Kerala CM seeks Centre's help to bring back nurses from Libya

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 24: Kerala Government has asked the Centre to take urgent steps to secure the release of 18 Malayalee nurses stranded in Libya and also five Indian fishermen, including one from Kerala, held captive in Iran.

In a letter to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, while seeking help for the release of the stranded persons, also handed over the name and passport details of Malayalee nurses stranded in Benghazi and other places in Libya.

In his letter yesterday, Chandy also urged the Centre to bring the nurses to Malta by ship and from there to New Delhi by flight.

It was while fishing in the deep-sea waters off the coast of Qatar that the five Indian fishermen were captured by Iranian forces on September 22, he said.

The stranded in Iran include one from Thiruvananthapuram and four from Tamil Nadu. They are currently held captive in a boat near the Island of Kish and awaiting court order,he said.

Chandy also wanted that the Indian Embassy officials in Iran be instructed to do the needful for meeting the fishermen and free them from captivity and penalisation.

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Mangaluru’s ₹1,200 crore fix: Massive sewage overhaul to end city’s drainage woes

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: In a decisive move to tackle the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has announced a massive ₹1,200 crore action plan to overhaul its underground drainage (UGD) network.

The initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV, aims to bridge "missing links" in the current system that have left residents grappling with overflowing sewage and environmental hazards.

The Breaking Point

The announcement follows a high-intensity phone-in session on Thursday, where the DC was flooded with grievances from frustrated citizens. Residents, including Savithri from Yekkur, described a harrowing reality: raw sewage from apartments leaking into stormwater drains, creating a "permanent stink" and turning residential zones into mosquito breeding grounds.

"We are facing immense difficulties due to the stench and the health risks. Local officials have remained silent until now," one resident reported during the session.

The Strategy: A Six-Year Vision

DC Darshan HV confirmed that the proposed plan is not a temporary patch but a comprehensive six-year roadmap designed to accommodate Mangaluru’s projected population growth. Key highlights of the plan include:

• Infrastructure Expansion: Laying additional pipelines to connect older neighborhoods to the main grid.

• STP Crackdown: Stricter enforcement of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) regulations. While new apartments are required to have functional STPs, many older buildings lack them entirely, and several newer units are reportedly non-functional.

• Budgetary Push: The plan has already been discussed with the district in-charge minister and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. It is slated for formal presentation in the upcoming state budget.

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