The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Achuthanandan’s Munnar campaign a sham, says Chandy

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Friday, Jul 06, 2007
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Achuthanandan’s Munnar campaign a sham, says Chandy

Special Correspondent

‘Revenue Minister’s statement in the House is enough proof’

Thiruvananthapuram: Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy has alleged that Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan’s recent Munnar campaign to take over Tata Tea land was a sham in the light of Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran’s statement in the Assembly.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Mr. Chandy said the Revenue Minister had admitted in the Assembly that the controversial land where the Tata’s had put up their board and demolished by the Special Task Force (STF) under the Chief Minister’s supervision the other day had been vested with the Government and was in the possession of the Forest Department.

“The onus is on the Chief Minister to clarify the exact position. The Revenue Minister’s statement in the House shows up the Chief Minister’s Munnar campaign as a farce,” he said.

He, however, differed with the Revenue Minister on one count that the controversial land had not been notified, even though the Forest Department had taken position.

He said the land was taken over by the Government under the Kerala Vesting and Management of Ecologically Fragile Land Act, 2003, as per the Government order issued on January 17, 2007, and subsequently notified in the gazette on February 20, 2007.

The 150-odd acres of land which was claimed to have been restored by the Chief Minister was part of the 12 pieces of land thus notified.

Mr. Chandy contented that the Forest Department was actually in possession of this part comprising Pampanmala Shola, Neyamakkad Shola and Thennmala Shola.

It even constructed a building here, but later did not put to use. Recently, the building was renovated and was now being used as a forest station. Every year, the Forest Department used to carry out work on the fire line in the area which was demarcated by 150 ‘jenta’.

The expenditure on putting up the ‘jenta’, maintaining the building and fire line was charged on the Forest Department under its plan head.

Collective responsibility

Mr. Chandy said the people of Kerala were waiting for the Chief Minister’s clarification. On whether he felt that the Revenue Minister and the Chief Minister had taken opposite poles on the Tata eviction issue and whether he felt that the collective responsibility of the Cabinet had collapsed, Mr. Chandy said the Cabinet had lost its sense of collective responsibility long back. But the Revenue Minister’s statement in the Assembly was too serious to be ignored.

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