Development of water transport network will improve the traffic scenario of the city and adjoining areas, says Mayor Tony Chammany. File photo
Detailed discussions on the interest rates, tenure of the loan and repayment conditions had to be held, said Tony Chammany, Kochi Mayor.
KFW Development Bank, Germany, has offered a loan of Rs. 624 crore for developing a water transport network in the city and related works.
The terms and conditions of the financial aid have not been discussed yet. However, it is expected to be a soft loan. Detailed discussions on the interest rates, tenure of the loan and repayment conditions had to be held, said Tony Chammany, Kochi Mayor.
Usha Rao, the urban transport specialist of the bank, expressed the willingness of the agency to fund the project in a discussion with Elias Joseph, Managing Director of Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) in New Delhi. Kochi Corporation and KMRL had earlier held discussions with the agency seeking support for the water transport project and development of the Unified Metro Transport Authority, Mr. Chammany said.
The loans from external agencies have to be routed through the State and the Central governments. The State government has to write to the authorities for availing the financial aid. If the formalities for the loan could be completed, the bank would extend the loan before March next, he said.
Incidentally, Cities Development Initiative Asia (CDIA), an international agency, had conducted a detailed study for developing a water transport network in the city.The task of preparing a pre-feasibility study on the project was assigned to a Manila-based agency. The Initiative had also proposed a Rs. 400-crore project for identifying new ferry routes, modernisation of boat jetties and for launching modern boats.
Special Purpose Vehicle
The local body had earlier decided to form a Special Purpose Vehicle for managing the water transport system after the Kochi Corporation council approves the pre-feasibility study.
The local body had also sought financial aid from the CDIA for the formation of the Special Purpose Vehicle. Kochi Corporation had also written to the CDIA in this regard, said Mr. Chammany.
Since the development of the water transport network would go a long way in improving the traffic scenario of Kochi city and adjoining areas, the governments should take the initiative for obtaining the loan for Kochi Corporation, Mr. Chammany said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by K. S. Sudhi / Kochi – October 30th, 2014
After the long demands made by the admirers of Ayurveda and the Hortus Malabaricus Trust, the state Archeology Department has declared the remains of the famous Ayurveda physician Itty Achuthan, coauthor of Hortus Malabaricus, a protected monument. The department issued government order to protect the monument. The ‘kuriala’, a small wooden room used by the scholar; a botanical garden; the ‘narayam’, wooden pen using to write; palm leaf writings; a basket made of cane; the silk and bangle gifted by the erstwhile King of Kochi are in the kuriala.
Itty Achuthan
According to Archeology Department Director G Premkumar, the 8.5 cent land owned by the Kollattu family in the Kadakarapally panchayat in Alappuzha was handed over to the Department. The Department had published preliminary gazette on July 2013 to make it a protected monument. Some of the family members raised protest, but the government negotiated with them and declared the monument a protected one this month, he said. Premkumar said they have plans to construct the monument in the land and to protect the ‘Kuriala’ intact. The Department directed the engineer to prepare a project. The fund for the protection will be allocated in the next financial year, he said.
The Archaeological Department started initiatives to take over the land a few years ago, but the land was pledged by the present owners in a Co-operative Bank. Later, the state government released the 8.5 cent land from the bank burden and published gazette. Itty Achuthan had participated in the compilation work of Hortus Malabaricus, a book on the flora of Kerala in the mid 17 century. The Dutch Malabar governor Hendrik Van Rheede had written the book and it was published in the second half of 17 century at Amsterdam.
The property is now owned by a fourth generation member of Itty Achuthan’s family in Kadakarapally panchayat near Cherthala. The land owner pledged the land in two cooperative banks and have taken lakhs as loan. After the death of the land owner his wife and children are living in the house.While the Kuriala is situated in 66 cent land and the botanical garden grown by Itty Achuthan is in 26 cents, the Archeology Department has taken over only 8.5 cents of land from the entire property to protect the monument and botanical garden.Hortus Malabaricus Trust secretary A N Chidambaran said that the trust had been working to protect the monument for more than two decades. The Trust has submitted proposals to construct an ayurvedic museum and a research centre about ayurvedic medicine, he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Biju E. Paul / October 23rd, 2014
The ‘My Tree Challenge’ campaign, launched by actor Mammootty recently for planting trees, has crossed the oceans and reached other continents, with an Australian mayor accepting the challenge.
Stuart Slade, Mayor of the Glenorchy City Council, has planted a gumtree at the Tolosa park in the capital of Tasmania, an island city in Australia.
The mayor, who named the tree ‘Gandhi’ as an honour to Mahatma Gandhi, has also challenged the mayors of Melbourne, New York, Paris and London to plant trees.
Slade thanked Mammootty for the concept, while acknowledging it as a solace to the planet that is fast becoming polluted. He also invited Mammootty to Tasmania, and urged him to pay respect to the Gandhi tree.
The Mayor, who is an enthusiast of India and the country’s development, came to know about the My Tree Challenge from Sajini Sumar, chairperson of the Multi-cultural Women’s Council of Tasmanaia.
The My Tree Challenge, a campaign involving planting of saplings and challenging others to do so, was launched by Mammootty on August 30 – inspired by the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’. He had asked Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and Tamil actors Vijay and Suriya to take up the challenge.
Mammootty had also planted a tamarind tree on the premises of Grand Hyatt Hotel, Dubai.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / October 21st, 2014
NRKs planning to invest in agriculture back home now have a golden opportunity to do so and to understand how to go about it. The Agriculture Department is planning a two-day investors’ meet in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday and Friday to attract investment and to generate awareness regarding the scope. The meet will also feature a ‘single window clearance’ mechanism for potential investments, Agriculture officials said. This is the first time that the Agriculture Department is organising a workshop outside the country, Agriculture Minister K P Mohanan said here on Tuesday.
“The meet is aimed at potential NRK investors in this sector. But it will also help to boost the possibilities of the meet which will be held in Kochi in November this year,” he said. The Global Agro Meet is to be held on November 6 and 7 and aims at showcasing Kerala’s own agro products. This list includes indigenous rice varieties, other produces such as Vazhakkulam Pineapple and spices like Malabar Pepper.
The November expo is also intended to acquaint farmers here with the latest trends and possibilities on offer in the international market. The meet also proposes to discuss ways and means to strengthen marketing and supply chain infrastructure for farm products in the state.The Biofach India 2014 trade fair also will be held alongside the Global Agro Meet.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / October 15th, 2014
Motor vehicle inspector Shefiq B.’s photograph of a leopard at the Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary won a prize at the State-level wildlife photography competition. Photo: K.K. Mustafah / The Hindu
A motor vehicle inspector’s commitment to wildlife photography
: His passion for photography almost cost him his life a decade ago when he was chased around by a herd of wild elephants in Thekkady. And that night in 2003, he stayed atop a tree to escape the wrath of the pachyderms.
For someone who took pictures with trembling hands and landed himself in trouble out of his ignorance about positioning, Shefiq B. has come a long way to grab the victor’s prize at the State-level wildlife photography conducted by the forest department.
A motor vehicle inspector by profession, Mr. Shefiq will receive the award from Forest Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan on Tuesday at the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady.
Motor vehicle inspector Shefiq B.’s photograph of a leopard at the Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary won a prize at the State-level wildlife photography competition. Photo: K.K. Mustafah / The Hindu
The picture of a leopard lying on a rock at the Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary won him the prize.
“Initially, the animal was behind a rock and was not fully visible before it stepped on to the rock. From its stomach I could gauge that the animal had had its prey just then and would be resting there for a while,” he said.
Photography became his passion after he took a five-year break from his job as a vehicle inspector.
During this time, he took up a job in the Middle East which gave him the opportunity to travel to the wildlife sanctuaries of Kenya, a photographer’s delight.
So much was he consumed by the passion that he didn’t think twice before taking a loan for purchasing a professional worth Rs. 2.5 lakh.
Since rejoining duty at the Aluva Regional Transport Office last year, Shefiq puts in extra hours at work, so that he can go exploring nature in the company of his camera on weekends .
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by M.P. Praveen / Kochi – October 07th, 2014
Agriculture department in association with Nalikera Karshaka Samithi will be organizing classes on how to make coconut farming financially viable for farmers. Classes on Neera production and other topics will be discussed by agriculture experts.
Apart from coconut farmers, persons engaging in other works related to coconut farming, copra production will also be attending the classes. Coconut tree climbers, toddy tappers, and those engage in producing value added products from coconut are expected to benefit from the training class.
The focus of the training programme will be to make farmers and others aware of the government schemes for coconut farmers, said Kollamkandi Vijayan, president of Nalikera Karshaka Samithi. The need for the use of modern technology for improving cultivation will also be discussed, he added.
Those interested to attend the sessions can register their names by dialling 9048627810 or 9745148451 said, Mujeeb Komath district secretary of the Samithi. The programme will be held at Perambra on Monday, he added.
The focus of the training programme is to make farmers aware of the government schemes for them.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / TNN / October 10th, 2014
Next week four cows and two bulls – all dwarves, each averaging between 80 to 100 cm in height – will embark on a 3,000 km long cross-country journey from Kasaragod to Chandigarh in a cattle swap involving Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.
The destination for the six animals belonging to two of the world’s smallest breeds – Vechur and Kasaragod Dwarf – in their 12-day trip is the official residence of the Punjab chief minister in Chandigarh where they will be reared in a farm.
The cows give 1-4 litres of milk per day which is valued for its high nutritional and medicinal properties.
In return, the Punjab chief minister has promised six Sahiwal breed of cattle indigenous to Punjab which will be sent back to the farm of Kasaragod Dwarf Conservation Society (KDCS) at Nagacheri farm near Neeleshwaram.
The stage for the high profile cattle exchange was set during the Indo- Pak interactive seminar on conservation of indigenous livestock breeds held at Punjab Bhavan in Chandigarh on July 10 which was attended by P K Lal, Director of Kasaragod Dwarf Conservation Society.
Following the presentation on Vechur and Kasaragod Dwarf varieties, Lal was invited to the official bungalow of the CM where Badal personally expressed his keenness to get two pairs of the indigenous breeds from Kerala.
“The chief minister is a keen cattle enthusiast and there are around 30 indigenous cattle breeds in his farm attached to the official residence. He had heard about the dwarf cattle varieties of Kerala and requested us if we could give him pairs of each breed which we agreed to,” Lal said.
Sahiwal cows from Punjab are known to produce over 25 litres of milk and are high-yielding even in dry conditions of Punjab where temperatures touch 45 degree Celsius. “We would like to find out how well they fare in Kerala conditions,” Lal said.
Lal said that efforts are on to get the Kasaragod Dwarf included as a native cattle breed by the National Bureau for Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) and hopes that formalities would be completed within one year.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kochi / TNN / October 04th, 2014
Sooraj, winner of state govt’s Karshaka Jyothi Award, with the elephant foot yams grown in his farm | Express
Sulthan Bathery :
At a time when many farmers in the state are abandoning agriculture owing to poor yield and low income, Sooraj C S, a Plus-Two student hailing from Mathamangalam, near here, is scripting a success story with his experiments in zero budget farming.
The 17-year-old, who recently won the Karshaka Jyothi Award for the best student farmer, instituted by the state government, is now busy promoting ‘healthy eating habits’ through his Facebook page by highlighting the harmful effects of pesticides. His farmland also serves as a knowledge hub for aspiring farmers.
“There is no need to glorify a person who grows vegetables or fruits for his own consumption. It says a lot about our society’s misconceptions about agriculture. Each individual can make a difference by developing the habit of cultivating and eating organic foods,” Sooraj says with an air of maturity unusual in one so young.
Inspired by Subhash Palekar, a promoter of the concept of zero budget natural farming, Sooraj started farming as a hobby at the age of 15, but it has now become a full-fledged passion for him.
“During the summer vacation two years ago, I attended a seminar on zero budget farming, held in Sulthan Bathery. Subhash Palekar was the main speaker at the programme. The event helped me shape a new perspective on farming techniques. Following that, I took a pledge not to use chemical fertilisers and pesticides,” says Sooraj, a Plus Two student of Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Ambalavayal.
He cultivates a wide range of vegetables, including cabbage, bittergourd, eggplant, tomato, capsicum, beans, green chilli, different types of yams, bananas, carrot, beetroot, and potato on his pleasingly congested four acres of farmland on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. There are also about 50 varieties of fruits such as rambutan, passion fruit, mangosteen and orange, besides about 60 types of medicinal plants in his field.
Last year, when he had a bumper crop of cabbage, he gave a major chunk of the produce to friends and neighbours, and then sold the rest of the vegetables in the local market.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Aadharsh / September 27th, 2014
A demonstration of honey extraction at the honey festival at VJT Hall in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar / The Hindu
Also on sale are honey products such as honey wax, soaps and facial creams, and many products with honey as their base.
Thiruvananthapuram is once again playing host to a honey festival that presents an impressive variety of honey and honey products.
The three-day festival, which got under way at VJT Hall on Tuesday, promises to provide the people of the city a rare opportunity to learn about the subtle differences between different honey varieties, their medicinal properties, and buy various honey products.
Organised by the Federation of Indigenous Apiculturists (FIA), the festival has stalls put up by apiculturists from across the State displaying hives of stingless bees, Newton bees, honey extractors, and other honey production equipment.
From sunflower honey to Coorg honey and forest honey and stingless bee honey, the types of honey on display are remarkable for their sweetness and the way they throw light on a mostly unseen facet of rural entrepreneurship in Kerala.
Also on sale are honey products such as honey wax, soaps and facial creams, and many products with honey as their base.
Students of Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) have put up a stall that sells honey drink and honey laddus.
Over the coming two days, experts from the KAU, State Horticulture Mission, Horticorp, Agriculture Department, and the Kerala State Biodiversity Board, who are also the co-organisers of the festival, will conduct training sessions for beginners in apiculture.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / A Correspondent / Thiruvananthapuram – September 17th, 2014
A view of the main block of CDS / Photo: Jayesh S. Pillai / The Hindu
The book Masterpiece of a Master Architect: CDS unveils how Centre for Development Studies showcases the architectural concepts of Laurie Baker
The picturesque nine-acre campus of Centre for Development Studies (CDS) in the capital city is a masterpiece of Laurie Baker. It beautifully complements the architectural concepts of Laurie Baker, who devoted his life to design cost-effective and environment-friendly buildings. Paying homage to this critically-acclaimed work of Laurie Baker is the book Masterpiece of a Master Architect: CDS. Through sketches and photographs the book captures the magnificence and simplicity of this structure. Designed and edited by architect, visual designer and filmmaker Jayesh S. Pillai, the book is the first documentation of a work by Baker. In an interview with MetroPlus, Jayesh talks about working on the project.
Jayesh S. Pillai / The Hindu
Coming on board the project
Though a draft of the book was presented in 2004 to Laurie Baker, on his 87th birthday, it was not carried forward. It was then titled ‘CDS: The Vision of a New Architecture’. But he suggested that his effort was never ‘new’, but an extension of the vernacular techniques deep-rooted in the architectural practices in Kerala.
Baker passed away in 2007. In mid-2008 I came to Thiruvananthapuram after completing my masters from IIT Kanpur. I came to know that the Centre of Science and Technology for Rural Development (COSTFORD)was looking for someone to take over this particular documentation. My friends suggested my name to P.B. Sajan, joint director of the centre. Thus I started working on it in February 2009 and finished it in seven months.
The process
Though the draft was well thought about, a lot had to be crosschecked, updated and added, especially because the campus was still evolving with the addition of new buildings. We had to digitise the original drawings as most of the early ones were made on paper.
Also, we had to match them in quality with the digitally-prepared ones. I had full access to the campus for documentation work and to photograph the campus and its structures at different times of the day in which I was helped by Aravind Ramachandran and Avirat Inamdar.
There are a whole lot of others who helped with the drawings, editing the text and giving necessary inputs. It took five years for the book to get published though.
A whole lot of people had helped me in the project, including my wife, Rutu Panchal, R.D. Padmakumar, Shailaja Nair, Prahlad Gopakumar and Shyamkumar Puravankara who edited the texts and Tilak Baker, Baker’s son.
What are your favourite aspects about CDS?
The campus brings together brick structures following the contours of the terrain, stairs winding around trees, circular and organic-shaped courtyards and roof terraces, a network of creative walkways, an exceptional seven-storied library tower and numerous interesting architectural structures.
The spaces are well designed with great concern for the natural landscape that Baker seamlessly blended with the structures that came up on the campus as the institute grew. And the jali wall patterns don’t just create a delightful play of light and shadow, they also provide well-ventilated spaces within the buildings.
Jali wall patterns at CDS create a delightful play of light and shadow /Photo: Jayesh S. Pillai / The Hindu
Jali wall patterns at CDS create a delightful play of light and shadow / Photo: Jayesh S. Pillai / The Hindu
Why is it considered one of the landmark structures of Baker?
It was perhaps the perfect chance for him to display his ideas and philosophy to a larger community. The campus not just demonstrates Baker’s love for nature-friendly and cost-effective architecture, but also illustrates his artistic genius. The campus stands testament to sustainable approach in architectural practices, still inspiring architects and students around the globe.
However, why hasn’t Baker’s architecture gained wide acceptance?
He has left behind a legacy with his bold and distinctive attitude towards the style that he developed (or adapted, as he would say). Even though many architects within and outside India try to adopt his philosophy, unfortunately, many still have misconceptions about the ‘Baker Style’, especially in failing to understand that he advocated cost-effective (and energy-efficient) and not simply low-cost architectural practices. As I understand, one of the focal points in his philosophy would be that an architect should not blindly adopt these techniques and practices, but adapt them to the prevailing environmental and social conditions, and their context.
In retrospection
This is the first published work that I have designed entirely. So it was a learning process for me.
I had gone through many of Baker’s drawings, paintings and sketches during the time I spent at COSTFORD. So I was able to incorporate certain visual elements in the book as a homage to him, especially the recurring mango patterns that is noticeable in his works.
The book has been published by COSTFORD and Laurie Baker Centre for Habitat Studies (LBC).
Wordsmith and artist
Jayesh S. Pillai, who hails from the capital city, is an assistant professor in Design Discipline at Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur. An alumnus of Sainik School and College of Engineering Trivandrum, he did his masters from IIT Kanpur. He has a doctorate in virtual reality from Arts et Métiers ParisTech, France. Jayesh, a registered architect, is a short filmmaker as well. While his films have been selected for short films festivals in Kerala and outside, the work Beyond was selected to the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner 2011.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Athira M / Thiruvananthapuram – September 17th, 2014
