Tag: Kochi

‘The Kerala Story’: 2 Kochi theatres cancel shows; only one to screen film

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Kochi: Two theatres in Kochi city have cancelled the screening of the controversial film ‘The Kerala Story’ which will be released in cinema halls today.
Although PVR Cinemas in Lulu Mall and Oberon Mall, and Cinepolis in Centre Square Mall have cancelled the screening, no reasons were stated for the decision.
There is only one theatre ‘Shenoys’ remaining in Kochi city which is set to screen the movie from 10.00 am.

Earlier, theatres reached an agreement with distributors to screen the film on 50 screens in Kerala, but many backed out just before the release.
Later, the film agreed to screen on only 17 screens. However, as of now, it is not clear how many theatres will be screening the film.
In the meantime, there are only three theatres which are going to screen this movie in Ernakulam district. Shenoys in Kochi city, Carnival Cinemas in Kariyad and Dharshana Cinema Complex in Piravom will be screening ‘The Kerala Story’.
The show’s cancellation comes amid protests against the movie for allegedly propagating a false narrative of Islamic conversion.
Helmed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the film has triggered a massive political row with various leaders reacting to the movie releasing today.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, recently said in a statement that the movie was deliberately made with the aim of communal polarisation and to spread hate propaganda against Kerala.

The statement reads, “The trailer of the Hindi film, ‘The Kerala Story’, which appears to have been deliberately made with the aim of communal polarisation and to spread hate propaganda against Kerala was released last day. It is indicated from the trailer that this film is trying to spread the propaganda of Sangh Parivar, which has established itself as the centre of religious extremism in the land of secularism, Kerala.”
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday tweeted, “It may be your kerala-story”>Kerala story. It is not our kerala-story”>Kerala story.”
‘The Kerala Story’ stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles.
The trailer of Sen’s film ‘The Kerala Story’ came under fire as it claimed that 32,000 girls from the state went missing and later joined the terrorist group, ISIS.
Leader of Opposition in Kerala Legislative Assembly VD Satheesan recently said that the film ‘The Kerala Story’ should not be granted permission for screening.
“The film ‘The Kerala Story’ which falsely claims that 32,000 women in Kerala converted and became members of the Islamic State, should not be granted permission for screening. The trailer clearly shows what the film intends to say”, Satheesan said in a Facebook post.
After controversy sparked over the same, the makers of the film took a U-Turn and changed the number from 32000 women to 3 women in the description of their trailer.
He also alleged that the film is part of an attempt to implement Sangh Parivar’s agenda and create a social divide by casting a shadow of doubt over the minority groups.
“This is not an issue of freedom of expression but part of an attempt to implement the Sangh Parivar agenda to create a divide in the society by casting a shadow of doubt over the minority groups”, he said.
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#Kerala #Story #Kochi #theatres #cancel #shows #screen #film
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 5, 2023
Kochi Water Metro commences commercial operations; over 6,500 people ride on first day

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Kochi: The Kerala government’s ambitious Kochi Water Metro service, a first in the country and launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day ago, commenced its commercial operations on Wednesday on a single route which witnessed an “overwhelming” response with a ridership of over 6,500.
On the first day of its commercial operations, Kochi Water Metro ran boats between the Kerala High Court and Vypin terminals from 7 AM onwards and saw a ridership of 6,559 passengers, Kochi Water Metro Ltd (KWML) said in a statement.
KWML said the public response on the first day was “overwhelming”.

“Boats were operated every 15 minutes from 7 AM to 8 PM in the High Court -Vypin route from both the terminals,” it said.
On Thursday, commercial operations would commence on the second route from Vytilla to Kakkanad.
“It is expected that this route will be beneficial to the people of Kakkanad and for those working in Infopark. In the initial days, the Kochi Water Metro would be operating in this route during peak hours.
“The boats will operate from 8 AM to 11 AM and from 4 PM to 7 PM. There will be 3 trips each in the morning and evening hours. The ticket rate for this route would be Rs 30,” KWLML said in the statement.
The estimated travel time from Vyttila water metro terminal to Kakkanad terminal is around 25 minutes and to ensure last mile connectivity, feeder buses and autos have been arranged from Kakkanad Water Metro Terminal to Infopark.

The flagship water metro project of the Left front government, set up at a cost of Rs 1,136.83 crore in the port city, will connect 10 islands using 78 electric boats and 38 terminals, once fully operational.
Initially, 15 electric air-conditioned catamaran boats will ferry city residents across eight water routes. There are 15 proposed water routes.
A group of differently-abled children enjoyed the inaugural trip of the water metro on the first day. The vessels and the terminals are disabled-friendly.
The ticket rate for the High Court-Vypin route is Rs 20.
During peak hours, there will be boat service every 15 minutes on this route and services will continue till 8 PM, the KWML statement said.
It said the country’s first Water Metro service will provide safe, affordable and pocket-friendly travel for people in and around Kochi and also the tourists from across the world.
The eco-friendly vessels can ferry up to 100 people each across the proposed 76-km-long routes at a speed of eight to ten knots.
The boat had also won Gussies International Electric Boat awards, 2022.
Metro officials said the vessels are fitted with the most advanced and safest battery technology, which is capable of supercharging in 15 to 20 minutes.
The vessels are also equipped with life-saving equipment and technology to prevent overcrowding.
Apart from having an automatic boat location tracking system and a night navigation equipment, the panoramic windows of the vessels provide a visual treat of the scenic backwaters of Kochi.
The solar-powered electric vessels with zero emissions have recyclable aluminum alloy hull bodies and the engines produce near to zero sound and vibration while running.
The Kochi Water Metro service is fully funded by the Kerala government and KfW, a German funding agency.
The terminals are built with state-of-the-art facilities and the jetties have floating pontoons with automatic docking system technology. The Water Metro is expected to ferry 34,000 passengers everyday when fully operational.
The integrated ticketing system allows passengers seamless travel on water metro and metro rail using the Kochi One card.
For the future, KMRL plans to make the smart card usable for travel on feeder buses and auto-rickshaws.
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#Kochi #Water #Metro #commences #commercial #operations #people #ride #day
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 26, 2023
Kerala: PM Modi to flag off India’s first Water Metro in Kochi

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Kochi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off India’s first Water Metro that connects 10 islands around Kochi through battery-operated electric hybrid boats for seamless connectivity with the city.
Water Metro is a unique urban mass transit system with the same experience and ease of travel as that of the conventional metro system. It is very useful in cities like Kochi.
“Kochi’s water metro project is a unique project which will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister. This is a game-changing transport system because Kochi is surrounded by many islands and out of them 10 islands are very important and thickly populated,” Managing Director, Kochi Metro Rail Limited told ANI ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Loknath Behera.

“Those who depend on main lands will be getting a sustainable, regular, and luxurious transport system at a very affordable price,” he added.
According to the officials, the Modi government has made a conscious choice to avoid a one-size fits all approach in providing infrastructure and connectivity. A prime example of this approach is seen in the expansion of metro connectivity in the country.
Prime Minister Modi, who is on a visit to Kerala, will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate various projects worth more than Rs 3200 crore.
Apart from Kochi Water Metro, rail electrification of the Dindigul-Palani-Palakkad section will also be dedicated by PM Modi.
During the event, PM Modi will also lay the foundation of various rail projects including the redevelopment of Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Varkala Sivagiri railway stations; comprehensive development of Thiruvananthapuram area including Nemon and Kochuveli and increasing of sectional speed of Thiruvananthapuram-Shoranur section.

Earlier on April 24, the Prime Minister who landed in Kerala for a two-day visit, held a mega roadshow in Kochi on Monday.
Sporting traditional Kerala attire, PM Modi walked through the streets of Kochi. People queued up on both sides of the road and cheered for the Prime Minister. They also showered flower petals on him. PM Modi was also seen shaking hands with people.
After walking for over 15 minutes, the security personnel escorted him to an SUV.
He will flag off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod at Thiruvananthapuram Central Station on Tuesday.
According to Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the train will cover 11 districts namely Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod.
PM Modi will also lay the foundation stone of the Digital Science Park in Thiruvananthapuram.
According to Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Digital Science Park is envisaged as a key research facility to develop digital products and services by industry and business units in collaboration with academia.
As a third generation Science Park, the Digital Science Park will house common facilities to support the development of products in the area of Industry 4.0 Technologies like AI, data analytics, cyber security, smart materials etc, said the PMO statement.
The state-of-the-art basic infrastructure will support high-end applied research by industries and the co-development of products in association with the Universities. The initial investment for Phase-1 of the project is around Rs 200 crore while the total project outlay has been estimated at around Rs 1,515 crore.
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#Kerala #Modi #flag #Indias #Water #Metro #Kochi
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 25, 2023
Kochi: Fire from Brahmapuram waste plant under control, thick smoke continues to persist

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Kochi: Giant plumes of toxic smoke continued to rise from the Brahmapuram waste plant here on Sunday evening as hundreds of firefighters, including Naval personnel, battled to bring the blaze that has gone on for four days under control.
A senior police officer said that the fire appeared to be extinguished, but huge amounts of smoke was still rising from the site and therefore, it may not have been quelled completely.
Aerial visuals of the site aired on various channels showed huge and thick plumes of smoke billowing from the site which appeared to be completely ravaged by the fire.
Meanwhile, the district administration declared Monday as a holiday for Anganwadis, kindergartens, day care centres and children of classes 1 to 7 of government, aided, unaided, CBSE and ICSE schools located in Kochi city and neighbouring gram panchayats and municipalities.
Earlier in the day, Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeeve said that the fire was under control and would hopefully be extinguished by evening.
He and State Health Minister Veena George said that the smoke due to the blaze was not a matter of concern.
Their announcements came while speaking to reporters after a high-level meeting at the Ernakulam District Collectorate here.
They said that people need not stay indoors as recommended on Saturday and can move out by taking precautions, like wearing N95 masks.

However, those with breathing problems, like asthma, the elderly, children and pregnant women should try and avoid getting exposed to the smoke and should wear masks if going out, the Ministers said.
George also said hospital records of the city do not indicate any medical cases due to the smoke.
Nevertheless, arrangements, like dedicated beds for those affected by the smoke generated due to the fire, have been made in all government hospitals and medical colleges in the city.
Besides, two oxygen parlours and a round the clock medical team of doctors have been put in place in Brahmapuram.
Regarding the decisions taken in the meeting, Rajeeve said that all stakeholders were of the view that there needs to be a coordinated effort to deal with such situations.
In lieu of that, it was decided to put in place a system comprising a coordination committee of representatives from the Kochi Corporation, fire services, police, health services, electricity board and fire safety officials of Bharat Petroleum and CIAL.
Also, it was decided in the meeting that a panel comprising officials of the corporation and the panchayat, where the waste plant is set up, and including the District Collector and the local MLA will meet every three months to discuss problems in that area.
After the prevailing issue is resolved, the corporation will also take urgent steps to ensure proper road connectivity to the area — another decision taken in the meeting according to Rajeeve.
The Minister further said as a result of the more than 3-day long fire, waste collection in Kochi has come to a standstill and therefore, in the meeting it was resolved that the corporation and the District Collector would take steps to put in place a temporary arrangement for removing garbage from the city.
The issue of bio-mining, which has not been taking place at the waste plant for some time, will be tackled by Local Self Government Minister M B Rajesh.
Earlier in the day, a fire officer engaged in the fire-fighting at the waste plant said it was taking time to quell the flames as there were layers of plastic underneath which got heated up and prevented the fire at the top from cooling down.
Lack of rains and wind also played spoilsport against the fire-fighting efforts and there was a second instance of a fire breaking out during the operations.
He said the fire tenders have been mobilised from divisions of other districts like Kottayam and Alappuzha.
In addition to all these, the phosgene gas generated by the fire is leading to nausea, dizziness among the firefighters which also affected operations.
According to police, 25 fire-fighting units, which included tenders from Thrissur, Kottayam and Idukki districts as well as those of the Indian Navy and Bharat Petroleum, battled the blaze since morning.
Air quality in parts of this port city was found to be poor this morning due to the fire.
According to the data on the Kerala Pollution Control Board website, the PM 2.5 and PM 10 particulates’ level in the air in Kochi were way above the prescribed standards.
The level of PM 2.5, tiny particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter that can enter deep into the lungs and even the bloodstream, was found to be 279.58 ug/m3, at around 8.30 AM today, as against the normal standard of 60.
PM 10, particles with diameter less than 10 micrometres, level were recorded at 324.65 as against a normal of 100.
The fire broke out in the waste dumped at the plant on Thursday.
Officials had maintained that such incidents happen every year around this time due to the extreme heat.
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#Kochi #Fire #Brahmapuram #waste #plant #control #thick #smoke #continues #persist
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 5, 2023