The Hindu : Front Page : Ordinance to check criminal gangs soon

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Thursday, Dec 08, 2005

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Ordinance to check criminal gangs soon

Special Correspondent

Welfare fund for workers of shops, commercial establishments

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cabinet has decided to recommend to the Governor to promulgate the Felonious Activities (Prevention) Ordinance to check criminal gangs.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told presspersons after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the legislation had earlier been circulated as a Bill for discussion in the Assembly. The Government had proposed that it should be referred to the Select Committee without a discussion. However, the Opposition did not agree to that.

Mr. Chandy said that the Ordinance would have the same provisions as the circulated Bill. However, the Government proposed to bring some changes when the Bill, to replace the Ordinance, was introduced in the Assembly. He said that the Cabinet had also decided to promulgate another Ordinance for setting up a welfare fund for workers of shops and commercial establishments. The Vizhinjam harbour project, he said, would be carried out on a fast track basis. A land acquisition unit under a special Tahsildar would be set up for acquiring land for the proposed Angamali Erumeli railway line. About 205 hectares were needed for the project, he said.

Construction materials purchased for building houses for the victims of tsunami between December 31, 2004 and March 31, 2005, would be exempted from sales tax. An amount of Rs.1 lakh would be provided to the next of kin of Vinod Kumar who was killed in blasts in Delhi recently. The Chief Minister said adalats would be held in all districts from January 2 to 9 under the auspices of the Revenue Department. The Cabinet had decided to depute a Minister to each district to oversee the adalats.

Mr. Chandy said he would urge the Prime Minister to do everything possible for the release of Noushad from Saudi jail. (A Shariat Court of Saudi Arabia had ordered that he should be blinded in one eye under the `eye for eye' principle, as he was responsible for damaging a youth's eye in an altercation). "We have every right to raise the issue with that country. What Noushad had done was not a brutal or premeditated crime."

Replying to questions, he said there were two points of view in the cardamom land issue. A practical decision would be taken on the matter.

Asked about the official statement in Parliament against the State Government's proposal for budget airlines, he said the Government would pursue the matter. The Chief Minister said the Government would take a decision on reduction of power tariffs after studying its implications.

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