Latest news with #LSGD
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Outer area growth corridor project in Thiruvananthapuram faces more delay
: The outer area growth corridor (OAGC) project, one of the flagship development initiatives spearheaded by the capital region development programme (CRDP), is facing yet another delay. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The project, planned as part of Vizhinjam port-related industrialisation, remains in limbo as local self-govt department (LSGD) is yet to approve the revised master plan and detailed project report (DPR) submitted by CRDP. OAGC was envisioned to support the structured expansion of the city by developing peripheral zones, easing urban congestion and enhancing infrastructure in emerging suburbs. Economic zones have been proposed at Vizhinjam, Kovalam, Kattakada, Nedumangad, Vembayam, Mangalapuram, Kilimanoor and Kallambalam as part of the project. However, procedural delays stalled its implementation. According to LSGD sources, CRDP's latest submissions are still under review with no significant progress. "The revised master plan and DPR have been with the department for several weeks now, but the file hasn't moved forward," said an official familiar with the developments. State govt's priority is to develop Vizhinjam-Kollam-Punalur industrial corridor project, said sources. Ajit Kumar, CRDP special officer, who pioneered the project's master plan, will be transferred to New Delhi as part of central deputation, sources said . Earlier, LSGD sought modifications to the initial proposals, citing planning inconsistencies and lack of clarity on key infrastructure elements. CRDP revised and resubmitted the documents. Despite this, bureaucratic bottlenecks continue to stall the project. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The intention was to kickstart work by mid-2025 but with the current pace of approvals, that timeline seems increasingly unrealistic," said an official. Meanwhile, APM Mohammed Hanish, principal secretary, industries department, told TOI that state govt has taken up the delay issue and will expedite the proceedings as soon as possible. "The file is in LSGD. This project doesn't come under the industries department. However, govt will take prompt action," Hanish said. However, when contacted, senior LSGD officials were unavailable for comment. Urban planners and local stakeholders expressed concern over the delay, warning that prolonged inaction could affect the city's future growth prospects. "Thiruvananthapuram is expanding rapidly and without a coordinated plan for its outskirts, we risk facing serious urban sprawl and infrastructure stress," said SN Raghuchandran Nair, president, Thiruvananthapuram Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Earlier, CRDP retendered a new project management consultant after finding the previously appointed Kitco Ltd unsuitable for a project of this scale. However, officials remain optimistic about commencing the OAGC project by this year.
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Fitness check of school buildings under way in Kozhikode
The engineering team under the Local Self-Government department (LSGD) has started evaluating the fitness of school buildings in Kozhikode district to ensure the safety of students as the new academic year is round the corner. Around 1,300 school buildings will be covered by the ongoing fitness check in compliance with the State government's safety instructions. The process is expected to cover all government-aided and unaided schools in two weeks. Under the revised norms, fitness certificates will be made mandatory for even temporary facilities arranged for the development or maintenance of the existing buildings. Instructions have also been issued to schools to complete all maintenance works by May 27. Education department officials confirmed that the fitness check would be comprehensive and would cover amenities, electronic equipment, and office accessories. The condition of wells, drinking water supply systems, and comfort stations would be specifically recorded before issuing fitness certificates, they added. An engineer associated with the inspection team said any safety flaws noticed during field-level inspections would lead to the temporary withholding of fitness certificates as per the Kerala Education Rules. He added that the process would ensure that all buildings would be fit to withstand monsoon-related challenges. Heads of a few grama panchayats said all emergency maintenance works had been completed in a majority of schools in consultation with parent-teacher associations. They pointed out that the ongoing maintenance works in a few buildings could be completed within a week. According to officials, school buildings constructed in environmentally sensitive areas will have to go through multiple levels of inspections, apart from the one now being carried out by the LSGD engineering wing. The instructions earlier issued by the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights will also have to be followed in the case of such buildings. There were isolated incidents of cracks developing on school buildings in the upland areas of Kozhikode district as a result of frequent quarry blasts. A few managements had taken up the issue with the higher authorities, citing that the denial of fitness certificates in such cases was not justifiable, and that the quarry operators concerned should meet the expenses of maintenance works.
New Indian Express
13-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Harithamithram 2.0 to transform waste management in Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a first, the state is all set to modernise its waste management by integrating technology. The Local Self Government Department is all set to unveil Harithamithram 2.0, the next-generation Smart Garbage Monitoring System. Integrated with the K-SMART (Kerala Smart Management of Administrative Reforms and Technology) platform, the new system is designed to streamline, digitise and make waste management more transparent and efficient across the state. According to official sources, a beta version of the application has already been launched and the government will launch the new application for the public by next month. With the introduction of the new application, citizens will get a slew of services, including on-demand services, online payment of user fee for waste management services and will help ensure real-time communication between citizens, Haritha Karma Sena members, enforcement teams and local self-government institutions. An official of LSGD said that the platform will bring together Haritha Karma Sena members, citizens, various departments and service providers to a single platform. LSGD Special Secretary T V Anupama told TNIE that the Harithamithram 2.0 is going to be an improved and more efficient application compared to the present application.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Kerala government mulls amending laws to curb interstate waste dumping
Thiruvananthapuram: In a bid to curb illegal transportation and dumping of waste across state borders, state govt is considering amendments to the Kerala Police Act and other relevant laws to empower enforcement agencies. The proposal was discussed at a high-level meeting of department secretaries convened by the chief secretary on April 28 (accessed by TOI) due to repeated incidents of waste from Kerala being dumped in Tamil Nadu and mounting legal and environmental move comes after national green tribunal (NGT), south zone, registered a suo motu case last year over mixed waste allegedly from Kerala dumped in Tirunelveli. NGT, in its Dec 19, 2024, order, directed Kerala govt and state pollution control board to remove the waste within three days and file an action taken report. Though Kerala complied promptly, similar incidents have since surfaced, with police cases being registered by Tamil Nadu self-govt department (LSGD) informed the meeting that gaps in Kerala's waste management system were enabling such violations. A committee constituted by LSGD on Dec 20, 2024, studied the issue and recommended measures, including identifying violators, reviewing the role of accredited agencies and plugging legal loopholes. The committee also proposed new enforcement mechanisms for interstate waste an earlier meeting chaired by the chief secretary on Jan 6, a five-point action plan was drawn up to curb illegal waste transport. It included patrolling and surveillance at state borders, regular meetings of state and district-level waste management committees, colour-coded vehicles for waste transport, online tracking systems and coordination with authorities in neighbouring states. These steps were reviewed and reinforced at the April 28 misuse of vehicles returning from Kerala with waste — often under the guise of returning empty — was flagged as a key concern. Police have been directed to support local bodies with night patrolling and surveillance to intercept such support enforcement, the proposed amendment to the Kerala Police Act is seen as crucial. Home department and LSGD have been tasked with examining the changes expeditiously, which are aimed at strengthening enforcement against illegal dumping and clarifying the mandate of various agencies a related development, govt is exploring the use of abandoned quarries for temporary storage of inert and non-organic waste. "A list of such quarries was prepared by Suchitwa Mission, but the ownership of some sites remains to be confirmed. LSGD has been directed to initiate pilot projects where ownership is clear," said govt will prepare a legal submission highlighting the absence of a statutory mandate to set up checkposts to intercept illegal waste transport. This will be placed before the high court as part of an ongoing case, to seek judicial backing for such enforcement environment department has been asked to instruct Kerala state pollution control board to assist GST department in identifying and codifying banned and permitted plastic categories to facilitate better collectors have been asked to convene regular meetings of district-level waste management committees. LSGD admitted that Kerala lacked a unified system, with 712 local bodies relying on Clean Kerala Company Ltd, while others use empanelled agencies. This fragmented landscape needs tighter monitoring, said meeting also flagged the need for robust systems to manage special categories of waste such as those from old age homes and agricultural sources. Non-organic waste and pesticide contamination in rivers were cited as serious environmental concerns requiring urgent attention from the departments pressure mounting from both the NGT and neighbouring states, Kerala's move to revisit its legal framework marks a decisive shift towards tightening surveillance and strengthening institutional accountability in waste management.
New Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Tech mate! Kerala is all set to be named first digitally literate state
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala is all set to become the country's first digitally literate state. In an effort to digitally empower citizens, the local self-government department (LSGD) launched a comprehensive project -- Digi Kerala -- in 2023 to identify people between the ages of 14 and 65 who do not have basic digital knowledge. The survey covered 8,332,343 families in the state and identified 21,88,398 people. LSGD Minister MB Rajesh said that around 99.99% of the individuals passed the evaluation following training. He said that President Droupadi Murmu is likely to make the declaration while on a two-day trip to Kerala to visit Sabarimala this month. 'I met her in person and she is yet to finalise the date for the declaration. We are hoping that the declaration will happen when she comes to Kerala for the Sabarimala visit,' the minister told TNIE . In 2022, Pullampara, in Thiruvananthapuram, was declared the first first fully digital literate panchayat in the country. LSGD designed the Digi Kerala initiative after taking inspiration from the efforts of the panchayat. Rajesh said that digital literacy is essential for every citizen in today's tech-driven world and Kerala has been a model state when it comes to literacy. 'All public delivery services have been digitised and it's essential for the common man to have digital knowledge to avail all those services. Hence we took this as a mission,' the minister said. The digitally illiterate citizens were identified with the help of mobile applications using the service of thousands of volunteers from Kudumbashree, NSS, NCC, Library Council, and State Literacy Mission. Digital literacy was imparted through modules designed by KILA (Kerala Institute of Local Administration). 'We trained volunteers to impart the lessons,' Rajesh added. Tech-tonic Shift Digi Kerala: The LSGD initiative was launched in 2023 to identify and train digitally illiterate people in the state The project Surveyed over 1.5 cr people from more than 83.32 lakh families Identified and trained 21,88,385 people Evaluation was carried out through mobile applications on people falling within 14-65 age group 99.99% Of those tested -- 21,84,985 people -- cleared the evaluation
