Fever deaths

Fever deaths  in Kerala continue unabated. Often it is lack of cleaniness and sanitation that leads patients to Iose their lives. The Kerala Health Department has not come up with a unique way to tackle the dreaded situation. Every day, minister issues press releases cautioning doctors and health officers but none is seen cared of. The streets are continuously polluted with fish vendors and hoteliers augumenting mosquito growth.

The panchayat and municipal authorities  are least bothered of mobilising field staff to keep street clean. Instead they are interested in installing CCTVs to identify and fine polluters. CCTV installation  is a more profitable business for authorities than mobilising sweepers and scavengers. No proper mosquito eradiction method is adopted.
People should be better equipped to deal with fever spread by giving them basic medicine and awareness on mosquito eradication.

K A Solaman

Kerala new liquor policy

Kerala Govt's new liquor policy is aimed to convert the state into a place of drunkards. Last year, when Pinarayi governement sworn in power they had announced " We are opening schools closed by UDF and not bars." The implication then was they would never open closed bars.

Just after one year they started to act in the inverse. Now they say bar opening is a pragmatic step that may help boost its revenue and retrieve lost ground in the tourism sector. Is tourism in such a depolarable state to get money by  selling liquors? Do we need money by  selling toddy to foreign visitors ?

When the entire woman folk is against  selling liquor in the state why the government sticks to open new bars? The govt. raising the legal drinking age from 21 to 23 is ridiculous. Who cares about age at beverage corporation  outlets where even a school boy gets litres of liquor without age proof? The more ridiculous is the claim of govt that it does not favour prohibition and would rather emphasise on voluntary abstinence. Govt apprehension that if liquor availability is inadequate it would lead to a spike in drug abuse, is a cooked up story.
If proposed one  is the well- thought  liquor policy then in future the place of Pinarayi govt will be in the dust-bin of Kerala history.

K A Solaman

Lavish marriage

The marriage of daughter of CPI MLA Geeta Gopi invites one's attention to   the resolution taken two years back, by the Keraia Women Commission(KWC). The Commission then enlightened every one  to shun lavish marriages. According to the Commission fulsome marriages which had become a status symbol in Kerala had left many families to utter debt.

Bountiful marriages are common in many communities across the state emphasising the phrase,  ‘Fat  Kerala weddings’ – an affair costing several lakhs of rupees even among the middle class. On economic point money spent for ornaments, dresses etc would exceed rupees one crore. So the KWC directions to cut down unnecessary or showy expenditure is a welcome move and it is highly beneficial for middle and lower classes. But who cares? The persons who are bound to be role models are not ready to show that much wisdom.

K A Solaman

In Bad Taste

It is in bad taste that veteran CPM leader and former Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan had not been invited to the first anniversary celebrations of the Pinarayi Vijayan government. As the origin and existence of Pinarayi government solely depend on the hard effort of VS, it is ungrateful on the part of Pinarayi and company not to invite VS . VS's absence in the function tarred the significance of the function.

It is probably not the Opposition stance but the stand-off between Pinarayi company and VS sympathisers would   mark the doom of Pinarayi government.

K A Solaman

The New Indian Express

The New Indian Express

Uncaring act

Administrator  of a business establishment should be an apolitical person. However, in Indian Coffee House establishment the post is seemingly political. The act of present Administrator issuing orders banning the subscription of newspapers except CPM mouthpiece Deshabhimani, is a pointer in this direction. The order, which came into effect from May 1, says that Deshabhimani should be compulsorily subscribed in Indian Coffee House.

People visit Indian Coffee House not because of extra quality of food or of low cost but of the service rendered by the employees.Their smiling face and self content make that eating place healthier. Moreover, the display of news papers and periodicals at the entry was an added attraction and it persuades people to read. With Desabhimani alone, Indian Coffee House is unlikely to make any profit by selling periodicals. The administrator has ruined the pleasant atmosphere of Indian Coffee Houses by his uncaring act.

K A Solaman

Brahmins' friend

Minister Kadakampally Surendran has turned into a Brahmin friend by saying economic conditions is the need of the hour for reservation. Minister said: “Rich and poor can be found among people belonging to upper and lower castes. We want reservation for economically backward persons irrespective of their caste and religion. This is CPM’s stance.”
Reservation being a policy matter how can a minister say about reservation without any debate. Perhaps he is intended to woo the gathering at the  Sree Pushpaka Brahmana Seva Sangam meet.

It is wrong on the part of the  minister to say Brahmins are the victims of land reforms. In fact, Brahmins and upper class people are working in  the high level posts in public and private establishments. In banks, schools, colleges, universities, govt. departments, boards etc Ezhava, Muslims, Dalit Christians, SC/ST are a neglected lot and it was categorically established by Justice Narendran Commission Report. Before declaring unilaterally, Kadakampally and his party should make a social audit and try to understand the reality.

K A Solaman

Water-Elixir of Life

Water is the elixir of life. Without water life in all forms is impossible. Water scarcity affects every continent and around 2.8 billion people around the world are affected at least one month out of every year. More than 1.2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water.
Water, which is presumably a human birthright, is becoming dearer and its price is rising. The situation Is indeed grave. And it just mean it is up to us to make the change.

By educating those who are not dealing with water scarcity, they can be in a position to help. Those who are dealing with it can get educated on how they can prevent the problem from becoming even worse in the future.There are plenty of technologies out there that allow us to recycle water that we may be using in home.There are a lot of water conservation methods and we have to adhere to a few of them.

Farming and irrigation are often a huge culprit when it comes to water scarcity. Because of that, we need to improve practices so that we don’t use as much water. Clean drinking water starts with a good sewage system. Without proper sanitation, the water in an area becomes ridden with disease. By improving the sewage systems in these areas, we can prevent water scarcity from becoming any worse.There are organizations located all over the world that are looking to bring clean water to areas that don’t have it. By donating to these organizations we can help people suffering from water scarcity

K A Solaman

Drug abuse among teens

Drug pedlling is one of the major handicaps of Kerala cities especially of Kochi. The city police  arresting nine youths and three minors at Kochi is stunning. The  police has seized ganja and nitrozepam from teen -agerട. The reasons for rampant drug abuse are many.

Youngsters see their parents and friends use drugs, drink Iiquor and enjoy a lot. They need money for enjoyment. Drug traficking is an easy source of money for them. Movies and TV shows make drugs seem like a good habit for youngsters. The wrong  message to teens given by films like 'Angamali diary' or 'Premam' is no body's concern. Enthused by these films teens find drugs as the outlet for stress, frustration and extra energy. Teenagers turn to drug abuse because they see it as a short term short cut to happiness.

Since teenagers are ignorant of the dangers associated with drugs, a well equipped awareness campaign is needed  to save them from the clutches of drug abusers. A strict combing action is also needed to identity the hide-outs of drug pedllers.

K A Solaman

Path that sathram shows

Sathram is a newly found business in Kerala. Many people are involved in organising sathrams. The recently heard ones are Vachanamithra Sathram, Akhila Bharatha Bhagavatha Sathram, Ayyappaseva sathram and others. A huge amount of money is collected and spent for orgainsing sathrams. What are its outcome and utility? Does it improve our secular view?

Kerala state is known as God's own country because of the reason that it was supposedly created Lord Parasuram or that  there are innumerable  temples and gods in Kerala. Temple festivals are main rituals in each and every timple and people from all walks of life, irrespective of caste and creed, attend  it. On the other hand sathrams are restricted to members of certain community and hence the meaning of  secularism is not all  applicable,

The Sathram organisers' main focus is to collect as much amount as they  can. and hence ordinary people lose money and precious time. So it is important to have a control over sathrams, otherwise it would turn out as a crafty way to loot the  unwise by the wise.

Bhagavad Gita, as we know, is a source of light which is eternal. It teaches mankind to live in consonance with nature, society, nation and the world. It enlightens those who face any kind of dilemma and it always shows us correct path. Would the sathrams in the name of Bhagavadam, now enacted in Kerala, show the correct path? Unlikely.

K A Solaman

Between devil and sea

Seemingly some one in the Kerala cabinet has taken pledge not to reinstate   T P Senkumer back to the post of DGP as per  SC order. The state government move to the Supreme Court to seek clarity in the reinstatement order  is a pointer in this direction.

It also seems that advisors of Kerala CM, in this regard, have firm faith in routine delay of court proceedingട so that reinstatement could be prolonged until date of retirement. The open cry of minister G Sudhakaran tells the extend to which his party dislikes Senkumar.

Reasonably. the favourable order received by Senkumar will not go ashtray. The SC Judges who proclaimed the order are not that much misinformed  about the foul play of Pinarayi and company. If  all is not said and done immediately, the fate of Pinarayi  ministry will be in between devil and sea.

K A Solaman

Munnar land encroachment

The large-scale constructions by the encroachers  in ecologically fragile Munnar would create big disasters. While huge land encroachments at Munnar and nearby areas pave way for heated exchanges between officials and party encroachers, the state government has failed to support the officials.. One just officer, sub-collector Sriram Venkitaraman, who is determined to effect HC order to get back goverrment land, is abused by land grabbers. The police disobeying the orders of the sub- collector  is a grave deriliction of duty. They should face the music.

Government land has been grabbed in the villages of Munnar using fabricated documents by  party members and other bigwigs. A detailed report to the state government prepared by a former revenue commissioner points out that huge amounts of land are held by big encroachers from outside Idukki. When revenue officials try to check the validity of the land, the planters resist the move with the help of local party goons

The land encroachments should be evicted immediately and for this adequate police protection should be given to the officials.

K A Solaman

Syllabus hues

The spat between NCERT and SCERT over the latter revising textbooks in Kerala is unwarranted. Though the NCERT claims its syllabus is best and in tune with international standards, the syllabus is incomprehensible to most secondary and higher secondary students of Kerala.

The NCERT expert-compiled syllabus often reflects the level of experts and not students. NCERT textbooks need a revision based on the opinion of behavioural therapists before they are presented before students.

The readability of NCERT books is poor and hence teachers resort to other means to teach students. In Kerala, there has been a dilution in the standard of examinations and evaluation of answer scripts, but not in the State syllabus. Those who prepare degree or plus two syllabuses are unaware of the high school syllabus. In high schools higher science and maths topics are included, neglecting totally the need of teaching basic science and maths. The net result is that students are destined to study advanced level topics  without  knowing its basics.

KA Solaman  Alappuzha
The Hindu Business Line
April 1 2017

Needed scientific check

Kerala police still live in the stone age. If stones not available they will throw lathi. The  incident of police high-handedness on a biker who sustained serious injuries after being hit by a lathi thrown by a policeman during  vehicle inspection, proves this.

The police higher-ups should, therefore, give lessons to police men about the weapons they use. They need not be taught yoga, instead be given awareness in a manner that lathi is not for throw. The hapless boy Nisam is now under treatment at Medical College, Alappuzha.

The police should understand that bikers are not alone the offenders. If found guilty they can be punished for traffic offence and too in a more scientific way using radar and camera. There is no need on the part of police for spot collection of fine. There are many grave offenders like drug peddelers, ganja sellers, woman traffickers, blade operators and more. Focus on them and leave bikers for a scientific traffic check.
K A Solaman

Rose and the thorn

Kudos to Vaikom Vijayalakshmi for marking her name in the  book of world records by playing Gayathri Veena for five hours at a stretch. This is a great achievement for the singer and the people of Kerala. Her record emphasises the saying: "The rose and the thorn, and sorrow and gladness are linked together". She has every reason to forget the recent worries.

K A Solaman

Restrict glorification of criminals

Notriety is the present day impetus of youth. Since channels are springing behind all hard core criminals more youngsters resort to crime. Pulsar Suni abducted the actress, Pulsar molested actress, Pulsar  abandoned the phone, Pulsar questioned police, Pulsar taken to Coimbatore etc shouting in news channels prompt other youths to steal a JCB and  known as JCB man like Pulsar . When channels continue glorifying criminals it sends wrong message to innocent children. So it would be good on the part of news channels not to glorify criminals. Instead restrict such news as minimum. No sensible people need elaborate discussion about the wrongs of a criminal.

Political interference should also be avoided. Who convinced CM about no conspiracy behind the abduction, the actress or prominent actress's ex-husband? Fantastic enough!

K. A Solaman

Attack on actress

Unlike our youngsters think, everything is not fine with the tinsel world. There is vengence, deception, kidnapping, molestation and what else. But these stories were confined within in the four walls of cinema till date. Now it has come out in open. The abduction and molestation of noted Malayalam actress Bhavana is a case in this direction.

Attacks on women are rampant in the state and should be condemned. A very strong action against the culprits is required. The government will seriously consider the matter and take action against the criminals, it is hoped.

K A Solaman

Gladiator game in Kannur

Kannur is a battle field for brutal killing of political opponents. The CPM and the RSS are always fascinated at increasing their score. Occasionally the other parties too participate in the killing sport

The main reason for this rivalry is the provocative talks of  leaders of rival groups. So in order to end the violence the leaders should stop their hate speak and goverment should take criminal cases against those indulging in violence. The police force should be given a free hand to arrest the criminals.

The gladiatorial game of 'man killing man' in Kannur is a blot on Kerala psyche. It will take more time to end sadism in the minds of a few party men in Kannur. However, the all party peace meet headed by Kerala Chief Miniser will certainly reduce the tension. The peace talk should be continued at intervals in order to avoid replication of threats.

K A Solaman

Amma for all

Jaya memorial in Marina Beach is a place of solace and enlightenment for both corrupt and uncorrupt. As the Supreme Court refused to entertain Sasikala's plea seeking more time to surrender for undergoing jail term she straightaway went to Jaya memorial and took fuel for Bengaluru journey. The acting CM Paneer Selvam frequently meditates at the memorial and gets revelation for smooth rule ofTN. This and the other rather indicate god is worshipped by both the sinner and the innocent.

Whether the SC can be congratulated or not for issuing its bulky judgement which removed all the rumbles in the TN rule is a point to ponder. The trial court  imposition of  fine of Rs 100 crore now reduced to ten crore is a positive gesture for Sasikala and company.

K A Solaman