Latest news with #Kuriakose
The Hindu
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
UDF calls hartal in three Idukki panchayats on Saturday
The United Democratic Front (UDF) has called a hartal in three Idukki panchayats on Saturday against the government's stance on construction works on the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway (NH-85). UDF leaders said a hartal would be observed in Adimaly, Vellathooval, and Pallivasal panchayats on Saturday. Dean Kuriakose, MP, said the Kerala High Court on Friday issued an order staying the road-widening works on the 14.5-km Neriamangalam, Valara, and Adimaly stretch, which is at the intersection of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway. Mr. Kuriakose said the court issued the order based on a petition of the Idukki-based environmentalist M.N. Jayachandran. He alleged that the Forest department and the government were supporting Mr. Jayachandran, who was a BJP leader. According to Mr. Kuriakose, road development on the Neriamangalam route was the main demand of the people in the district. 'The High Court in May 2024 ordered that the Forest Department should not interfere with the construction works of the road. Now, the construction activities on the stretch have been blocked in another way,' said Mr. Kuriakose. Idukki Land Freedom Movement convener Dias Pullan alleged that the Additional Chief Secretary had filed an affidavit before the High Court in the case, stating that the area was forest land. 'The affidavit was submitted on behalf of the Chief Secretary. The State government is responsible for the court verdict,' he said. 'The Forest department was behind environmental organisations filing a case in the High Court to block road construction works,' said Mr. Pullan.
The Hindu
03-07-2025
- Climate
- The Hindu
Smouldering Wan Hai 503 still adrift without a port of refuge
Nearly a month after the Singapore-flagged vessel Wan Hai 503 caught fire off the coast of Kerala, the vessel continues to be adrift, emitting fire and smoke and weathering stormy weather and rain in the Arabian Sea. Though the vessel is adrift approximately 130 nautical miles off the Indian coastline, outside the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) boundary, the vessel continues to remain on a high-density shipping corridor, necessitating continuous traffic warnings to passing vessels. Plan not submitted An assessment conducted by the salvage team (T&T Salvage) stressed the need for a port of refuge, as removing fuel from the vessel offshore still remains unsafe. However, the owner and salvors of the ship are yet to submit a detailed plan to the Indian authorities for fuel transfer and moving the vessel to a port of refuge. If there's a delay in the salvage operation, the vessel has to be towed further south of its current position, around 200 nautical miles away from the Indian coast, according to the report of the Directorate General of Shipping. It is also necessary that the onboard fire has to be fully contained before it reaches the port of refuge. As per the latest report, the temperature on the left and right of the vessel was 64°C and 68°C, respectively. Speaking to The Hindu, a senior shipping crew said the weather in the Arabian Sea is the major hindrance to the containment of fire and smoke. The squally weather with wind, occasionally gusting to 100 km/hour, adds fuel to the fire. Further, it is not possible to apply fire extinguisher from the top of the ship since choppers can carry only a limited quantity. A good number of containers have undeclared cargo, which adds to the woes of the firefighters, he said. 'The best option' Once fire spreads to petrochemical products, it is difficult to contain it, said Sekhar Kuriakose, member secretary of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority. The monsoon rain will not help contain the fire. 'The best option is to find a port of refuge at the earliest before the hull disintegrates. Considering the current position of the ship, navigating it to the coast of Africa would be ideal,' said Mr. Kuriakose. It was on June 9 that the Singapore-flagged vessel witnessed container explosions causing a significant onboard fire, around 44 nautical miles from Azhikkal. The entire vessel was engulfed by the fire.
The Hindu
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Official apathy behind stalled Kallakkuttykudy bridge project, says Idukki MP
Despite the swift sanctioning of ₹3.6 crore under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative (RKI) for a crucial bridge and road to Kallakkuttykudy, a tribal hamlet in Mankulam panchayat in Idukki, official indifference and contractor inaction have brought the project to a standstill. Approved on June 7, 2024, with a completion deadline of May 16, 2025, not a single brick has been laid — leaving the tribal community stranded yet again. While authorities resort to mere notices, questions arise over accountability in a project. According to sources, official apathy is behind the stalling of the dream project of the local community. According to local residents, the concrete bridge connecting the Kallakkuttykudy tribal settlement to the outside world was washed away by the devastating flood in August 2018. Afterwards, during rainy seasons, the tribal community would make temporary bamboo bridge so that the children could go to school. Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose blamed the Devikulam block panchayat, saying that he had allotted ₹20 lakh for the bridge and the block panchayat opposed it. Mr. Kuriakose alleged that the failure of the bridge project is tied to the apathy of the State government. '₹20 lakh had been allotted. But the officials blocked the administrative sanction for the project,' said Mr. Kuriakose. Under RKI Meanwhile, Devikulam block panchayat secretary Sunil Sebastian said that Mr. Kuriakose sent a proposal for the project on February 28, 2023. Based on the proposal, the block panchayat conducted an estimate for the project, and the estimated cost was ₹49.9 lakh. 'The project later changed to a footbridge, and administrative sanction was received from the district planning officer on June 19, 2023. After being approached about the final sanction from the district panchayat, it was revealed that the project was included under the RKI project. Based on the direction, the project was cancelled on January 25, 2024,' said Mr. Sebastian. The official further stated that the block panchayat never opposed the project and had completed all paperwork. Meanwhile, Vishnukumar G., project director of the Project Management Unit (PMU) of RKI, Thiruvananthapuram, stated that the government allotted ₹3.6 crore for the construction of a bridge and road in the Kallakkuttykudy tribal settlement. 'With this, ₹1.5 crore has been allotted for the construction work of the 32.46-metre-long and 4.5-metre-wide bridge. The contractor signed an agreement for the project on June 7, 2024, and the site was handed over for construction on June 17, 2024. The completion period was fixed at 11 months.' The official further stated that the contractor failed to commence construction work, and the RKI issued repeated notices to the contractor. 'After completing the agreement period, the RKI is to recover losses from the contractor's responsibility. The project will be re-tendered and rearranged,' said Mr. Vishnukumar.
Indian Express
27-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Oil spill scare off Kerala: Day after cargo ship capsized, 30 containers wash up ashore
A day after the Liberian-flagged cargo ship, MSC ELSA 3, capsized off the Kerala coast, 30 containers washed ashore on Monday. However, no oil spill has reached the shore as of Monday evening. A defence spokesperson in Kochi said three Coast Guard vessels, Vikram, Saksham and Samarth, have been deployed in a pollution response configuration in the area where the ship capsized. These vessels utilised infrared cameras to detect the oil spill area and utilised oil spill dispersant to contain the spread of oil, officials said. Besides, a Dornier aircraft equipped with specialised gear has been positioned in Kochi to undertake aerial assessments of the oil spill situation. A dedicated pollution control vessel, Samudra Prahari, is being mobilised from Mumbai to further augment oil spill response efforts. In the coastal regions of Kerala's Alappuzha and Kollam districts, 30 of the containers that detached from the capsized ship washed ashore on Monday. Kerala State Disaster Management Authority member secretary Sekhar Kuriakose said, 'These containers did not contain anything harmful. More containers may wash ashore in the coming days. We have warned the people not to go near the containers. Customs, as well as the representatives of the shipping firm, will be handling the containers.' The Coast Guard had earlier said that the ship, which had 640 containers, was carrying 13 containers with 'hazardous cargo' and 12 with calcium carbide. It also said the ship had '84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks'. Kuriakose said the state government has asked the Factories and Boilers Department to make ready two Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) each in southern and central Kerala districts, and one each in the northern districts. Besides, in the event of oil slick reaching the shore, the State Pollution Control Board was directed to make ready two RRTs each in the southern and central coastal districts and one each in the northern districts. Meanwhile, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) will soon launch a field study on the fallout of the emerging scenario on marine ecosystems. CMFRI director Dr Grinson George said the institute is closely monitoring the situation following reports of a possible oil spill in the Arabian Sea. The ecological and economic impact will depend on the scale of the leakage. Oil smothering could threaten sensitive marine species and disrupt fishing activities, particularly affecting artisanal fishers in coastal regions. If the spill spreads, it may harm marine productivity, especially during the monsoon — a critical period for pelagic fish breeding and growth, he said, adding that this could have long-term consequences for fisheries. The monsoon season typically supports high marine productivity, and a strong fishing season was anticipated. The scale of the impact is dependent on the amount of leakage and how it can be contained, he said.
Scroll.in
25-05-2025
- General
- Scroll.in
Container vessel carrying ‘hazardous cargo' sinks off Kerala coast, alert issued in state
A Liberian-flagged container vessel, MSC ELSA 3, carrying 'hazardous cargo' sank off the coast of Kerala's Kochi on Sunday after it began gradually tilting a day earlier, the Indian Coast Guard said. All 24 crew members on board the vessel were rescued, it added. 'The vessel, en route from Vizhinjam to Kochi, was carrying 640 containers (including 13 hazardous scargo and 12 calcium carbide containers), along with 84.44 MT diesel and 367.1 MT furnace oil,' the Ministry of Defence said. The Coast Guard was assessing the situation, it added. 'Presently, no oil spill has been reported,' the ministry said, adding that the reason for the incident was yet to be ascertained. However, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority on Saturday issued an alert to the public to keep away from objects that may drift towards the coast, The Indian Express reported. On Saturday, the Indian Coast Guard said that it had received a distress alert about the vessel. In a post on X, it said that the vessel had departed from Vizhinjam port on Friday and was scheduled to reach Kochi the next day. The vessel capsized rapidly in the early hours of Sunday 'reportedly due to flooding in one of the holds', the Coast Guard said. 'ICG [Indian Coast Guard] has activated comprehensive pollution response preparedness and working in close coordination with state administration to address all possible scenarios,' it added. A defence spokesperson in Kochi said that 21 of the 24 crew members on board the vessel were rescued on Saturday and the remaining three were rescued on Sunday, The Indian Express reported. Shekhar Kuriakose, member secretary of the State Disaster Management Authority, told The Indian Express that the public had been told not to go near objects that were suspected to be from the sunken ship and were washed ashore. 'They should keep at least 200 metres away from such objects containing dangerous material,' the newspaper quoted Kuriakose as saying. 'The Navy has informed that one km per hour is the approximate speed at which the containers will drift. The coastal regions of Ernakulam and Alappuzha have the highest possibility of getting the containers washed ashore.' After the vessel tilted on Saturday, the parent firm of the sinking ship, which had also informed the Indian Coast Guard about the situation, brought another vessel to the area to assist in the rescue, according to The Indian Express. Three crew members remained onboard the tilting ship as per instructions from the company. However, on Sunday, the ship started submerging rapidly and more containers fell into the sea, the newspaper reported. The three crew members were subsequently rescued and taken onboard by INS Sujata. A Liberian-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 sank off the coast of Kochi around 0750 hrs on 25 May after developing a 26° starboard list. All crew members were safely rescued: 21 by the @IndiaCoastGuard and 03 by INS Sujata. The vessel, en route from Vizhinjam to Kochi, was… — Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) May 25, 2025
