Heavy rains in Kerala: Gulf flights delayed, diverted as Kochi airport temporarily closed

August 5, 2013

Kochi, Aug 5: Heavy rains have forced the international airport at Kochi in Kerala with dozens of flights either cancelled or diverted including many from the UAE and other gulf countries.

According to airport officials, the runway at Kochi airport has been temporarily closed because of waterlogging.

An Air India Express flight from Sharjah scheduled to land at Kochi airport at 4.25am has been delayed and according to the airport arrivals status will only be able to land there at 22.50 at night.

Another Air India flight from Sharjah scheduled to arrive at 19:00 hours has been delayed by an hour.

Several other flights have been diverted to other airports.

According to reports, a Kochi-bound Saudi Airlines flight with 300 passengers on board had to be diverted.

The airport has been shut down till tomorrow due to water-logging. One report said at least 126 flights and nearly 11,000 passengers have been affected.

Landslides claim nine lives

Nine persons died and several others were reported missing as a string of landslides triggered by heavy downpour battered the high range Idukki and adjoining districts of Kerala on Monday.

The Cochin International Airport has been temporarily closed and two flights diverted as the runway got waterlogged. Periyar river and canals are overflowing after the downpour lashed the area since Sunday.

The deceased included two children and two women as their houses on the slopes of the hills in Idukki district were swept away by flash floods, police said.

A district where most people are small and marginal farmers, Idukki also suffered heavy crop and property loss.

Several persons were reported missing as a huge mound of rock and rubble came crashing down at Chiyyappara in Idukki while relief work was on in the area where landslip occurred in the early hours.

Several vehicles were trapped in the debris and rescue work hampered as roads the district got blocked by rubble spawned by landslide and flashfloods.

"Cochin International Airport has been closed till 2.30pm as water entered the runway as the Periyar river is overflowing after shutters of the Edamalayalar dam were opened," airport director ACK Nair said.

The sandbanks of the Periyar river in Aluva, where thousands are to converge to perform the Balitharpanam ritual on Tuesday on the day of Karkitakavavu, is flooded and the Shiva temple there almost submerged.

Ernakulam district collector Sheikh Pareed said possibilities of making alternative arrangements for the conduct of the ritual were being explored and the help of Navy sought to tackle the situation.

People in affected areas have been shifted to relief camps.

Chief minister Oommen Chandy has called an emergency cabinet meeting in the state capital to review the serious situation and gear up the relief operations.

The IMD has cautioned fishermen not to venture into the sea in the next 48 hours as strong winds of 45-55 kmph could lash coastal areas along with heavy rain.

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‘Have letter, next step is...’: MUDA on Siddaramaiah’s wife’s offer to return plots

News Network

October 1,2024

Mysuru: The Mysuru land authority at the centre of a financial and political storm - involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and alleged losses of ₹ 45 crore to the state - has received an offer of restitution from his wife, the urban development body's Commissioner, AN Raghunandan said.

"I am in possession of a letter written by Siddaramaiah's wife regarding her intention to return 14 plots (of land). The Chief Minister's son, Yatindra Siddaramaiah, came to our office and delivered the letter. We will take legal advice for the next step..." he told reporters in Mysuru.

Mr Raghunandan also confirmed anti-corruption officials from the city's Lokayukta branch had written seeking cooperation in its inquiry into the charges against the Chief Minister.

He said the Mysuru Urban Development Authority, or MUDA, "will cooperate with the investigation".

The Enforcement Directorate, however, have not reached out as yet, Mr Raghunandan said. The ED, a federal agency, has filed a money laundering case against Siddaramaiah.

There have also been calls for the CBI, another federal agency, to investigate charges against the Chief Minister, but that appears unlikely now given the Karnataka government has withdrawn general consent for its operations in the state. Law Minister HK Patil made the announcement last week.

He ruled out any link with demands for the Chief Minister to be investigated by the CBI, which reports to the BJP-led central government and the ruling Congress and other opposition parties have claimed is being used by that party to target rival leaders, particularly before elections.

On Monday - three days after the Lokayukta filed a case against the Chief Minister, and hours after the ED launched its probe- Siddaramaiah's wife said she had planned to give up the land earlier but was advised against it the allegations against her husband are "politically motivated".

But now, she said, she had made up her mind as "no house, plot, or wealth is more important than my husband's honor, dignity, and peace of mind". She also said the decision was hers alone; "... I am not aware of my husband's opinion on this matter, nor do I concern myself with what my son thinks".

And, in a comment seen as a calculated swipe at the opposition BJP, which is leading calls for the Chief Minister's resignation, his wife also made an emotional appeal to "all political parties and the media" to "please not drag women of political families into the controversy to settle political scores".

Investigative action against the Chief Minister follows the Karnataka High Court quashing a challenge to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot's order sanctioning Siddaramaiah's prosecution.

Subsequently a trial court ordered framing of charges and directed the Lokayukta to complete the investigation within three months. The ED case was filed based on the Lokayukta FIR.

Siddaramaiah faces an inquiry into claims Parvathi was allotted 14 plots of land in an upmarket Mysuru area as compensation for land elsewhere - holding a far lower value - taken for infrastructure projects.

The Chief Minister has denied all charges and refused calls to resign.

He has been backed by the Congress and his deputy, DK Shivakumar, who is also the state unit boss, and also by members of his cabinet, including IT Minister Priyank Kharge. However, some within the Congress also want him to quit, such as former Assembly Speaker KB Koliwad.

"I will fight. I am not afraid of anything. We are ready to face the investigation. I will fight this legally," he said last week after the High Court had quashed his challenge to the Governor's sanction.

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