Latest news with #LocalSelf-Governmentdepartment
The Hindu
31-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Kerala's delimitation commission publishes draft notification on ward restructuring in block panchayats
The State Delimitation Commission has published the draft notification on ward delimitation in the 152 block panchayats in Kerala. This exercise forms part of the second phase of the ward delimitation in local bodies in the State. Complaints and opinions regarding the draft will be accepted till June 7. The notification contains the list of grama panchayat wards within a block, the population and maps. The draft can be accessed at the local self-government institutions, district collectorates and on the websites and The Local Self-Government department had published a notification revising the number of wards in the block panchayats on the basis of the 2011 Census. The reservation wards for women, and the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe categories also had been revised as per the notification. As per this decision, 187 new wards are being added to the blocks taking their number from 2080 to 2267. Complaints should be submitted to the commission secretary or the District Collector either in person or through registered post. Copies of documents, if any, accompanying the complaints should be self-attested.
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kerala CM's office dismisses reports of credit row between Ministers behind Pinarayi's absence at Smart City road inauguration
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's office has denied 'media speculation' that haggling between two Ministers over claiming credit for the successful completion of 12 smart roads in Thiruvananthapuram city as part of Smart City project had prompted him to stay away from the function on May 16. The controversy erupted on Wednesday (May 21, 2025), with several television news channels avowing that the Public Works department, headed by Minister P.A. Mohamad Riyas, had usurped the claim for the successful completion of the Central government project hugely underwritten by the Local Self-Government department, headed by M.B. Rajesh, both Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leaders. The news channels alleged that the billboards and social media reels promoting the successful completion of the protracted road works failed to feature the Local Self-Government department's role despite its significant funding. Vested interests: CMO In a statement, the CMO termed the 'media insinuations as absurd.' It stated that some vested interests had calibrated the propaganda in a sly but vain attempt to rob the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's urban infrastructure development achievements of their sheen. Health reasons cited The CMO stated that Mr. Vijayan had cancelled three programmes on May 16 for health reasons. It said the purveyors of the false propaganda had not bothered to verify its veracity with Mr. Vijayan or his office.
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.
