The Hindu – Kerala; Top priority to supply drinking water: Chandy

Staff Reporter

Kozhikode, 21 April  2013.  The district administration and the Revenue Department can take decisions on their own and take proactive steps to implement drought-relief projects, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said.

The concerns of the local community should be addressed by improving water supply schemes and completing pending repair works.

The short-term relaxation of norms for this will continue till May 31, he said while chairing a district-level drought review meeting at the Collectorate conference hall here on Saturday.

Fund would not be a problem if the local bodies concerned were committed to completing works in a time-bound manner and reaching the benefits to the people, he said.

“The District Collector and the Executive Engineer concerned of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) have been authorised to sanction Rs.20 lakh each to take up emergency drought-relief measures,” the Chief Minister said.

New order

As per the latest government order (GO), grama panchayats in the district would be allotted an advance of Rs.50,000 each to carry out possible drought-relief activities.

They would be allowed to grant ‘permissive sanctions’ and set apart own funds or Plan funds up to Rs.10 lakh for such works, he said.

As per the order, the District Collector would be empowered to take any vehicle into custody to supply drinking water to the needy and finalise the charges to be given to contract carriages used for the purpose.

The Collector would coordinate the entire drought-relief measures and take swift decisions on crucial issues, Mr. Chandy said.

The supply of quality drinking water to people will get top priority and more water supply points will be set up.

“Fast completion of repairs and giving new water supply connections will be next on the priory list, Mr. Chandy said.

“Steps will be taken to complete all pending water supply scheme works in the State. The district-level priority list can be submitted to the Water Resources Minister for immediate consideration and I too will monitor the processing of the list,” he said.

The Chief Minister asked people’s representatives to convene separate meetings on April 22 and 23 to prepare a constituency-wise priority list.

The heads of local self-governments should also be invited to the meetings, he said.

Many MLAs had complained that drought-relief measures were pending at several places due to bureaucratic apathy, he added.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kozhikode/top-priority-to-supply-of-drinking-water-chandy/article4639579.ece

The Hindu – Italy’s decision on marines unacceptable: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy

Reacting to Rome’s refusal to return two of its marines involved in the killing of two Indian fishermen, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Tuesday termed it as “unacceptable” and said he would raise the issue with the External Affairs Ministry

Thiruvananthapuram, 12 March 2013. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Tuesday termed as unacceptable Italy’s decision not to send its two marines to India, who were being tried for killing two fishermen. He said he will take up the issue with the External Affairs Ministry.

The Supreme Court in February allowed Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, accused of killing two Indian fishermen to return to Italy to vote in the February 24-25 national elections. It had earlier allowed them to go home for Christmas.

“I am reaching Delhi (Tuesday) night and I will take this issue up with the external affairs ministry. We are also looking to take up this issue legally,” Mr. Chandy said after Italy announced that the marines will not be returning to India.

The Italian government claimed that New Delhi “does not have jurisdiction over the case”.

Mr. Chandy said: “You should see the earnestness in how Kerala pursued this case in the… courts and also in the apex court in the country. Our stand remains the same that they should stand trial here according to the Indian law.” In no way would this would be acceptable to Kerala, he said.

The Supreme Court had ruled that the case need not be tried in Kerala, instead a special court be set up in Delhi.

The two marines have been at the centre of a year-long international row for allegedly shooting dead two Indian fishermen Ajesh Binki and Gelastine after mistaking them for pirates near the Kerala coast in February 2012.

Italy claims the incident occurred in international waters and has been trying to get Latorre and Girone tried in Italian courts, while India contends the shooting occurred in its own territory.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/italys-decision-on-marines-unacceptable-chandy/article4500096.ece

The Tribune – Kerala outfit under scanner

Thiruvananthapuram, August 21. Kerala-based Popular Front of India has come under the scanner of intelligence agencies for its suspected role in spreading inflammatory SMSs and MMSs following Assam violence, that triggered exodus of northeastern people from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Taking note of reports in this regard in local media, state Home Minister Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan has asked ADGP (Intelligence) to cross-check the matter with Central authorities.

“We have taken note of the reports. The intelligence head of state police has been asked to cross-check the matter with Central agencies to find out the facts,” Radhakrishnan told PTI.

He said so far there had been no reported incident of panic fleeing by migrant North Easterners from Kerala as had happened in some other states.

Only an isolated case of some unidentified persons intimidating migrant workers in a hollow-brick unit in Malappuram district had been reported and cases had been registered against 12 persons, he said. Rejecting reports that it was involved in creating scare among the labourers from North East states, PFI general secretary Abdul Hameed said the organisation was ready to face any inquiry.

“This is not for the first time that PFI is being targetted. In all earlier cases, PFI has proved the allegations wrong and come out clean. But, unfortunately, our innocence never used to get published in media,” Hameed said. (PTI)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120822/main8.htm

BBC News – India charges Italian marines with murder of fishermen

Friday 18 May 2012. The marines are accused of shooting the two fishermen dead in February after allegedly mistaking them for pirates.

Italy has recalled its ambassador for consultations. It says the incident took place in international waters and that the men should be tried in Italy.

The marines were guarding an Italian oil tanker off India’s south-western coast when the incident occurred.

The marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone – are being held in the central prison in the Keralan state capital, Trivandrum.

Italy agreed in April to pay 10m rupees (£117,013; 143,203 euros; $189,000) in compensation to each of the families of the two Indian fishermen.

In return, the families agreed to withdraw civil court cases against the marines.

However, the diplomatic row between the countries continued despite the compensation and talks between the two governments.

‘Warning shots’

Italy said that the Indian fishing boat had behaved aggressively and ignored warning shots from their ship, the oil tanker MV Enrica Lexie.

But India said the fishermen, Selestian Valentine and Ajesh Pinky, had been unarmed.

The Indian government initially said the event had occurred in its territorial waters and that the marines should therefore be tried under local laws.

It recently changed its position, saying that the incident had taken place in international waters and that the Keralan police had had no jurisdiction to detain the ship.

However, Keralan state officials maintained the marines would be tried under Indian law.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-18118790

The Tribune – Centre to withdraw Additional Solicitor General (ASG) from case

Thiruvananthapuram/Chennai, April 21. Livid over the U-turn made by Additional Solicitor General Harin Raval in the Italian ship case, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today sought his immediate withdrawal from the case even as Centre distanced itself from the ASG’s remarks.

In a fax message to Law Minister Salman Khurshid, Chandy wanted to know under what circumstances Raval had submitted in the Supreme Court that India has no jurisdiction to detain the Italian ship ‘Enrica Lexie’ from which Marines had shot dead two Indian fishermen on February 15 off Kerala coast.

In his submission, Raval had said that the ship was not within the Indian territorial waters when the shooting incident took place.

Chandy wanted the Centre to engage the Attorney General in the case in place of Raval, whose submission in the apex court yesterday drew sharp reaction from both opposition and ruling Congress-led UDF.

Earlier, talking to reporters in Kochi, Chandy said there was no change in the state’s stand on the issue and that Raval would not appear in the case.

Chandy said Kerala had informed the Central government at each stage of the case and had received full support.

“The Government is clear the incident happened in Indian waters,” Shipping Minister G K Vasan told reporters in Chennai. “It might be his personal opinion,” Vasan said when asked about Raval’s submissions. The ruling Congress-led UDF in Kerala found itself in a bind as the ASG’s submission contradicted the stand of the government headed by Oommen Chandy which firmly held that India has every legal competence to try the case under its law.

Seizing on the development, the critics said the ASG’s submission amounted to reinforcing Italy’s assertion that Indian courts had no jurisdiction to try the case since the alleged incident happened when the ship was in international waters.

Corporate Affairs Minister Veerappa Moily said in Thrissur that the Centre and Kerala were not on different “wavelengths” on the issue. “Sometimes the views expressed …are not in consonance with the views of the Central government. I do not think that the Central government and the state government are on different wavelengths,” he said. “Whenever there are mistakes, we have corrected them,” Moily said.

CPM stalwart V S Achuthanandan said the submission made by the ASG was nothing short of a betrayal of the country. Doramma and Derirk Valentine, the deceased fisherman’s wife and son, respectively, said in Kollam that it was difficult for them to understand as to how the Centre could take such a U-turn in the case after expressing solidarity with the bereaved families. (PTI)

The controversial statement

Additional Solicitor General Harin Raval had said on Thursday that the Italian ship was not in Indian territorial waters when the shooting took place. His submission amounted to reinforcing Italy’s assertion that Indian courts had no jurisdiction to try the case.

Centre’s U-turn

The government is clear that the incident happened in Indian waters. It might be his (ASG Harin Raval) personal opinion.

GK Vasan, Union Shipping Minister

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120422/main2.htm

The Tribune – Italy begins case against marines; Could lead to a prison term of not less than 21 years

Kochi, March 1. In a bid to persuade India to hand over its two arrested marines charged with murder for killing two fishermen, Italy told the Kerala High Court today that it has initiated criminal proceedings against them under its law that could lead to a prison term of not less than 21 years.

The police custody of the two Italian marines Latore Massimiliano and Salvatore Gironi was meanwhile extended till March 5 by a Kollam court. The two accused are in police custody since February 20.

A communication from the Deputy Attorney Dr Eliza Betta Cenicola stating that as per Article 575 of Italian Penal code whoever causes death of a person was punishable with a prison term of not less than 21 years was filed in the High Court by counsel for Italian government and the two marines. The case has led to a diplomatic stand-off between India and Italy.

During the proceedings in the High Court, Justice P S Gopinathan ticked off the Italian government, pointing out “serious defects” in its plea seeking quashing of FIR against the two marines and sternly told them it will look into the petition only after these are “cured”.

Italian government should not have an impression that the Indian Judiciary was so loose that anyone could file a plea before courts, he said in the open court.

The judge directed the Consul General to produce necessary documentary evidence to show that the Consulate has the authorisation to represent Italian government in legal proceedings relating to the killing of the fishermen by the marines on board the cargo ship Enrica Lexie off the Kerala coast last month.

The judge even expressed doubt whether the signature of one of the accused affixed in the affidavit produced before the court was genuine.

Even though senior counsel for the petitioners repeatedly requested the court to look into the documents, the court refused and directed the petitioners to “cure” the defects. Only after “curing” the defects, the documents would be looked into, the judge held. (PTI)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120302/nation.htm#6

The Hindu – Ancient India possessed a sense of history: Romila Thapar

Staff Reporter

Kottayam, 21 January 2012. Historian Romila Thapar has pointed out that ancient India possessed a sense of history and this was contrary to what had been assumed by colonial powers.   Inaugurating a three-day national seminar on ‘New History’ at the Mahatma Gandhi University here on Thursday, Prof. Thapar reinterpreted ancient Indian literary sources so as to highlight ancient Indian historical consciousness, historical traditions and historical writings. She also sought to expose the allegation of some Western scholars that ancient Indians were people with no sense of history.

Prof. Thapar said that attempting to derive chronological information and to characterise the nature of societies from the epics of Mahabharata and the Ramayana made little sense. These issues were either ignored or forgotten by some historians who used the epics as source material. It was high time people realised that the epics had many versions.

The epics had to be seen as oral poetry and, therefore, one had to accept that the texts as they were available today had gathered encrustations around them.

Professor Thapar said three aspects of the study of historical traditions merited examination.

These were the widely-held view that Indian civilisation lacked a sense of history, the recognition that historical traditions of diverse cultures will, inevitably, differ and, finally, the nature of the representation of the past in the early Indian historical traditions.

Inaugural session

Indian Council of Historical Research Chairman Basudev Chatterji delivered the keynote address. The inaugural session was chaired by Vice-Chancellor Rajan Gurukkal. IUCSSRE Joint Director Radhika Parakkat, and Associate Fellow P. Madhu spoke.

ht://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2818111.ecetp