Category Archives: About Kerala

Re-enacting the first bus trip, after 77 years

The launch of the first public road transport service on February 20, 1938, in the erstwhile Travancore will be recreated after 77 years on Friday, from East Fort to Kowdiar Square and back in a double-decker bus.

The bus will be flagged off by Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) CMD Antony Chacko at 11 a.m. as part of the ‘Bus Day’ celebrations by the Kerala State Road Transport Employees’ Association (KSRTEA) with the theme ‘healthy public transport for public health.’

Sree Chithira Tirunal, the then ruler of Travancore, inaugurated the service 77 years ago. He, along with Col. Goda Varma Raja and other members of the ruling family, were among the passengers. E.G. Salter, Assistant Operating Superintendent of London Passenger Board, drove the bus.

A fleet of 33 buses and a huge crowd joined the celebrations as the bus moved on. The first bus was operated from Thiruvanantapuram to Kanyakumari on February 21, 1938.

From England

Initially, the department imported Comet chassis for 60 buses from England and they were fitted with Frank Perkins-made diesel engines under the direct supervision of Salter. The experimental design of the body created by Salter became the standard design of the rest of the buses, say archival reports.

The early buses were like saloons with 23 soft leather seats. There were 10 First Class seats in the front. The schedules, fares and bus stops were fixed and published. A parcel service was also started. The services were extended to Kochi in 1949 and to Malabar, in 1956. The KSRTC came into existence in March 1965.

People’s representatives, top officials of the corporation, socio-cultural activists, and trade union leaders will be on the bus. The KSRTEA is trying to rope in the members of the ruling family of the erstwhile Travancore for the trip.

Bus Day is being observed as part of the second phase of the “Save KSRTC” campaign. KSRTEA general secretary C.K. Harikrishnan urged the public to shun private vehicles and to travel on KSRTC buses on Friday.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities. Thiruvananthapuram / by S. Anil RadhaKrishnan / Thiruvananthapuram – February 18th, 2015

Phase-II of Mission Kochi Project

Kochi :

The Kochi Corporation will launch the second phase of the ‘Mission Kochi’ project and the ‘City Beautification’ project on Tuesday.

As part of the project, a new campaign titled ‘One Kochi, One Colour’ will be rolled out.

The programme will be inaugurated by actor Mammootty at a function to be held at Njalipparambu, Fort Kochi.

“As part of the project, the Corporation authorities will enforce stringent restrictions on advertisements and flex boards in the city. A meeting will be held with representatives of the political, religious, cultural and film fields soon,” said Mayor Tony Chammany here on Monday. “The primary aim of the One Kochi One Colour project is to paint the important buildings in the Corporation limits and public spaces in the city in ‘blue’, as Kochi is described as the Queen of Arabian Sea. The paint required for the beautification project is supplied by Berger Paints, and the project will be titled Berger Paints One Kochi One Colour,” Chammany said.

He said that the official colour of Kochi will be blue, and that the public places in the city, especially the walls, will be painted blue.

We have identified Fort Kochi, which is already in a colourful mood owing to the Biennale and the Carnival, as the most suitable venue for launching the project, Chammany added.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service  / December 30th, 2014

Man who changed the course of a river

The statue of Chemban Kolumban, the Adivasi leader instrumental in the construction of Idukki dam, at Cheruthoni. Photo: Giji K Raman
The statue of Chemban Kolumban, the Adivasi leader instrumental in the construction of Idukki dam, at Cheruthoni. Photo: Giji K Raman

Memorial of Kolumban, who identified the ideal spot for a dam at Idukki, renovated.

Chemban Kolumban, the Adivasi leader who discovered the site of the Idukki dam, is finally being remembered by the authorities with the renovation of the Kolumban Park, close to the Cheruthoni dam of the Idukki Hydroelectric project here.

Kolumban had identified the ideal spot for a dam when he found the Periyar river flowing between the Kuravan and the Kurathi hills.

In 1922, Kolumban had joined a team of the Malankara Estate superintendent and his friend on a hunting trip in Idukki. They found it difficult to move as they reached Kuyilimala. It was while moving between the two hills that they found the spot. They thought of diverting the water to the low range of Malankara-Moolamattom for power generation. In 1932, the then superintendent of the Malankara Estate, W.J. John, submitted a project to the Travancore government regarding the possibility of constricting a dam connecting the two hills.

The Travancore government in 1947 entrusted Electrical engineer P. Joseph John with the task of conducting a feasibility study and a report was submitted to the Central Waterpower Commission which gave the nod for the construction of a dam in 1961. The construction was entrusted to a Canadian company in 1963 and it was commissioned by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on February 12, 1976.

A sculptor Kunnuvila Murali made a statue of Kolumban near the Cheruthoni dam then as a tribute to him. For long, it was a forgotten chapter in the history of the dam with weeds growing over the statue.

The park was renovated as part of a major project taken up by the Department of Culture to renovate the Kolumban memorial on the roadside near here, where his body was cremated.

His grandchildren are living at the Kolumban colony and are the carriers of a rich legacy. According to Roshy Augustine, MLA, visitors to the dam would be interested in the history of the dam, of which Kolumban is an integral part.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by Giji K. Raman / Cheruthoni (Idukki) – December 24th, 2014

E-Jalakam project wins Kerala CM’s public service award

Kochi :

The e-Jalakam programme of St Teresa’s College has been chosen for the chief ministers special awards for innovation in public service (2013).

E-Jalakam is a model e-governance literacy project that aims to enhance public access to various online government services. The award will be presented on Monday.

Principal coordinator of the project Nirmala Padmanabhan — who also heads the college’s economics department — said that the programme was a social initiative to educate girls/women on how to access government websites.

“Our aim was to educate people who didn’t know how to navigate government sites. So, students prepared a step-by-step handbook to guide them. The handbook helps a person track file movement in any department. Similarly, people can check birth, death and property details, even power and water bills too. The citizen’s handbook called ‘Vivara Nidhi’ and can be downloaded from the IT Mission website or the e-Jalakam website,” she said. Padmanabhan gives credit to her students whose meticulous efforts resulted in such a simple, easy-to-use guide. The group has managed to reach out to 12,000 families in 86 schools over the past one year.

“You can keep the book next to the computer and finish the entire process screen by screen. In the first two phases of the project, the e-Jalakam team trained 17 civic groups covering 2,000 persons,” she said, adding that a decision was taken in the third phase to train high students in government and aided schools where IT@school project was being implemented.

“Student feedback resulted in another handbook called e-Mithram which serves their interests like applying for entrance exams, checking results, application for driving/duplicate licence etc,” she said. The group plans to print these handbooks with their prize money that amounts to Rs 2 lakh. “Everywhere we go, people ask for a hard copy. We will be selling them at a nominal price to make printing a sustainable operation,” she said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kochi / TNN / October 27th, 2014

Southern Air Command turns 30

The headquarters of the Southern Air Command, the fifth operational command of the Indian Air Force, in Thiruvananthapuram.
The headquarters of the Southern Air Command, the fifth operational command of the Indian Air Force, in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Southern Air Command (SAC), the fifth operational command of the Indian Air Force, would be 30 years old on July 20. To commemorate three decades of operations, it has lined up programmes lasting a year.

According to a press note, the events include a Sarang helicopter display, sky diving by the Akash Ganga team, fly past by various aircraft, a performance by Air Warriors Drill Team, a combat skill display by Air Force commandos (Garud), a community lunch and a commanders’ conclave.

The celebrations began with an ‘entertainment evening’ at the SAC headquarters here on Saturday.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Special Correspondent / Thursday – July 20th, 2014

Study reveals truth behind Malabar Manual

Kozhikode :

Colonial rulers and chroniclers of British rule had all along maintained that blessed with copious rains and unfailing monsoon, Malabar remained impervious to famine.

But a recent, first of its kind study on ‘Famines in British Malabar’ busts the myth which William Logan, the famous historian and administrator, had reiterated in his exhaustive treatise Malabar Manual, that ever since the East India Company (EIC) took over the administration in India and subsequently passed it on to the British Crown, there was no record of famine in the district, and he gave much of the credit to an efficient British government.

But the yet to be released monograph of ‘Famines in British Malabar’ written by food economist, Dr. M Raghavan, Former Director of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, says that Logan’s accounts about having a largely famine- free Malabar during the 18th and 19th centuries are factually icorrect.

“The archival records themselves reveal that Logan himself had received, under his official seal and date, periodic reports from taluk level officials about the ravaging epidemics and famines in the district. Interestingly, all these reports were received in the Collectorate under the official seal”, Raghavan says in the study.

“Fact being that the Malabar Manual was first published just eight years after the 1876-78 famine, the statement that post the 1727 famine there was no record of any famine in Malabar is more of a deliberate attempt on the part of Logan to conceal the truth,” he said.

Raghavan, who has worked for around 35 years in the realm of food security in various roles including as deputy economic advisor at the Planning Commission, said that there has not been any comprehensive study of famines in British Malabar.

“These assertions are clearly preposterous as in the first half of the twentieth century, Malabar alone had undergone at least four grievous famines in 1918, 1924, 1933, and 1943,” he added.

“Though the construction of railways has been generally perceived as the best long term guarantee against famines as it allowed movement of food quickly from surplus to famine-prone deficit areas, in reality the British administration tacitly allowed private traders to carry away whatever food stocks were available, either for exports or for indulging in speculation inviting disastrous famines at progressively shorter intervals,” Raghavan said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / by K R Rajeev, TNN / July 16th, 2014

Bringing Goshree closer to the city

The Goshree bridges are a vital link between the islands and the city at present. / File Photo / The Hindu
The Goshree bridges are a vital link between the islands and the city at present. / File Photo / The Hindu

The uncertainty over time-bound completion of the coastal road connecting the Goshree islands to Kochi is finally clearing up with the Ernakulam district administration set to begin direct purchase of land from owners in July.

According to District Collector M.G. Rajamanickam, the proposal for direct land acquisition, mooted along the lines of the Kochi metro model will be set rolling on receipt of a government order, expected by the second week of next month. “We have already started the background works in the form of negotiations with the land owners and will complete the acquisition process within two months of its initiation,” he said.

The authorities are now working on the modalities of the acquisition process including the area required, its cost, etc., and are planning to hold a combined meeting of landowners as well as revenue officials before starting the process.

The 29th general council of Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA), which met here on May 31with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy as chairman, entrusted the Authority to directly acquire land from private owners for speedier implementation of projects and also decided to form a special committee under the District Collector to acquire land. Following this, an official team led by the District Collector inspected the islands last week and interacted with the local residents.

Meanwhile, the GIDA has revised the estimate for the Moolampilly-Pizhala bridge from Rs. 40 crore to about Rs. 82 crore for changing its alignment so as to avoid large swathes of the eco-sensitive wetland system in the area.

The 4.5 km road, having a width of 22 meters, will provide an alternative link from the city to Paravur while also paving the way for the development of the Goshree islands. Kadamakudy panchayat will benefit the most from the bridges since it would get a link with the Vallarpadam container terminal road. The Rs.160 crore project, planned to provide an alternative link from the city to Paravur, also entails construction of three major bridges and one small bridge.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had earlier evinced interest in taking up the construction of the four bridges, but it later backed out citing difficulties in carrying out outside works. Following this, the construction work was awarded to the Kerala State Construction Corporation (KSCC).

source:  http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Hiran Unnikrishnan / Kochi – June 30th, 2014

Zamorin Manavikraman Raja dies

Zamorin Manavikraman Raja was under treatment following old age-related ailments. He breathed his last around 2.55pm.

Manavikraman Raja was annointed the Zamorin after the death of the then Zamorin P K S Raja in March 2013.

Born in Thiruvannur Puthiya Kovilakom as the son of Kuttimbatti Thamburatti and Paderi Shakran Namboodirippad on May 10, 1920, Manavikraman Raja had his education at the Zamorin’s School and took his BSc degree from Annamalai University. He started his career as a schoolteacher at Zamorin’s High School and later joined the Union ministry of commerce in 1947. He then moved to the ministry of foreign affairs and retired from service in 1980 as third secretary from the Indian Embassy in erstwhile Czechoslovakia. He had also served in Canada, Lebanon, Phillipines and many other countries.

As Zamorin, he was the trustee of a number of temples in Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad and active in the social and cultural realms.

People from various walks of life paid tributes at the Thiruvannur Puthan Kovilakom where the body was kept. The last rites would be performed at Thiruvannur Kovilakam around 8am on Wednesday.

K C Unnianujan Raja of Kottakkal Kizhakke Kovilakom will succeed Manavikraman Raja as the next Zamorin.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / TNN / April 30th, 2014

Showcasing Imprints of City’s Maritime History

The museum that was opened to public at Willingdon island on Monday| express
The museum that was opened to public at Willingdon island on Monday| express

Kochi :

It was exactly 86 years ago that Kochi’s own port became a reality  with S S Padma cruising into its inner berth. In 1928, Sir Robert Bristow  made a indelible signature on Kochi’s history by shaping up a port which is  now the most sought-after one in the South West India.

As the Port Trust celebrates 86th Port Day on Monday, the Cochin Port Trust  along with Bristow Society, Chamber of Commerce and Customs and Sea Marines Association has set up a heritage museum near the Cochin Port Trust office.

Paul Antony, chairman, Cochin Port Trust, inaugurated the museum titled ‘Kochi Maritime Heritage Museum’ at Willingdon Island on Monday.

The museum will be opened to the public from 10 am to 5 pm from Monday to Saturday. The heritage museum unveils the history of the Kochi port during a period of 21 years starting from 1920 to 1941. The photographs exhibited on the walls flaunt the evolution of the port  from a water body to a congested berth of ships.

According to C Unnikrishnan, Cochin Port Trust secretary, the museum is a tribute to Sir Robert Bristow. “The museum has around 70 photos and other devices and instruments that virtually tell the history of the port. The 70 pictures tell the evolution of the port. The photos also convey the efforts made by the architects and construction workers to build a port. It was in 1928 that the ships were berthed at the inner harbour. Before that, the ships were berthed at the outer sea. The visitors can also see the various stages of the construction of the port,” he said.

“The museum will also feature rare documents, navigational instruments plans and devices which were used in the early decades of 20th century. The construction plan of the port drawn by the Robert Bristow is the highlight among the lot. Besides, the parts of the ships, signal devices, anchors and miniatures are also on display, said Unnikrishnan.

The museum will be managed by Bristow Memorial Society. Ticket rate would be `10 per person.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Services – nie / May 27th, 2014