Latest news with #Palakkad-based
Time of India
25-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Civic body faces heat over bio-composter contracts
T'puram: With just three months left in its tenure, the city corporation has come under fire for alleged irregularities in awarding contracts for bio-composter kitchen bins meant for household waste management. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Documents received by TOI alleged that the civic body was bypassing standard procedures, including e-tendering norms, in selecting service providers for the installation and maintenance of bio-composter bins. The allegations point to systematic favouritism towards two companies, Coimbatore-based Omega Ecotech Products India Pvt Ltd and Palakkad-based IRTC, since 2016. According to sources, instead of floating a formal tender, the corporation invited expressions of interest (EOI) to sidestep mandatory procurement rules. Omega was given the contract during the first five years from 2016, while IRTC handled it for the next three years. In Jan 2025, despite objections from BJP councillors, the corporation reappointed Omega through a council decision. The controversy deepens with revelations that Omega is not accredited by Suchitwa Mission. Despite this, the companies received contracts worth a total of Rs 15.37 crore between 2016 and 2024, including Rs 4.87 crore for the ongoing year. The contracts were awarded based on invoices from Omega, allegedly bypassing the requirement for e-tendering in purchases exceeding Rs 5 lakh, sources said in the document. In response to mounting protests, the corporation finally initiated an e-tendering process this year. Four companies submitted bids: Omega (Rs 1,876 per unit), Ram Biologicals (Rs 1,653), Radico (Rs 1,928), and Green Village (Rs 1,975). While Ram Biologicals quoted the lowest rate, the corporation disqualified it, citing the company's prior blacklisting by Suchitwa Mission for failing to implement kitchen bins in 2017 and 2022. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The firm is also reportedly under vigilance investigation following audit reports, sources alleged. Interestingly, Ram Biologicals also submitted the lowest bid in 2022–23, yet the contract went to IRTC. Critics claim this repeated pattern points to a deeper problem. However, health standing committee chairperson Gayathri Babu refuted the allegations. "Omega was chosen purely on merit. A technical committee comprising Suchitwa Mission officials evaluated all bids based on 10 selection guidelines and Omega came out on top. It was not the decision made by the corporation alone. They are not just suppliers but service providers who offer chatbot-based assistance and have good user feedback. I am willing to defend our decision publicly. That said, I cannot comment on decisions made in previous terms," she told TOI. She also added that the contract with IRTC was not renewed as they did not provide an end-to-end solution for users.
New Indian Express
18-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Post-Kochi success, Fabbco expands organic waste operations to Bengaluru
KOCHI: After the success of its Brahmapuram model of organic waste management, Fabbco will now process organic waste in Bengaluru city. Mukka Proteins, the company that bagged the bid floated by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), has entrusted Fabbco with waste management work in the city. The company also aims to expand its operations to Thiruvananthapuram. 'We will be executing the project in Bengaluru. The capital investment and operational cost will be covered by Mukka Proteins. We will be given 15% of the total amount for executing the task,' said Latheef P A, director of Fabbco, adding that the company is participating in the tender for waste management in Thiruvananthapuram corporation. The Palakkad-based company has set up a 300-tonne unit in Bengaluru and launched operations around a month ago. 'We are currently treating around 75 tonnes of waste daily. We have also asked the local body to ensure effective waste collection,' Latheef said.
The Hindu
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Shankar Mahadevan Academy turns 15
At a press meet at the South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies Centre (SAIACS) in Bengaluru, the air buzzed with more than just media chatter. It carried echoes of swaras, stories, and something deeply personal. 'We never knew this day would come so fast,' said Shankar Mahadevan, eyes crinkling with joy, reflecting on the 15-year journey of the Shankar Mahadevan Academy (SMA) — a dream that started with 15 students, most of them his nieces and nephews, and is today a global musical movement spanning 94 countries. 'It felt like a reunion of purpose,' said the Palakkad-based singer and composer. The Shankar Mahadevan Academy, founded in 2011 by Shankar and technology entrepreneur Sridhar Ranganathan, was a pioneer of sorts, attempting to do something unique at the time: offering online music education. 'People laughed. Music? Online? Will it even work?' Shankar recalled. It did not just work, it soared. Today, over 50,000 students have learned through the academy's unique digital platform, with more than half a million live classes taught. Numbers tell only part of the story. To celebrate its 15th year, the academy is launching courses that go far beyond traditional syllabi, including Garbh Sangeet, a course for expecting mothers that uses classical ragas to create emotional and spiritual connections before birth. 'Inside the academy, we call it 'minus one to infinity, '' smiled Ranganathan. The poetic phrase captures a powerful belief — that music is not just for learning or performing, but for living, healing, and bonding. Another offering, the Playback Singing Series, is equally ambitious — a rigorous, multi-year training program that fuses classical fundamentals with film music, preparing aspirants for the nuanced world of playback singing. Over the years, SMA has expanded into other avenues, including Sangam, a student-teacher music festival, and Prayag, an elite stage for dedicated learners. 'These are not just students. They are sadhakas,' said Shankar. 'This is not just education — it's an emotional legacy.' From children barely old enough to walk, to 70-year-olds who have never sung before, SMA has bridged generations. 'When I see a grandfather in Toronto learning alongside his granddaughter in Bengaluru… It's magical,' Mahadevan shared. The academy has also given back, launching initiatives including SMA Nirvana — live musical performances streamed to patients in hospitals and hospices, SMA Muskara, a pension program for aged or injured musicians, and Joyful Choir, an inclusive initiative for children on the autism spectrum. Their nonprofit wing has helped bring music education to children in Dharavi, Goa, and now, through their newest initiative — Reach Out India — to students in remote villages via internet-powered classrooms. 'One teacher in Ahmedabad is teaching kids in Kumbakonam — and they all performed for me,' said Shankar , admitting that the journey has given him a deeper sense of fulfilment. 'I've always known music entertains. But through this academy, I learnt that music can transform.'
Hindustan Times
11-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Kenyan accident: Tragedy struck Palakkad family ahead of vacation trip to home
Palakkad , A Palakkad-based woman and her daughter, who were among the five Keralites feared dead in a road accident in Kenya on June 9, were expected to reach Kerala for vacation on June 28, her father said on Wednesday. The woman's father said that his daughter and son-in-law, Joel, were settled in Qatar for the last six years and since their children's summer vacation was in July-August, they were scheduled to reach Kerala on June 28. "We were waiting for them to come and that is when this tragedy occurred," he told a TV channel. A tourist bus carrying a group of 28 Indian nationals met with the accident at around 7 pm IST on June 9 in a region about 150 kilometres from Nairobi, according to a statement issued by the Kerala CM's office on Tuesday. It had also said that at least five Keralites were feared dead, though the Indian High Commission in Nairobi has yet to officially confirm the names of the victims and that the tourists had arrived from Qatar. The deceased woman's father said that his son-in-law and grandson were undergoing treatment at a hospital in the Kenyan-capital of Nairobi and his son reached there on Tuesday night from Dubai to help them. "Joel has to undergo surgery and thereafter, it has to be seen when he can travel. The bodies of my daughter and grand-daughter are at a mortuary around three hours from Nairobi," he said. He further said that all formalities to bring the bodies back were expected to be completed in a couple of days. He also said that once the bodies arrive in Kerala, they will be first brought to the woman's home here for a few hours for friends and relatives to pay their last respects and then the remains will be taken to her husband's place in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu for the final rites. The Gulf Times newspaper had reported that the bus the Indian tourists were travelling in got out of control and fell into a gorge in the northeastern county of Nyandarua. Citing community sources, the paper had said that at least five tourists from south India were killed in the accident. However, the identity of the dead is yet to be verified, while 27 are injured and admitted to various hospitals in Kenya, it had added.
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- The Hindu
Coimbatore police arrest Swami Sunil Das of Muthalamada Sneham Charitable Trust for cheating
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Coimbatore City Police has arrested Swami Sunil Das of Palakkad-based Muthalamada Sneham Charitable Trust for cheating a realtor of ₹3 crore. The police said that Das, aged 63, met a 55-year-old realtor from Peelamedu in Coimbatore, and told him that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had sanctioned a little over ₹3,000 crore to the trust, for the release of which ₹3 crore had to be paid. Sunil Das assured him that the amount would be repaid when he receives the money from RBI, said the police. The realtor transferred ₹1,56,85,000 to Sunil Das via bank transaction and ₹1,43,15,000 in cash, the police said. The transactions took place from February 19, 2022. With Sunil Das having not repaid the ₹3 crore, the realtor approached the CCB with a complaint four months ago. A case was registered after a detailed check and the CCB was on the lookout for Sunil Das. He was traced to Madurai from where he was arrested earlier this month. He was lodged in the Coimbatore Central Prison in judicial remand, said an official from CCB.
