Monthly Archives: May 2015

A landmark in history of registration

Kannur  :

History stands still under the leaky roof of a single-storey building at Anjarakkandy, where the apprehensions of a British planter culminated in the country’s land registration system.

The tiled building, as such, is not part of history, though it has been enjoying a spot in history as the first sub-registrar office in India, opened in 1865.

Though the building now can’t boast of providing better shelter from the elements of nature, the registration department is planning to celebrate the office’s sesquicentennial anniversary.

“The department has decided to organize a gala function to commemorate the 150th year of the first land registration in the country, which led to the setting up of a separate department for the purpose,” O A Satheesh, district registrar in Kannur, said. Minister for registration and civil supplies Anoop Jacob would inaugurate the function on Friday.

The land registration was the culmination of the process of demarcating boundaries of lands of local residents by Murdoch Brown, remembers K Narayanan Nambiar, a land document writer.

“His act of demarcating boundaries led to the setting up of a department for land registration not only in India, but also in the whole of Asia,” he recollected his predecessors’ words.

Brown’s decision to demarcate land also has an interesting story.

When he bought land, he felt that if not clearly demarcated, there would be confusion over the ownership. He opened an office in his bungalow and started signing and giveing title-deeds to the owners of each plot.

The Englishman soon found that some landowners were manipulative and to avoid malpractices, he started keeping a copy of title-deeds in his office, thus beginning the formal registration of land.

Later on January 1, 1865, the British government, through an order dated December 5, 1864, approved the sub-registry office, which operated out of his bungalow, with Brown as deputy registrar. The office was shifted to the present building on March 11, 1877, in the land provided by Brown.

The present condition of the building has been pathetic as no effort was made to maintain the original architecture and old records.

A day after the inauguration of the sesquicentennial celebrations, Kerala might receive the first monsoon shower. The staff, as usual, would rush for plastic sheets to cover and protect shelves from water leaking through the roof.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / TNN / May 27th, 2015

Bid to spread vannamei shrimp farming

Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), in the first phase of its efforts to spread vannamei shrimp farming in the State, will transfer farming technology to 30 farmers in Kerala.

Vannamei is an exotic white-leg shrimp, which is now widely farmed on the eastern coast of India.

A training programme for farmers selected from various parts of the State would be held at the Puthuvype fisheries station on Monday, said a press release from KUFOS here. KUFOS had started trial farming of vannamei shrimp, the first of its kind in Kerala, in March this year after getting permission from the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA), Chennai.

The university has now decided to extend farming after a review of the trial, which has been a success in the brackish water ecosystem of the State.

KUFOS Vice Chancellor B. Madhusoodana Kurup will inaugurate the training programme, and Pro-Vice Chancellor K. Padmakumar will preside.

The training programme is aimed at educating the shrimp farmers in the State about the white leg exotic shrimp, Litopenaeus Vannamei, and precautions to be taken prior to farming in Kerala’s conditions.

The selected farmers will be trained in various aspects such as management, nutritional requirement, feed management and biology, and life cycle of the species.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – May 25th, 2015

Fr Paul Arackal dead

Alappuzha :

Fr Paul Arackal who is credited as the first person who took steps to organize the fishermen community in the state, died of age related illness at Chethi near here on Wednesday. He was 80.

His funeral will be held at the St Antony’s church Chennaveli near here at 3pm on Friday.

His mortal remains will be kept at his family home at Chethi from 8am on Friday for the public to pay their last respects.

He was the third son of Joseph and Esther of Arackal house of Perunnoormangalam near Chethi. He was ordained a priest by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

He served as the assistant vicar and later also as the vicar of the St Andrews Basilica at Arthunkal.

He also served as the vicar at St Joseph Church at Punnapara, Arogyamatha Church at Saudi near Kochi and St Francis Xavier’s Church at Kandakadavu, and also as the chaplin at St Joseph Church, Thanki.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / TNN / April 23rd, 2015