Kerala first to frame comprehensive Urban Policy

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 13 (IANS) In a landmark decision, the state Cabinet led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Friday, approved Kerala’s Urban Policy, making the state the first in the country to formulate a comprehensive urban framework aimed at guiding development over the next 25 years.

The draft policy, prepared by the Local Self-Government Department, received Cabinet clearance on Friday after nearly two years of sustained consultations and expert inputs.

The initiative was first announced in the 2023–24 State Budget.

In December 2023, the state government constituted the Kerala Urban Policy Commission, comprising national and international experts.

The Commission submitted the ‘Nava Kerala Urban Policy Report’ to the Chief Minister in March 2025.

A global conference was subsequently held in Kochi in September to deliberate on the recommendations.

Ministers, Mayors, elected representatives and urban experts from India and abroad participated in detailed discussions on the future trajectory of urbanisation in the state.

The final policy incorporates fresh suggestions that emerged from these consultations.

According to Commission estimates, Kerala is projected to become 80 per cent urbanised by 2050.

Urban expansion is expected to spread in a decentralised manner across densely populated belts between the highlands and coastal regions.

With climate change posing additional challenges, the policy seeks to provide a scientific framework to manage urban growth, including in environmentally fragile areas.

The document envisions a network of climate-smart cities and towns by 2050, rooted in Kerala’s legacy of decentralised governance and participatory planning.

It aims to leverage urbanisation as a driver of economic growth while ensuring inclusivity and equitable access to urban amenities.

Alongside building high-quality infrastructure, the policy seeks to reduce social and spatial inequalities and strengthen social support systems.

Key focus areas include legal and institutional reforms, capacity building, governance strengthening, citizen-centric services, infrastructure development, and spatial and strategic planning positioning Kerala’s urban transformation on a structured and sustainable footing.

–IANS

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Odisha govt approves 19 investment projects worth Rs 3,898.54 cr

Bhubaneswar, May 2 (IANS) The Odisha Government on Friday approved 19 industrial projects with investment worth Rs 3,898.54 crore during the 136th State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) meeting held on Friday under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja.

As per the official statement issued by the state government, the approved proposals are expected to generate 7,464 new employment opportunities across the state.

The cleared proposals span a diverse range of high-impact sectors including Steel, Iron & Ferro Alloys, Industrial Gases, Logistics, Food & Beverage, Agro-Processing, Tourism & Hospitality, Chemicals, Metal Downstream, and Apparel & Textile-further solidifying Odisha’s position as one of India’s most attractive investment destinations.

The projects will be implemented across 11 districts: Angul, Balasore, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Khordha, Koraput, Sambalpur and Sundargarh-ensuring balanced regional development and inclusive economic growth.

Among the approved projects, Tata Steel is set to enhance its crude steel capacity from the proposed 6.5 MTPA to 7.1 MTPA with an additional investment of Rs 700 crore, generating 375 new jobs.

In Keonjhar, Sree Metaliks Limited will invest Rs 885 crore to expand its integrated steel plant, creating 950 employment opportunities. Lal Baba Seamless Tubes Pvt Ltd plans to establish a Rs 200 crore precision tube manufacturing facility in Cuttack, generating 500 jobs, while Surlon India Ltd will set up a Rs 55 crore railway component manufacturing unit in Sundargarh, expected to employ 1,000 individuals.

“In a significant development for the industrial gases segment, Linde India Ltd is set to invest Rs 425 crore in establishing a state-of-the-art air separation unit in Jajpur. The facility will have an annual production capacity of over 12 lakh metric tonnes of industrial gases and is expected to create 100 direct employment opportunities,” informed the state government.

Similarly, Bhuvaneshwari Foods & Beverages Pvt Ltd will invest Rs 300 crore to set up a beverages manufacturing unit in Khordha, projected to generate 820 employment opportunities. ACME Clean Energy Pvt Ltd will develop a Rs 366.50 crore jetty-less floating terminal in Ganjam, aimed at improving maritime logistics and creating 75 jobs.

In Khordha, Vasanth Vihar Constructions will establish a Rs 134.50 crore logistics park, expected to generate 296 employment opportunities, supporting the state’s growing industrial base with world-class logistics infrastructure.

The SLSWCA on Friday also approves several projects related to Tourism & Hospitality, Chemicals & Plastics and textile sectors, etc. As per the official statement, “Odisha government remains steadfast in its commitment to achieving the vision of “Samruddh Odisha by 2036″.

With a clear focus on inclusive industrialization, the state is fast emerging as a preferred destination for both national and global investors, an official said.

–IANS

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BJP urges TN govt to stop Kerala from garbage dumping in border districts

Chennai, Dec 17 (IANS) Tamil Nadu BJP President, K. Annamalai has urged the Stalin government to take immediate measures to stop garbage dumping in Tamil Nadu’s border districts by neighbouring Kerala.

In a post on social media platform X, Annamalai said, “Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who is ceding Tamil Nadu’s rights, including Cauvery water, to states ruled by his coalition parties, has allowed the border districts of Kanyakumari, Tenkasi, and Tirunelveli to be turned into a garbage dump by the Communist government of Kerala.”

He further alleged, “While the DMK government is in alliance with the Communist government of Kerala, our southern districts have been turned into dumping grounds for the biomedical, plastic, and meat waste from Kerala.”

Annamalai claimed that border check posts, meant to stop this illegal waste transportation, have instead become mere collection centres.

He accused the DMK government of turning a blind eye to the illegal smuggling of minerals from Tenkasi and Kanyakumari districts into Kerala, while simultaneously permitting Tamil Nadu to be used as a dumping site.

The BJP alleged that despite repeated complaints to authorities and the Chief Minister’s Special Cell, no action has been taken.

He alleged that the dumping continues with the full knowledge of the DMK government.

Annamalai issued a warning that if similar incidents persist, the BJP will mobilise public support in the first week of January 2025, load the biomedical waste and garbage into trucks, and dump it back in Kerala.

“I myself will travel in the first truck,” he added.

Large volumes of biomedical, food, and plastic waste, allegedly from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) and a Private Hospital, have been found dumped across multiple villages, including Kodaganallur and Palavoor.

The waste includes hazardous biomedical materials such as used syringes, PPE kits, and other discarded items dumped on patta lands and in waterbodies, raising significant health and environmental concerns.

In addition, medical records containing sensitive personal information of cancer patients treated at RCC were allegedly discovered among the waste and included patient names, addresses, treatment details, diagnoses, and dietary plans.

Some documents appeared to be recent, with dates as recent as November 2024. This not only highlights improper waste disposal practices but also raises alarms about a serious data breach.

—IANS

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Delhi: CAG report on air pollution points to data shortage, discrepancy

New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) Discrepancies in Pollution Under Control (PUC) certification system, lack of data on vehicles’ emission load and shortage of public transport buses were flagged as key reasons for the city’s toxic air in a CAG report on pollution tabled by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday in Delhi Legislative Assembly.

The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on ‘Performance Audit of Prevention and Mitigation of Vehicular Air Pollution in Delhi’ for the year ended March 31, 2021, was tabled by CM Gupta, paving the way for discussion on the previous AAP government’s failed attempts to curb air pollution.

Air pollution was one of the major election issues raised by the BJP in Assembly election, promising to clean air quality and targeting the previous Arvind Kejriwal government of ignoring the issue.

The CAG report has pointed out various shortcomings in the effort made by the state government in controlling vehicular emission such as lack of information regarding the type and number of vehicles plying on Delhi roads and assessment of their emission load.

Apart from pointing out inaccuracies in data generated by Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS), the CAG report also flagged a shortage of public transport buses and options for last-mile connectivity to reduce the use of personal vehicles.

The CAG report also blamed the previous government for not implementing less polluting alternatives like ‘Monorail and Light Rail Transit’ and ‘Electronic Trolley Buses’.

The findings of the report assume significance as air quality in Delhi was categorised as ‘poor’ to ‘severe’ for 1,195 out of 2,137 days (56 per cent) in the last five years, which has adverse impact on human health.

Delhi’s air quality is impacted by activities in different sectors such as transport, residential, solvents, power plants and road dust. The CAG report covered pollution caused by the transport sector — vehicular emission only.

Vehicular emission was the major source of pollution with its origins in Delhi, and thus, potentially controllable by the Delhi government, said the report.

–IANS

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