KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to take appropriate action to stop quarrying operations in all forest areas in the state as expeditiously as possible, at any rate, within three months.

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor

ARANMULA: The dumping of huge quantity of waste generated at the Oottupura of Sree Parthasarathy Temple here on the banks of the Pampa and the liquid waste flowing directly into the river have been causing pollution of the river.

The pollution status of the river has gone up considerably with the beginning of the festival season of Vallasadya, ritualistic feast given to oarsmen of snakeboats, at the temple. An average of three Vallasadyas take place at the temple every day during the period, according to temple authorities.

T. Nandakumar

New system to promote group farming and protect water bodies
Law concerned will be amended soon
Irrigation canals in need of repair

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government is planning to introduce a participatory system of irrigation management, under which farmers will be entrusted with the operation and maintenance of canals in the State.

PALAKKAD: The two-day Salem zonal-level mines Safety Week celebrations-2008 held under the auspices of the Tamil Nadu and Kerala Mines Safety Association and the Malabar Cements Limited (MCL) concluded at the MCL Community Hall here on Tuesday.

PALAKKAD: Subash Palekar, an advocate of natural farming popularly known as

KOCHI: The All-Kerala River Protection Council has demanded the Constitution of River Protection Authority to save the rivers and water resources in the state where different lobbies were engaged in activities causing harm to most of the rivers.

The council alleged that most of the rivers in the state were being misused by the agents of building industry, sand mafia and river encroachers.

KOLLAM: Kerala Congress (B) chairman R Balakrishna Pillai has called upon the State Government to follow the West Bengal model in allotting Special Economic Zones in the state.

Speaking at a news conference here on Friday, he said the LDF Government could follow the criteria adopted by their West Bengal counterparts in allotting the SEZs. Instead of allotting thousand acre, the state should allot small holdings up to 50 or 100 acres for setting up SEZs, he said.

G. Prabhakaran

PALAKKAD: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has accused the Tamil Nadu government of trying to avoid the renewal of the inter-State Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) agreement even after its expiry in 1988.

The Chief Minister has said he will take up the matter with the Tamil Nadu government.

PALAKKAD: The grama panchayats in various districts of the state which execute afforestation and soil and water conservation schemes in an exemplary manner by including it under the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (NREGS) will be given awards, according to Finance Minister Thomas Isaac.

The award money will be announced in the next budget. He was speaking after inaugurating the

V.R. Krishna Iyer

It is strange to learn that Kerala has no plan to generate power through alternative means.