Tamil Nadu - Nagercoil   

Sports facility row: BJP seeks CM’s intervention

Against move: BJP State President L. Ganesan addressing cadres in Nagercoil on Monday.

NAGERCOIL: The Bharatiya Janata Party has sought Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s intervention to amicably and permanently settle the issue over the proposed shifting of Sports Authority of India’s sub-centre from Kanyakumari district to the neighbouring Tirunelveli.

Protesting this move, the party’s State deputy president and former Union Minister of State for Sports Pon. Radhakrishnan, who was instrumental in bringing the facility to Kanayakumari district, commenced an indefinite hunger strike in Nagercoil on Monday.

Inaugurating the protest, the State BJP president, L. Ganesan, said that the centre was granted to Kanyakumari district after the then District Collector, Sunil Paliwal, and a team of officials from the Union Government inspected the proposed site for the facility and expressed their view in favour of establishing the sub-centre there.

He said that all parties, barring the Communists, had extended their support to the indefinite fast embarked upon by Mr. Radhakrishnan.

“Since the district has so far failed to attract major industrial investment, at least the SAI sub-centre project may take the district to the mainstream,” Mr. Ganesan said.

He informed that he would seek an appointment to meet the Chief Minister to discuss this issue.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Radhakrishnan said that he would lead an all-out fight to bring SAI sub-centre back to Kanyakumari.

“There is no valid reason for attempting to shift the facility from Kanyakumari to Tirunelveli as foundation stone for the centre was laid only at Rajakkamangalam,” he said.

He also rejected Minister for Tourism N. Suresh Rajan’s appeal to discontinue the fast.

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

Stories in this Section

“Do not shift Siddha hospital”
Sports facility row: BJP seeks CM’s intervention

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu