Mangaluru: Soorya-Chandra Jodukare Kambala sets adrenalin pumping

Kochi, Jan 22: Rail passengers from Kerala are a happy lot as the state’s traditional food items such as appam and eggcurry, puttu and kadala curry have found their way back to the revised menu of the Railways in the wake of protests over reports that they were replaced by north indian delicacies.

The popular Kerala dishes were reinstated to the list following social media backlash over the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation’s reported decision to replace the favorite cuisine of Malayalis from its menu with north Indian dishes such as Kachori and Chole Bhature.

Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, who had shot off a letter to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal raising the issue of alleged discrimination against Keralites, got an assurance from the IRCTC officials that popular items, including snacks such as unniyappam and sukhiyan will be served through its outlets in the state.

Eden said the IRCTC officials who visited him at his home on Wednesday morning have presented him with the list of delicacies to be served by its local vendors in Kerala. In his letter to the minister, the MP had stated that dishes which are very important to Malayalis for breakfast such as appam, egg curry, porotta, dosa, steam cake (puttu) were excluded along with snacks such as banana fry (pazham pori), kozhukkatta, unniyappam, neyyappam and sukhiyan.  He had also raised the issue of hike in price of food items.

According to him, price of meals has been increased from RS 35 to 70 and that ofsnacks such as vada from Rs 8 to 15.  While the price of vada has not been reduced, the fare of snack meal like parotta, chappathi, idiyappam, appam and puttu with kadala curry or egg curry will be served at Rs 50.  According to IRCTC, a passenger will have to shell out Rs 20 for unniyappam/sukhiyan/neyyappam, 2 numbers each.  Informing Goyal of the changes in menu, he said Malayalis are discriminated in trains and railway refreshment rooms by the food which is the right of every passenger.

He had sought urgent intervention of the Minister and speedy action in the matter.

Mangaluru, Jan 8: The Muslim Central Committee of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, has finally received green signal from the city police to hold an awareness meet against CAA, NRC and NPR on January 15, but on the outskirts of the city.

The Committee, which is a kind of umbrella body of Muslim organisations of the two coastal districts, had twice cancelled its planned protest against the same at Nehru Maidan, in the heart of the city due to permission denial by the city police. 

Addressing a press conference here today, Committee chairman, KS Mohammed Masood said that event will be held at Shaha Garden near Central Juma Masjid at Adyar Kannur.

He said that the representatives from the 28 different organisations unanimously finalised the date and venue after a consultations as the police refused to grant permission to hold the event at Nehru Maidan or Town Hall.

Representatives of various organisations including S M Rasheed Haji, Ibrahim Kodichal, B M Mumtaz Ali, Rafeeuddin Kudroli and Abdul Rasheed Zaini were present at the press meet.