THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:Any findings in the ongoing probe which may substantiate the allegations in the bar bribery scam would be viewed seriously by the Congress, KPCC president V M Sudheeran said here on Saturday.
‘’The party has explored the various facets of the issue. It has been found that the ongoing probe is judicious, impartial and in the right direction,’’ he told a press conference here convened to brief the deliberations and decisions of the KPCC executive meet.
He said that even the Opposition did not have any complaints on the ongoing probe. ‘’It is an independent probe,’’ he said. The KPCC meet has come up with proposals to refurbish the image of the government, after realising that the challenges in front of the UDF in the form of Aruvikkara by poll and elections to the local bodies followed by the Assembly polls, Sudheeran said.
The meet prevailed upon the government to insist that ministers shall remain in their offices here for at least four days in a week. ‘’It has been noted that some ministers are coming only to attend cabinet meets,’’ he said.Complaints about people and UDF workers coming from faraway places not getting due hearing in the offices of some ministers have to be redressed, the meet directed. ‘’The itinerary of ministers and KPCC office-bearers should be made known also,’’ Sudheeran said. The Congress membership drive, which is being pursued for the third time in recent months and scheduled to end on May 15, would be vigorously taken up, Sudheeran said. After reporting of the DCCs, it has also been decided that at least new committees up to the block level are formed at the earliest.
E M Sudarshana Nachiappan MP, returning officer to the Congress organisational polls, who was expected to attend the meet on Saturday, cancelled his trip at the last minute.Sudheeran said that the meet expressed grave concern at the corruption in local bodies and in appointments in cooperative sector institutions. “Wherever the Congress is in power, it has been directed to take utmost care to avoid complaints,’’ he said. A demand for immediate disbursement of arrears estimated to be around Rs 350 crores, due for paddy farmers was raised.
The crisis in the natural rubber sector figured at the meet and Kottayam DCC president Tomy Kallani warned that if effective steps are not taken, the scenario in the UDF’s strong turf would be quite different in the ensuing polls.
“Curtailing imports, support from the Price Stabilisation Fund, increasing the subsidy amount for rubber cultivation and hiking the import duty for non-tyre sector from 8 to 40 per cent were also demanded. The Centre’s decision to hike the import duty for NR by 5 per cent is welcome. The State Government has been asked to convene a meeting of rubber growers’ organisations and mount more pressure upon the Centre,’’ Sudheeran said.The meet recommended that light metro projects in T’Puram and Kozhikode should be undertaken under the aegis of DMRC and the leadership of metroman E Sreedharan itself.