Kerala on High Alert After Cargo Ship Sinks, Oil Spill Fears Vantage with Palki Sharma
Kerala on High Alert After Cargo Ship Sinks, Oil Spill Fears | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G
Kerala on High Alert After Cargo Ship Sinks, Oil Spill Fears | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G
Kerala is on high alert after the cargo vessel MSC ELSA 3 sank off its coast, raising fears of a hazardous oil spill. The ship was carrying over 600 containers, including chemicals like calcium carbide, and oil. As containers wash ashore, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has assured a coordinated emergency response, but concerns for public safety and the fishing community remain high. Palki Sharma brings you the latest from the crisis zone.
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The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
State, Centre agree to bring Sabari rail project on track
After a protracted delay, the State and the Centre have decided to implement the Sabari rail project, a project that was conceived with a view of bringing the Sabarimala temple on the country's rail map. The decision was taken at a meeting of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi on Tuesday. It was decided at the meeting that an expert committee will visit Kerala in July to bring the project back on track and to kick-start the land acquisition process, said V. Abdurahiman, State Minister in charge of Railways, who accompanied the Chief Minister along with K.V. Thomas, State's special representative in New Delhi. But it is not clear how the issues related to cost-sharing of the project, which was a bone of contention between the State and the Centre, will be sorted out. The Centre had earlier insisted that Kerala should shoulder 50% of the revised estimate of ₹3,810.69 crore. In turn, Kerala had requested that the liability incurred for financing the project through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) should be fully exempted from the State's borrowing limit. The Centre then suggested a tripartite agreement to implement the project, involving the State government, Ministry of Railways, and the Reserve Bank of India. As part of the agreement, the RBI will pay the State's share to the Ministry if Kerala fails to pay its share of the project cost on time and deduct the amount from the Central share of assistance to Kerala for various schemes. However, the State had been insisting on KIIFB financing for the project. The 110-km Angamaly-Erumeli route was first announced in the Railway Budget 1997-98. Land acquisition had been completed in 8 km, while the work on the 7-km stretch between Angamaly and Kalady was completed earlier. Recently, the Southern Railway had said only ₹20 crore could be diverted of the ₹142.70 crore sanctioned for the Sabari rail project in the last Budget for stalled projects, indicating the revival of the project. The State has also sought approval for the SilverLine semi-high-speed rail project . Though the Union Minister did not give any assurance at the meeting, he said the alternative proposal submitted by technocrat E. Sreedharan could be considered. The Centre is likely to convey its stance on the project to the State after a meeting with Mr. Sreedharan. The State also reiterated its demand for a third and fourth line to decongest the existing network and speed up trains. The meeting also brought the issue of poor-quality food on the Vande Bharat train in Kerala to the attention of the Union Minister.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
No toxic materials in sea, clean-up underway: Kanyakumari collector
Kanyakumari: Experts have confirmed that no toxic substances were detected in the sea along the Midalam and Kodimunai coasts after debris from the sunken cargo vessel MSC Elsa 3 washed ashore, Kanyakumari district collector R Alagu Meena, said in a statement on Tuesday. The statement followed a site inspection and expert assessment initiated under the directive of chief minister M K Stalin. The cargo vessel, which sank off the Kochi coast on May 25 due to an engine failure, had several containers that drifted with the current and eventually reached the Kanyakumari shoreline. Items found along the coast included plastic pellets, wooden boxes, and cashew nut sacks. The collector stated that teams of experts found no contamination in seawater, ruling out the presence of any toxic materials. The retrieved items are currently secured under the jurisdiction of respective panchayats, municipalities, and town panchayats. One entire container was handed over to the Tuticorin customs department for further investigation. In the meantime, clean-up operations are being carried out in full swing by the disaster management department's Aapda Mitra volunteers, local officials, civic bodies, and elected representatives. The administration is also conducting public awareness campaigns in coastal fishing villages to ensure residents remain informed and calm. Authorities assured the public that the situation is under control and that necessary measures are being taken to restore normalcy along the affected coastal stretches.
News18
5 hours ago
- News18
Sabari railway line: Central team to visit Kerala soon, says Minister
Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 3 (PTI) The Centre has granted approval for a long-stalled railway project in Kerala, Minister V Abdurahiman said on Tuesday, paving the way for the construction of a rail line connecting Angamaly and the foothills of Sabarimala. A decision in this regard was taken during a meeting held between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi, Abdurahiman said in a statement. An expert team from the Centre is scheduled to arrive in Kerala the very next day, and the land acquisition process is set to begin in July itself, he added. The length of the railway line between Angamaly and Erumeli, proposed in the 1997-98 railway budget, is 111.48 km. 'With this, a new world of rail connectivity and development is opening up for Kerala. This route will be of great help to Sabarimala pilgrims. It will also boost the economic growth of Ernakulam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts," Abdurahiman, who also took part in the meeting in Delhi, said. The Sabari railway line also has the distinction of being the first line to connect Idukki district with the railway. The railway line, sanctioned by the Indian Railways during late 1990s, has been pending for nearly three decades. A meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in last December, had decided to seek approval from the central government for implementing the Sabari Rail Project through the Angamaly – Erumeli – Nilakkal route in an expanded manner. PTI LGK ROH First Published: June 03, 2025, 22:45 IST
