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PMK organises signature campaign urging State govt. to notify extent of Pallikaranai marshland
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PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss and party floor leader in the Assembly Sowmiya Anbumani at the signature campaign in Pondy Bazaar urging that the State government protect the Pallikaranai marshland on Sunday. | JOTHI RAMALINGAM PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss and party floor leader in the Assembly Sowmiya Anbumani on Sunday organised a signature campaign in Pondy Bazaar urging that the State government protect the Pallikaranai marshland and said the marshland should be officially notified by the State government.Speaking during the campaign, Dr. Anbumani criticised former DMK minister P.K. Sekarbabu, who was in-charge of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, for not playing the crucial role of being the watchdog in the State for real estate development.He said, “CM Vijay must intervene directly in this matter. The marshland must be demarcated and officially notified. Every day, 5,000 tonnes of garbage are dumped and burnt in the marshland. Construction companies are instigating people living there. They make them claim that they have no land titles and that they are middle-class families, using them as part of a conspiracy. There is no need for protests over this issue. Once the marshland is properly demarcated and officially notified, it cannot be encroached upon.”‘Water crisis’Ms. Sowmiya said, “The reason this issue has become so important today is the water crisis. Chennai is a huge city with a population of nearly ten million people. We cannot drink the water of the Cooum River. Despite having three rivers, Chennai has no usable water. There are no lakes or ponds left in Chennai. The government itself has built residential colonies on lands where lakes and ponds once existed. The marshland is the sponge that absorbs rainwater. Only if the marshland exists will groundwater be available. If water is to flow when we open our taps, the marshland must be protected. Otherwise, south Chennai will become barren.” Published - July 19, 2026 11:56 pm IST
Roads of Kerala have increasingly been turning killing fields of gig workers. Over 30 such workers, mostly food delivery personnel, have been killed in road accidents in the State in the past one year, according to informal data collected by the Kerala State Gig and Platform Workers Union (KSGPWU) affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).The union initiated the data collection in the wake of recent back-to-back road accidents that claimed the lives of delivery personnel. As per the data, 16 delivery personnel were killed in road accidents in Thiruvananthapuram district alone while work-hour rides turned fatal for 11 workers in Ernakulam. The union has also recorded three such deaths from Kottayam and two from Thrissur. Time constraints coupled with heavy traffic often contribute to the higher number of fatalities, those involved in the sector say.“The data is incomplete and we have instructed our members to record the deaths and injuries from accidents during working hours promptly. The information is being collected to ensure that the victims are compensated promptly,” Sumesh Padman, general secretary, KSGPWU, said. He alleged that insurance claims were yet to be settled in many cases, and the families of victims often required help to deal with the compensation procedures.V.S. Sunilkumar, secretary, Kerala State Gig Workers Union (AITUC), agreed with Mr. Padman’s concerns over compensation, though the fatality data compiled by his organisation was different. “Delivery workers have been killed in 11 accidents since 2022, as per our figures,” he said.Family in distressOn July 9 alone, two delivery personnel were killed in road accidents, one each in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. While Sunilkumar, 46, a native of Udma in Kasaragod district, was killed after being knocked down and run over by a private bus in Kochi, Ranjeev, a 35-year-old gig worker, lost his life in an accident in the State capital.The sudden death of Sunilkumar, who was working for a food delivery app in Kochi, has left his family comprising his unemployed wife, 13-year-old son, and five-year-old daughter in severe financial distress. “He had just started repaying a home loan. The family is worried about how to move forward. The company’s representative has asked us to keep all the documents ready for claiming the insurance,” Rajesh Kumar, Sunilkumar’s brother, said.Eligible for ₹10 lakhA representative of the company, on condition of anonymity, said the death had been promptly reported to the higher offices and the family should be eligible for ₹10 lakh. The source, however, could not confirm how long it might take to settle the amount.Albin (name changed for privacy), a delivery worker, meanwhile, said many were being forced to ignore safety aspects during work. “We are eligible for a full incentive of around ₹500 only if we complete 22 orders and work during the peak shifts of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. We suspect sufficient orders are not allotted to full-time workers to reduce the incentives. Delays in despatch from some restaurants and frequent calls from impatient customers also add to our worries,” he said. Published - July 19, 2026 09:12 pm IST
A protest staged under the aegis of Hind Mazdoor Sabha in front of CorroHealth office in Kozhikode on July 16. | Ragesh Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) State secretary Biju Antony on Thursday (July 16) termed the mass dismissal of around 800 employees by CorroHealth as illegal, alleging that the company had acted in disregard of the State government.Inaugurating a protest in front of the company’s Kozhikode office, Mr. Antony demanded a complete overhaul of the “hire and fire” policy, which he said formed part of the Centre’s new labour codes. He urged Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty to intervene and ensure that employees dismissed by CorroHealth were reinstated and provided with adequate protection.Mussammil Kommeri presided. Published - July 16, 2026 07:40 pm IST
Strong protests are needed to protect workers, and the State government should urgently intervene in the mass layoffs carried out by US-based CorroHealth Infotech Private Limited, Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Ernakulam district secretary S. Sathish said in a statement.‘Dismissals illegal’Referring to the alleged layoffs in Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts, Mr. Sathish termed the move highly objectionable. Since the new labour codes are not yet in force, the dismissals without prior permission are illegal under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, he said.The company, which provides medical coding services to American firms, laid off 600 employees from its Palarivattom office in Kochi and another 200 from its Kozhikode office without prior notice. Employees learned of the layoffs only when they reported for work on Friday (July 3).The company has not yet explained why only its Kerala offices were shut while those in Chennai and Noida continue to function, he noted.The decision to dismiss employees while offering three months’ salary violates labour laws and workers’ rights, he said. Published - July 06, 2026 01:24 am IST
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