Image by R Prakash
NewsClick brings a round-up of important happenings across Kerala in the past week including the inauguration of the country's first water metro in Kochi, the capture of a wild tusker from Idukki and opposition to the new film The Kerala Story from political parties.
OPPOSITION TO 'THE KERALA STORY'
The new film, The Kerala Story has received widespread criticism from different political parties for “showing the state in a bad light”. The film has been opposed by both Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) parties.
The parties have alleged that the film spreads false propaganda about “forced conversions” in Kerala, exaggerating the numbers in the film. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], in a statement, criticised the movie for being used by the Sangh Parivar to create enmity among different religious groups.
The Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian claimed that the film’s portrayal of “32,000 women who were converted to Islam and deployed in ISIS camps” is utterly false. “The Sangh Parivar is trying to test its model used in Gujarat and other states to create a situation for genocide. This cannot be permitted in a state like Kerala known for its communal harmony,” he said.
The Congress has demanded that the screening of the film be stopped in the state, with the leader of the opposition, V D Satheesan, accusing the film of tarnishing the image of the state, which is receiving international recognition.
MP A A Rahim alleged that the film is “coated with lies” from the RSS and other Sangh Parivar groups that are “desperate for electoral gains”.
FIRST WATER METRO IN THE COUNTRY
Kochi became the first city in the country to have a water metro, connecting 10 islands across 78 km with 78 boats connecting 36 jetties. The dream project of the LDF was opened to the public on April 25 by the prime minister.
The project is executed by the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL), receiving massive patronage after the launch of the first phase connecting Vytilla and the High Court. The KMRL announced the operation of boats at a 15-minute interval between 8 am and 11 am and 3.30 pm and 8 pm but had to operate services beyond the time limit, due to the heavy rush of commuters.
The project is funded by the government of Kerala and loans from kfW, Germany. The Union government, however, reportedly extended no support for the project. Read More
WILD TUSKER CAPTURED AND TRANSLOCATED
The trouble-making wild tusker, 'Arikomban' was tranquilised and captured from the Chinnakanal area in the Idukki district by a 150-member special task force of the Forest Department on April 29. The tusker was shifted to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Palakkad district and released in the forest. The officials confirmed receiving signals from the radio collar fixed on the tusker.
The department deployed four ‘Kumki’ elephants after the wild tusker was hit with five darts to move to an open lorry to be transported to Palakkad. The mission was temporarily called off on April 28 since the attempts to lure the elephant to a favourable spot to tranquilise did not materialise.
The government has imposed Section 144 in a few wards of Chinnakanal village panchayat from where voices of dissent were raised against shifting the elephant to the sanctuary.
RELAXATION FROM BUFFER ZONE
The Supreme Court has lifted its order banning developmental activities in the Buffer Zones around the Protected Areas (PA). The minister for forests, A K Saseendran, claimed that the decision has come as a big relief for the state – considering the higher number of wildlife sanctuaries and other PAs.
VETERAN ACTOR MAMMUKOYA PASSES AWAY
Veteran actor Mammukoya who made the Kozhikode slang a massive hit in Malayalam films passed away on April 26. He fainted while inaugurating a Sevens football tournament in Malappuram on April 24.
Following the illness, the 76-year-old veteran, who has acted in 450 films in Malayalam, Tamil, and Kannada, was put on ventilator support. But his condition worsened after the massive cardiac arrest. He was laid to rest in Kozhikode with full state honours.
The actor never shied away from making statements on political developments, including a strong criticism against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act introduced by the BJP-led Union government.
DISQUALIFICATION OF CPI(M) MLA STAYED BY SC
The Kerala High Court’s decision, disqualifying the CPI(M) MLA A Raja, elected from Devikulam (SC) constituency, has been stayed by the Supreme Court. The court permitted him to attend the Assembly proceedings without voting power until further orders.
The legislator will not be entitled to receive salary or other allowances allowed for MLAs.
His disqualification was based on the complaint filed by UDF candidate D Kumar who claimed that Raja had converted to Christianity and hence was ineligible to contest from a reserved constituency.