Panel flags gaps in coastal relief plans
During a special sitting at commission headquarters, chairman A A Rasheed criticized the inadequacy of reports submitted by key officials, including the district collector, Thiruvananthapuram tahsildar, fisheries director and city police commissioner.
The commission highlighted the reports' failure to address crucial aspects such as damages incurred by coastal residents, resettlement initiatives and complaints about authorities' inadequate response during severe sea turbulence.
In response, fisheries director revealed plans for a Rs 150-crore offshore breakwater project using geotubes, spanning from Poonthura to Valiyathura. Additionally, the district collector detailed progress on 'Punargeham', a resettlement initiative aimed at relocating 400 families living within 50m of the high tide line to newly constructed flats in Muttathara.
The authorities cited unfavourable weather conditions as the primary cause for delays. Work is expected to resume once conditions improve. The panel mandated all parties concerned to submit detailed reports on resident safety measures and coastal protection efforts in the next sitting.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
Local rare-earth production to take time, govt support needed for EV sector: Kinetic Green CEO
Sulajja Firodia Motwani, Founder and CEO of Kinetic Green , has called for government intervention in the rare-earth materials issue, stating that while the Indian electric vehicle (EV) sector has managed to cope in the short term, it will face significant challenges ahead, as "it's not easy to change your product design and supply chain." Kinetic Green founder emphasised that it could take at least two to three years for the players in the automobile sector to localise the supply chain or adopt alternative technologies. "It will impact the industry if it's not solved because it's not easy to change your product design and supply chain. The EV sector is scrambling somehow to manage for the short run. But I think there has to be a government-to-government solution very soon in the medium term. Because it will take two to three years to try to localise the supply chain or change the technology altogether. So I think it's important that this is resolved," Sulajja Firodia Motwsaid during the unveiling event of the company's electric Luxury Golf & Lifestyle Cart in partnership with Tonino Lamborghini SpA of Italy. She further added, "We faced a similar situation in COVID on semiconductors; if you remember, the government did follow through and resolve it. I'm hopeful that something will emerge from this." She added that until the issue is solved, the company is working on developing alternative technologies to mitigate the adverse impact of such restrictions arising from global geopolitical moves. "But in the meantime, we are finding alternatives so that the business can continue, but it's not ideal to do that, and also maybe not everybody can. So it (restrictions on rare-earth material by China) will impact the sector," she added. The central government has earmarked ₹1,345 crore to incentivise rare earth magnets production in India. For context, early this April, China announced a decision to implement export controls on certain rare earth-related items, pushing a supply shortage across the world, including India. Meanwhile, India is in touch with the Chinese side, seeking predictability in the supply of rare earth metals -- which had been put under the export controls regime by the Xi administration. China's overwhelming control of global rare earth processing - commanding over 90 per cent of the world's magnet production capacity - has created significant vulnerabilities for industries worldwide. These materials are critical across multiple sectors, including automobiles, home appliances, and clean energy China, there are only a few alternative suppliers of critical minerals. The Union Cabinet in January 2025 approved the launch of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) with an expenditure of Rs 16,300 crore and an expected investment of Rs 18,000 crore by Public Sector Undertakings. Recently, Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy said the central government is actively encouraging private companies to mine and explore critical minerals overseas and bring them back into the country to serve the needs of the domestic industry. Speaking on the incentives to the industry, Motwani said, "The government has to continue supporting the adoption of EVs. Once we come to, today we are at about 7-8 per cent EV. Once we come to 25-30 per cent EV, then we'll have critical mass on supply chain, on scale, and on ecosystem. "We have begun well, but we are far from done. The government must continue supporting the adoption of electric vehicles," she added. She further noted the resistance from traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) players who have vested interests in maintaining the status quo. "There is a large counterforce from existing ICE manufacturers who naturally want to protect their investments and may not wish to see EVs succeed. However, it's encouraging that the government remains focused. Schemes like EMPS and the PM-eBus Sewa, lower GST rates, ecosystem support, and a strong Make-in-India push should continue to drive demand and adoption," Kinetic Green founder asserted.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'End up like my son if ... ': Ex-Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel on Chaitanya's arrest; 'no case against him'
NEW DELHI: Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel intensified his attack on the Adani Group , alleging that Enforcement Directorate 's arrest of his son, Chaitanya, was a deliberate move to silence those who speak out against the conglomerate. "I got the permission to meet my son for 30 minutes. There is no case against him... This is an effort to suppress any voice raised against Adani. If anyone raises their voice against Adani Group, then they will also be treated like Bhupesh Baghel's son," Baghel said. — PTI_News (@PTI_News) The former CM had earlier alleged the Adani Group was flouting environmental and legal norms in its coal mining operations in Tamnar, Chhattisgarh. He claimed that despite a unanimous resolution passed by the state assembly, the company continued large-scale tree felling without adhering to the PESA Act or complying with the National Green Tribunal's directives. 'The adjournment motion moved by Congress in the Chhattisgarh assembly over tree felling being carried out by Adani Group in Tamnar was disallowed by Speaker Raman Singh. The opposition alleged that there has been no adherence to the PESA Act, no compliance with directives issued by the National Green Tribunal, and even the resolution unanimously passed by the state assembly has been disregarded. Not even a discussion was permitted,' he had said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Following his son's arrest, Baghel had claimed that the aforementioned issue was to be raised in the assembly on Friday. "ED has arrived. Today is the last day of the Assembly session. The issue of trees being cut in Tamnar for Adani was supposed to be raised today. 'Saheb' has sent the ED to the Bhilai residence," his office said in a post on X. Moreover, ED informed a special court that Chaitanya laundered Rs 16.7 crore through shell companies and undervalued real estate transactions linked to a Rs 2,100 crore liquor scam. Arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on July 18, his 38th birthday, Chaitanya was remanded to five days of ED custody by a Raipur court. In response, the Congress has announced a statewide 'Aarthik Nakabandi' (economic blockade) on July 22, planning road blockades, protests, and disruption of mineral transport to coincide with the end of his custody and his next court appearance.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Bihar set to get 6 functional airports in three years: Chief secy, ETInfra
Advt By Patna: After establishing a strong network of roads, Bihar is witnessing a major leap in the civil aviation sector, with a total of six functional big airports expected in the next three years. This is being done with the aim of having at least one airport within a distance of 200 km from any town in the state. Apart from increasing the number of airports, the state also slashed VAT on aviation turbine fuel from 29 per cent to 4 per cent to attract more flight operators and enhance the state's air to TOI, chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena said the state already has three functional airports: one each at Patna, Gaya, and Darbhanga. Three others are going to be added to the list, including the fourth one at Purnia, which is targeted to be operational in Aug this year. The fifth in the pipeline is Bihta airport, which is expected to be functional by Dec 2027, and the sixth will be Raxaul airport, with the target of starting operation by June addition to the state's major airports, six new small airports are slated to be developed in the next three years at Madhubani, Saharsa, Birpur (Supaul), Valmiki Nagar (West Champaran), Munger, and Muzaffarpur. These airports will be built under the Udan (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) Ramchandra Deore, special secretary in the cabinet secretariat (with additional charge as director of civil aviation, Bihar), said while these small airport sites already exist and are maintained by the state govt, they currently lack infrastructure such as air traffic control towers and terminal buildings required for flight operations. Under the Udan scheme, these facilities will be constructed with about Rs 25 crore allotted to each airport by the Centre – enabling the airports to become fully functional. With the addition of these six, Bihar will have a total of 12 airports (both big and small).Furthermore, the govt has approved the construction of heliports at Jehanabad, Samastipur, and Nalanda, and this project is now in the past year, Bihar saw key developments in civil aviation. The new terminal at Patna's Jay Prakash Narain International Airport was built at the cost of Rs 1,216 crore. The state also urged the Centre to approve an international greenfield airport near Patna. For Darbhanga airport, 76.65 acres were transferred and 89.75 acres were acquired (Rs 244.61 crore).
