ALAPPUZHA: Discontent is growing within his own party as well as among opposition over the alleged misuse of funds by Transport Minister Thomas Chandy to reconstruct a road leading to his resort and fill a paddy field, both in Alappuzha, using government money. State leaders of National Congress Party (NCP), to which Chandy belongs, as well as its youth wing Nationalist Youth Congress (NYC),and opposition Congress and Yuva Morcha are crying foul as they allege the road belonging to the Lake Palace Resort, owned by Chandy, was tarred using Rs 28.5 lakh from the Harbour Engineering Department (HED) fund.
The NCP District Committee came down heavily on Chandy, citing corruption and misuse of power, while the NYC state camp at its meeting in Kozhikode passed a resolution seeking a probe into the very construction of the road. Congress demanded a Vigilance probe into the matter, with DCC president M Liju saying his party would stage a march to both the resort and Chandy’s office on August 19.
“The road was tarred by violating government norms. Officers of the HED helped Chandy in using government funds so they’re also culprits,” said Liju. Yuva Morcha activists took out a march to the HED on Monday. The resort’s director is also facing wrath for allegedly filling 1.5 acres of paddy field using the soil dug up while dredging a lake for the development of National Waterway III in Kuttanad. Yuva Morcha alleged the Kerala Irrigation Department officers colluded with Chandy to fill the field by using state money.