# Kalamassery in 2024: The Year in Review

> In 2024 Kalamassery’s transport links grew — the metro reached Thrippunithura in March and the Water Metro reached Eloor a week later — while the Periyar became the year’s big worry after a mass fish kill in May. The Lok Sabha election, tougher waste laws, the start of Pink Line construction and the central probe involving Edayar’s CMRL also ran through the year. This review, written in October 2026, sticks to sourced facts.

- URL: https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kalamassery-in-2024/
- Publisher: Ashraf Gents Hostel, Ashraf house, NAD Rd, signal, Kalamassery, Aluva, Kerala 683563, India (+91 90746 23855)
- Published: 2026-10-08 · Updated: 2026-10-08
- Topic: History & archive
- Cite as: Ashraf Gents Hostel. “Kalamassery in 2024: The Year in Review.” Published 8 October 2026. https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kalamassery-in-2024/

## Key facts

- Kochi Metro’s SN Junction–Thrippunithura section opened on 6 March 2024, completing Phase I, and Water Metro terminals including Eloor opened on 14 March 2024.
- Large numbers of dead fish were found in the Periyar on 21 May 2024 at Edayar, Eloor, Varappuzha and nearby areas; a KUFOS study cited by Mongabay India named hydrogen sulphide as the primary cause.
- Kerala voted in the Lok Sabha election on 26 April 2024 and results came on 4 June 2024; in Ernakulam, Hibi Eden (INC) won with 4,82,317 votes and a margin of 2,50,385, according to Wikipedia.
- The Kerala Municipality (Amendment) Act, 2024, which raised penalties for waste-management violations, was notified on 4 March 2024 according to a legal update service.
- The Centre handed an inquiry into payments by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office in January 2024; the SFIO filed a prosecution complaint in April 2025, Onmanorama reported.

## The year at a glance

| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| January 2024 (reported as 31 January) | Centre hands the CMRL–Exalogic inquiry to the SFIO | News reports; Onmanorama |
| 2 February 2024 | Waste-law amendment bills referred to a subject committee | Onmanorama |
| February 2024 | 27 acres of HMT land at Kalamassery chosen for a new High Court complex | Onmanorama |
| 4 March 2024 | Kerala Municipality (Amendment) Act, 2024 notified | TeamLease RegTech |
| 6 March 2024 | Metro reaches Thrippunithura; Phase I complete | Wikipedia; The News Minute |
| 14 March 2024 | Water Metro terminals open at Eloor, Cheranallur and two others | Indian Infrastructure |
| 25 April 2024 | Water Metro’s first year closes with 19,72,247 passengers | Onmanorama |
| 26 April 2024 | Lok Sabha polling in Kerala | Wikipedia |
| 20–21 May 2024 | Regulator shutters opened at Pathalam; mass fish kill in the Periyar | Mongabay India; Onmanorama |
| 4 June 2024 | Lok Sabha results; Hibi Eden retains Ernakulam | Wikipedia |
| 3 July 2024 | Pink Line construction begins (Wikipedia’s date) | Wikipedia |
| November 2024 | KINFRA Hi-Tech Park receives a FICCI Swachh Industry Park award | KINFRA |

## March: two transport milestones

On **6 March 2024** the metro opened from SN Junction to the Thrippunithura terminal, completing the 25-station Line 1 that had first reached Kalamassery in 2017. A week later, on **14 March 2024**, the Chief Minister opened four Water Metro terminals including **Eloor** and Cheranallur, giving the Kalamassery side its first Water Metro stop. See [the metro’s story](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kochi-metro-reaches-kalamassery-2017/) and [the Water Metro’s growth](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kochi-water-metro-launch-2023/).

## May: the Periyar fish kill

On **21 May 2024** tonnes of dead fish were found floating in the Periyar and in cage farms at Edayar, Eloor, Varappuzha, Kothad, Kadamakudy, Cheranallur and Kottuvally, according to reports compiled by Mongabay India. The shutters of the Pathalam regulator-cum-bridge had been opened the previous afternoon and evening, after rain.

Explanations differed, and it is worth recording them separately. The Kerala State Pollution Control Board’s early statements pointed to a sudden fall in oxygen when stagnant water upstream of the regulator mixed with the flow. A study by the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), reported by Mongabay India in July 2024, found that elevated **hydrogen sulphide** was the primary cause, made worse by ammonia, and linked it to organic matter collecting in the stagnant water. Fish farmers and residents alleged that industrial discharges were to blame and protested. The National Green Tribunal took up the issue, and the Kerala High Court issued orders in June 2024. Our [fish kill page](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/periyar-fish-kill-may-2024/) and [Eloor pollution timeline](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/eloor-pollution-timeline/) have the longer record.

## April–June: the Lok Sabha election

Kerala voted on **26 April 2024**, and results were declared on **4 June 2024**. Statewide, the UDF won 18 of 20 seats, the LDF one and the NDA one, according to Wikipedia. In **Ernakulam**, the constituency that includes Kalamassery, **Hibi Eden** of the Indian National Congress was re-elected with **4,82,317 votes (52.97%)** and a margin of **2,50,385**. See [Ernakulam Lok Sabha 2019–2024](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/ernakulam-lok-sabha-2019-2024/).

## Laws, probes and projects

- **Waste law:** after ordinances in December 2023, bills raising penalties for waste dumping were referred to a subject committee on 2 February 2024; reports describe fines of up to ₹50,000 and up to a year in prison, with on-the-spot fines of ₹5,000. See [the 2024 waste law](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kerala-waste-law-2024-history/).
- **CMRL:** according to news reports, the Centre handed an inquiry into payments by the Edayar-based mineral company CMRL to Exalogic Solutions to the SFIO in January 2024 (reported as 31 January), and courts in Karnataka and Kerala declined to halt it. The SFIO filed its prosecution complaint in April 2025. See [CMRL’s history](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/cmrl-edayar-history/).
- **Judicial City:** in February 2024 the HMT land at Kalamassery was chosen for a proposed new High Court complex ([proposal history](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/judicial-city-proposal-history/)).
- **Pink Line:** construction of the Kakkanad metro began in 2024; Wikipedia dates the start to 3 July 2024.

## Why 2024 matters near the NAD signal

The fish kill happened a few kilometres west of the NAD Road signal, on the river that defines the industrial belt west of the town, and the year’s transport openings shaped how people living here travel. Ashraf Gents Hostel, a men’s hostel at the signal, sits between those two stories: the industrial river to the west and the metro to the south. Continue with [Kalamassery in 2025](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kalamassery-in-2025/) or return to the [archive hub](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kalamassery-history-archive/).

## Frequently asked questions

**What caused the Periyar fish kill in May 2024?**

A KUFOS study named hydrogen sulphide as the primary cause, linked to stagnant water released from the Pathalam regulator; fish farmers blamed industrial discharges. The explanations remain disputed.

**Who won Ernakulam in the 2024 Lok Sabha election?**

Hibi Eden of the INC, with 4,82,317 votes and a margin of 2,50,385, according to Wikipedia.

**When did the metro reach Thrippunithura?**

On 6 March 2024, completing Phase I of the line.

**What changed in Kerala’s waste law in 2024?**

Amendments raised penalties for waste-management violations; the municipal amendment Act was notified on 4 March 2024.

## Sources

- [Mongabay India: Massive fish kill in Periyar river attributed to industrial pollution (July 2024)](https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/massive-fish-kill-in-periyar-river-attributed-to-industrial-pollution/)
- [Onmanorama: Periyar pollution — farmers protest fish kill (May 2024)](https://onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2024/05/22/periyar-pollution-farmers-protest-fish-kill.html)
- [Wikipedia: Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernakulam_Lok_Sabha_constituency)
- [Wikipedia: 2024 Indian general election in Kerala](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Indian_general_election_in_Kerala)
- [Onmanorama: Waste management bill referred to subject committee (February 2024)](https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2024/02/02/waste-management-bill-assembly-littering-five-thousand-fine-subject-committee.amp.html)
- [TeamLease RegTech: Kerala Municipality (Amendment) Act, 2024](https://teamleaseregtech.com/updates/article/30334/kerala-municipality-amendment-act-2024/)
- [Onmanorama: SFIO files prosecution complaint in CMRL case (April 2025)](https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2025/04/03/sfio-files-prosecution-complaint-veena-vijayan-cmrl-bribery-scandal.amp.html)

---
Facts about Ashraf Gents Hostel come from the hostel’s own profile, photos and Google Site; rates are indicative and confirmed on the call. Quoting with a link back to the URL above is welcome.