Sunday, December 25, 2011

SUDAN DYES IN SPICES

ASudan dyes,a fraud in the food industry
    It has been reported today that samples of chilly powder adulterated with Sudan dyes have been detected in the samples collected from a Kerala based company.It will be worth knowing the hazards involved in such practices.
Chilly powder has a red colour.But the colour of this vegetable product gets dull in a few days of storage in godowns or packets.The product becomes less appealing to the consumers who are carried away by the sparkling colour of the powder that is mixed with Sudan1,a chemical with a scarlet red colour ,But Sudandyes are chemicals having genotoxic and carcinogenic effects,and are permitted as dyes in the plastic industry only .
 The presence of Sudan dyes in chilly powder was first detect ed in 2003,in France.The Europian Union then enacted laws to ban the use of it in the food industry.
    There are other chemicals like Sudan 2,Sudan3 and Sudan 4 together with othe classes of harmful dyes which are widely used by the unscrupulous  elements in the manufacturing and trading platform.
This type of adulteration is seen in the case of  several other spices ,virgin palm oil,some food products etc.
TEMPTING CONSUMERS BY THIS TYPE OF MALPRACTICES SHOULD BE SEEN AS ATTEMPT TO MURDER AND TREATED AS SUCH.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

PAST PRIME MINISTERS OF INDIA -AN EVALUATION OF THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS

                              Future of Indian Democracy
   In a democratic country like India it is a challenging task to provide a good administration which benefits the entire population along the length and breadth of this vast country.The country is divided into a number of states,includes people of diverse cultures,languages and social standards.The demand by the various sections are also manifold. No party in power can cater to the needs of any particular state ,region,or social groups.
    There has to be an equitable division of the wealth of the nation  among the citizens while it is the duty of everybody to contribute towards the formation of this wealth.The assets of this country belong to all of us.Hence it is the primary duty of all of us to see that no damage is caused to the properties in any part of the nation.
     After independence the country has given  many single  parties or groups of parties  the chance to come to power.The Congress rule under Jawaharlal Nehru  ( 1947-’64 )gave the much needed industrial growth by setting up a large number of infrastructure industrial units  for production of steel  ,cement,fertilizers,    electricity,textiles etc.This helped the country to make a quantum leap in the manufacturing sector.The building up of the several major dams helped to irrigate large areas of agricultural land.
                             Another pathbreaking step was the formation of the Planning commission aimed at devising agenda for the speedy and systematic  development of India .Priorities were set for the various sectors of the economy.The 5 year plans were suggested as the effective tool for this.Institutions like the AIIMS,IITs,IIMs etc were established to catalyse the growth of the various sectors.He adopted a policy of NonAlignment so that the country could concentrate on it’s growth agenda without being  unduly influenced   by the foreign powers.
    Mining of petroleum and refining of the crude oil gave the much needed impetus to the automobile industry.Several new railway lines were constructed .     One of the most outstanding  and farsighted contributions of the Nehruvian period was the importance given to the use of Science and Technology for the progress of India including nuclear research.Several National Research Laboratories were set up.
                                                        Sri LalBahadur Sasthry was in power only for a short spell of18months.But this period saw the victory of India in it’s war with Pakistan.He coined the famous slogan’ JAI JAWAN,JAI KISAN’to upbeat the pride of Indians.He was the pioneer in the formation of the National Dairy Development Board ( NDDB )and gave the concept of Green Revolution and ‘Operation Flood “
                     The Indira Gandhi period saw severa l ups and downs in the political system.While Nehru believed in a more diplomatic attitude by avoiding friction with other s opposing the congress rule,IndiraGandhi took a bolder view of going ahead with the policies she felt would give a speedier result.For that she went ahead almost singlehandedly.She nationalized the private sector banks and gave  a thrust to the Green revolution.The period also saw the Sino India warof 1971.But nobody will ever  allege  that Smt Gandhi was a corrupt person.She had read a lot through the letters sent to her by her father from the prisons.Moreover she was intelligent enough to apply this knowledge  as and when required.A refined type of dictatorial attitude was evident in her approach.During the Emergency period she declared that ‘More Action and Less Talking ‘was the need of the time.
    Though the communists opposed the emergency,we all know that it was far better than the condition in the People’s Republic of China where the students who protested against the’ one party rule’ there and wanted free democracy as is present in several other countries ,were killed by the People’s Army.There are many who donot endorse the action of Smt Gandhi,but speak about the several beneficial aspects of the emergency.This was most evident in educational institutions.    The subsequent years showed the coming together of the BJP,Socialists and the communists to oppose the authoritarianism of Smt.Gandhi and the Congress rule.
People expected a better rule from  the Janatha party ,but the internal rivalry among the various parties,and the ego of the leaders led to the making and breaking of several ministries.The ministries of Sri Morarji Desai and C CharanSingh fell quickly.
                             (    The communist parties missed the best opportunity to influence the future of this country,when they kept out of power at that time.Had they joined the Union cabinet they would have become more practical minded and more flexible and acceptable  to the Indian masses.Instead they tried to criticize every action  of their own government and claim the credit for any pro people action which found favour with the electorate. The real support base of the communist parties gradually shrunk and got confined to West Bengal,Kerala and Thripura.In Bihar,Punjab,TamilNadu.Andhra pradesh and several other states the party simply vanished.Now they get 1 or 2 seats at the mercy of Smt Jayalalitha ,whom they had described as corrupt and autocratic in the recent past.)
          Following the fall of the Janatha Party led governments Smt Gandhi came to power  in January 1980.The ‘Operation Bluestar in the Golden temple took place during this period and she was assassinated in1984.
    This sudden demise of Smt Gandhi led to the Primeministership of Sri Rajiv Gandhi. As he was working as a pilot  he had no previous experience in the government  or party matters .But as he had the company  of, and guidance from ,several professionals in the core sectors he could take many decisions in the industrial and telecommunication sector.Computers of the latest generation and mobile phones with the latest technology were made available in India .The licensing procedures were simplified.On the whole India progressed very much during his tenure in office.
     The assassination of Sri Rajiv Gandhi gave way to the UF governments with Sri VP Singh and then Sri Chandrasekhar as PMs.The Mandal Commission report was implemented during the PM ship of VP Singh.Tons of gold in our reserves was pledged during the regime of Sri Chandrasekhar.
The fall of the UF govt paved the way  for  the minority government led by Sri PV NarasimhaRao.With his vast experience in the several ministries before, he initiated farreaching reforms in the economic field.Formation of the SEBI,NSE etc were some of his initiatives.He liberalized the monetary system with the firm belief that increase in production in the different sectors will rectify the problems that India faced .Problems regarding distribution could be solved more easily with governmental interference when required.Without increasing production ,any amount of governmental action will only worsen the  situation.Sri PV NarasimhaRao deserves praise mainly because he boldly took all these measures as the leader of a minority party in the Loksabha.None of the bills that he piloted were defeated in the parliament ,and he survived the No confidence motion against his ministry.The Rao governmentremained for  it’s full term in office.The demolition of the BabriMasjid and the subsequent political turmoil led to the defeat of the INC in the elections held in May 1996.
                    The AB Vajpayee ‘s BJP led government lasted for 13 days only.Then came the UF government led by Sri HD Deve Gowda.The left parties were the ones which really ran the show during this period.Sri HS Surjit was a person who was clossettedwith the PM in all photos of the PM in any function except during bedtime.But even here they kept aloof from the ministry saying  they have no ‘Parliamentary Greed”.Every action of the UF government was dictated by the left parties especially the CPM.Their influence led to the visit of the then Chinese President ,Mr.Jiang Zeminto India in 1996.This was the first visit by any Chinese President to India.The deveGowda ministry was defeated and another UF ministry with Sri IK Gujral as PM took oath.
In the next elections held in March 1998,Sri AB Vajpayee became the PM for a 2nd term leading his NDA team.His period in office witnessed the Pokhran Nuclear test,Kargilwar and the implementation of the National Highway DevelopmentProject  (NHDP).NHDP was the most remarkable  achievement of the Vajpayee government.Completion of that project in all the proposed routes will considerably improve the transportation problems faced  by India today and lead to a much fasterindustrial  and economic growth.
  But the ‘India Shines ‘slogan did not go well with the electorate and the next term favoured the INC again.This time Smt Sonia Gandhi declined PM ship and favoured Dr ManmohanSingh to that post. The first UPA government  got the outside support of the left parties also.The implementation of the MGNREGA was the most revolutionary concept implemented by the 1st UPA govt.This gave guaranteed employment to millions of rural men and women for a number ofdays.This together with the food supply at lower rates led to the mitigation of the sufferings of the rural folk.The right to information act (RTI ) was enacted .POTA was revoked .The Civil Nuclear agreement was signed with the world nations to assure uninterrupted nuclear fuel supply for our nuclear powerstations.The introduction of the UID is another step meant to make sure that the subsidies and other monetary assistances intended for the poor  are given to them through a bank account ,eliminating all intermediaries.Moreover it helps as a multipurpose ID card.
        These factors went well with the majority of the people that the UPA got a 2ndterm to form a ministry in 2009.But the 2nd UPA ministry had to face several scams involving several of it’s ministers belonging to the alliance parties.It seems the PM is not able to take stringent and timely action against the erring ministers  because of alliance compulsions.But the people of this country have bestowed their faith on Dr,ManmohanSingh ,because of his personal integrity and the sincerity shown by Smt Sonia Gandhi  at the time of the elections in 2009.They should not misprove this faith and should steer the country along the right track so that we Indians should feel that we have given the reins ofadministration of  this country to a group of competent and trustworthy people. The crux of the  problem  is not HOW LONG YOU RULE THIS COUNTRY,BUT HOW  WELL YOU RULE THIS COUNTRY.
           Regarding the left parties ,they should read the writings on the wall.If they feel that they alone have the right perspective regarding the future of India,and all other parties have to emulate the leftists,they will repeat their experiences in WestBengal   and Kerala.In Kerala it is only through the untiring  efforts of  Sri VS Achuthanandan by taking sensational items in a more sensational way that they have averted a SHIPWRECK.Your IDIOTIC IDEA that you alone are capable of thinking and acting in the right way is nothing less than MOCKERY. Even now you have ‘nt missed the boat.Try to refine your approach by taking others into confidence.In case of any wrongdoing,use the same yardstick for the party men and others.The Congress is not such a bad party as to be hated for ever.All those who  are card holders in the Communist parties are not devoid of evil tendencies.Their criminal cases should not be kept under your carpet,and take stringent legal action in courts.That alone will restore PUBLIC CONFIDENCE in your parties.Or else people of West Bengal will never allow youA to return to power there in the near future.You can have Thripura as the sole model of communism in India.We want real communists with humane approach and not militants with money and musclepower.Try to be good humanbeings ,and we will bring you to power.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

The Lokpal Bill and Sri Anna Hazaare

The Lokpal Bill And Anna Hazaare
   After several months of heated discussions and protests the Lokpal Bill has finally been given green signal for it’s  introduction in the Loksabha.In this context it is meaningless to find out Who has won in this game  show.Ultimately it is the country that has won .It is good that the Parliament has dicided to tackle the issue of corruption and dicided to take steps effective enough to weed out this Evil.
         It is not the congress alone or the UPA alone which can or which will pass this legislation.Being a constitutional bill it must have the approval of 2/3 of the members present and voting at the time of discussion that number being more than clear majority of the total strength of the house.In a similar manner it should get the approval of the Upper House also.
    Whatever be the factors that made the UPA to bring forward a bill like this in the Parliament .the fact is that the introduction of the bill has been given a green signal.Only 7 members voted against the introduction of the bill for their own reasons.They have the right to differ.
               Sri Anna Hazaare and his team are overstretching their support.So far their work is worth emulating.But when the bill is discussed by the Parliament what we want is the clear stand taken by the parliamentarians on the various provisions of the Lokpal Bill.The Anna team can write to the MPS about the clauses that the socalled  civil society members  ( ? )would like to see in the  final bill.They can discuss the issue by arranging a discussion with all the MPs together or in groups.Let all the required provisions be incorporated in the final form .
                  Anna should not say that his team alone has the moral right to talk on the noble  values in social life.  If however Sri Anna feels that his is the only correct stand on the question of corruption he should get together a team that he feels  can tackle the evil with a public declaration of the major steps he and his team will take if they are voted to power.
   They need not wait for this until the next Parliament elections.We are all Indians and people of all the states in India want their state to be ruled by a party of truthful ,honest ,efficient  ,hardworking and  result oriented men or women. They expect the ruling party to implement  the policies as fast as they can.
       In this scenario the Annateam has golden opportunity of contesting the fast approaching state assembly elections including UP.By spelting out clearly what is in their agenda they can approach the electorates and get their mandate .Since Anna feels that he is the chief crusader against corruption and all other evils in the present political system ,it should not be difficult for him to wrest the majority of seats in these assemblies.By implementing effective action programmes there ,he can spread his wings through out India .

            

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Mullaperiyar,Then andNow

                                            Mullaperiyar Dam,then and now
A  little history
   Theckady is the border that links Kerala with Tamilnadu.A few decades back a view from the present damsite eastwards would have shown us the sight of a limitless stretch of barren land wearing a desertlike look.Kambum,Theni etc were clearly seen in this way.Behind us we could see the dense forests in the Kerala region.But decades of hardwork by the people there together with the perennial supply of water from the Mullaperiyar dam converted this vast stretch of land into a greenery which brought a fortune to the toiling farmers there and supported the daily life of Keralites with regular supply of vegetables ,fruits  pulses ,milk and flowers `
      The unique idea of harnessing the  Westward flowing waters of the Periyar river and diverting it to the Eastward flowing Vaigai river was first explored by PM Pillai ,a minister of the then Ramnadu king `,Muthuramalinga Sethupathy. He  dropped the scheme as it was found to be an expensive project.Later during the rule by the British East India Company  experts from the Madras Engineers,specialists in construction work took up the project but they too gave up the idea as it required deep mountain drilling in excess of 100 Ft.
An earth dam was conceived in 1850 by the British authorities,but following the demand of exhorbitant rates by the labour  citing unhealthy living conditions ,it was put in the cold storage again.
     The entire Southern region came under severe famine during the period 1876-’77 This made the authorities to reexamine the issue on a warfooting.In 1882 a masonry dam was proposed to be constructed at the confluence of the Mullai and Periyar rivers ,hence the name Mullaperiyar.It was Major  John Pennycuick from the Madras Engineers who revised the project and got the approval for the construction of the dam in 1884.
                        Sructure
The Mullaperiyar dam is a masonry gravity dam.Gravity dams use their weight and the force of gravity to support the reservoir and remain  stable.It is located at an altitude of 881 metres (2890 Ft )above sealevel on the cardamom hills of the WesternGhats in Theckady.The construction was during the period 1887 - 1895.The dam has a height of 53.6M(176 Ft )and a length of 365.7 M (1200 Ft ) The wall on the reservoir side of the dam is almost vertical and the supporting part on the Tamilnadu side is slanting outwards from top to bottom.The crest of the dam (top ) is 3.6 M wide  (12 Ft ) and the base is 42.2 M (138 Ft ) wide .The huge structure is built with limestone and Surky (a mixture of crushed bricks,sugar and quicklime.)
    Lime gets leached by the dam water and gets gradually dissolved in it.Also at lower temperatures of the reservoir,the dissolution process gets accelerated.This affects the masonry of the dam ,and in case of floods or earthquake,the dam may collapse easily.
    The main dam has a spillway on it’s left and an auxiliary dam ( baby dam ) on it’s right, along with an earthdam formed out of the mud removed during the formation of the reservoir.The auxiliary dam has a length of  104 M (340 Ft ) . The dam can hold  443  million M3  ( 360000 Acre Ft )of water.Of this 300 million M3 (242500 Acre Ft)  is the active storage.The total cost for the construction of the dam is estimated to be Rs I Crore .
    About 483 people have lost their lives due to Malaria and other  reasons  during the construction of the dam.
    On 29th October 1886 a lease agreement ,valid for 999 years ,was registered between the King of Thiruvithamcore ,Sri Visakhom Thirunal and  The British Secretary of State for Tamilnadu, for the Periyar Irrigation Works   .The lease agreement was signed by V Ram Iyengar,Dewan of Thiruvithamcore and  J C Hannington,Madras State Secretary.  The dam and the river are owned by and located in Kerala.But the dam proper is controlled and operated by TamilNadu under  the provisions laid down in the period lease. The dam created the Theckady reservoir.
                  Water from the dam is diverted eastwards through a tunnel into the Vaigai river to augment its small flow from upstream. Later the Vaigai dam was also constructed  by Tamilnadu for irrigating large parts of Madurai district.In 1956 Tamilnadu Govt.constructed the Periyar Power Station in the Lower periyar region.For this water from the Periyar lake is diverted through the watershed cutting and a subterranean tunnel  (570 FT long )to the Forebaydam near Kumily(Errachypalam  in Tamilnadu ).   From the Forebaydam hydelpipelines carry the water to the Periyar power station in LowerPeriyar (in Tamilnadu )The capacity of this HE project is 175MW. 
  From the Periyar powerstation the water is let out into the Vairavanar and Suruliyar rivers and from there to the Vaigai dam.  Water from the Mullaperiyar dam helps in maintaining Thrice year cropping in the  Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramnadu districts of Tamilnadu.
Morby dam disaster 1979
   The height of the waterlevel in the Mullaperiyar dam was maintained at 142.2 Ft for a long time.This enabled Tamilnadu  to steadily increase the irrigated areas over a period of time.
   On 11th August 1979,the Morbi dam built across the Machchu river in Gujarat was washed off  in the heavy rains that leashed across that state.Morbi was one of the most prosperous regions in the Western India for centuries .The dam was expected to further the fortunes of the region.That hope was shattered by the collapse of the newly built dam.More than 10,000 lost their lives.
     The Morbi disaster sent shockwaves to the South also.Doubts were expressed  by the Kerala govt regarding the strength of the Mullaperiyar dam as several leaks and cracks were visible in the dam already.The Kerala government asked CESS (Centre for Earth Science Studies )to study the situation and submit a report.The Central Water Commission ( CWC ) also inspected the site .On the orders  of the commission the TN government lowered the water level  from the  existing 142.2 Ft to 136 Ft. Besides the Tamilnadu government also took some measures to strengthen the dam.
   Thereafter both Kerala and Tamilnadu have been lobbying for their own cases.Tamilnadu wanted to confirm the adequacy in the strength of the dam and hence for restoration of the water level to 142.2 Ft or even more.It claims that the state had a loss of nearly Rs 40,000 Crores during the period 1979-2005, due to the 3 to 2 reduction per year in the number of crops  harvested.
    The several earthquakes  which caused damages  to  lives  and properties  In the neighbouring  regions    (Idukki   and Kottayam  districts ) have sent shockwaves across the state forcing  people to take to streets and pleading for a new dam to be built there at the earliest.As an immediate precaution they demand the water levels be lowered to 120 Ft.The present dam has been included In the ‘Endangered Scheduled dam ‘by the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation ( Amendment )Act 2006.
                         Solution - VICTORIA DAM MODEL 1891
 The only lasting solution to this delicate problem is the construction of a new dam  in the upstream river.  Wiser opinion s from matured brains from both the states should be able to lead to a lasting solution to this vexed problem which can be easily solved  once wisdom and pragmatism dawn on the leaders in both the states.
 Here it may be good to know about the way in which a dam of the same age has been replaced by a new one .The ( Old )Victoria dam was constructed in Perth in Ausralia in 1891.(i.e.before the discovery of Portland cement ).Water from the dam was used for irrigation in large areas.It had 2 spillways.In 1939 one of these spillways was closed and the other expanded.But gradually water leaking through the dam wall leached the lime from the concrete,thus weakening the structure.Efforts to reduce the leaking  were made in 1912,1939 and in 1966 besides regular maintenance.The upstream side of the dam wall was covered with reinforced concret to reduce further leakage.However a  1988 review of the dam’s design concluded that it lacked sufficient safety margins in the event of floods or earthquakes and it’s concrete had degraded to such a level that it could not be repaired and needed replacement.
    The dicision to replace the old VICTORIA Dam was taken in 1989.Use of the old dam for watersupply ended on 3rd April 1990 and the construction of the new dam started on 23rd August1990.The newdam  was constructed in less than a year after the excavation started.The dam (NEW VICTORIA DAM ))was officially opened on 22nd November 1990.
  Ph 0484 2522662   Mob    9847093640                                         Prof.V S Haiharan
                                                                                                                     (Retd.Professor,Sree Sankara College,Kalady)
Email; prof.vshariharan@gmail.com                                         7/227,Vidya Bhavan
                                                                                                                Perumbavoor PO

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                
          
  

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

An Open Letter to Sri VS

            An Appeal to Sri VS Achuthanandan
                 Sri VS as chief minister of Keralawas in power from 2006 to 2011.He had clear majority in the assembly and faced no destabilizing forces for his ministry.He could have done a lot for the progress of this state in many spheres but wasted many of such opportunities willfully or due to lack of  imagination greatly required by a a good ruler.
  I have travelled from the northern end of Kerala to the Southernend and also from the east to the west on a few occasions.I am sure Sri VS would have done it more than a 1000 times  that, at our expense.He would have seen the thousands of hectares of barren land (cultivable but not used for agriculture).As a ‘Vettiniratthal Veeran’who destroyed the plantains and coconuts in the paddy fields in the Southern districts,he should have paid due attention to bring these vast areas under cultivation by creating a task force for this purpose.By helping the farmers with seeds and manure the farm output in Kerala would have made a quantum leap.Instead many such lands were filled and used for commercial purposes even by governmental interference.  
  The Travancore Rayons in Perumbavoor remains close for years together.As a person who is bent upon handcuffing Dr ManmohanSingh,P Chithambaram,AK Antony and all other Union ministers ,he is to be made answerable to the inaction in this matter which affects the lives of thousands of families in Perumbavoorand it’s suburbs.
The Smart City would have been a reality much before ,had it not been due to the allegations made by him.Finally he claims to have started it in a foolproof manner.THANKS TO HIM FOR the HEROIC ACT.
       How many Penvanibham incidents have occurred during his tenure in office and in how many such  past cases he had made big noise as opposition leader?Why has he kept  willfully silent in most of these cases and used the PKK unjalikkutty case alone at the fag end of his tenure.?Or is it that Sri Kunjalikutty  who was responsible for all these acts.
 He has not shown genuine interest in any bribery case of his period but spent lakhs for the case against Sri RB Pillai.Also he is DEEPLY WOUNDED when Sri Pillai was released recently.Please reveal the amount he has  spent for managing these two case and the source of it also.
                 Whatabout the accused in the Jayakrisnan murdercase,where the crime was committed in front of  children who were shocked at thesi ght of this dastardly act.Was their premature release justified?Where they eligible for any concession?
                   Whatabout the cases against Sri VA Arunkumar,Who,as most of us including  VS, know, has no clear TRACKRECORD.But as his loving father he has  managed to get for him a coveted position as the Head of an organization through shrewd planning.END JUSTIFIES MEANS. Father will fight against computers but he will make his son the CEO of the computer firm.
   Now he  claims  that he will build a new dam in Mullaperiyar by raising public donations.He  can start this after declaring the sources of the lakhs   spent on the recent litigations in the PKK Kutty and RB Pillai case.


        At least from now ,please  try to find  some good in others also and realize that it is not Sri VS alone who is interested in the wellbeing of this state and it’s people.One man’s right may be another man’s wrong.If the respected Nonagenarian wants to do some really good things for his state he should say goodbye to party politics and express his views without fear or favour.It is not the RED SALUTE offered by the party cadre at the burial ground but the satisfaction in  his own mind during his last moments which he should value MOST .

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Sri EMS ,as I see him

Sri.EMS Nambudiripad was the first communist who led his party to power through a democratic election in any part of the world.On 5th April,1957 he formed a cabinet including many specialists for the different portfolios.Messrs,C AchuthaMenon,VR Krishna Iyer,Prof.Joseph Mundassery.KR Gowri.TV Thomas,Dr Ar Menon etc were some of the eminent ministers in his ministry.But due to the liberation struggle that ministry was dismissed in 1959 and fresh elections held when a congress –lad govt came to power. Again Sri Ems formed a govt in 1967 including 7parties in an alliance including the Kerala Congress,Muslim League.SSP,KTP,KSP etc.That govt also fell on 1st November 1969 leading to fresh elections and a congress led govt.
The Land Reforms Bill and the Education Bill were the 2 progressive measures adopted by the 1957 EMS ministry.Through the Land reforms bill the tenants (who leased out land from the land owners and cultivated it became the owners of the land.The landowners ( socalled Landlords )were deprived of their rights over the land overnight.This affected mostly the Hindu temples and Namboodiris and Tamil Brahmins who had given their land to others for cultivation.Through an amendment made by the subsequent ministry,plantationswere exemted from the land ceiling clauses. The real agricultural workers were never benefited by this .They got 1 or 2 cents of land to build a hut.
The people who got the advantage through the land reforms bill realized the vast scope of this provision .They started encroaching forest lands throughout Kerala.Many of them have even crossed the borders to TamilNadu and Karnataka.After a few years they clamoured for titles in those areas also and succeeded in conquering most of our forest land. What is the present condition?most of these land shave been converted to real estate havens fetching crores for the ENCROCHERS .The law abiding LANDOWNER is struggling to meet both ends meet.
In the forest land,if there is attack by wild elephants ,loss of crops due to landslip or rain they are richly compensated.REWARD FOR ENCROACHMENT ? I know a temple in Perumbavoor which lost about 150 acres of fertile land is getting a paltry Rs 3310 per year as ANNUITY.
Regarding the Education Bill.what is the present condition?the POWERFUL STATE GOVERNMENT has the RIGHT to pay the salaries of all teachers and nonteaching staff including their pension and gratuity.The management has the RESPONSIBILITY OF appointing the staff by receiving a FEW LAKHS. Besides the govt should meet the maintenance expenses and electricity bills of these schools.WHAT A TRAGEDY? EMS could not rightly implement these bills.
After his ist term EMS wanted to teach the congress a lesson.For this he aligned with the Muslm League and formed the MAlappuram district and the Calicut University.Both these have now boomeranged on the CPM .They have been routed out from Malappuram.The Muslim League has strengthened its hold there.It would have been wiser for Sri EMS to keep company with a national paty like the INC and influence and pressurize it to adopt more progressive actions.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Mullaperiyar .Why a new dam ?

The present dam in Mullaperiyar was was constructed during the period 1882-1895,at a cost of about Rs 1 Crore.The dam is 366 Metres long,54 Metres high and is at a height of about 882 metres above sealevel.It's full capacity is nearly 45 million cubic metres of water.
The dam is construted by using lime and Surky ( a combination of sugar and lime.).Such a structure can expect a lifespan of only 50-60 years.i.e .the dam has gone beyond this deadline years back.The dam now is in a seismically active zone and it can not withstand an earthquake above 6.0 in the Richter Scale.
Water from rhe dam is diverted with a tunnel to join the Vaigai river and is used by TN for irrigation of vast areas of land in the 5 districts in the Madurai ,Sivaganga,and Ramanathapuram regions.TN generates electricity also from the diverted water.
As the population around the Periyar region increased by the Keralite encroachers the adverse effects became much pronounced.Earthquakes became frequent and people felt insecure.The Kerala govt asked the CESS to study about this and submit a report.Following the report submitted by the CESS,the TN govt lowered the height of the water level from 142.2 FT to 136 Ft.
The present population in the 5 downstream districts of the dam in Kerala is around 40 lakhs.A quake of high intensity can affect the Idukki reservoir too.
Ultimately if some mishap occurs thre, it will lead to an accute shortage of water in the neighbouring districts of TN for a long time.It will perish the economy of Kerala also due to the floods .
So it is in the interest of both TN and Kerala to prepare for a new dam there.But the Kerala Govt should take care to see that the new dam should add to the resources (income ) of the state .The old terms with TN should be revised in that way.
Sqeezing the people of Kerala with huge hikes in water charges and giving millions of Cubic metres of water to TN at throwaway prices is detrimental to the future economy of our state
UNITED WE STAND,DIVIDED WE FALL.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

THE MACAU ISLANDS




The name has stolen the title of many newsreports recently,following the allegations against Mr V A Arunkumar,son of the former Kerala CM Mr.V S Achuthanandan. He is alleged to have visited the place on several occasions.It is good for the Keralites to know something about ths place.
        Macau,also spelt Macao is one of the 2 Special Administrative Regions(SAR )of the People’s Republic of China,the other region being Hongkong.
     Macau was a Portuguese colony and was the first and last Europian colony in China.The Portuguese settled in the Island nation during the 16th century AD and administered the region till  20th December,1999. On that  day it was handed over to PRC (People’s Republic of China )as per a joint declaration accepting a One Country,Two Systems policy.(Just like HongKong.)
      Macau has an area of just 30 Square Km and had a population of 5.5 lakhs in 2010. 95 % of the population are Chinese,and the rest are Portuguese and other ethnic groups.It is the most thickly populated region in the world ( 18428 /Sq Km )
     The region has the second highest life expectancy in the world.     The Currency is Pataca.1 pataca =0.98 HonKong dollar.The territory’s economy is largely dependent on Gambling and Tourism and to some extent on textile exports.
The special economic status promised will be in force till 20th December 2049 ( valid for 50 years )

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Punnapra Vayalar revolt and the later life of Sri CP Ramaswami Iyer

Punnapra Vayalar revolt and the later years of Sri.C P Ramaswami Iyer
In 1946 the rebels who wanted to oust the then Diwan Sri CP R Iyer from his post established a Government of their own at Vayalar village and declared independence from Travancore.Sir CP responded by declaring martial law on Oct.25th.The rebels attacked the Police with country spears and killed a fewpolicemen.The police retaliated by shooting at the rebels
The rebellion was quelled on Oct 27th by the army with over 1000 casualtie son both sides.
       On June 3rd ,the  UK  accepted   the demand  for partition of  India,and the king  issued a declaration of  Independence  on June 18 1947.Later negotiations between the National level leaders and the Travancore rulers led to a Virtual agreement for accession to the Indian Union.
  On July 25 1947.Sri C P  was attending a music concert in the capital ,commemorating the anniversary of Swathi Thirunal.An assassination attempt was made on him by KCS Mony who was hand picked by the socalled  Leftists and  the Diwan sustained  injuries on his nose.Following  this  he  resigned as the DIwan of Travancore.
Later life of Sri C P R
After he resigned from the Diwan’s post he left for London.In 1948,he returned the titles he received from England.In the same year he visited Brazil,Argentina,Peru and Mexico as a tourist.He also visited the U S  where he gave talks at the University of California,Berkely,and had dinner with the then U S President  Harry S Truman. In 1949-50 he visited the  U S again.In 1952 he visited Australia and Newzealand  as a guest.
During 1950-60 he served as Vice Chancellor of both Annamalai and Benares universities simultaneously thus becoming the first Indian to do so.
      In 1953 he was made a member of the Press Commission of  India. In 1955 he toured China as the leader of an Indian University delegation.He was made a member of the UGC in 1955.
His death
  Sri CP Ramaswami Iyer left for England in 1966.There he started a research intended for writing a book he had planned  with the title A HISTORY OF MY TIME.On September 26 ,1966 ,he breathed his last during his work there.
Thus we really lost the services of a great  personality and got the services of” murderers “ and “ Tailors  to lead this state.
Here we get  a Fool who  is hunting after  opponents  in the name of corruption and Penn vanibham,at the same time keeping  silent on the people in his own party .Let them stitch the numerous holes in their party before stitching 2 holes on the political opponents.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Remembering KCS Mony

Today's news about MrV R Krishna Iyer publicly appreciating the criminal act of  kcs moni and exhorting the citizens to emulate kcs mony is quite disturbing.As a former SC Judje he should not have resorted to such a call promoting criminalisation of politics.Sri Cp Ramaswami Iyer has not killed  any communists personally.Ideological differences should be fought only by mobilising public opinion and not by attacking an individual cowardly in the cover of darkness.I would like to know the reaction of Mr VRKrishna Iyer his response about the massacre in the TiananmenSquare in the Great China.What about the killing of the agitating farmers in Nandigram and Singur in West Bengal.What about the Kinaloor incident in Kerala.Would you have welcomed such a response from the people by assaulting the then chief minister? 

Friday, April 29, 2011

The New Government in Kerala-2011-2016-How should it work?

Kerala has completed the polling process and they have elected their representatives who should dicide our destiny for the next 5 years.On the 13th of May the electronic voting machines will show our preferences .
      I write this without any prejudices or preferences regarding the choices made by the enlightened voters of this State.But I do feel that much of what can be and should be done depends on the attitude of the elected representatives on whom we have reposed our faith.
   Whatever parties that come to power have to seriously decide on the major programmes to be initiated and implemented on a priority basis . This should be done by each Ministry by setting up an expert committee that should formulate the programmes .the draft of this should be put on the internet .the public should be given a chance to give suggestions  which also should be considered while finalising the action plan.
   No major decisions should be taken by the ministers without going through the expert committee route and public participation through the internet.
     Implementation shold be taken up on a quarterly basis and proper review should be done regarding the timely progresss of the projects under implementation.this will avoid the cumulation of the works during March and the subsequent inferior quality and widespread corruption.
     All appointments to the institutions run with salary payments by the state exchequor should be done through the PSC only.Members of the personal staff of the ministers also should be from the state govt service.This will eliminate the entry of partymen into govt service through the personal staff route.
   Appointment to the Universities also should be through the PSC.
There should be periodic ( half yearly ) evaluation of the working of the ministers by the public by internet voting .The results of such evaluation should be available to the public to see.
      The new govt should take urgent steps to ban all lotteries including the Kerala state lotteries.
Those rendered jobless should be paid through the MNREGA by involving them in the developmental activities in the agricultural sector.This will help in increasing the purchasing power of the poor together with rich contribution of the human labour in the nation building process.
 Food subsidies should be given only in a graded manner.Those in the BPL group should be given 10 kg pm free of cost.Those in the APL ( upto Rs 15000 pm ) should be given 15 Kg  pm  at Rs 3.Others ( upto Rs 25000 pm )should be given it at RS 10 per Kg.
     Government should take very urgent steps to legalise the contract farming system to enable those who have a genuine aptitude in agriculture to get the required land on lease from the land owners.This will result in the use of lakhs of Hectares of  barren land for cultivation of vegetables ,flowers and fruits as also grass for cattles.
 IF THERE IS A WILL THERE IS a WAY 

Saturday, January 8, 2011

SIR CP RAMASWAMY IYER’S BIG CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GROWTH OF KERALA

Sir C P Ramaswamy Iyer, Dewan of the erstwhile Travancore has come in for criticism from several quarters for their own valid reasons.

This great son of India has contributed immensely towards the industrial development of the State of Kerala through his initiatives and untiring efforts. An unprejudiced view of his role in shaping the fortunes of Kerala would be timely and in right spirit.

Sri Chetpet Pattabhirama Ramaswami Iyer was born in Chetpet Chennai on13th November,1879. After passing his degree with a gold medal and law degree from the Madras Law College with Distinction he practiced for a while as a lawyer.

Ø      He was appointed as the Advocate General of the Madras Presidency. (1920-1923).
Ø      He served as the Law member of the executive council of the Governor and the Viceroy of India (1923-1936).
Ø      In 1931 when Sri Chithira Thirunal was crowned the Maharajah of Travancore CPR was appointed the legal and constitutional adviser.
Ø      In 1936 the king appointed him as the Dewan which post he occupied till the assassination attempt on his life in 1947.
Ø      As a member of the executive council in Madras he laid the foundation stone for the PYKARA DAM, in 1929 and completed the work. This has helped the rapid industrialization of Coimbatore.
Ø      He started the construction of the Mettur dam which helped to irrigate vast areas in the Thajavur and Trichy districts.
Ø      During the same period itself he helped to improve the Cochin, Visakhapattanam and Tuticorin ports.


After he became the Dewan of TRAVANCORE, CP Ramaswamy Iyer,  though a Tamilian by birth worked devotedly for the all-round progress of this state.

Ø      He was instrumental in bringing forward several reforms with far reaching consequences.
Ø      Temple Entry Proclamation Decree giving Dalit Hindus also the right for free worship in all temples.
Ø      Pallivasal Hydro Electric Project across the Periyar River, against the fierce objection by the Madras state.
Ø      CP Ramaswami Iyer himself argued the case for Kerala and won the case.
Ø      Pechipara dam which helped to irrigate the extensive areas in the Kanyakumari district which was the RICEBOWL of Kerala in those days (we had to give possession of these to Tamilnadu in exchange for the Palakkad area.)
Ø      To utilize the power generated from the dams he started the Indian Aluminium Company, at Eloor and Kundara, Travancore Rayons, Travancore Titanium Products, Travancore Cements Kottayam.
Ø      His most glorious achievement is the establishment of FACT at Eloor with American collaboration in open defiance of the hostility of the Viceroy.
Ø      In 1937 he started the University of Travancore with the Maharajah as the Chancellor and Sir CP as the Vice Chancellor.
Ø      In 1940.the road transport was nationalized.
Ø      In the same year the FIRST CEMENT HIGHWAY OF INDIA was constructed from Thiruvananthapuram to Kanyakumari covering a distance of 88 Km.
Ø      Smt Anna Chandy was appointed as the first woman Disrict Judge. (She later became the first Woman High court Judge.).
Ø      The much talked about Mid-day meal scheme was also introduced in the label of the Vanchi Poor Fund to prompt poor students to attend school.

On July 25, 1947, an attempt was made on his life during a music concert commemorating Swati Tirunal .Following this he resigned his position as the Dewan of Travancore and left the state for good.

Afterwards he occupied several coveted positions like the following, Member of the University Grants Commission, Vice Chancellor of Annamalai and Benaras Universities simultaneously the first Indian to do so, Member of the Press Commission of India.

At the invitation of the host countries he has visited and given lectures to elite audience in US, China, Brazil ,Australia, New Zealand ,Peru.

During all these years we Keralites have been honouring the persons who tried to kill him. 

Let us at least once appreciate in public the good work done by this great Indian for the development of our state.