Latest news with #CoPA
The Hindu
01-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
A historic boat sold as scrap being restored in Kochi
Seethi Sajar, 52, a scrap dealer from Thoppumpady, was in for a surprise when he turned up at the Cochin Port Trust, since then renamed as Cochin Port Authority (CoPA), to take delivery of a chunk of scrap he bought in an auction in 2010. When he spotted an archaic wooden boat, valued at around ₹2 lakh, among the materials, he thought little of it. Only when a senior port officer told him that it was the boat used by the late British harbour engineer Sir Robert Charles Bristow who founded the Willingdon Island did he realise its historical significance. 'It was thrilling to even think that I was in possession of the boat used by a historical figure like Bristow Sayippu (foreigner). Since my yard at Karuvelippady didn't have the facilities to restore the boat at that time, I kept it fully wrapped protecting it from rain, sun, and dust,' said Mr. Sajar, who has been in the scrap business and ship dismantling business for the last 35 years. He started the restoration of the boat, which is fully made in teak, three months ago. He was fortunate to find two veteran boat maintenance workers with experience of having handled similar traditional boats in wood in Ponjikkara in Ernakulam district. They have been working on the boat since then. Historic significance 'We have been careful not to tinker with its original structure and design considering its historic significance. The focus is more on restoring it to its old glory rather than renovating. Missing wooden planks are being replaced, some nails are being tightened, steering wheel that has fallen off has been put back, and the engine cover is being replaced. The engine is still in good condition and it will be given a fresh coat of polish,' said Mr. Sajar who claims to have spend around ₹10 lakh for restoration so far. He remains hopeful of wrapping up the works by August in time for Onam. The boat will be then showcased for the public. Mr. Sajar has bought a 3 acre plot at Karuvelippady where he plans to construct a fibre glass enclosure for displaying the boat. Bony Thomas, a journalist, cartoonist and historian, slammed the sale of such a historical object as mere scrap. Bristow is credited with putting Kochi on the global map, found India's biggest man-made island, modernised the Kochi port and built bridges for improved connectivity. 'A scrap dealer showed better sense than the port authorities. Here was a boat, Bristow had used extensively since his arrival in 1920. The boat has been mentioned at three places in his renowned book Cochin Saga. To sell it as mere scrap is height of ignorance,' said Mr. Thomas.
Malay Mail
17-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
MCMC to review big gap in $G coverage among telcos across Malaysia, says Fahmi
CYBERJAYA, May 17 — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will examine the disparity in 4G Coverage of Populated Areas (CoPA) among telecommunications companies (telcos) in different locations, said Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. He said that although Malaysia has achieved an overall 92 per cent 4G CoPA nationwide, coverage levels vary significantly between telcos. 'Some telcos have CoPA as low as 76 per cent, while others go up to 86 per cent,' he told reporters after officiating the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2025 celebration here today. Fahmi said he had instructed MCMC to provide detailed reports showing both the national aggregate and individual telco CoPA, broken down by state. 'We want to make sure that when Malaysians pay for Internet packages, they receive coverage across the country - not just in selected areas. We're paying for nationwide access,' he said. Fahmi stressed that 4G services must be available throughout Malaysia, and that the government had been actively working to enhance network-sharing among telcos. 'I've worked hard to get all telcos to participate in network sharing, and we formalised this through a recently published framework,' he said. On another development, Fahmi said the soon-to-be-enforced Online Safety Act (OnSA) 2024 would play a crucial role in holding social media platforms accountable for the content they host, particularly in protecting users from scams and online harm. He emphasised that OnSA would compel platforms to share the responsibility of ensuring a safer digital environment. 'One of the key objectives is to make sure that social media platforms are responsible for the kind of content available on their platforms,' he said. Fahmi also raised concern over the lack of action by major platforms, especially Facebook, in tackling scam and gambling advertisements, despite these being paid content. 'For example, there are many scam and gambling ads, yet Facebook hasn't done enough to remove them - simply because scammers are paying for them,' he said. 'As such, we're waiting for the Online Safety Act to receive royal assent, and once it comes into effect, we believe that the OnSA will play a pivotal role,' he added. Passed by Parliament in December last year, the OnSA will require social media platform providers to meet three core responsibilities: ensuring platform safety, protecting children under the age of 13, and limiting access to harmful content. Platforms will also be required to issue clear user guidelines, including terms of use, and provide mechanisms for users to report harmful or offensive content. — Bernama
