
Quarry accident: case to be filed against owner
The decision comes in the wake of a finding by the Labour department that adequate safety measures were not in place at the time of the accident. In addition, an investigation will be launched into allegations that the quarry had encroached upon government land. As part of it, a joint team of officials is expected to conduct a detailed inspection at the quarry.
Land grab
At the meeting, Konni MLA K.U. Jineesh Kumar called for a thorough probe into the safety lapses that led to the accident. He also demanded that all complaints against the quarry be examined. 'It has been found that the quarry owner had illegally erected a gate by encroaching on panchayat land and it will be removed with police assistance. Action will be taken under the Panchayati Raj Act. Allegations that waste from the quarry is flowing into nearby water sources and that it is operating in a landslides-prone area will also be investigated,' the MLA said.
Meanwhile, the Pathanamthitta District Administration has directed officials from various departments to inspect all quarries operating in Konni, Ranni and other parts of the district and to submit a report within 10 days. The scope of the probe also includes verifying whether the Chengalam quarry was functioning illegally. A drone survey will be conducted to examine claims that quarrying was carried out by encroaching upon revenue land. Quarry operations at the site have been temporarily suspended.
The meeting was attended by Adoor Revenue Divisional Officer M. Bipin Kumar, Deputy Collector for Disaster Management R. Rajalakshmi, Fire and Rescue Services district chief Pratap Chandran, Konni tahsildar N.V. Santhosh, and Deputy Superintendent of Police G. Ajaynath, along with public representatives and senior officials.
Two workers, identified as Mahadev Pradhan and Ajay Rai, lost their lives when a massive rockslide struck the excavator they were operating. Due to recurring rock falls, rescue efforts were delayed and it took nearly two days to recover their bodies. The operation could be completed only after a long-boom excavator was brought in from Alappuzha.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hans India
5 hours ago
- Hans India
Coalition govt came to power by making false promises
Pattikonda (Kurnool district): Former Pathikonda YSRCP MLA Kangati Sridevi strongly condemned the recent remarks made by Labour Minister V Subhash during his visit to Pattikonda. She criticised the coalition government, stating that they came to power in 2024 by making false promises. Responding to the Minister's claims on development, she said that the previous YSRCP government executed works under the Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi project up to 80 per cent. She flayed the earlier TDP government for its failure to provide even a single new ration card or pension during its tenure. Speaking to mediapersons on Sunday at Pathikonda, Sridevi said that by the time former chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy assumed office in June 2019, only 12.7% of the Handri-Neeva project had been completed. She claimed that under Jagan's leadership from 2019 to 2024, nearly 80% of the project was completed and water was released. She added that during the YSRCP rule, around 4 lakh new ration cards were sanctioned and the number of pension beneficiaries increased from 39 lakh to 65 lakh across the State. She also rebutted the Minister's claim that no welfare scheme was implemented for women. Highlighting the efforts of the YSRCP government, she said that loans worth Rs 25,570 crore were waived under YSR Aasara for 78.94 lakh women and Rs 19,189 crore was distributed to 26.98 lakh women under YSR Cheyutha. Furthermore, nearly 30 lakh house site pattas were given in the names of women and the Amma Vodi scheme also focused on empowering mothers, she added.
&w=3840&q=100)

First Post
17 hours ago
- First Post
UK PM Starmer to convene cabinet over Gaza amid calls to recognise Palestinian state
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to recall his cabinet next week to address the crisis in Gaza, following mounting pressure from Labour MPs to recognise a Palestinian state read more British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will convene a cabinet meeting next week, a government source said on Sunday, most likely to discuss the situation in Gaza after coming under growing pressure to recognise a Palestinian state. The Financial Times, which initially reported the story, said ministers, currently in a summer recess until September 1, would reconvene to discuss Gaza. Starmer's office did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment. The recall comes after Starmer said on Friday the British government would recognise a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated peace deal, disappointing many in his Labour Party who want him to follow France in taking swifter action. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday France would recognise a Palestinian state, a plan that drew strong condemnation from Israel and the United States, after similar moves from Spain, Norway and Ireland last year. More than 220 members of parliament in the UK, mostly Labour members representing about a third of the House of Commons, wrote to Starmer on Friday urging him to recognise a Palestinian state. Successive British governments have said they will formally recognise a Palestinian state when the time is right, without setting a timetable or specifying the necessary conditions. Starmer's approach has been complicated by the arrival in Scotland on Friday of U.S. President Donald Trump, with whom he has built warm relations. In foreign policy terms, Britain has rarely diverged from the United States. Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The Hindu
18 hours ago
- The Hindu
U.K. party threatens to 'force vote' on recognising Palestinian state
A minor opposition party in the British parliament on Sunday (July 27, 2025) threatened to bring forward legislation on recognising Palestinian statehood and "force a vote" if Prime Minister Keir Starmer continues to oppose the move. The Scottish National Party (SNP), which pushes for the independence of Scotland, said it would table a "Palestine Recognition Bill" when parliament returns after its summer recess if Starmer did not change his position. The Prime Minister has committed to recognising Palestinian statehood but said it must be part of a peace process in the Middle East. The SNP threat comes after more than 220 British MPs, including dozens from Starmer's ruling Labour party, demanded on Friday that the U.K. government follow France and recognise a Palestinian state. The call, in a letter signed by lawmakers from nine U.K. political parties, came less than 24 hours after French President Emmanuel Macron said that his country would formally do so at a U.N. meeting in September. "Unless Keir Starmer stops blocking U.K. recognition of Palestine, the SNP will introduce a Palestine Recognition Bill when Parliament returns in September and force a vote if necessary," said Stephen Flynn, SNP's leader in the U.K. parliament. "Keir Starmer must stop defending the indefensible, finally find a backbone and demand that Israel ends its war now," he added. If France formally recognises a Palestinian state it would be the first G7 country -- and the most powerful European nation to date -- to make the move. Mr. Starmer has come under rising domestic and international pressure over recognising Palestinian statehood, as opposition intensifies to the ongoing war in Gaza amid fears of mass starvation there. The U.K. leader on Saturday spoke to his French and German counterparts and outlined U.K. plans to airdrop aid to people in Gaza and evacuate sick and injured children, his office said. The SNP holds nine seats in the 650-seat UK parliament.