THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 19 November 2006 — Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and his senior Cabinet colleagues yesterday visited the disputed Mullai Periyar dam, controlled by Tamil Nadu on a long-term lease, after reports said the century-old dam’s water level had risen to an alarming level. “There is a heavy downpour in the area and some 3.6 million people spread in five districts are under threat of inundation if the dam collapses,” Achuthanandan said after the inspection. Under a Supreme Court order, water-starved Tamil Nadu is allowed to raise the water level of the dam to 142 ft. Kerala says it is unsafe for the dam to hold water at more than136 ft. The water level touched 138.9 ft last week. The federal government has called a meeting of the chief ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu on Nov. 29 in New Delhi to sort out the issue.
Malabar Shopping Festival
A month-long Malabar Shopping Festival will begin in Kozhikode on Dec. 20 with the aim of promoting tourism and trade, M. Bhaskaran, mayor of Kozhikode, announced yesterday. Performing at the event will be representatives of the navy, the air force and the fire brigade. There will be a hot air balloon, paragliding demonstrations and water sports among other entertainments.
Karunakaran Wooing Natwar Singh
Former External Affairs Minister and estranged Congress leader K. Natwar Singh flew to Thiruvananthapuram yesterday to meet senior leader K. Karunakaran, who joined federal Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in an effort to line up old guards against Sonia Gandhi. “Look, all of us who stood by Indira Gandhi in her hours of crisis are out and people like (Foreign Minister) Pranab Mukherjee and (Defense Minister) A.K. Antony who deserted her get rewards,” Natwar told reporters here. Asked if he was planning to join the NCP, he said he was weighing all options. Karunakaran expressed confidence that Natwar would soon join the NCP. Natwar also attended a dinner hosted by NCP leaders. During his two-day stay in the state capital, he is also expected to call on some Muslim leaders. Natwar was suspended from the primary membership of the Congress party in August after being indicted for his role in Iraq’s food-for-oil scam.
NRI Investment
The state government has given the go ahead for setting up a company — Infrastructure Kerala Ltd — to step up efforts to channel the remittances and investments of Keralites abroad. The state government will hold 26 percent stake in the company. The initial paid-up capital of the new company will be one billion rupees.
No to Plastics
The Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association has decided not to use plastic carrier bags and cups in hotels in the port city of Kochi. A notice board highlighting the theme of “no plastic” will be exhibited in front of hotels, the association said in a statement adding it will encourage hotel owners to use paper bags.
Seven in By-Election Fray
Poll authorities have accepted seven of the 10 nominations for the Dec. 4 Kerala Assembly by-election in the Thiruvambadi constituency in northern Kerala. They include Ummer Master, the United Democratic Front candidate fielded by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), George Thomas of the Communist Party of India-Marxist that leads the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Girish Thevally. The by-election was necessitated by the death of CPI-M legislator Mathai Chacko who won in May by a margin of over 5,000 votes.
New Portal for Jobs and Education
The Kerala State Information Technology Mission has launched a Malayalam portal on jobs and education at www.padavukal.org. Education Minister M.A. Baby said the government had launched a drive to reach IT-enabled education to students belonging to the underprivileged sections of society. The portal contains information on education, educational institutions, education in foreign countries, distance education, entrance and competitive examinations, aptitude tests, employment opportunities, successful job-seeking, self-employment, recruitment agencies and scholarships and loans. The portal contains information on about 700 topics spread across these 11 areas.
