MALAPPURAM: Local Self-Government Minister K M Shaji has clarified that he never said the LIFE Mission project would be scrapped. He said restoring powers taken away from grama sabhas does not mean the abolition of the LIFE Mission project. According to Shaji, if anyone feels the project will be discontinued, it is because they themselves believe there are flaws in it.
“This is not a government that has come to destroy projects. If every new government decides to dismantle the projects of the previous government, how will the state move forward?” Shaji said. He added that the UDF government would move ahead by making necessary corrections to existing projects.
Shaji said the government’s agenda is to restore the powers of the grama panchayat and asserted that the CPM is free to organise protests. He reiterated that the government would continue implementing decisions it considers beneficial, regardless of opposition protests.
Shaji also announced that an urgent online meeting had been convened for the next day to discuss pre-monsoon cleaning activities.
The clarification comes amid reports that the Local Self-Government Department was considering scrapping the LIFE Mission project by transferring the authority to build and allocate houses to panchayats. It was suggested that proposals for housing beneficiaries would instead be routed through grama sabhas.
The controversy drew sharp reactions from the opposition. Former Local Self Government Minister M B Rajesh criticised the UDF, alleging that instead of launching new projects, it was attempting to terminate a scheme that enabled the construction of 5 lakh houses. Rajesh said lakhs of families waiting for houses under the LIFE Mission would suffer if the project was discontinued. He also alleged that the UDF government would face public anger over the issue.
