Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

UDF ire over scheme’s name

Thiruvananthapuram: United Democratic Front (UDF) members in the City Corporation Council have decided to approach the Prime Minister over the council’s rejection of their plea to name the coastal housing scheme after Jawaharlal Nehru.

At a meeting of the UDF council party here on Tuesday, the councillors said they had raised the demand to name the scheme after Jawaharlal Nehru during the budget debate in the council. Justifying the demand, they pointed out that the scheme was to be implemented with financial assistance from the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

UDF leader Johnson Joseph said they had no objection to the EMS Housing Scheme, named after E.M.S. Namboodiripad, for below poverty line (BPL) families that was repeated in this year’s budget after failing to take off last year. “The LDF however has named the JNNURM-supported coastal housing scheme also after EMS. This is unjustifiable and should be reviewed.”

The meeting accused the ruling coalition of trying to make political capital out of the Central government assistance offered under JNNURM. It called for bifurcation of the scheme into two, one named after EMS targeting BPL families and the other for coastal housing named after Jawaharlal Nehru.

The UDF council party submitted a letter to the Mayor urging him to concede their demand.

Councillors Veli Varghese, Beemapally Rashid, Anilkumar, Badarunnisa, Sheeba Justin, Sylvi Mathew, Philomina Rani and Biju Harikumar were present at the meeting.

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

Stories in this Section

Hindi scholar donates prize money to students
UDF ire over scheme’s name
New recharge coupons
Air Marshal assumes charge
Road safety awards announced
IBS Software sets up centre in Canada
Somnath mourns the poet
Laurie Baker remembered
One killed in gangland attack
Thiruvananthapuram Today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu