With the Opposition and KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran training their guns on the government, the Cabinet went on damage control mode on Tuesday deciding to withdraw the office order issued by the Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau (VACB) on the exemption of the T Branch from the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Addressing the media after the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the VACB director had been asked to withdraw the office order. The government order (GO) exempting the T Branch from the RTI Act, however, would stand.
The GO, he explained, was issued on the basis of two letters from the Vigilance Director in 2009 and 2010 pointing out that the premature disclosure of information relating to the T Branch would affect the investigation process and endanger the life and safety of sources providing evidence against high-profile people, including Ministers, MLAs and senior officials.
“The Cabinet meeting came to the conclusion that the office order had misrepresented facts. Hence the VACB director was asked to withdraw the office order,” Mr. Chandy said.
Water supply
Mr. Chandy said the Election Commission of India was expected to take a favourable decision on Wednesday on the government’s letter seeking permission to allocate funds for supply of drinking water to parched areas. The government, he said, had spent a total of Rs.264.54 crore over the last five years on water supply during the summer months. Challenging the Election Commission’s contention that the allocation of funds for water supply would constitute a violation of the electoral code of conduct, he said, “Only in 2012- 13 had the government declared drought under the norms specified by the Centre. ”
