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The Hindu
16 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Mananchira–Vellimadukunnu Road work to begin today amid row over second stretch
With the inauguration of the work on the first phase of the Mananchira–Vellimadukunnu Road scheduled for Monday (June 16, 2025), a controversy has erupted over the project being developed in two parts, one by the State and the other by the Centre. The Mananchira–Vellimadukunnu Road project has a history spanning over 15 years, marked by several protests led by the Mananchira–Vellimadukunnu Road Action Committee. The estimated cost of the project is ₹481.94 crore, of which the State has sanctioned ₹344.5 crore in various phases. However, the current development under the City Roads Improvement Project covers only the 5.32 km stretch from Mananchira to Vellimadukunnu, while no action has been taken on the remaining 3 km from Malaparamba to Vellimadukunnu, which forms part of National Highway 766. The estimated cost of the 5.32-km stretch is ₹80 crore. The Opposition has alleged that the government has misled the public by failing to develop the second part of the road as promised earlier. District Congress Committee (DCC) president K. Praveen on Saturday demanded an explanation from the Public Works department on the issue and questioned the exclusion of Kozhikode MP M.K. Raghavan from the inauguration function scheduled for Monday morning. He pointed out that it was Mr. Raghavan who had taken the initiative for the project and that it was former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy who had first allocated funds for the road development. On the other hand, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] district committee defended Minister for Public Works P.A. Mohamed Riyas, claiming that the development of the second stretch of the road could not be carried out as the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had not granted the State government permission to proceed. CPI(M) district secretary M. Mehaboob on Sunday (June 15, 2025) appreciated the State government for proceeding with the development of the first reach instead of waiting for the Centre's approval for the second. He termed the allegations made by the Congress as politically motivated. The CPI(M) claimed that the stretch from Malaparamba to Vellimadukunnu was planned to be developed as part of the NH-766 project, which runs from Kollegal in Karnataka to Kozhikode. However, since the work had not been scheduled yet, the State government would request that the second stretch be handed over to it.
The Hindu
05-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Fire breaks out at Kozhikode MCH again, patients evacuated
Patients were evacuated once again when another fire broke out on the sixth floor of the PMSSY block that houses the casualty ward of the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Kozhikode, on Monday afternoon. On May 2, 151 patients were shifted following after a minor explosion in the UPS room attached to the MRI scanning unit on the ground floor of the same building, causing thick smoke to spread to other parts of the seven-storey structure. Some of the 114 people shifted to other wards in the same hospital were brought back to the building on Monday morning. The latest round of fire and smoke emanating from the vicinity of an operating theatre on the sixth floor is reported to have happened when officials from the State Electrical Inspectorate were checking the electrical connections there. The panic-stricken patients admitted on the second, third, fourth, and fifth floors were rushed on wheelchairs and stretchers to other wards in adjacent buildings of the hospital through the skywalk facility. According to some sources, there were at least 35 patients on the fourth floor. Fire and Rescue Services personnel brought the situation under control in two hours. Possible reason Meanwhile, questions have been raised about the hurry to readmit patients to the building without enforcing proper security measures after the May 2 incident. Health Minister Veena George had said during a visit on May 3 that the patients would be readmitted only after ensuring proper precautions. Sources said that glitches in the electrical wiring could be a reason for the latest mishap. When the news of the fire breakout spread, M.K. Raghavan, Kozhikode MP, K.P. Prakash Babu, BJP leader, and Youth Congress leaders staged protests on the hospital premises. Mr. Raghavan later told the media that the services would be resumed only after thorough checking. Fire auditing ordered Ms. George told the media in Thiruvananthapuram that a short circuit had happened in the electrical wiring on the ceiling during a checking on the fifth and sixth floors. An order had been issued to conduct a comprehensive fire auditing of the building. The Minister admitted that there had been lapses in readmitting the patients before taking security precautions. A committee of experts had been set up to inquire into the technical safety of the building in the wake of recurring fire accidents, she added.
