Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Saturday inaugurated the Sparsham project for providing jobs to 250 women of the once troubled-regions of Marad village in Beypore gramapanchayat here.
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said empowerment of women would act as a catalytic agent for social justice and communal harmony. “History is being created at Marad with the implementation of the new scheme initiated by the district administration. Peace cannot be achieved through the deployment of a thousand police personnel in a region. It has been proven many times,” Mr. Balakrishnan said.
The government would take steps to emulate the Sparsham project in other coastal areas of the State, Mr. Balakrishnan said.
The public-police interface was necessary to maintain peace in an area. The Jana Maithri Scheme being implemented in 43 police stations would be extended to 100 police stations in the State within two months, he said.
Only a beginning
Presiding over the inaugural function, Industries Minister Elamaram Karim said the State government was committed to draw up such women empowerment schemes to alleviate poverty in backward regions. The Sparsham project was only a small beginning to the large-scale development activities that would follow in Beypore grama panchayat with its merger to the Kozhikode Corporation.
Tourism project
The Beypore tourism project would be inaugurated shortly. Similarly, development work would commence at the fishing harbour and ports at Beypore. The process of establishing a Marine Industrial Park in 22 acres of land in Beypore had already begun. All these projects would socially and economically benefit the people of Marad as well, Mr. Karim said.
The Minister also lauded the efforts of district Collector P.B. Salim in coordinating with various government agencies and private companies to implement the Sparsham project.
The evident change in the mood of the people in the coastal village between May 2003 (when nine persons were massacred in communal riot) and May 2010 was remarkable, he said.
Former Supreme Court judge Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, who was the chief guest at the inaugural function, said the message of cooperation of the people of Marad needed to be spread to other parts of the country as well. The empowerment of women could bring miraculous results. The government had hundreds of opportunities before them to realise social justice, he said.
However, it was also important that the common man differentiate the villains trying to stir up trouble in the name of religion. Even preachers of communal harmony could poison the minds of the people. Today, the country was in the grip of a mafia.
The wealthy class gained controlled in the corridors of power although the poor exercised their franchise, Mr. Iyer said.
Welcoming the gathering, the district Collector said many had expressed reservation regarding the implementation of the Sparsham project. The administration had plans to replicate the programme in other strife-torn areas of the district, Dr. Salim said.
Vadakara Superintendent of Police Neeraj Kumar Gupta, who is also holding the charge of the Commissioner of Police, Kozhikode city, M. Bhaskaran, Mayor of Kozhikode, and Beypore grama panchayat president P. Shilaja were present.
Cultural programmes and a colourful procession were held to mark the inauguration of the project.
