Gadkari highlights investment potential in India’s maritime sector

Jammu, Sep 20 (IANS) An anti-terrorist operation continued on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Kishtwar district while war-like stores of arms/ammunition were recovered by the joint forces in another operation in Poonch district.

Nagrota headquartered White Knight Corps of the Indian Army said on its official handle, “Contact with Terrorists. In an Intelligence-based operation in the general area of Kishtwar, alert troops of #WhiteKnightCorps established contact with terrorists at around 8 P.M. on 19 Sep 25. Exchange of fire took place. Operations are currently in progress”.

In another joint operation in Poonch district, war-like stores of arms and ammunition were recovered.

“#JointOperation | Recovery of War Like Stores. Alert #WhiteKnightCorps troops while carrying out an Intelligence based joint search operation with #JKP, recovered one weapon (AK Series), four AK magazines, 20 Hand Grenades and other war like stores in Poonch Sector. #SearchOperation in progress”, White Knight Corps said in another post on X.

Joint forces have been carrying out aggressive operations against terrorists, their over ground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers in J&K.

Drug smugglers and peddlers are also on the radar of the joint forces as it is believed by the Intelligence agencies that funds generated by drug smuggling and hawala money rackets are finally used to sustain terrorists in the UT.

The targeting of terrorists, their OGWs and sympathisers together with drug smugglers and hawala money racketeers is part of the revised strategy of the joint forces to dismantle the entire ecosystem of terror in J&K.

In majority of drug smuggling and hawala money operations, the Intelligence agencies have been able to trace the roots to across the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB).

J&K has an International Border of 240-Km length spread over Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts and a 740-Km-long LoC in Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora in the Valley and Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu division.

The BSF guards the International Border while the Army guards the LoC.

–IANS

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Kottayam, Aug 18 (IANS) Once discarded as waste, coconut shells in Kerala have turned into a lucrative commodity, with prices hitting record highs on the back of rising industrial demand from other states and even overseas.

The price of coconut shells has seen a significant jump, rising to a record high of up to Rs 35 per kg in some parts of Kerala in the past few months.

Interestingly, a year ago, coconuts in the state were sold for Rs 30-40 a kg (now Rs 80-90), while today their shells are fetching up to Rs 35 a kg in many parts of Kerala.

The price escalated from Rs 5 per kg at the beginning of this year, creating a lucrative market for coconut traders and farmers.

Traders involved in the trade have confirmed that the price surge is a result of high demand from both domestic and foreign markets.

Subair, a trader in southern Kerala’s Kollam city, said that he is selling the coconut shells to traders from Tamil Nadu who, in turn, export to China and Taiwan, adding that its prices touched Rs 33 in Kollam.

According to him, the shells are used to produce activated carbon for water purification, cosmetics, and various industrial applications.

Murugan, a trader in Erattupetta of Kottayam district, said that the jump in the price of coconut shells up to Rs 35 a kg made it a high-value product.

Murugan says he collects the shells locally and has been selling them to the traders in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Households in Kerala have also begun storing coconut shells to sell them to local traders at higher rates after the recent surge in their prices.

The sudden rise in value has made the coconut shell a ‘gold price’ commodity, with the small-scale entrepreneurs now engaging in online-based collection businesses.

The sudden rise in the prices of coconuts and coconut oil, both essential in the daily life of Keralites, has upset the household budget across the state.

In the state, a kg of coconut costs around Rs 80-90, while coconut oil is priced at Rs 400-500 per kg.

With the Onam festival approaching, the price surge has turned into a major political issue, prompting the government to announce subsidised sales of coconut oil to provide some relief to consumers.

–IANS

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Kolkata, Oct 9 (IANS) Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim has directed Durga Puja organisers and entrepreneurs to immediately remove all advertisement banners, hoardings and bamboo structures, which were put up on the occasion of Durga puja, in Kolkata.

The direction from the Mayor came after it was learnt that several puja organisers have not removed such advertisements and banners and did not open up the space taken up by the pandals for the public even after the conclusion of Lakshmi Puja.

A senior official of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) said on Thursday that action will be taken against Puja committees which will fail to open their premises for the public or remove bamboo structures from the pavements which were erected to manage the crowd or mandap visitors.

The senior official said, “Last night, the Mayor told the municipality that pedestrians and vehicles are facing problems as bamboo structures are lying around outside puja mandaps. Banners, hoardings and bamboo structures have not been removed from sidewalks in several places. Angered by this, the Mayor has directed that such structures be removed immediately and bring Kolkata to its previous state.”

Even though idols were immersed in almost all areas from the north to the south of the city, in some places the mandapams are half-open or have been opened, but the dais is still there. In some places bamboo has been left lying around and large advertising structures, banners and hoardings are also still in place.

It may be noted that the KMC had issued a 14-day deadline to Durga Puja committees to open up parks for the public which were used for puja pandals within 14 days after idol immersion.

The decision to give a timeline to open such parks for the public was taken after observing that many parks remain closed for a long time after Durga Puja as committees delay removing mandap structures and this inconveniences the public.

However, this time, the KMC wants such puja organisers to remove structures immediately and before Kali puja later this month.

–IANS

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