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Charges against Minister: Opposition walks out

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM JULY 16. The Opposition walked out of the Assembly at the end of the sitting on Tuesday in protest against the Minister for Local Self-Government, Cherkalam Abdullah, failing to respond to the allegations raised against him "in a satisfactory manner''.

The walkout came as the Minister concluded his reply to the debate on demands for grants for Urban Development and Panchayat, and the Speaker began putting the demands to vote. The Opposition made noisy demands that the Minister should give a proper reply.

Earlier, the Minister said that he was refuting all the "baseless allegations'' against him regarding transfers in his department. He was being accused of having taken money through middlemen even for transfers effected during the 35 days when he was in hospital.

As a Government department, transfers were a normal process in his department. Some transfers were effected on the recommendations of the members also. "Were they acting for middlemen,'' the Minister asked.

He said that irregularities totalling Rs. 110.56 crores had been detected in the use of Plan funds by Local Self-Governments during the LDF rule. Besides, many funds were misused for creating unproductive assets and the like. These were not small sums as claimed by the Opposition.

Mr. Abdullah said that the Government proposed to form an urban development authority as proposed in the urban policy, which had been approved by the Cabinet. The Kudumbasree project would be carried out in the remaining 730 panchayats.

Earlier, the Food Minister, G. Karthikeyan, who replied to the debate on the demand for grants for food, said that the Government proposed to issue ration cards this year itself to those staying on Government purambokes and houses without house numbers. This measure would benefit about six lakh families who are without ration cards.

He said that sugar would be distributed through ration shops to families above the poverty line. The price would be the same as that in Maveli stores. Grains older than two years would not be distributed through ration shops.

Mr. Karthikeyan said that the Government had urged the Centre to increase the quota of kerosene to the State. The question of increasing commissions to ration dealers would be considered.

The Civil Supplies Department, he said, would be fully computerised. The smart cards being introduced by the department would help to prevent diversion of ration articles.

The House passed the demands for food (Rs. 128.37 crores), urban development (Rs. 194.89 crores) and panchayat (Rs. 728.05 crores) by voice vote in the absence of the Opposition.

The demands for grants for State legislature, elections, stamps and registration, treasury and accounts, pensions and miscellaneous, miscellaneous economic services, compensation and assignments and miscellaneous loans and advances were guillotined.

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