The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Protest marks inaugural function

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Sunday, Jun 06, 2004

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Protest marks inaugural function

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, JUNE 5. One man's protest lasting just a few seconds said it all at the gala organised in connection with the opening of the Goshree bridges here this evening. The Vypeen Bridges Action Council convener, Majnoo Komath's protest in front of the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, and six of his Cabinet colleagues, was an expression of the seething anger of the local people who strived for decades for the realisation of the Goshree project.

Everyone present at the function got a shock when Mr. Komath jumped on to the stage soon after the Minister for Welfare of Scheduled and Backward Classes, M.A. Kuttappan, finished his welcome speech, and shouted at the Collector, Gyanesh Kumar, saying, "You have insulted me...it was you who invited me to the function."

What angered Mr. Komath was the omission of his name from the welcome list. Whether deliberate or not, Mr. Kuttappan was quick to apologise for the mistake. Yet, Mr. Komath refused to take a seat on the dais, in spite of having been guarded by the Superintendent of Police, T.M. Aboobacker.

The entire function looked like an arranged one. Neither Mr. Antony, who was earlier given a hero's welcome on entering the island, nor Mr. Kuttappan did get as much applause as Mr. Komath and Mr. Gyanesh Kumar got. Apart from them, the Vypeen block panchayat president, C.M. Devassy, too was in the people's list of heroes.

The allegation that the UDF hijacked the festival of the island for its political gains proved more or less true. But for Sebastian Paul, MP, there was no other prominent personalities from the Left. The absence of the Mayor, Dinesh Mani, who is a CPM man, was also noticed.

Mr. Paul did not spare the occasion to blast the organisers for neglecting persons like K. Karunakaran, S. Sarma and M.M. Monayi, who had been instrumental for the realisation of the project in its initial years.

The sidelining of Mr. Gyanesh Kumar too was obvious. By relegating him to the role of proposing a vote of thanks, according to the islanders, the authorities insulted the Collector who had worked hard for the project. In fact, encomiums were showered on Mr. Kumar not only by the Chief Minister but also by Mr. Kuttappan. "There is a Gyanesh touch to the bridges," said Mr. Kuttappan during his inaugural speech.

Instead of promoting the event as a festival of the island, the entire focus was given to the Chief Minister, who wore a green sports cap, and his Cabinet colleagues. They were received at Cherai junction by a jubilant crowd. From there, they proceeded to Edavanakkad on an open jeep. But their onward journey to Vypeen was affected by the rain that lashed throughout the evening.

There were banners and posters welcoming Mr. Antony and Mr. Kuttappan all along the 22 km stretch between Vypeen and Cherai. All the 60-odd buses plying on the island were decorated. Notwithstanding the allegation of politicising the function, hundreds of people who gathered at the inaugural venue dared the inclement weather. "It's our project, after all," they said.

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