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The Hindu
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
11th edition of Malabar River Festival to begin in Kozhikode on July 25
The 11th edition of the Malabar River Festival, an international white-water kayaking championship, will begin at Chalippuzha in the Kodenchery grama panchayat in Kozhikode on Friday (July 25, 2025). The three-day event is being organised by the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS) and the Kozhikode District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), with technical support from the Indian Kayaking & Canoeing Association (IKCA) and the support of the three-tier panchayat, according to a press release. The championship will take place on the Iruvazhinjipuzha and Chalippuzha rivers till Sunday (July 27, 2025). Linto Joseph, MLA, will inaugurate the festival at Pulikkayam at 9 a.m. District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh, district panchayat president Sheeja Sasi, grama panchayat presidents Alex Thomas Chempakassery (Kodenchery) and Bindu Johnson (Thiruvambady), elected representatives, and prominent social and political figures will attend the event. The Olympic events, including men's and women's slalom and extreme slalom, will be held at Chalippuzha in Pulikkayam, while the extreme slalom final, downriver, and boater cross events will take place at Pulloorampara on the Iruvazhinjipuzha river. Tourism and Public Works Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas will inaugurate the closing ceremony and present prizes to the winners at 5 p.m. on July 27. As part of the festival, music performances by the Gramophone Music Band will be held at Pulikkayam at 5 p.m. on July 25, followed by performances by local artists on Saturday (July 26, 2025) and the Mersey Music Band on Sunday at Elanthakadavu. Following the death of former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, the freestyle demonstration competition scheduled to be held at Meenthullippara in Chakkittapara on the Kuttiady river on Thursday (July 24, 2025) was cancelled. Kayakers from foreign countries and northern Indian States are currently training on the Chalippuzha and Iruvazhinjipuzha rivers. Pre-events were also organised in various panchayats as part of the festival's promotion.
The Hindu
19-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
PMSSY block at Kozhikode MCH likely to reopen by July-end
The authorities at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, are hopeful that its surgical super-speciality, accident and emergency care block, which was temporarily shut down after fire outbreaks in May, could be reopened by the end of July. According to sources, a technical committee appointed by District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh, who is also the chairperson of the hospital development society, is examining the repair work being undertaken at the facility. Cleaning work has been ongoing in all wards, operating theatres, and the casualty section of the seven-storey building constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). The first fire outbreak had happened in the UPS room of the MRI scanning section on the ground floor on May 2, after batteries exploded one after the other. All the patients had to be evacuated to safety subsequently. The MRI unit has been repaired, and new batteries have been installed. Electrical equipment and air-conditioning on different floors are also being examined. The hospital authorities had to incur the wrath of the patients as well as the people on May 5 when another fire outbreak was reported in one of the operating theatres during an inspection. This was soon after some of the evacuated patients were readmitted to the building. The block has been temporarily closed since then. The authorities later decided to go for a complete check-up of the equipment and the electrical connections before reopening the facility again. Meanwhile, it was reported that the electrical wing of the Public Works department (PWD) and HLL-HITES, the public sector firm that constructed the building, had highlighted gross lapses in the infrastructure and maintenance of the block. There were references to the water leakage on different floors and the congested nature of the UPS rooms. A senior official at the hospital told The Hindu on Saturday (July 19) that the plan was to 'reopen the building at the earliest'. A trial run of the equipment and the electrical instruments was being conducted. A final decision on the reopening date would be taken by the Directorate of Medical Education in consultation with the government, he added.
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Key issues not addressed before Kozhikode MCH fire
Kozhikode: PWD's electrical wing had flagged several electrical faults at Kozhikode Medical College's Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) block that was shut down after two fire incidents in May. An inspection report by PWD's electrical inspectorate—based on checks in 2023 and 2024 and updated on May 18, 2025—showed that many earlier issues were still unresolved. The electrical wing had flagged several issues, including a faulty UPS battery on the fourth floor that showed efficiency problems. During the inspection in May, the team found the batteries bulging and in poor condition. On the fifth floor, the UPS room had damaged battery terminals, batteries stored in a cramped space without split AC and high temperatures during operation. Also, there were multiple instances of wall dampness which could have damaged the DBS. According to sources, scores of flaws were highlighted in the examination conducted by the electrical wing over the past two years. The executive engineer of PWD's electrical wing said most of the flaws have been fixed, but 20 issues still need attention. He said the construction firm has promised to resolve the remaining problems within a week. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo A final inspection by the electrical inspectorate will be carried out to ensure everything has been addressed. The first fire broke out on the night of May 2 after a blast happened in the UPS room next to the MRI scanning unit in the emergency care section. Many patients had to be moved to other wards. A second fire occurred inside the sixth-floor operation theatre on May 5. The recent review meeting chaired by district collector Snehil Kumar Singh had directed that the pending works should be completed before July end.
The Hindu
09-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Kozhikode MCH authorities planning trial run before reopening PMSSY block
A little over two months after back-to-back fire outbreaks and evacuation of patients led to the temporary closure of the super-speciality and emergency care wing of the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, the authorities are reportedly planning to have a trial run of the equipment before the reopening of the building. The first incident happened on May 2 night after a minor blast in the UPS room attached to the MRI scanning unit of the emergency care section at the building constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana. A large number of patients had to be shifted to other wards of the hospital. Though some of them were brought back, they had to be evacuated again after another minor explosion on May 5. It was later decided that the building would be reopened only after a thorough check by the State Electrical Inspectorate, electrical wing of the State Public Works department, and bio-medical engineering experts. Separately, a team of doctors from various government MCHs too was set up to inquire into the incidents and the inconvenience suffered by the patients. Those seeking treatment at the emergency care wing are being taken to the old casualty building for the past two months. It is learnt that the water leakage in the building is yet to be completely addressed. The private company maintaining the MRI unit is yet to hand over the equipment after repair. There are around 19 operating theatres in the building. The inspection to check their functioning is ongoing too. At a recent review meeting chaired by District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh, it was decided that all these works should be completed before July-end. Sources said on Wednesday that a trial run for a couple of days was also proposed before the complete reopening of the facility. Meanwhile, both patients and healthcare staff are troubled by the congested premises and lack of facilities at the old casualty block. Many surgical procedures are being rescheduled. It is not clear what are the findings of the expert team set up by the government on the inconvenience caused to the patients during the fire outbreaks. The committee is supposed to submit its report to the Directorate of Medical Education.
The Hindu
13-06-2025
- The Hindu
Cargo ship fire: coastal vigil continues amid salvage operations
The Coastal police and the Marine Enforcement Squad are continuing heightened vigil and patrolling off the Malabar coast, as the search and recovery operations for the hazardous containers that fell into the sea from MV Wan Hai 503 — the Singapore-flagged vessel that caught fire nearly 88 nautical miles off Kerala's Beypore coast on June 9 — are yet to be completed. District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh, who also serves as the Chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority, has urged coastal residents to remain alert for hazardous containers and to immediately report any suspicious wreckage or objects by dialling the helpline 112. He advised maintaining a distance of at least 200 metres from such objects if spotted. Members of the Coastal police and Marine Enforcement Squad said heightened patrols would continue until the ongoing salvage operations for the cargo ship were completed. They added that the Fisheries department had already secured the cooperation of fishermen and allied workers in coastal areas to support the surveillance efforts. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute and the Kerala State Pollution Control Board recently collected marine water samples from various coastal locations for further analysis. Fisheries department sources said the results would be available soon providing a clearer picture of the accident's impact on marine resources. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) sources said the situation remained sensitive to weather and operational factors, even though the vessel was structurally afloat following improved fire containment measures. They also noted that forecasts issued by the India Meteorological department indicated strong westerlies, heavy rainfall, and rough sea conditions over Kerala, Mahe, and Lakshadweep between Saturday (June 14, 2025) and Monday (June 16, 2025), with wind speeds reaching up to 50–60 kmph. The vessel, carrying 1,754 containers, departed from Colombo to Mumbai on June 7. Of these, 143 were reportedly loaded with potentially hazardous chemicals. Preliminary reports confirmed that 24 containers fell into the sea within hours of the massive fire breaking out. While rescue teams managed to save 18 crew members, four remain missing. KSDMA sources said the search for them is ongoing with the support of various rescue agencies.
