Big Fishes Put Electricity Board in Dark

Consumers standing in queue to pay the electricity bill.

KOTTAYAM: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is struggling to recover pending arrears of electricity bills from government offices including District Hospital, Municipality and Water Department here.

Consumers arrears in Kottayam amount up to Rs 2,22,128 whereas government departments owed Rs 81,08,539. “The amount to be paid by the government departments are under the court's jurisdiction as their are disputes regarding settlement of bills, the moment the cases being finalised, we will be able to recover the amount,” said Senior Superintendent of Kottayam Central Electric Section, Mrs Girija B Panicker.

Assistant Engineer of Kottayam Central Electric Section Mr Biju S said “We are not authorised to collect money from the government departments although they are on the list of defaulters of arrears.”

He said they divided the arrears into two sections such as permanent and personal. In the permanent section they include defaulters such as District Hospital, Water Department and Municipality to name a few whereas in the personal section they include all private consumers.

On the recovery status in Kottayam Mr Biju S said they are efficient in collecting the arrears from the private consumers but in case of government departments, it is quite difficult for the ongoing court cases.

About the consumers who have major amounts of arrears in Kottyam, Mrs Panicker said they can not reveal the names and the pending amount till the court cases have been settled.

Minister for Power Mr Aryadan Mohammad stated in the assembly session last month that in last one year the department has recovered Rs 100 crore out of Rs 1,300 crore arrears pending in all Kerala.

The Exorcism of cultural ghosts

Chathan temple in Kanady Madom, Thrissur.

THRISSUR: Kanady Madom Tharavadu, one of the ancient Chathan temple here will have a renovated sanctum sanctorum by July this year, with the new temple structure is on the verge of completion.
The associated lord Vishnumaya Chathan Swamy of the temple is believed to be the destroyer of evil powers as devotees from around the nation are coming in large number to worship. The increasing number of devotees is cited as one of the reasons for the expansion of the temple, the temple authorities informed.

Rakesh Kanady, a member of the Thantri family informed that along with the new sanctum sanctorum the temple complex is going to have a guest house to accommodate at least 200 people. A Homa Mandapam and a Kalyana Mandapam are also proposed to be completed.

“The temple complex is nurtured with century-old Pala trees (Alstonia scholaris) and Banyan trees which is associated with lord Chathan. We are not in favor of destroying the nature as we decided to demolish structures inside the temple complex instead of cutting trees, to build the new structures,” he said.

The cost of the new structures is estimated up to Rs 60 lakh and the whole renovation is set to be completed before the next temple festival that is in July this year.

Another member of the Thantri family, Sreejith Kanady said the devotees will be largely benefited by this renovation as more people can come and reside here in the new guest house for days they want and worship lord Chathan.

The temple is now governed by the SCMS trust who are bearing the cost of the whole project, which was collected from the devotees, the temple authorities informed.

An Itinerary through the bug practices of Kerala

KOCHI: After a bone-jarring one hour bus ride from Ernakulam South Railway Station, you will reach the calm and serene temple of Devi Rajarajeswari in Chottanikkara known as Chottanikkara Bhagabathy temple.

Indian devil tree, packed with lakhs of nails and figurines.

At the temple entrance, you will lead by a large corridor with psychotic patients, which will remind you of a mental asylum. Those people believe themselves to be possessed by some evil spirit or some supernatural powers.

Chottanikkara temple is popular for the Baadhayozhippikal (Exorcism), casting out evil spirits out of a human body. According to the temple authorities this ritual is being performed only here in Kerala.

Inside the temple complex, to the eastern side of the Sanctum Sanctorum, situated the Kizhukkavu Devi temple presided by Goddess Kali. A large Paala tree (Alstonia scholaris) is planted on the north-eastern side of this temple filled with lakhs of nails and figurines.

Melasanthy Shashi Kumar said, “Those nails are being hammered by the possessed persons using their forehead which is a part of the exorcism. After hammering the nail, the loose their senses and when they wake up, they are being completely free from the evil spirit inside them.”

A native of Chottanikkara, Babu K, said, “ We have a deep faith in the temple rituals as we have seen people in a possessed state or under attack of some unseen power have been cured completely by the deity.”

The temple is governed by the Cochin Devaswom Board, where they are advertising the temple by selling video CD and distributing brochures explaining briefly about the temple history and methods opted by the priests to perform the rituals of exorcism.

Rag me not for as am a juniour

KOTTAYAM: An anti-ragging cell has been operative actively at Baselius College here to prevent senior students from making fun in a boisterous manner to junior students. (25)

Prinicipal of Baselius College Prof Jacob Kurian Onattu said, “After receiving a number of reports of ragging cases, the college committee had unanimously decided to start an anti-ragging cell with stricter norms possible in 2010.

“We have an anti-ragging squad and a committee to look into the cases. If a case has been reported our work is to set up a fact-finding committee immediately to examine the case and inform it to the police and the district collector.

“Political scuffles and clashes between senior and junior students are frequent, but it can not be considered as ragging. However, we are taking appropriate steps to prevent these kind of clashes too.”

Prof Onattu recalls one incident took place two years ago. He said in 2012 two students from the girls hostel complaint that some drunken boys were chasing them every day and creating a nuisance for them. The college committee took immediate action and expelled those boys from the college.

Student of BA first year Jiji Thomas said he have seen violent clashes between groups during college elections, but he had neither saw nor become a victim of ragging at the college till now.

Explaining the punishment for ragging, Prof Onattu explained they have zero tolerance for such cases and for grievous ragging, the punishment could be of criminal trials, if it's a minor case the students will be suspended for two weeks.