Kerala to ban illegal cashew processing centers

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 28 (UNI) The Kerala government will promulgate an ordinance to ban the functioning of illegal cashew processing units .

Talking to mediapersons here to brief the Cabinet decisions, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said today the ordinance would enable the officials to seize machineries and raw cashew from such factories, besides two-year imprisonment to the owners of such units.

Mr Achuthanandan said the Civil Supplies Corporation and Consumerfed would take immediate measures to check the price of rice in open market in the state.

The Cabinet had also decided to appoint a two-member committee with Water Authority Secretary and Waterway Advisor Admiral Menon as its members to submit a report on interior waterway for speeding up the waterway development, he added.

The government also decided to appoint Kozhikode Medical College Professor P V Ramachandran as the Director of Medical Education.

To a question, the Chief Minister hinted that electricity charges would not be hiked as it would affect the people.

UNI