Ockhi: Kerala toll touches 13, over 100 fishermen still missing

Agencies
December 3, 2017

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 3: Ockhi, the cyclonic storm over Lakshadweep, continued to spell death and misery in Kerala on Saturday even as the official figure of fishermen rescued from the sea in joint operations of the Indian Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard crossed 400. Seven people, including five fishermen, brought to the shore by rescue teams were reported dead on Friday, taking the toll in the state to 13. The cyclone, which hit Lakshadweep on Saturday, causing widespread damage, also claimed 13 lives in Sri Lanka. About 120 fishermen are still reported missing from the Kerala shores amid weathermen's predictions for heavy rain in Lakshadweep and Kerala till Wednesday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Ockhi was likely to weaken gradually from Sunday morning. "It is very likely to continue to move north-westwards during next 24 hours and then re-curve north-eastwards during the subsequent 48 hours," a bulletin from the department said.

Protests by families of the missing fishermen continued in Kerala's coastal regions. The fishermen said their presence in the official rescue teams could have saved more lives. Many fishermen who left Kerala shores before the cyclone, were reported to have reached the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep.

Rough weather conditions prevailed in the coastal regions of Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kozhikode districts. In Ernakulam, many families were shifted to relief camps after high waves destroyed the protective sea-walls. A total of 529 families are housed in 30 camps in the state.

COMPENSATION ANNOUNCED: The state government announced Rs 10 lakh each as compensation for families of the deceased fishermen. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters at a morning briefing that 393 fishermen, including 100 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, were rescued. Twelve boats carrying 138 fishermen have reached Kalpeni in Lakshadweep, where several houses suffered damage, coconut trees got uprooted and communication lines were disrupted.

Five fishing boats were damaged early on Saturday at Kalpeni island as water level rose due to heavy rains, sources said.

The 'very severe' cyclonic storm Ockhi - which in Bengali means 'eye' - over Lakshadweep is likely to intensify further in the next 24 hours.

2 ships capsize, 1 missing

Mangaluru: Two cargo vessels from Mangaluru bound for Lakshadweep capsized due to cyclone Ockhi near Lakshadweep while another vessel has gone missing.

Meanwhile, Coast Guard Mangaluru rescued 20 fishermen from four fishing boats that could not enter the Old Port in Mangaluru due to high tide on Friday night. The Coast Guard has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea for the next 48 hours.

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Agencies
July 15,2020

New Delhi, Jul 15: Air India has started the process of identifying employees, based on various factors like efficiency, health and redundancy, who will be sent on compulsory leave without pay (LWP) for up to five years, according to an official order.

The airline's board of directors have authorised its Chairman and Managing Director Rajiv Bansal to send employees on LWP "for six months or for a period of two years extendable upto five years, depending upon the following factors - suitability, efficiency, competence, quality of performance, health of the employee, instance of non-availability of the employee for duty in the past as a result of ill health or otherwise and redundancy", the order said on Tuesday.

The departmental heads in the headquarter as well as regional directors are required to assess each employee "on the above mentioned factors and identify the cases where option of compulsory LWP can be exercised", stated the order dated July 14.

"Names of such employees need to be forwarded to the General Manager (Personnel) in headquarter for obtaining necessary approval of CMD," the order added.

In response to queries regarding this matter, Air India spokesperson said,"We would not like to make any comment on the issue."

Aviation sector has been significantly impacted due to the travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries due to the coronavirus pandemic. All airlines in India have taken cost-cutting measures such as pay cuts, LWP and firings of employees in order to conserve cash flow.

For example, GoAir has put most of its employees on compulsory LWP since April.

India resumed domestic passenger flights from May 25 after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the airlines have been allowed to operate only a maximum of 45 per cent of their pre-COVID domestic flights. Occupancy rate in Indian domestic flights has been around 50-60 per cent since May 25.

Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India since March 23.

The passenger demand for air travel will contract by 49 per cent in 2020 for Indian carriers in comparison to 2019 due to COVID-19 crisis, said global airlines body IATA on Monday.

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Agencies
June 14,2020

New Delhi, Jun 14: Petrol price on Sunday was hiked by a record 62 paise per litre and that of diesel by 64 paise as oil companies for the eighth day in a row adjusted retail rates in line with cost since ending an 82-day hiatus in rate revision.

Petrol price in Delhi was hiked to Rs 75.78 per litre from Rs 75.16 while diesel rates were increased to Rs 74.03 a litre from Rs 73.39, according to a price notification of state oil marketing companies.

Rates have been increased across the country and vary from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT.

The 62 paise a litre increase in petrol and 64 paise hike in diesel price is the highest surge in rates since the daily price revision was started in June 2017.

This is the eighth daily increase in rates in a row since oil companies on June 7 restarted revising prices in line with costs, after ending an 82-day hiatus.

In eight hikes, petrol price has gone up by Rs 4.52 per litre and diesel by Rs 4.64 -- a record increase in rates in any eight days since the daily price revision was introduced.

The freeze in rates was imposed in mid-March soon after the government hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel to shore up additional finances.

Oil PSUs Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL), instead of passing on the excise duty hikes to customers, adjusted them against the fall in the retail rates that was warranted because of international oil prices falling to two-decade lows.

The government had first raised excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 3 per litre each on March 14 and then again on May 5 by a record Rs 10 per litre in case of petrol and Rs 13 on diesel. The two hikes gave the government Rs 2 lakh crore in additional tax revenues.

State-owned fuel retailers IOC, BPCL and HPCL had frozen petrol and diesel prices since March 16, as if anticipating the government move and set off gains they accrued from continuing drop in international oil prices against the excise duty hike.

They, however, promptly passed the increase in local sales tax or VAT by state governments such as Rs 1.67 increase in VAT on petrol and Rs 7.10 in diesel by the Delhi government on May 4.

The total incidence of excise duty on petrol has risen to Rs 32.98 per litre and that on diesel to Rs 31.83. The excise tax on petrol was Rs 9.48 per litre when the Narendra Modi government took office in 2014 and that on diesel was Rs 3.56 a litre.

The government had between November 2014 and January 2016 raised excise duty on petrol and diesel on nine occasions to take away gains arising from plummeting global oil prices.

In all, duty on petrol rate was hiked by Rs 11.77 per litre and that on diesel by 13.47 a litre in those 15 months that helped government's excise mop up more than double to Rs 2,42,000 crore in 2016-17 from Rs 99,000 crore in 2014-15.

It cut excise duty by Rs 2 in October 2017 and by Rs 1.50 a year later. But it raised excise duty by Rs 2 per litre in July 2019.

It again raised excise duty on March 14 by Rs 3 per litre.

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News Network
May 28,2020

May 28: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday asked the central government to unlock its coffers and help the needy affected by the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

In a video message posted as part of the Congress' 'Speak Up India' campaign, she lamented that even though the country is passing through a serious economic crisis with loss of livelihood due to the pandemic and the lockdown, the central government has not heard the cries of pain and trauma of people.

"We again urge the Centre to unlock its coffers and help the needy. Put direct cash of Rs 7,500 per month in the account of every family for the next six months and provide Rs 10,000 immediately; ensure safe and free travel of labourers back home, employment opportunity and rations; and also increase the number of work days under MNREGA to 200 days to facilitate jobs in villages," Gandhi said.

"Instead of loans, provide financial relief to small and medium industry so that crores of jobs are saved and the country progresses," she said in her video message on the party's social media handles.

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