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Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
HC issues interim stay on Lakshadweep order removing Arabic and Mahal from the school curriculum
Kochi: High court has deferred the implementation of the office order issued by Lakshadweep administration, which removed Arabic and Mahal languages from the school curriculum in the Union Territory, until further orders. The bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji passed the interim order on a PIL filed by P I Ajas Akber, president of the Lakshadweep unit of the National Students Union. The impugned order, dated May 14, sought to replace Mahal, a local language spoken in Minicoy Island, and Arabic from the school syllabus. The interim order was issued on Thursday following the petitioner's submission that schools in the Union Territory are scheduled to reopen on June 9. During the afternoon session, the central govt counsel mentioned the matter and submitted that the implementation of the impugned order would not begin on June 9, but from July 1. He also argued that there was no urgency to issue an interim order. However, as the petitioner's counsel was not present during that session, the court adjourned the matter to June 9. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Cargo details of sunken ship out amid Kerala high court push for transparency
Thiruvananthapuram: The container ship MSC Elsa 3, which sank off 14.6 nautical miles off Thottappally harbour on May 25, was carrying a mixed consignment, including chemicals and raw materials. A detailed inventory, accessed by TOI, states that the cargo included 13 containers of calcium carbide, several containers of hydrazine and hydroxylamine, and others holding bleached chemi-thermo, slaked lime, sodium lauryl ether sulphate, fish oil, polymer pellets, newsprint, wood, cashews, and vegetables. Of the 643 containers on board, 70 were empty. The disclosure, coming 11 days after the vessel sank, came against the backdrop of Kerala high court on Thursday directing the state govt to publicly disclose details concerning the nature of the cargo, its potential environmental impact and the mitigation measures being planned. A bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji gave the directive on a PIL filed by former MP T N Prathapan, seeking comprehensive compensation and rehabilitation for fishermen and other affected stakeholders. The court also sought instructions from the state on whether such information is already available on the official website, and if not, expected the govt to publish the available details on the site before the next date of hearing. According to the inventory, 18 containers held polymers or plastic pellets. Additionally, the ship carried around 90 containers of various types of processed and unprocessed wood, 50 containers of hydrazine and hydroxylamine, eight containers of spinning machinery, around 40 containers of cotton, six containers of "luben", 50 containers of bleached chemi-thermo used in paper manufacturing, 68 containers of quicklime or slaked lime — both harmful to skin and eyes, two containers of sodium lauryl ether sulphate — a key ingredient in soaps, detergents and shampoos and 10 containers of fish body oil or Japan crude fish oil used in omega-3 supplement production. There were also 10 containers of newsprint and 30 containers of cashews and coconuts. While calcium carbide is the most hazardous substance among the cargo, other materials also pose a risk of long-term marine pollution. The govt has stated that the calcium carbide has not leaked from the sunken vesse, but millions of plastic pellets have already washed ashore along the coast from Varkala to Vizhinjam, raising concerns about their impact on fish and other marine organisms. The clean-up effort has been sluggish. "It's been nearly 10 days since plastic pellets began washing up from the stricken ship. The manual clean-up is progressing slowly. It's disheartening to see workers scooping sand by hand and sieving it using just two small metal sieves at Thumba Beach. At this rate, it will take ages to clear all the pellets," said Robert Panipilla of Friends of Marine Life. "This suggests that disaster management and port authorities are not treating the situation with the seriousness it deserves. There is also no clarity on how deep the sand needs to be excavated," he said. Panipilla also urged the govt to formulate a standard operating procedure (SOP) and deploy machinery capable of large-scale sand cleaning as waves have already pushed the pellets deep into the shore. Meanwhile, most of the containers that washed ashore were empty.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Wadakkanchery LIFE project site inspection delayed by early monsoon onset, govt tells Kerala HC
Kochi: The state govt has informed high court that the team from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kozhikode, had to defer its site inspection to assess the stability of the existing structure constructed under the LIFE Mission housing project at Charalparambu in Wadakkanchery, Thrissur, due to the early onset of monsoon. It was further informed that the site inspection would resume next week and that four weeks' time is required to submit the report. The submission was made in response to a petition filed by Congress leader Anil Akkara, who sought a directive to resume the halted LIFE Mission project in Wadakkanchery. Recording the state's submission, the Bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji adjourned the petition to July 15 for the report from NIT, Kozhikode. In his petition, Anil Akkara highlighted that 140 families are beneficiaries of the project and that further delays would severely affect them. In 2019, the UAE-based Red Crescent signed an agreement with the LIFE Mission to construct housing complexes at Charalparambu, awarding the contract to Unitac Builders and Sane Ventures. However, following the arrest of M Sivasankar, then Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, in connection with a gold smuggling case, allegations of FCRA violations in the LIFE Mission project emerged, resulting in the stalling of construction.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Chellanam coastal erosion: Kerala HC seeks report on temporary measures taken
Kochi: High court has sought instructions from the state govt and Chellanam panchayat regarding temporary measures to protect residents of the Chellanam coastal area from sea erosion during this monsoon. The bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji also directed the authorities to report on the feasibility of placing Geo bags/tubes to prevent sea inundation. The court then adjourned the PIL filed by T A Dalfine and two other local residents to Tuesday. In compliance with an earlier HC directive, officials from the district administration and the irrigation department appeared in court, and the deputy collector's report was produced. After reviewing the report, the bench remarked that emergency shelters are not a lasting solution. When HC asked about installing Geo bags/tubes, the state submitted that completion would take two months, to which the court responded that the monsoon would be over by then. The petitioners added that although installation of Geo tubes had begun after local protests, the work was later abandoned; so far, Geo bags have been laid along 7.35km of shoreline. The court adjourned the matter to Tuesday, directing all stakeholders, including the state, to propose short-term measures to curb sea erosion at Chellanam.
Time of India
5 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Ship capsize: Plea seeks rehab package
Kochi: A PIL has been filed in HC by former MP T N Prathapan seeking a comprehensive compensation and rehabilitation package for the fishermen and other stakeholders affected by the capsize of the Liberian-flagged vessel MSC ELSA-3 off the Kerala coast. A bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji will consider the petition on Thursday. The petitioner alleged that the incident led to an oil spill and the discharge of toxic substances, including calcium carbide and nurdles, causing severe damage to the marine ecosystem and traditional fishing communities. The petition contends that the Kerala state pollution control board has a statutory duty to prepare and implement an effective oil spill disaster contingency plan. It further seeks a directive to the central and state govts to constitute a high-level expert committee to assess the environmental damage, recommend restoration measures, and initiate legal action against the shipowner and insurer under relevant international conventions and national laws.
