Thiruvananthapuram: No special tax is levied on foreclosed houses. Minister KN Balagopal told the Assembly that special tax on closed houses is only a proposal and will not be implemented now.

The lack of funds of the local self-governing bodies was discussed. The additional tax on closed houses was a part of the proposal to increase the income of the local self-governing bodies. The Minister of Finance stated that this proposal is being discussed by the Local Self-Government Department.

Expatriate organizations have also demanded that the budget proposal to impose additional tax on closed houses in the name of one person should be avoided. Expatriate organizations including Fokana raised the need to avoid such additional taxes in the context of recovery from the Covid crisis. The decision of the state government is also based on this.

Kochi:  FIR that the manufacture of firecrackers in Varapuzha was illegal. The police registered a case of culpable homicide against the operators of the explosion in the fireworks factory. Police, bomb squad, and explosives experts inspected the spot. The body of Davis, who died in the accident, was released to his relatives today. The hospital officials informed that the health status of the injured is satisfactory. Meanwhile, opposition leader VD Satheesan, who visited the blast site, said that he would meet the Chief Minister tomorrow and request help.

The finding in the FIR is that the firecracker factory where the blast took place in Muttinakam, Varapuzha was operating illegally. Explosives were stored in more than the permitted quantity. The FIR also states that the firecrackers were stored without following safety standards. With this, the police registered a case against the brothers who were the perpetrators of criminal homicide. The first accused, Jenson, is absconding. Johnson, the second accused, was injured in the accident and is undergoing treatment. After their father Anson fell ill, the children took over the firecracker factory. Yesterday the district collector also stated that the firecracker factory does not have a license. Houses within a kilometer radius of the blast site were damaged. Opposition leader VD Satheesan, who visited the area, informed that the Public Works Department has assigned the engineering department to estimate the damage.

The remaining unexploded fireworks were collected and defused by the bomb squad. The district collector said that the actual cause of the explosion will be clear only after further investigation.

Kozhikode: Two persons were arrested for trying to smuggle gold and foreign currency in Karipur. Customs seized one kg of mixed gold and foreign currency worth Rs 8 lakh. Afzal, a resident of Cherumoth, Kozhikode, was arrested with 6,200 US dollars and 1,460 Omani Rials. He arrived at Karipur airport to go to Dubai. Shahul Hameed, a native of Kozhikode Thamarassery, was caught with the gold. He tried to smuggle 1059 grams of gold mixture hidden in his body.

Thiruvananthapuram: Because of the rising temperature in the state during the day, the working hours of the outdoor workers have been rescheduled from tomorrow to April 30. The decision was made keeping in mind the risk of sunburn.

Working hours are fixed at eight hours from 7 am to 7 pm. The Labor Commissioner informed that the rescheduling will be such that shifts will end at noon and start at 3 pm for shift workers. Areas not prone to sun damage above 3000 feet above sea level are exempted from the purview of this order.

Kochi:  The Administrative Tribunal rejected Ciza Thomas’ plea to stay the government order removing him from the post of Senior Joint Director in the Directorate of Technical Education. The Administrative Tribunal also ordered that Ciza Thomas should be posted in Thiruvananthapuram in case of immediate retirement.

The Acting Vice Chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam University of Technology, Dr. Ciza Thomas, was removed from the position of Senior Joint Director in the Directorate of Technical Education yesterday.

Administrative Tribunal Justice PV Asha dismissed Ciza Thomas’ plea to stay the government order. Ciza Thomas was not replaced by the government. In the context of  Ciza Thomas’s retirement on the 31st of this month, an interim order was also made to appoint him somewhere in Thiruvananthapuram. Ciza Thomas’s move to continue in the Directorate of Technical Education till his retirement has been set back by the order of the Administrative Tribunal.

Thiruvananthapuram: Today is the deadline for submitting an income certificate to get social welfare pension. If the certificate is not issued today, the pension will be suspended from March. Around 10 lakh people will be left off the list. Those who have received a pension till 31st December 2019 should provide the certificate. Even if the certificate is issued later, the dues will not be received.

The directive came in September last year to submit the income certificate to the local bodies where the pension is received. The certificate is issued by the village officers. There was a huge rush for months in Akshaya Kendras and other places to submit applications for this.