Opposition councillors in Kochi corporation to intensify protests against move to pave tiles on Metro medians
Kochi: Opposition councillors in the Kochi corporation are set to intensify their protest against KMRL's move to pave tiles on the road medians along the Metro line. The councillors have decided to raise the issue at the next council meeting.
According to the councillors, KMRL has been constantly violating the conditions set while receiving approval from the govt. "During the inception of construction, KMRL promised that the Metro would be as eco-friendly as possible. Hundreds of trees were felled for the construction. Then, KMRL's version was that they would plant more saplings than the number of trees cut down. They stated in the detailed project report (DPR) that measures would be taken to make Kochi greener.
But nothing concrete has happened in this regard," said M G Aristotle, secretary, UDF parliamentary party in the corporation. "Now, they have decided to pave tiles on the medians. It will add to the waterlogging in the city. Moreover, the plan will destroy thousands of flowering plants now being grown on the median. If KMRL does not back out from the project, we will intensify the strike," he added.
On Monday, the councillors planted some flowering plants on the median as a mark of protest against the move to pave tiles. T J Vinod, MLA, planted the first sapling as part of the protest.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
43 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
None should think they can speak as they like: CM Pinarayi Vijayan
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Apparently disapproving of CPM state secretary M V Govindan's bypoll-eve remarks related to CPM's association with the RSS at the time of Emergency, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan issued a stern warning against loose talk in front of the mike. The strong words from the party's most senior politburo member came at a review meeting on Sunday, with CPM state committee and district secretariat members in attendance, ahead of the local body elections. The reprimand came at the end of his speech. 'No one should think they can say anything as they like in the next six months,' Pinarayi said while looking back at Govindan who was seated on the dais. However, speaking after the chief minister, Govindan never mentioned the criticism. Pinarayi also reminded the party leaders that CPM's stand against religious extremism has been accepted widely by the people. 'There is no need to cover up our open objection against parties like Jamaat-e-Islami, SDPI and the banned Popular Front of India. We have taken that stand withstanding much pressure. And it has been widely received, with acceptance from within the Muslim community. A section of the Muslim League has also objected to the UDF-Jamaat-e-Islami association. The CPM had openly declared that we don't want the extremist force's vote. Likewise, the Hindutva forces have also strengthened their activities. They have been carrying out their work around temples and believers. We should not view it as trivial,' he said. The chief minister also said that, in certain local bodies, there had been flaws on the part of officials and the ruling council. 'The LDF has a favourable situation politically. Hence, we should use it in favour of the LDF,' he added. Govindan, who presented the organisational report, pointed out that party workers have to visit houses and form committees at ward levels.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Bound to fail': Tejasvi Surya slams ₹18,000 crore Congress-backed tunnel project in Bengaluru
BJP leader and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya has strongly criticised the Karnataka government's ₹ 18,000 crore tunnel road project, calling it 'unscientific' and 'bound to fail.' Tejasvi Surya also questioned the integrity of the Detailed Project Report (DPR), which was prepared at a cost of ₹ 9.5 crore.(FILE) He alleged that the Congress government is systematically neglecting public transport in the city while pushing forward with projects that are financially and environmentally unsound. The proposed tunnel road, planned between Hebbal and Silk Board, has been mired in controversy from the start. Surya highlighted several concerns, beginning with the limited access, the tunnel is expected to be open only to four-wheelers and would require commuters to pay a toll of ₹ 600 per return journey. (Also Read: Bengaluru sees light showers and pleasant weather, rain likely to pick up later this week) Check out his post here: He also questioned the integrity of the Detailed Project Report (DPR), which was prepared at a cost of ₹ 9.5 crore by a consultant who had reportedly been blacklisted elsewhere. "Even after such an exorbitant cost, several sections of the DPR were allegedly copied from another report," he said. Calling the tunnel an 'unscientific solution' to Bengaluru's growing mobility challenges, Surya warned that the project could end up becoming a massive drain on public funds. He pointed to the proposed 40 per cent Viability Gap Funding, under which the state government would cover an additional ₹ 7,200 crore to compensate for the project's projected losses. Taking a direct swipe at Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Surya posted on X (formerly Twitter), 'Thank you, @DKShivakumar, for neglecting crucial civic issues such as potholes, underfunding public transport, delaying Metro projects, withholding Fare Fixation Committee reports, and pushing forward with an unscientific project.' Surya's remarks came in response to a post by Shivakumar, who promoted the tunnel project on X, calling it a game-changer for Bengaluru's traffic woes. 'Your time matters. We're building with you in mind,' Shivakumar wrote, outlining the project's key promises — the ability to skip over 25 traffic bottlenecks, save more than 45 minutes of daily commute time, enjoy 16.75 km of seamless, signal-free travel, and get direct access to the IT corridor. 'A faster, smarter Bengaluru is on its way — because you deserve better,' he added. (Also Read: Green signal for Bengaluru's Skydeck: ₹ 500 cr tourism landmark to rise at Kommaghatta)
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Nilambur byelection: Day of reckoning for UDF and LDF
Kozhikode: Counting of votes for the high-stakes Nilambur assembly bypoll will take place on Monday. The bypoll saw a keenly-contested race between UDF and LDF, with former Left-backed MLA and independent candidate PV Anvar adding complexity to the race. A UDF win would signal public discontent with the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF govt, while an LDF victory would strengthen the ruling front's push for a third term in power. The counting will begin at 8am on Monday at Marthoma Higher Secondary School in Chungathara. Officials will open the strongroom holding EVMs at 7.30am in the presence of candidates' agents. Counting will start with postal ballots at 8am, followed by EVM votes from 8.10am. There will be 14 tables for counting EVM votes, four for postal ballots and one for pre-counting electronically transmitted postal ballot system votes. Votes from 263 polling booths will be counted in 19 rounds, covering 14 booths per round. After all rounds, officials will count VVPAT slips from five randomly selected polling stations separately in the presence of Election Commission observers. A total of 86 officials will manage the counting, including 25 micro-observers, 24 counting supervisors, 30 counting assistants and seven assistant returning officers. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ductless Air Conditioners Are Selling Like Crazy [See Why] Keep Cool Click Here Undo The third round of randomization for officials will take place at 5:30am on Monday. The entire counting process will be monitored using CCTV surveillance. A three-tier security system—comprising central forces, state police and local police—will deploy 900 personnel on duty. Election Commission observers and the returning officer will oversee the process. Following EC guidelines, arrangements have been made for candidates and their agents to monitor counting. EVM counting will start with UDF-ruled Vazhikkadavu panchayat, followed by Moothedam panchayat. If there is no clear lead in these initial rounds, it will likely indicate the tone for the final result. Otherwise, suspense will build as later booths—including Amarambalam, where the LDF expects a strong lead—are counted at the end. After Vazhikkadavu and Moothedam, counting will proceed with other panchayats like Edakkara, Pothukallu, Chungathara, Nilambur, Karulayi and Amarambalam. UDF expects its candidate Aryadan Shoukath to win by over 10,000 votes, while CPM's internal booth-level data estimates a narrow victory of 1,600 votes for its candidate M Swaraj. Nilambur byelection recorded a voter turnout of 75.87%. Of the 2,32,057 registered voters, 1,76,070 cast their votes, including 1,74,667 through EVMs and 1,403 postal ballots.
