Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Probe into graft charges against sports council

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Vigilance probe will be ordered into the corruption charges raised against the Kerala Sports Council, Sports Minister M. Vijayakumar has said.

Mr. Vijayakumar said in reply to questions in the Assembly on Wednesday that backdoor appointments and other irregularities also would be brought into the ambit of the inquiry. The Government policy was to decentralise the functioning of the Council and sports councils would be set up in panchayats too.

He said `sports for all and health for all' was the Government policy. As many as 55 lakh students would be trained under `Operation Olympiad' as part of the talent hunt. The sports teams in Government departments and public sector undertakings would be revived.

The Minister said Kerala Football Academy would be set up on a 25-acre plot in Malappuram and a sports school would be opened at Vandoor. Work on the swimming pool at Thrissur would be completed soon.

The proceeds of the first Kerala super bumper lottery would be utilised for mobilising resources to develop sports. Assistance would be provided to the differently-abled children to attend the special Olympics conducted for them. The basic amenities at the Volleyball Academy would be enhanced in a time-bound manner. The high-altitude training centre at Munnar would become functional in a year, he said.

The Government would mount pressure on the Centre to sanction a railway zone with the capital as head quarters. A detailed project for railway development would be submitted to the Centre. Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan would hold a meeting of MPs and Southern Railway officials to discuss the development plans, Mr. Vijayakumar said.

Drug policy

Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy said a new drug policy would be introduced next year.

The Government had no plan to ban bottled drinks other than Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola. Industries Minister Elamaram Karim said the Union Government had not sanctioned any textile park for the State. A new project would be submitted through an agency approved by the Centre, Mr. Karim said.

The Government also recommended a Vigilance probe into the allegations raised against the development projects initiated at Travancore Titanium Products (TTP) here, he said

A revival project for Keltron would be submitted to the Board for Industrial Finance and Reconstruction, he said.

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