The Hindu : Front Page : Kerala MPs to meet Manmohan, Lalu

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 04, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Kerala MPs to meet Manmohan, Lalu

Special Correspondent

They will plead against proposed bifurcation of Palakkad Railway Division

ESSENTIAL MATTERS: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has a word with Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan at the MPs' conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. — Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A delegation of Members of Parliament (MPs) from Kerala will call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad to apprise them of the State's concern over the proposed bifurcation of the Palakkad Railway Division.

Minister in charge of Railways M. Vijayakumar will lead the delegation. (The proposal is to carve out a new division from Palakkad with Salem as headquarters.)

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of MPs from the State held here on Saturday with Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan in the chair. Most of the MPs, including those from the Congress, were present at the meeting, which was also attended by several members of the State Cabinet and senior officials. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Mr. Achuthanandan said he would also take up the issue with the Prime Minister. The dates of the visit would be decided soon. Besides this, the MPs would raise the issue in Parliament.

The Chief Minister said the MPs would raise in Parliament the demand for special assistance for plantation workers of Idukki, farm workers of Alappuzha district and changes in the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission so that some of the provisions that could hurt the interests of the State could be removed.

Asked what the State Government proposed to do now that Tamil Nadu approached the Supreme Court once again on the Mullaperiyar issue, Mr. Achuthanandan said Kerala would also have to fight it out in the court.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page