Media Awards ....Announced

“Malayalam, Malayalee, Mahaneeyam!”

The N.M.Veeyyoth smaraka FAME Global Media Award 2005 has been distributed at the Flora Grand Hotel on 28-09-06 along with the ifthar party. Chief patron Mr.Karim.T. Abdullah gave away the awards to the winners. The meeting was presided over by Mr.Laiju Salam and the chairman of FAME global Mr. Sreelal was also present.

The award winners are Mr.Biju Abel Jacob (Asianet), M.C.A.Nasser (Gulf Madhyamam Daily), K.M.Abbas for his literary contributions to the media., Ms.Manisha (Asianet Radio), Mr.Shabu (Hit 96.7 FM).The certificate and cash award has been given by: Mr.Santhosh babu (Cozy garments), Kumar (chief Manager Saravana Bhavan), James Mathew (AGN Mak), Mr.Zubair (SeashellGroup) and Pallikkal Shujahi, (Ex- Secretary, Auh Malayalee Samajam).

Mr.P.V.Vivekanand was honoured by Mr.Laiju Salam, president of FAME global, for his 30 years contributions to the media.The winners for the year 2006 have also been declared in the meeting by Chief patron Mr.Karim.T.Abdullah. The winners are Mr.Nizar Sayed for his achievements in various fields, Mr.E.M.Asharaf (Gulf Focus, Kairali channel), Mr.Riyaz Babu ( Khaleej Times for?). And the special award goes to Mr.P.V.Vivekanand, (Editor Gulf Today) for his achievements in journalism. The winners will get memento, certificate and Rs.10, 001 as cash award during a ceremony, which is scheduled to be held on Jan 25th 2007. A good gesture for media freedom in the Gulf! The billion dollar question is is that enough?

Chief patron Mr.Karim.T. Abdullah gave away the awards to the winners.

Employees Protest Against Labour Supply Company too Teach Media a Lesson!!!

A leading Malayali businessman is consulting with lawyers as to how to silence the media people who have boldly reported about the poor fate of 1500 employees, after one of them was beaten up by the company staff. Gulf News reporter Basmaaa and others including Asianet may face a legal tussle soon. Meanwhile, Riyas babu, the budding reporter from Khaleej Times is being troubled by a Sardarji, who has been antogonised by a story about forty workers who were surviving with a single meal a day. The Indian Media Forum, which is famous for pampering and promoting Malayali tycoons, seems to be indifferent towards the threatening mode adopted by the business tycoons. ..Watch this space.(KM Report)

K M Abbas, Kuzhur Wilson Win Thirumuttam Award

Labour Supply Company Threatens Asianet! (Earlier KM Report)

A labour supply company responsible for the inhuman and uncivilised treatment of about 1,500 employees is threatening to take legal action against two leading news organisations that boldly reported the story about the physical assault on a worker. Asianet sources confirmed that a caller was furious at a news report aired by Asianet Radio and Asianet TV about the workers problems. They are known to have consulted the legal advisors to move against the channel, which recently received another legal notice from a recruitment agency for a leading taxi company. Jiji Chandran who has been handling the Gulf Bureau of Asianet Gulf programme has reported the labourers story by quoting the affected workers.

Kairali Channel too reported the story without any fear or favour. Even the report by Basmaa Zaa of Gulf News, a leading English daily was not to the liking of the labour supply company. When the story of Shaji, a taxi driver who was forced to live in a public park for months after failing ten times in the driving test, was telecast, another recruiting agency send a legal notice to the Asianet journalist Biju Abel Jacob, threatening to take legal action if an apology is not given in the Gulf Round Up programme. Paradoxically enough during the major strike by taxi drivers in the city, the drivers aired stronger criticism against the same recruiting agency and even physically manhandled the agents present in the venue.

Threatening legal action and intimidation tactics seem to be the strongest weapon that the violators of labour laws and basic fundamental rights use to silence the press and media. In both the cases, the villains are well respected members of Malayali community. One is a film producer who is getting all the positive media coverage about his success in the film field, but cannot tolerate the negative story about hundreds of employees. While violating workers right is deemed to be a right of the recruitment agents and other Malayali tycoons, reporting such violationssems to be grave mistake! Shut your mouth or get the next legal notice seems to be the catch word.

Vivekanandan Gulf Today editor ...

KM Abbas, Editor of Siraj Newspaper receives an award from....

Hit 96.7 anchor Shabu ...

India and Australia to cooperate in Tourism Education

With India aspiring to be among the top tourist destinations in the world, there is a need to develop world-class tourism management and training curriculum in the country. Towards this end, the National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology signed an MoU with the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism of Australia, here today in the presence of the Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Shri A. K. Mishra and other senior officials.

The objective of the MoU is to establish a cooperative relationship between the two organisations for addressing the hospitality education and training needs of the new tourism directions in India. The cooperation is also expected to result in joint training opportunities in National Council’s affiliated institutions and exchange of tourism and hospitality academics between the two countries.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Mishra said that India has a vibrant tourism industry and is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for international tourists. Last year, about 4 million foreign tourists visited India and it is expected that by the end of 11th Plan period, that is the year 2012, we should be receiving about 10 million tourists per year, he informed. In recognition of this potential, tourism has been included in the infrastructure sector and the Government is making all efforts to improve tourism infrastructure, especially the first entry points like airports, he said. He highlighted the huge untapped potential that India has in niche products like eco-tourism and cultural tourism. We need to offer well-packaged products to the international tourists and it is here that the cooperation with Australian tourism industry is going to help, he remarked.

In accordance with the Ministry of Tourism’s renewed focus on human resource development for the hospitality sector, the National Council and the Institutes of Hotel Management are playing a key role in providing trained manpower for the sector. As international linkages are critical in qualitative growth of these institutes, the National Council has recently signed a MoU with the VATEL International Business School, France. Also on anvil is an MoU with the Singapore Hotel Schools.

Chickun Guniya ...How to Process Domestic Garbage?

M. Smithy

Process them at the source - that’s the best way to recycle garbage. But, how to achieve this goal? We can not afford installing complicated garbage processing plants in every nook and corner of our cities and towns. The ever increasing quantity of accumulated waste is really a headache to the local governing bodies. The strategy adopted by the Kalamassery Municipality in Ernakulam District of Kerala is a practical model to solve the problem of domestic garbage.The decentralized garbage processing plants based on the biological methods was the core idea of waste management in the Kalamassery Municipality. For this the support came from the Ministry of Non Conventional Energy.

Bio-gas Production

The biggest attraction of these domestic plants is the bio gas produced from it. This will help the family to reduce its LPG bill by 50 per cent. In this era of rocketing petroleum prices, garbage plants which are capable of providing fuel to the kitchen are really a boon. As the very first step, the Municipal authorities identified 73 beneficiaries for this project in Kalamasserry. And this local body provided Rs 4,000 each to every domestic plant to encourage them into this new venture. This money was provided from the plan fund of the Municipality. Rs. 2,700 each from the Ministry of Non Conventional Energy was also provided to this project. The plants were installed in the residential premises by Biotech, a nodal agency of the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources. This year the Municipality has identified 150 houses for installing this domestic garbage plant.

Functioning of these domestic garbage processing plants is based on the method of biological degradation. A bacteria culture is deposited in the storage area of the plant while commissioning. These bacteria work to degrade the waste materials put into the plant. Fish wastes, vegetable wastes, food left over from the house, water used for cleaning and preparation of food etc may be deposited in this plant. This may be done a maximum of two or three times a day.

This when treated with the above method produces bio gas. This bio gas is passed through a special tube attached and provided to the burner installed in the kitchen. The waste produced by a four member family can generate bio-gas roughly for two hours. Heat energy produced is 75-80 per cent compared to the LPG. And in practical sense it is enough for domestic cooking purpose. The water remains in the plant after producing bio-gas is also useful. It may be used as bio-manure. Treating this water with a USAB digester will ensure that it meets the standards set by the pollution control board.

Kalamassery is the first Municipality in Kerala which came forward to implement this project with total involvement from the people. The District Panjayat of Ernakulam has already installed 3000 units of domestic garbage processing plant in various areas of the district. Kumbalangy—the Gram Panjayat selected as the model tourism village— is the panjayat which has commissioned maximum number of plants.

Handling Waste from Public Places

Other than the domestic plants, efforts are being made to use the same technology to handle waste from the public places also. The waste recycling plant commissioned at Kadakkal Gram Panjayat in Kollam District is an example for that. The plant set up with a cost of Rs 16 lakhs from the Kerala Development Project is used to handle the waste from the Kadakkal town, Kadakkal market and nearby areas.

Biomethane Gas

The waste is recycled here to produce electricity. It is having a capacity to recycle one tonne of degradable waste and to produce 3 Kilowatt electricity. This power is used to light 120 lamps in the nearby park, fire station and the Kadakkal memorial. Mainly fish and slaughter wastes are treated in this plant. The biomethane gas produced here is passed through bio-filters before reaching the power generator. A bio incinerator also is operated with the power generated here. It burns off the non-decomposed wastes. No doubt, these decentralized waste recycling plants will be a boon to the thickly populated towns and cities. On the other hand steps to create awareness on reducing the creation of wastes also should be initiated by the local administrative bodies.