FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2017
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‘Metro man’ invited for Kochi leg inauguration, finally In the first 25-km phase, Metro will run for 13 km between Palarivattom and Aluva IANS, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
A
fter widespread criticism, “Metro man” E. Sreedharan has been invited to the inauguration of Kochi Metro by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was announced on June 15. The Prime Minister’s Office has invited both Sreedharan and opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala to share the dais, Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran and BJP state president Kummanem Rajasekheran separately told the media. Earlier, “Metro man” E. Sreedharan has not been given a seat on the dais. Elias George, the Managing Director of Kochi Metro Rail Corp, told the media that the list of invitees to the dais was prepared and sent to the Prime Minister’s Office. “The final list is made by the PMO. We have no role in this.”
Work on Kochi Metro began in 2012 after the Oommen Chandy government entrusted the project to Delhi Metro Rail Corp. (Photo: IANS)
After hearing about the exclusion of Sreedharan, Chennithala and local legislator P.T.Thomas,
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to the Prime Minister’s office to include these
three also. But the request to include local legislator P.T. Thomas on the dais was not accepted. Modi will arrive at the Kochi international airport and will be driven to the Pathadipalam railway station to take a Kochi Metro train to Palarivattom, six kilometres away. From there he will drive to the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium to officially launch Kerala’s first metro by addressing a public meeting. He will return to Delhi after a brief meeting with the Kerala cabinet led by Vijayan. In the Kochi Metro project, which is 25 km long, trains will run for 13 km between Palarivattom and Aluva from June 19. Work on Kochi Metro began in 2012 after the Oommen Chandy government entrusted the project to Delhi Metro Rail Corp, with its principal advisor Sreedharan overseeing it.
TN officials attacked now in Gujarat CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu officials who were attacked by cow vigilantes in Rajasthan were expected to reach here along with the 50 cows they have bought for breeding, official sources said on June 14. An Animal Husbandry Department official told IANS on the condition of anonymity that the officials and cows had reached Ahmedabad and would travel by road through Maharashtra as well as Karnataka to reach Tamil Nadu. The Rajasthan Police escorted them till they crossed into Gujarat, where the Gujarat Police was providing them security, the official said. He said the Tamil Nadu Police chief had written to his counterparts in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka to provide protection to the officials and the five trucks carrying the cows when they travel through their states. A team of officials from Tamil Nadu was attacked by cow vigilantes in Barmer in Rajasthan on the suspicion that they were smuggling the cows for slaughter. The Tamil Nadu officials had procured 50 cows and were bringing them to Tamil Nadu when they were attacked. —IANS
Amit Shah to meet ‘opposing’ ally Uddhav Thackeray IANS, MUMBAI
B Subhash Palekar has been appointed as an advisor to promote organic farming in the state.
Andhra appoints Palekar as advisor on organic farming BENGALURU: The Andhra Pradesh government appointed agriculturist and inventor of Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) Subhash Palekar as an advisor to promote organic farming in the state. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu met Palekar and appointed him as an advisor to the government, responsible for formulating policies and creating a framework to foster organic farming. According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, the move is part of the government’s efforts to make agriculture more profitable, reduce input cost and to encourage and promote healthy and organic farming. Naidu also requested Palekar to help build a university in Amaravati exclusively for organic
farming. For this purpose, the state government has agreed to allot 100 acres of land and Rs 100 crore as investment. The Chief Minister said that he will strive to make Andhra Pradesh 100 percent organic in the coming years and eliminate use of harmful chemicals and fertilizers in crop production. Last year, Palekar had organized a training programme for thousands of farmers from all over the state. The government aims to train 10 lakh farmers in the coming three years. The state government had last year initiated Zero-Budget Natural Farming. This initiative covered a total of 5 lakh farmers and 5 lakh hectares in 2,000 villages and 50 percent ‘mandals’ of the state. —IANS
haratiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah will meet ally Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray with the main agenda of discussions likely to centre around the upcoming presidential election, party officials said on June 15. The meeting will take place at the Thackeray residence, ‘Matoshri’ in Bandra east during the three-day visit of Shah to Mumbai to celebrate the BJP’s three years in power at the Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting assumes significance for the BJP as the Shiv Sena is the most vocal critic of the party, the Prime Minister and also its Maharashtra alliance partner Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. In an embarrassment for the ruling BJP, its ally Shiv Sena has virtually joined ranks with the state opposition parties demanding complete loan waiver for farmers and on other major issues confronting the state. Amit Shah is expected to mollify Uddhav Thackeray and ensure his support for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate in the upcoming presidential election.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah will meet ally Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray. (Photo: IANS)
The meeting will take place at the Thackeray residence, ‘Matoshri’ in Bandra east during the three-day visit of Shah to Mumbai
In fact, even as the Shah-Thackeray ‘summit’ was announced on June 15, the Shiv Sena fired missives at neighboring Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is grappling
with a farmers’ agitation. The Sena is upset over the Chouhan government’s refusal of permission to various opposition parties, including Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and Gujarat reservations leader Hardik Patel, to meet the families of the victims killed in the recent police firing during the farmers’ agitation in Mandsaur. “This is wrong... If this continues, it could prove damaging for the country’s democracy,” the Sena opined in an edit in the party mouthpieces ‘Saamana’ and ‘Dopahar Ka Saamana’ on June 15.