THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Opposition on Monday walked out of the assembly after the Speaker denied permission to seek leave for an adjournment motion on farmer suicides in the state. I C Balakrishnan of the Congress moved the adjournment motion over the issue on the ground that the government had failed to discharge its duties to protect the interests of farmers.
As many as 15 farmers committed suicide in the state as a result of mounting debts after the LDF came to power, he said. The government should urgently intervene in the issue and either write off or waive agriculture loans up to Rs 2 lakh, he said.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said the Cabinet should take a decision on it without passing the ball to the Kerala State Farmer’s Debt Relief Commission. While 20 farmers had committed suicide during the previous LDF Government’s term, the UDF tenure was largely free of farmer suicides, Chennithala said.
Balakrishnan said the situation aggravated post the mid-August flood when the cooperative banks in the state went ahead with revenue recovery as per the provisions of the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Securities Interest Act, 2002 (SARFAESI).
Had the state government taken proper steps in the beginning, it would not have happened. Even at this point, the state government should be ready to tell a specific date regarding waiving of loans up to `2 lakh of debt-ridden farmers, he said.
Replying to the argument, Agriculture Minister V S Sunilkumar said the farmers who committed suicide had taken the loans not for agriculture purposes, but for other matters.
However, the state government has included all the loans taken by the farmers in the category of loans for which moratorium was announced on repayment of all agriculture loans taken by farmers. In the case of SARFAESI Act, it was the NDA Government at the Centre that framed the Act and the UPA Government which followed failed to amend it to protect the interests of the farmers, he said.
Airport privatisation: Action Council submits memorandum to CM
T’Puram: The action council, formed against the move to privatise Trivandrum International Airport, has submitted a memorandum to the state government seeking government intervention to stop privatisation proceedings. Action Committee chairman M Vijayakumar and convenor K Sreekumar submitted the representation to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Monday. The Chief Minister on Sunday announced that the concessionaire who won the bid for the airport cannot develop the structure without the cooperation of the state government. In response to a question, he made clear the state government would not cooperate with the company that won the bid as privatising the airport was against the stance of the state government.
‘Strict action against septage dumping in water bodies’
T’Puram: The government plans stringent action against those dumping septage into water bodies, said Water Resources Minister K Krishnankutty. “District and local-level committees would be formed with people’s representatives as members for effective monitoring and surveillance,” he told the assembly on Monday. The minister’s reply came after MLAs Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and Aisha Potty raised concerns over the dumping of toilet waste into water bodies. However, the minister did not agree to Thiruvanchoor’s demand for a new tough law to tackle the menace. Meanwhile, the minister said the bottled water brand of the KWA will hit the market in August.
First phase of Vizhinjam Port unlikely to meet deadline: Kadannappally
T’Puram: The first phase of the Vizhinjam Port is unlikely to be completed before the deadline, Ports Minister Kadannappally Ramachandran has said. “The independent engineer for the project has reported that the delay in the construction of groyne has affected the project. The developer, Adani Ports, could not get sufficient granite for the purpose,” the minister told the Assembly.“It is the responsibility of the developer to procure the granite. The government will offer necessary support to the company to get granite by starting own quarries. The government has already held discussions with the company to expedite the work,” he added. As per the agreement between the government and the Adani Ports on 17 August 2015, the first phase was to be commissioned on December 3 this year. The company will operate the port for forty years. So far, Adani Ports has requested for extension of deadline on four occasions. The government has rejected the request three times while it is waiting for the independent engineer’s report on one of them.
New law against black magic mooted
T’Puram: Two murders and 19 cheating cases related to black magic were registered in the state during the past 10 years, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the assembly on Monday. New legislation to effectively prevent black magic is under the consideration of the Law Reforms Commission, he said. A total of 19 cheating cases were registered during the past 10 years, in which 35 persons were arraigned accused. While seven cases were reported in Kozhikode, four each cases were registered in Kollam and Alappuzha.