Melpathur had written 'Narayaneeyam' as an offering to Lord Guruvayurappan for getting rid of his rheumatism.

Ms. Visweswaran also had to take to bed following a knee problem. For almost six months she had to take complete rest. It was during this period that this dancer took to reading 'Narayaneeyam.' She read a chapter every day. She thought of the possibility of rendering Narayaneeyam through Mohiniyattam format. She resolved to render 'Narayaneeyam' in Mohinyattam if her knees got better.

She chose 11 'slokas' from 'Kesadipadam,' the 100th 'dasakam,' which contains the head to toe description of Lord Krishna. The first 'sloka' of the first 'dasakam' is also included in the performance.

The 'slokas' have been choreographed in Ragamalika in Chappu Thalam. Malayalam scholar Panmana Ramachandran Nair translated the 'slokas' into Malayalam.

Ms. Visweswaran will be accompanied by vocalist Chottanikkara Ajayakumar, who had won admiration by rendering 'kacheri' continuously for 37 hours. She will also be supported by instrumentalists, Panavalir Vijaykumar on the Violin, Thripunithura Shyam K. Menon on the Mridangam and Thripunithura Ajith on the Flute.

Ms. Visweswaran said she was greatly indebted to dance teachers, Kalamandalam Sarojini, Kala Vijayan and Dr. Venugopal. She will present the recital on September 20 at Melpathur Auditorium in Guruvayur.
Renu RamAnath
(The Hindu, Monday, August 7, 2006)

Water connections

Kerala - Kochi
Water supply connection

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: Minister for Fisheries S. Sarma has said that 10,000 families in Vadakkekara Assembly constituency and neighbouring areas will be given water supply connection as part of the Chowara Water Supply Augmentation Scheme.

Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran will inaugurate the scheme on August 30 evening at Paravur.
(The Hindu, Sunday, August 6, 2006)

B.D.Dethan show

Kerala - Kochi
Creative expressions

A retrospective exhibition of paintings by the Thiruvananthapuram-based artist B.D. Dethan opened at the Durbar Hall Art Centre on Saturday. The show includes nearly 90 paintings, mainly from the period after the 1990s.

"My paintings do not create happiness in the onlookers' minds," Mr. Dethan says. "Instead, they create a disturbed state of mind. Whatever I do, I end up with that disturbed mindset, which is reflected in my paintings and drawings."

Disturbing, they are. There is an all-pervading darkness in these works, especially when put together. The distorted and deformed faces, the frail splashes of colours and the limp images of naked women striking various postures, all leave behind this unsettling feeling in the minds.

Mr. Dethan says that all through his life, he could not keep away from painting.

The show has a few samples each from the different series, including Kali and Parinamam. The pen and ink drawings that constitute the series, Kali came out after 1991 and was published as a book.

The convoluted faces in charcoal were done during 1995. The nudes were from after 2000. Parinamam was completed after these. The last series of works, Botanical Fantasy, is also included.

Mr. Dethan, a native of Ulloor in Thiruvananthapuram, studied at the then Government School of Art and Craft, Thiruvananthapuram. After completing Diploma in Painting, he had participated in an orientation course conducted at the Balbhavan and Children's Museum in New Delhi.

He had worked as an instructor at Jawahar Balabhavan, Thiruvananthapuram, from 1970 to 1984. From 1977 to 2001, he was Art Editor for the State Encyclopaedia Publications.

Mr. Dethan was the executive committee member of Kerala Lalithakala Akademi for three terms. He had also won the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi's State awards a couple of times.

He has held a number of shows including group and solo. But it is for the first time that he is exhibiting his paintings in Kochi.

The show will continue till August 10, at Durbar Hall Art Centre. The gallery timings are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Renu Ramnath
(The Hindu, Sunday, August 6, 2006)

Water supply disruption

Kerala - Kochi
Water supply likely to resume today

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) will complete the repair work of the pipeline that was damaged near Thammanam Junction by Friday midnight.

The pipeline got ruptured at around 11.30 p.m. on Thursday, between Thammanam Junction and Samskara Junction.

The rupture occurred some 750 m away from the spot where an inter-connection work was completed recently.

With the pipeline bursting, water supply towards Palarivattom, Edappally and Cheranelloor was completely disrupted from Thursday midnight. The cause of the rupture is said to be the increased pressure in the pipeline following augmented pumping from the Thammanam Pump House.

The broken pipeline is around 40 years old and is made of Primo pipe.

It is being replaced with spare pipe at present. As the pipelines get weaker, the chances of the lines breaking are on the rise generally.

The only solution is to replace the old pipes step-by-step.
(The Hindu, Saturday, August 5, 2006)

New Collectorate premises inaugurated

Kerala - Kochi
Village offices will be renovated with Central aid, says Minister

Staff Reporter

Achuthanandan inaugurates renovated Collectorate

KOCHI: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on Friday inaugurated the revamped District Collectorate, renovated under the Modernising Government Programme (MGP), at Kakkanad.

In his inaugural address, the Chief Minister expressed the hope that the modernised Collectorate would help to fulfil the expectations of the people on good administration.

Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran, who presided over the function, said all the village offices in the State would be renovated under a Union Government-assisted project to be implemented in three phases. The renovation would be completed in two or three years, he said.

Mr. Rajendran said mini civil stations would be constructed at all taluks within the next two or three years. Steps would be taken to complete the shifting of all offices to the new mini civil stations which had already been constructed.

All the hitches in shifting offices to the new mini civil stations would be solved.

The Revenue Minister said all the documents related to land transaction in the State would be computerised in a way that would be helpful to the common public.

A target of two years would be fixed for completing the computerisation of all revenue documents.

He urged the Chief Minister to make available more facilities for the public at Kakkanad, as the entire region was being developed into a centre of administration and Information Technology.

Public Works Minister P.J. Joseph inaugurated the renovation of the Civil Station Complex. Fisheries and Registration Minister S. Sarma, who was the chief guest at the function, distributed title deeds (pattayams) to five persons as part of the project to provide land to the landless.

Fifty persons will be given title deeds as part of the scheme.

MGP State Director Sharmila Mary Joseph presented the report. Engineers of the Public Works Department (PWD), who were in charge of the project, and interior designer Jabeen L. Zakkarias were honoured at the function.

Thrikkakara panchayat president Sabitha Kareem and vice-president Radhakrishnan, who had cooperated with the renovation project by making the Thrikkakara Panchayat Community Hall available for the temporary functioning of the Collectorate during the construction work were also felicitated.

A message from the former Supreme Court Judge V.R. Krishna Iyer was read out at the function.

District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish welcomed the gathering.

K. Chandran Pillai, MP; K. Babu; M.K. Purushothaman; V.D. Satheesan; Jose Thettayil; Saju Paul; T.U. Kuruvila; Babu Paul, M.J. Jacob; M.M. Monayi and Simon Britto, all MLAs; district panchayat president P.S. Shyla; State Informatics Officer V.S. Raghunathan; district panchayat member M.E. Hassainar; Edappally block panchayat president Ikkoran; Edappally block panchayat member K.R. Babu; Thrikkakara grama panchayat president Sabitha Kareem; panchayat member Sreedevi Gopinath and PWD (Buildings) Chief Engineer K. Joseph Mathew attended the function.

S. Krishna Kumar, who had served the longest tenure as District Collector, and the former Collector K.R. Viswambharan, were also present at the function.
(The Hindu, Saturday, August 5, 2006)

Vyttila Bus Stand

Kerala

Land sought for Vytilla bus terminal

Staff Reporter

Proposal to be submitted to Minister for Agriculture today

KOCHI: A meeting, convened by the Ernakulam District Panchayat, on Thursday to discuss the possibility of developing a bus terminal on land owned by Kerafed as well as the panchayat at Vyttila suggested that the proposed terminal be used only for long-haul buses.

District panchayat president P.S. Shyla said the meeting decided to submit the proposal for the terminal to Minister for Agriculture Mullakkara Ratnakaran on Friday, because part of the land belonged to Kerafed (Kerala Kera Karshaka Sahakarana Federation).

She said the panchayat had 2.8 hectares of land for the project, and another 3.2 hectares needed to be acquired from Kerafed. The project report, filed by ICICI-Kinfra, had proposed that a world-class bus terminal could be built on 6 hectares of land.

The proposal envisages setting up of 60 bus bays and other facilities initially. According to the blueprint, up to 2.5 lakh passengers can be served by the terminal. There has been a suggestion that all buses linking Kochi and its suburbs and other parts of the State use the proposed terminal. Buses using the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation's central terminal in Ernakulam South and the boat jetty and Kaloor stands can be diverted to the new terminal.

However, the meeting felt that it would be more practical to use the proposed facility only for long-haul buses. Ms. Shyla said the present terminals in Ernakulam South and Kaloor would not be disturbed.

The proposal has been hanging fire for a while, but only a Cabinet decision will make way for its implementation. The estimated cost is around Rs. 30 crores. A commercial complex, with 58 shops, will be built at the terminal. Deputy Mayor C.K. Manishankar; Managing Director of Kerafed P.M. Harindran and General Manager of ICICI-Kinfra (Project Development), George Abraham were among those who participated in the meeting.
(The Hindu, Friday, August 4, 2006)

Monsoon Film Fest

Kerala
Monsoon film festival to begin on Sunday

Staff Reporter

To be held in five phases in Thripunithura

KOCHI: The Monsoon Cine Fest - 2006, organised by the Elias Foundation, will begin at Thripunithura on Sunday.

The film festival, spread across the months of August and September, will be held in five phases — Anti-war Film Package, held in connection with the Hiroshima Solidarity Day programmes, Video Film festival, Film Studies Camp, Seminar and an International Film Festival.

The festival will begin with the screening of Hiroshima, which portrays the tragedy of the Japanese city that faced the brunt of the first nuclear bomb. The package will include 'Bloody Sunday,' 'Turtles can Fly,' and Akira Kurosawa's 'Rhapsody in August.'

The second phase, which will begin on August 15, will remember the heroes of the Freedom struggle.

Films, including 'Gandhi,' 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh,' 'Veerapandyakattabomman,' 'Pazhassi Raja,' 'Marthandavarma,' and others are included in this section.

The formal inauguration of the festival will be held in the third phase on August 22.

The short films and video films competition will begin in the third phase.

The short film section will include campus films, video albums and documentaries under 30 minutes duration.

A Film Study Camp and seminar will be held during the fourth phase to be held from August 27 to September 3.
Leading personalities of the film field will lead the classes on various subjects.

The fifth phase from September 4, will have an International Film Festival, including world classics as well as Indian masterpieces.

Films, which won awards including the Oscars, the Cannes, Venice and Berlin festival awards, as well as films on football are included in this package. Special programmes will be held to remember the late personalities, including G.Aravindan, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, M.S. Tripunithura, Bharathan, Padmarajan and others.

The valedictory function will be held on September 10. A short film made by the participants of the camp will be screened at the function.

Certificates for the participants will be distributed at the function. Leading personalities of film world will be honoured and a music nite will also be organised.

The festival will be held at different venues in Thripunithura. A reception committee with Municipal Chairperson Renjini Suresh as chairperson and actor Raveendran as convener has been formed to conduct the festival.

Those who are interested in participating in the video film festival competition and the camp should contact Elias Foundation, Pattasseril Buildings, Tripunithura. (ph: 0484 6542925, 98951 43639).
(The Hindu, Friday, August 4, 2006)

Renovated Collectorate

Kerala - Kochi
Achuthanandan to open renovated Collectorate

Staff Reporter

Collector says it will become the first 'paperless Collectorate' in the State

KOCHI: The District Collectorate, which was renovated under the State Government's Modernising Governance Programme (MGP), will be inaugurated by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on Friday morning at Kakkanad.

Addressing presspersons on Wednesday, District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish said the renovation scheme of the 25-year-old Civil Station Complex would be inaugurated by Public Works Minister P.J. Joseph, at the same function. Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran would preside over the function. Fisheries Minister S. Sarma would be the chief guest on the occasion.

A total area of 35,852 sq. ft. on the first floor of the Civil Station Complex has been renovated at a cost of Rs.4.34 crores, as part of the MGP, in three categories including construction, storage of files and training of staff.

Rs.2 crores has been earmarked for the renovation of the Civil Station Complex, which has seen hardly any renovation or maintenance since its inauguration in 1981 by the then Governor Jyothi Venkitachalam. The detailed plan of the renovation will be announced by the Public Works Minister on Friday after the inauguration.

The Collector said that Ernakulam Collectorate was the first one in the State, which was totally renovated under the MGP. The pilot project was at the Palakkad Collectorate, which was renovated partially.

The Chambers of the Collector and the Additional District Magistrate are located on the eastern side of the first floor, while a conference hall, recreation centre for staff, library and media room are located on the western side. The entire floor will house modern, independent cabins for all the officers, reception rooms for visitors and a video conferencing hall.

The Collector said that within a year, the Ernakulam Collectorate would become the first 'paperless Collectorate' in the State. Around 125 workstations with flat screen monitors have been provided at the central hall of the Collectorate. There are about 400 staff in 14 departments in the Collectorate. Monitors are provided for all staff from Deputy Collectors to clerks. All the computers are linked to the offices of the Collector and the ADM, through the software developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC).

In the paperless office, all files could be accessed through computers. The Collector can monitor the computer network. In the next phase, the network will be expanded to include the taluk offices and village offices, helping to track all the files in the district from the Collectorate.
(The Hindu, Thursday, August 3, 2006)

Kerala - Kochi
Honouring theatre personalities

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: The P.J. Antony Memorial Foundation is planning to honour personalities who have been actively involved with the theatre scene in the State. The Foundation, set up in the memory of one of Kerala's greatest thespians, has been organising various cultural events for the past couple of years in the city.

However, from this year onwards, the organisation plans to include the honouring of a senior theatre person, who has been active in any aspect of theatre, along with its regular cultural programmes, according to Pooyappilly Thankappan, secretary of the Foundation. So, this month, Purushan Kadalundy, a playwright well-known in the professional theatre circuit in the State, will be honoured. The function will be held along with a Ghazal Eve, to be organised on August 13.

The Ghazal Eve will present Gayatri, the well-known young singer who specialises in Hindustani vocal and ghazals. The music evening in Kochi will include the 'Old is Gold,' songs from the yesteryears and bhajans, apart from ghazals.

The venue will be Kerala Fine Arts Hall. Reception to Mr. Purushan will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the music programme.
(The Hindu, Wednesday, August 2, 2006)

Choondy scheme

Kerala
KWA begins work on 'Choondy Scheme'

Renu Ramanath

Scheme will increase supply of water to Thripunithura and neighbouring panchayats

Scheme is estimated to cost Rs.52 crores
It will be completed within a couple of years
Needs no land acquisition

KOCHI: The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has started work on the water supply scheme to Thripunithura municipality and adjoining panchayats known as 'Choondy Scheme.'

The scheme is expected to increase the supply of water to Thripunithura and the adjoining panchayats, including Chottanikkara, Thiruvankulam, Maradu panchayats as well as to some parts of Udayamperoor panchyat. The 46 MLD (million litres per day) of water, to be supplied through the scheme, will be drawn from the river Muvattupuzhayar at Ramamangalam. The water will be stored in the plant at Choondy.

The scheme, with an estimated cost of Rs.52 crores, is expected to be completed within a couple of years. The KWA authorities hope to complete the scheme without much delay as the project has relatively smaller number of bottlenecks compared to the other projects. The biggest advantage of the project is that almost no acquisition of land is required for the project. A good part of the basic infrastructure is already in place.

The KWA already used to operate a plant for industrial water supply from Ramamangalam, catering to the units like Kochi Refineries Limited and Milma. The idea of the scheme was initiated, as the KRL started their own water supply scheme leading to the availability of a surplus quantity of water from there.

A well and raw water pumping station already exists at Ramamangalam, as well as a sedimentation plant at Choondy. As the water supply was for industrial purposes, there was no filter plant, which needs to be constructed now at Choondy.

The pipe-laying along the Puthenkurissu-Karimukal Road on the 14-km stretch to Karingachira from Choondy has already started. Sanction for cutting along the 4.4 km of road belonging to the Public Works Department was obtained, and 2.2 km of road has already been cut. However, the work has been slowed down due to rain. The KWA authorities are hopeful that up to 500 m could be done without obstructing road traffic.

However, the Karimukal-Puthiya Road Junction stretch was tarred by the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) and was handed over to the PWD. Obtaining sanction for cutting this stretch is a difficult task and needs to be taken up at the highest levels of bureaucracy. Some portion along the way, from Choondy to Puthenkurissu, is part of the NH-49, coming under the purview of the National Highways Authority of India. The work could start immediately, once the permission is obtained.

The Rs.53-crore project is being done with a loan from the Federal Bank. Construction of 46 MLD plant at Choondy is a major part of the project. An overhead tank will be constructed near the Hill Palace also, for which 10 cents of land will be necessary. Arrangements have been completed for obtaining this land, according to the KWA authorities.

There are existing tanks at Maradu and Thripunithura, which would be used for this project.
(The Hindu, Wednesday, August 2, 2006)

Photo exhibition of N.P.Jayan

Kerala - Kochi

Images of the monsoon

Different facets and moods of the countryside during the heavy monsoon is depicted in the collection

'Malabar,' is the subject close to heart of this photographer, second only to nature. Throughout his career as news photographer N.P.Jayan, who hails from Wayanad district, had kept track of the beauties of nature and that of his native place, the Malabar.

The passion has finally led him to a series of photo exhibitions. Titled 'Mazhavillu,' the series is to contain seven exhibitions, which will be held over a few years. He is planning to hold two exhibitions every year. The first one of the series, 'Malabar Monsoon,' was held at the Durbar Hall Art Centre. The show included 35 photographs, taken during the past couple of years, at different places in Malabar. With the theme being monsoon, Mr. Jayan has presented a collection of images portraying rain and nature during the monsoon.

The different facets and moods of the countryside during the heavy monsoon rain can be seen in the collection. The misty, mud paths of Attappadi, the beach at Muzhuppilangad, a lone deer in the Muthanga forests, a parade reflected in rainwater at the West Hill Parade Ground and many, many images from Silent Valley, Mr.Jayan's most favourite haunt. The series of exhibitions planned by Mr. Jayan on Malabar will include themes such as 'People of Malabar,' 'Art and Culture of Malabar,' 'Rivers of Malabar,' 'The Coast of Malabar,' `History of Malabar,' and 'Nature and Wild Life of Malabar.' Each show will have between 35 and 40 works. The shows will be held at first at Bangalore, where Mr. Jayan resides at present, later moving on to Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

He had earlier conducted an exhibition of photographs with the title, 'Victims of Violence,' based on the hapless residents of places that were ravaged by violence and riot, such as Marad. His visits to such places as part of duty as a news photographer had left indelible marks on him on the plight of the women and children in those areas.

This exhibition had travelled to different villages all over Kerala. "Even now, it is being exhibited at somewhere, though I have almost lost track of it," he says.
Renu Ramanath

(The Hindu, Tuesday, August 1, 2006)

water shortage in district

Kerala - Kochi
MLAs complain of severe shortage of water

Staff Reporter

Deployment of tanker lorries sought

KOCHI: The district administration will convene a special meeting to discuss shortage of drinking water in the west Kochi area, said District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish here on Saturday.

He was speaking at a District Development Committee meeting.

C.M. Dinesh Mani, MLA, said water supply in Palluruthy area was severely affected because there was no pumping at certain times.

The number of places where shortage of drinking water was being felt was on the increase, and tanker lorries should be pressed into service to provide water in these areas, he added. '

V.K. Ebrahim Kunju, MLA, said there was shortage of water in the Mattancherry area.

K. Babu, MLA, said the Thammanam interlinking of pipes had not yielded the desired results. He also said that if anyone was found drawing water illegally, the person should not be given reconnection of supply.

More bus services
The Collector said that a special squad would be constituted to seize vehicles used to illegally run passenger services in competition to Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) services. The meeting was assured by KSRTC officials that the number of services in Kothamangalam would be increased.

M.M. Monayee, MLA, said that answers should be provided to all questions being raised by the MLAs at the meetings. He said only one department had provided answers to the questions he had raised.

The District Collector issued instruction to the other departments to provide the answers in 48 hours.

Work on the building of the quality-testing laboratory at the Maradu market will begin soon. Though 50 cents of land has been allotted for the laboratory building, no work has begun so far.
Irrigation projects

M.J. Jacob, T.U. Kuruvilla and V.D. Satheesan, MLAs, said several irrigation projects still remained incomplete. Even those on which work had begun a decade ago had not been commissioned, they added.

They were informed that a special meeting had been convened on August 12 to discuss this problem.

The meeting was informed that 1,300 head of cattle had been given vaccines against anthrax in the Koothattukulam area.

The Agriculture Department informed that Rs. 54 lakh had been received by it for paying compensation to farmers who had lost their crops. A total of Rs. 60 lakhs would be received by the district.

The Principal Agriculture Officer was asked by the District Collector to enquire if the amount meant for Kothamangalam was included in the total amount given to the district so far.

Saju Paul, MLA, said that it was not right that the Perumbavoor Regional Transport Authority office was computerised without informing the peoples' representatives from the area about it.

M.M. Yusuf and Jose Thettayil, MLAs, District Planning Officer, Velayudhan Chettiar and heads of departments were among those who participated in the meeting held at the District Panchayat Hall, Kakkanad.
(The Hindu, Sunday, July 30, 2006)

Ravana Vijayam Kathakali

Kerala
A treat for Kathakali connoisseurs

'Ravana Vijayam' is considered an important oeuvre among the vast repertory of Attakathas (Kathakali literature). It is a sample of the paradoxes of Kerala's classical art forms, where the characters usually dubbed as wicked and villainous turn out to be the heroes, not quite in disguise.

Composed by Kilimanoor Rajaraja Varma Koyithampuran, the story is, in fact, a celebration of Ravana, the anti-hero of the Ramayana.

The title itself, which means 'victory of Ravana,' describes the gist of the story. The play extols the triumphs of Ravana, which, of course, lead to his ultimate downfall.

The Bank Employees Arts Movement Ernakulam (BEAME) is bringing on stage a presentation of the famous Kathakali on Friday. The venue will be Kerala Fine Arts Hall, Ernakulam. The performance will begin at 6.15 p.m.

The performance will be led by the noted Kathakali artiste Inchakkadu Ramachandran Pillai. The role of the Ravana of 'Ravana Vijayam' is considered to be a masterpiece of Ramachandran Pillai, who adheres to the `'Thekkan Chitta' or the South Kerala School of Kathakali. He is regarded as one of the senior-most masters of this school popular in the southern districts of Kerala, as opposed to the Kalluvazhi Chitta, followed by the northern districts, and especially at the Kerala Kalamandalam.

The story delineates Ravana's conquests including the battle with his own brother Vibhishana, who tries in vain to advise him against his wayward ways. After the battle with Vibhishana, Ravana comes across Rambha, the apsarasu (divine courtesan). Attracted by her beauty, Ravana molests her against her will.

Then, he defeats Vaisravana, the king of Alakapuri, considered to be the richest among the rich, and seizes his 'Pushpaka Vimanam.'
Renu Ramanath
(The Hindu, Thursday, July 27, 2006)

Film chambers

Kerala
Film chambers demand action against video piracy

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: A joint meeting of the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce and Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce has urged the State Government to take stringent measures to curb the menace of video piracy.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, South Indian Film Chamber president K.C.N. Chandrasekhar, Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce president M. Nandakumar and general secretary Siyad Kokker demanded the State Government to set up special courts for the video piracy cases modelling on the special courts set up by the Andhra Pradesh Government.

The chambers held a joint meeting of their executive councils in Kochi on Monday to discuss issues relating to the general well-being of the film industry.

The South Indian Film Chamber will request Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi that Goa should not be made permanent venue of the International Film Festival of India. The IFFI should have venues in other South Indian cities also, as hardly any film industry existed in Goa. The South Indian Film Chamber would boycott the IFFI in case the Ministry did not accept their demands.

Mr. Chandrasekhar said the construction of a new office complex for the South Indian Film Chamber would begin on July 30. The complex is being built to mark the 75th year of Indian talkie, he said. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi will lay the foundation. He will also unveil a statue of A.V. Meyyappa Chettiar, founder of the AVM Studios, on the occasion. Underlining that video piracy was the biggest threat faced by the film industry in Kerala, Mr. Kokker said that though more raids were being conducted since the new Government came to power, mere raids alone were not enough to check the menace. The roots of the trade should be exposed and special laws should be enacted to deal with the crime, he said. The meeting also requested the State Government to declare tax holidays for the film industry.
(The Hindu, Wednesday, July 26, 2006)

MACTA

Kerala
Macta federation to produce films

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: The Macta (Malayalam Cine Technicians' Association) Federation will make a film involving leading directors and actors, as part of efforts to set up a welfare fund for its members.

Announcing the project here on Tuesday, Vinayan, film director and general secretary of the federation, said two new faces would play the lead roles in the movie. Renowned actors also had roles. A team of directors and technicians would work behind the camera.

Mr. Vinayan said an estimated Rs. 75 lakhs would be utilised for making the film. He said that Goodway Business Corporation would provide the money.

Managing Director of the corporation Rajeendran handed over an advance of Rs. 10 lakhs to the director Joshy at the Ernakulam Press Club on Tuesday.

The financial assistance would be used for establishing a welfare fund for members of the federation. Members would receive pension and other benefits from the welfare fund.

A medical scheme for federation members would be launched in association with the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Mr. Vinayan said. The federation had also plans to organise a music nite by A.R. Rahman this year.
(The Hindu, Wednesday, July 26, 2006)

Minister meets Krishna Iyer

Kerala - Kochi
Premachandran calls on Krishna Iyer

Staff Reporter

Iyer hands over document containing information about water resources in the State

KOCHI: The former judge of the Supreme Court V.R. Krishna Iyer on Friday handed over a document containing authentic information about the resources of water in the State to Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran.

The document, which was half-a-century old, was in the possession Mr. Iyer, who was Minister for Irrigation in the first Cabinet of Kerala.

The Minister called on Mr. Iyer at his residence. While handing over the report, Mr. Iyer remembered T.P. Kuttyamu and Vaidyanathan, the engineers who had prepared it. "The voice of the engineers who prepared this report still echoes in my ears," said Mr. Iyer.

The then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had commented this report in the Lok Sabha and had asked other States to make this a model.

Mr. Premachandran was seeking the blessings of Mr. Iyer who had handled the portfolios of Home and Irrigation in the E.M.S. Namboodiripad Government of 1957.

The Minister told Mr. Iyer that the Government was planning to formulate a new water policy and sought valuable tips from his predecessor. Mr. Iyer replied that he would send the suggestions, but the only impediment was his health.

Mr. Iyer reminded the Minister that nobody should be allowed to exploit the public by taking control of our water resources.
(The Hindu, Sunday, July 23, 2006)

Perumbalam bridge

Kerala
Residents of Perumpalam demand new boat service

Renu Ramanath

Irregular boat services cause hardship to passengers

KOCHI: Residents of Perumpalam, an island located in the Vembanad Lake between Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts, fed up of the long wait for bridges that would ensure connectivity to the main land, are seeking ways to better the existing boat service.

The Perumpalam Boat Passengers' Association say that a project report for a series of bridges connecting Perumpalam to Poothotta in Ernakulam district and Panavally in Alappuzha district, at an estimated cost of Rs.152 crores, is awaiting administrative sanction.

Though the association has submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan urging that matters regarding the bridges be expedited, the Government is yet to take requisite steps in this regard, says K.B. Rajesh, association convener.

The association has submitted a memorandum to the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, through the online Public Grievance Lodging and Monitoring System on July 15, Mr. Rajesh says.

With the construction of the bridges likely to be delayed further, the association has demanded a new boat service and Jankar service on the South Paravur- Perumpalam Erappuzha sector. They say the boating canal should be widened and its depth increased to facilitate smooth boat service.

Improved boat service on the route will help end the woes of passengers, particularly children, the association leaders say. Irregular services, delay in frequency of services and time needed by the boat for refuelling at Panavally station, among others, are causing hardship to the passengers.

The series of bridges proposed for the island include a 225-metre bridge from Pathrakkadavu at Poothotta Junction Jetty to Vattavayal Thuruthu, a 750-metre bridge connecting Vattavayal to Vathikadu in Perumpalam island and a third one, 1.6 kilometre-long, connecting Perumpalam Jetty to Panavally Jetty in Alappuzha. The report was drafted by the Executive Engineer (Roads Sub-division), Alappuzha of the Public Works Department, following a memorandum submitted by the association at the Public Grievance Redressal Cell of the Chief Minister Oommen Chandy during the UDF Government's rule.
(The Hindu, Friday, July 21, 2006)

Film on Ravi Varma

Kerala
Film on Ravi Varma

After telling the story of Mangal Pandey, director Ketan Mehta is trying another one. This time he is turning to art, with the story of the legendary painter Raja Ravi Varma. Mr. Mehta is drawing upon the popular Marthi novel on the painter's life written by Ranjet Desai. The film, an Indo-French-German venture, will be titled 'Colours of Passion.'

Mehta and actress Deepa Sahi have been working on this project for some time. It is learnt that they have already procured the rights of the film. Mr. Mehta had always been fascinated with the life and works of Ravi Varma, especially with the romantic and the enigmatic relationship between the artist and his muse.
Renu Ramanath
(The Hindu, Friday, July 21, 2006)