Kerala - Kollam   

QSSS function blocked; tension at Alapad

By Our Staff Reporter

Demonstrators blocking the launch of the QSSS house construction work for the tsunami victims of Alapad on Thursday.

KOLLAM, MARCH 31. Tension gripped Alapad this afternoon when a group of persons, including a good number of women, protested against the move by the Quilon Social Service Society (QSSS) to start the construction work of the 456 permanent houses for the tsunami victims in the area.

Due to this, the construction work on the QSSS quota of houses has been indefinitely postponed. The work would have been inaugurated by the Bishop of Florida, Robert N. Lynche, who is also the president of the United States-based Catholic Relief Service (CRS).

The QSSS, the social service wing of the Catholic diocese of Kollam, is also constructing 104 such houses for the tsunami victims of Aratupuzha in Alappuzha. The CRS along with Carithas India is financially supporting the QSSS housing programme for tsunami victims.

The QSSS was the first to come forward with the announcement of starting the construction work. Though he arrived in Kollam, Rev. Lynche did not proceed to Alapad in view of the situation there.

The demonstrators said that the QSSS had no right to go ahead with the construction work, as the list of beneficiaries had not been finalised.

As tension gripped the area, the Kollam Collector, B. Sreenivas, a police team led by the Kollam SP, S. Sreejith, the Rajya Sabha member, N.K. Premachandran, and the Karuganapally MLA, A.N. Rajan Babu, rushed to the scene to settle the issue.

But the demonstrators refused to budge. The Collector then requested the Kollam Bishop, Stanley Roman, to consider postponing the function in view of the tension in the area and the Bishop agreed to the suggestion.

`Unfortunate'

Talking to The Hindu , Dr. Stanley Roman said that the development was most unfortunate and it brought uncertainty over the tsunami victims having a shelter of their own before the monsoon.

He alleged that the demonstrators seemed to have been instigated by outside forces.

He said that by postponing the function, he only respected the suggestion put forward by the Collector, the SP, Mr. Premachandran and Mr. Rajan Babu.

"The development will not in any way hamper the commitment of the QSSS towards the tsunami victims," the Bishop said.

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