KL This Week: Governor to Visit Idukki on December 9; LDF Announces Hartal

NewsClick brings you a round-up of the important developments from across Kerala during the week, including the inauguration of the 62nd School Kalolsavam in Kollam district, the hartal called by the Left Democratic (Front LDF) in Idukki district on January 9 against the Governor, the falling number of fresh COVID-19 infections, protests by construction workers demanding timely disbursal of pensions and other welfare measures, and the Malankara Orthodox Church removing a priest from official responsibilities who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for complaints of misconduct.

SCHOOL ARTS COMPETITION UNDERWAY
The five-day annual arts festival for students from high and higher secondary schools, the 62nd state-level School Kalolsavam, began in Kollam on December 4. One of the unique competitions held by the school education department was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The competitions in the festival are held across 24 stages in Kollam, with 96 events in High School (HS) General, 105 events in Higher Secondary (HSS) general, and 19 each in HS Arabic and Sanskrit. As of the latest update, Kannur district is leading the table, with Palakkad and Kozhikode completing the top three. The districts of Thrissur and Kollam are placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the points table.

Elaborate arrangements have been made at the venues for the competitions held every year, with several top performers making a mark in the cultural and film industry. Besides the arrangements from the government of Kerala and the education department, the Centre of India Trade Unions (CITU) is operating free auto services for the participants and parents to travel between venues and their places of stay. Thousands of volunteers from the National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), and Junior Red Cross (JRC) are serving at different venues.

PROTEST AGAINST GOVERNOR CONTINUES
The protest against the governor, Arif Mohammed Khan, by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), and the Students Federation of India (SFI) has continued. The LDF has announced a hartal on December 9 in Idukki, the day when the governor is scheduled to visit the district to participate in a programme organised by the merchants' association.

The LDF district leadership has announced the hartal to mark their protest for the delay in approving the Kerala Government Land Assignment (Amendment) Bill passed by the state Assembly. The people of the hilly districts in the state are expected to benefit from the amendment. The DYFI held a flash protest in Thiruvananthapuram during the arrival of the governor from the airport to the Raj Bhavan.

The DYFI members have been campaigning for the human chain scheduled for January 20 against the policies of the Union government pertaining to the state of Kerala.

COVID CASES GO DOWN
The number of COVID-19 cases continue to fall, after a marginal spike in the past couple of weeks. The number of active cases has fallen to 1,032 as of 8 am on January 7, with 232 discharges in the last 24 hours and two deaths. The last few days registered below 150 fresh infections, down from around 300 cases per day earlier. The minor increase during the last couple of weeks did not result in any increased hospitalisation or oxygen requirements, as stated by the Department of Health and Family Welfare. The test positivity rate was below 10%, despite 83 cases from the state found to have contracted the JN.1 subvariant.

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS PROTEST
The construction workers, led by the Construction Workers Federation of India (CWFI), held a march and protest in front of the state government secretariat against the delay in the disbursal of pensions and benefits from the welfare board. CITU state general secretary Elamaram Kareem inaugurated the protest and urged the board to disburse the pending pension and other welfare measures. T

he workers also demanded that the state government collect the 1% cess for construction works by the local self-governments for faster distribution of welfare benefits. The CWFI has urged the Union government to disburse the share of pension amount due for the state government.

Elamaram Kareem inaugurated the protest of the construction workers in Thiruvananthapuram on January 5.

PRIEST REMOVED AFTER PROTEST BY BELIEVERS
The Malankara Orthodox Church relieved Fr. Shaiji Kurian from all responsibilities in the church based on complaints from the believers about allegations of misconduct. The priest, along with members of around 50 families, joined the BJP recently. The believers took out a march and protested in front of the diocese headquarters leading to the non-Catholic church removing the priest from the responsibilities. The church has appointed a special committee to inquire into the allegations against the priest levelled by the members of the church. The diocese clarified that the action was not related to the priest joining the BJP but was solely based on complaints from different quarters of the members of the community.