ALAPPUZHA: Violence marred the Alappuzha municipal council meet on Monday after LDF and UDF councillors clashed over last week’s suspension of four employees in connection with the missing files related to the construction of the controversial Lake Palace Resort owned by Transport Minister Thomas Chandy.Councillors from the ruling UDF and opposition LDF suffered minor injuries in the altercation. Six councillors were hospitalised. Things went south after municipal chairman Thomas Joseph – who had suspended engineering wing superintendent Prasanthkumar, section clerk C M Suja and office attenders P C Moly and Geevarghese using his discretionary powers at a special council meet on September 22 – refused to withdraw his decision.
The LDF councillors demanded Joseph cancel the employees’ suspension, claiming they did not have any role in the missing of the files. Joseph said the issue will be taken up after discussing the meet’s agenda. Unhappy, the LDF councillors threatened to stall the meet until their demand was met. Joseph stuck to his guns, causing the LDF councillors to resort to protesting and sloganeering. The chairman then declared the council approved the suspensions and that was when all hell broke loose.“The chairman’s act was one-sided. The suspended employees do not have any role in the missing of the files,” said Opposition leader D Lakshmanan.
Prasanthkumar, the superintendent joined office just four months ago. The others are also not connected with the incident. But the chairman used his discretionary powers to politicise the issue,” he said. A day after the suspension was announced, employees had observed a strike saying it was unnecessary. They had also accused Joseph of making scapegoats of the employees. Kerala Municipal Corporation Staff Union (KMCSU-CITU) district president G Sixtus said the employees will continue the pen-down strike. The indefinite strike will begin after October 4, Sixtus said.
Govt should remove Chandy from Cabinet: V M Sudheeran
Alappuzha: Former KPCC president V M Sudheeran on Monday demanded the state government remove Transport Minister Thomas Chandy from the Cabinet over the latter’s alleged encroachment of land in Alappuzha. “That Chandy encroached and violated the Kerala Conservation of Paddy land and Wetland Act is evident across Alappuzha. So, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should remove him from the Cabinet. He violated the norms by encroaching land and filled paddy fields. It is also a violation of the oath of office,” Sudheeran told reporters after visiting the Marthandam Kayal land allegedly filled by Chandy. He also visited the Chandy’s Lake Palace Resort. DCC president M Liju, KPCC treasurer Johnson Abraham, former DCC president A A Sukkoor and other leaders accompanied Sudheeran.