Kochi metro seeks help of BPCL, agri-horticulture society for greening medians
KMRL has also turned to the Ernakulam District Agri-Horticulture Society, seeking its expertise to plant the apt variety of plants atop the medians, which had over the past eight years become a dumping ground for waste and construction debris, it is learnt.
In addition, the overgrowth of weeds had turned them into eyesores located at the centre of arterial roads. Making matters worse, the metro agency failed to live up to its assurance of readying a vertical garden every few metro pillars, sources said.
KMRL sources said the agency was negotiating with BPCL on the oil major taking over the upkeep of the medians by planting saplings. 'On its part, the horticulture society has offered its help for the initiative, after Ernakulam MLA T.J. Vinod protested against the move to cover the medians with paver blocks,' they added.
The metro agency had floated a tender earlier this year for the paver-block initiative, citing slack cooperation from a majority of shops and other commercial establishments that had initially agreed to sponsor the greening of the medians. 'Although a firm responded to the tender, we are awaiting the BPCL's reply to our letter on the greening project,' the sources added.
In the meantime, BPCL sources said that, having received KMRL's recent letter, the agency was in the initial stage of deliberations with the metro agency on the initiative. The management would have to look at different aspects of the project, they added.
In his letter to KMRL, Mr. Vinod had termed the metro agency's paver-block proposal as a blatant violation of its assurance to plant saplings atop the medians. The paver block project would only benefit mega advertisement agencies. Even before the metro's commissioning in 2017, KMRL had agreed in its contract with the Centre and the French lending agency to carry out a greening drive on the medians, and there is no justification for abandoning it.
He added that the metro agency had overlooked the wide availability of an array of indigenous plants that needed little maintenance and watering, which the horticulture society had recommended. They would also lessen the metro's carbon footprint and the toll taken due to tens of hundreds of trees being cut down for the metro.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
French ministers say EU-US trade deal has merits but is also unbalanced
French government ministers said a framework trade deal between the United States and European Union had some merits – such as exemptions for some key French business sectors such as spirits – but was nevertheless unbalanced. 'The trade agreement negotiated by the European Commission with the United States will bring temporary stability to economic actors threatened by the escalation of American tariffs, but it is unbalanced,' wrote French European Affairs Minister Benjamin Haddad on X. That view was echoed by France's industry minister Marc Ferracci, who said more talks – which could last weeks or months – would be needed before the deal could be formally concluded. Ferracci told RTL radio that more needed to be done in terms of rebalancing the EU's trade relations with the U.S. 'This is not the end of the story,' Ferracci told RTL.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
LVMH said to be in talks to offload fashion label Marc Jacobs
French luxury goods group LVMH is in discussions with multiple buyers to offload its fashion label Marc Jacobs , people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday. The Bernard Arnault-led company has been holding talks with potential buyers including Reebok-owner Authentic Brands Group and WHP Global , the sources said, who asked not to be named because the discussions are confidential. Authentic Brands declined to comment on the matter while WHP did not immediately respond. Brookstone's owner Bluestar Alliance is also a suitor for Marc Jacobs, which could be worth around $1 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal, which earlier reported the news. LVMH, Marc Jacobs and Bluestar Alliance did not immediately respond to requests for comments on the WSJ report. In 2024, Bloomberg reported that LVMH was exploring strategic options for the label with advisers after receiving interest from potential buyers, though the company denied the claim at the time. Founded in 1984 by American designer Marc Jacobs, the luxury fashion brand is renowned for its eclectic, bold designs that blend high fashion with street style. In 1997, LVMH tapped Jacobs to lead the Louis Vuitton brand and acquired a stake in the designer's eponymous label. The Journal said that a deal could be finalized soon, provided talks do not fall apart. LVMH has recently been offloading some of its brands to streamline its portfolio. Last year, it sold the Off-White clothing brand, founded in 2012 by the late Virgil Abloh, to New York-based company Bluestar Alliance for an undisclosed value. Another label, Stella McCartney, earlier this year, repurchased the minority stake held by LVMH in the house she founded about five years after the luxury group bought it. McCartney, who famously does not use leather or fur, said it will continue to advise LVMH chief Arnault and the group's executive team on sustainability matters. Dealmaking in the luxury retail sector has drawn attention in Europe. Earlier this year, Prada acquired Versace from Capri Holdings, combining two iconic Italian fashion brands in a $1.4 billion deal. LVMH's second-quarter sales, which include products such as Louis Vuitton handbags, Dior dresses and Moet & Chandon champagne, came in slightly below market expectations. The company's shares rose with analysts pointing to hopes on the horizon as the group said it saw some signs of recovery in the key Chinese market. Deutsche Bank analyst Adam Cochrane said that while the second-quarter results were not "stellar," there were some "glimmers of hope." French luxury brands have been navigating prolonged market challenges, including a downturn and the potential impact of U.S. import tariffs.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
5 hours ago
- First Post
Hackers attack France's Naval Group, the maker of India's Scorpene-class submarines
Hackers have attacked French defence giant Naval Group, the maker of India's Scorpene-class submarines. The hackers have claimed to have accessed up to 1 terabyte of data, including the source code for submarine weapon systems. read more Hackers have claimed to have attacked French defence giant Naval Group, the maker of India's Scorpene-class submarines. The hackers have claimed to have accessed up to 1 terabyte of Naval Group's data, including the source code for submarine weapon systems. The company said that it had not detected any intrusion in its systems and was verifying the authenticity of the hacker's claim. In a statement, the Naval Group said that it had launched an investigation into the matter and was working with the French government. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'All teams and resources are currently mobilised to analyse and verify the authenticity, origin and ownership of the data as quickly as possible. At this stage, no intrusion into our IT environments has been detected and there has been no impact on our activities,' the company said in a statement. The Naval Group is a four-centuries-old French shipbuilder that has made ships and submarines for France and international partners like India. While the company has made aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines for France, India's six Kaveri-class submarines were built in partnership with Naval Group and were based on its Scorpene-class submarines. In 2016, the Naval Group was subject of a hack in which cyberattackers accessed around 22,000 pages related to the company's Scorpene-class submarines. The stolen documents contained 'the entire secret combat capability of the six Scorpene-class submarines that French shipbuilder DCNS has designed for the Indian Navy', according to The Australian that broke the news of the hack. Other than India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Chile are among the countries that have bought Scorpene-class submarines. Hackers claim access to submarines' source code The Naval Group has said that it was the subject of a 'reputational attack' by hackers in a 'context marked by international, business and informational tensions'. The company said that no ransom demand had been made. The hackers published around 30 gigabytes of information on the internet that they claimed belonged to the combat management system of the Naval Group's submarines and frigates and said they have 1 TB of data, according to Financial Times. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The hackers had initially given the Naval Group 72 hours to respond. Separately, The Telegraph reported that the contents published by hackers include the purported source code for submarine weapon systems of the Naval Group. With the source code, bad actors may gain insider knowledge of how the system works, such as the working of its access controls, authentication methods, and algorithms. They may also figure out vulnerability or find ways to insert vulnerabilities through future attacks.
