Cat stranded on Kochi Metro Rail pillar rescued
Kochi (PTI): A cat that was stranded on a pillar of the Kochi Metro Rail was rescued after several attempts by animal lovers and Fire and Rescue Service officials here on Sunday, officials said.
According to Fire and Rescue Service officials, the cat’s presence on a pillar near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Metro Station at Kaloor was first noticed by auto rickshaw drivers operating in the area.
Officials said an attempt was made on Thursday to rescue the cat, but the animal could not be spotted.
On Saturday, following news reports about the stranded cat, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) began efforts to rescue it.
However, the animal moved into gaps in the girder, and a technical issue with the hydraulic crane forced them to suspend the operation.
Later, Fire and Rescue Service personnel made another attempt in the evening, and Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) authorities provided support by shutting off the electrical connection for over 15 minutes. However, that attempt also failed as the feline could not be spotted.
Officials left food atop the pillar for the cat to survive. By then, animal lovers had reached the spot and had requested that authorities continue the rescue operation.
Interestingly, auto rickshaw drivers named the cat "Subash" after a character in the Malayalam movie 'Manjummel Boys' who was trapped in the Guna Caves in Tamil Nadu.
Later, after KMRL’s daily operations ended on Saturday night, a fresh attempt was launched around midnight to trace and rescue the cat.
Officials said two personnel, equipped with a rescue box and nets, reached the top of the pillar at around 1 am on Sunday, spotted the cat, and rescued it.
As the cat was brought down, a large crowd gathered at the spot and raised slogans in support of the authorities.
The feline was later shifted to an animal rehabilitation centre, officials said.
An officer with the Fire and Rescue Service at the Gandhi Nagar station said this was the third time a cat had been rescued after being stranded on a Metro pillar.
"It might have entered from the station, as we don’t see any other possibility, considering the height of the pillar. To save a life, we continued the operation, in which Metro authorities also cooperated," he said.
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Stalin alleges Centre's 3-language formula 'covert' mechanism to impose Hindi
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, referring to the CBSE's recently unveiled curriculum framework, on Saturday alleged the "so-called three-language formula" is in reality a "covert" mechanism to expand Hindi into non-Hindi speaking regions.
Stalin, also the president of the ruling DMK, alleged the curriculum framework by the CBSE, aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, was not an innocent academic reform. It was a calculated and deeply concerning attempt at linguistic imposition that vindicates our long-standing apprehensions.
The chief minister alleged that under the guise of promoting "Indian languages", the BJP-led NDA government was aggressively advancing a centralising agenda that privileges Hindi while systematically marginalising India’s rich and diverse linguistic heritage.
"The so-called three-language formula is, in reality, a covert mechanism to expand Hindi into non-Hindi speaking regions," he alleged in a statement.
For students in southern states, this framework effectively translates into "compulsory Hindi learning." He alleged: "Yet, where is the reciprocity? Will students in Hindi-speaking states be mandated to learn Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam—or even languages like Bengali and Marathi? The complete absence of such clarity exposes the one-sided and discriminatory nature of this policy. The irony is stark and unacceptable."
The same Union government that has "failed" to make Tamil a mandatory language in Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan schools—and has consistently failed to appoint adequate Tamil teachers, now seeks to lecture states on promoting Indian languages. "This is not commitment, this is rank hypocrisy."
Stalin wondered if the Union government had any understanding of ground realities; of availability of teachers, training capacity, and infrastructure? He asked: "Where are the qualified teachers to implement this sweeping exercise. And crucially, where is the funding to support this enormous burden on the education system? Hence, this appears to be yet another ill-conceived policy announced without planning, resources, or accountability. This was not merely a question of language, it was a question of fairness, federalism, and equal opportunity."
By structurally privileging Hindi-speaking students, this policy risks creating entrenched advantages in higher education and employment, further widening regional disparities.
At a time when the world is moving forward at an unprecedented pace, our children must be prepared for the future. The priority should be to equip them with skills in emerging sectors like artificial intelligence, AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics), and to strengthen scientific temper and critical thinking. Instead, this regressive and rigid language burden threatens to derail their progress, the CM claimed.
The Union government appears determined to impose Hindi, brushing aside the legitimate, consistent, and democratic concerns raised by Tamil Nadu and several other states. This approach is a direct affront to the principles of cooperative federalism and an insult to the linguistic identity of millions of Indians. India’s strength lies in its diversity and not in "enforced uniformity."
Any attempt to disturb this delicate balance is not just misguided, it is dangerous. "Such policies strike at the very foundation of our pluralistic nation and will be firmly opposed."
Further, he asked: Does the Edapadi Palaniswami-led AIADMK and its NDA allies in Tamil Nadu subscribe to this imposition? Or will they, for once, stand up for the rights, identity, and future of our students?
