The Corporation Anti-Corruption Campaign Committee has decided to launch an indefinite hunger strike near the Central Library at Mananchira from November 11 demanding that the State government constitute a Special Investigation Team to probe the corruption charges against the previous and the present Corporation Council.
Addressing a news conference here on Saturday, the Anti- Corruption Campaign Committee chairperson K. Anandakanakam said that the decision to begin the hunger strike was taken as Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had failed to keep his promise to order a probe by a special police team into the allegations of irregularities in the civic body for over a decade.
Ms. Anandakanakam said that she had started an indefinite hunger strike last year seeking a special police team to probe corruption cases against the ruling regime in the corporation council. The strike was called off after 10 days on November 11, 2012 after assurances from the State government to look into the matter.
She said that the Chief Minister had promised that the government would form a special police team to investigate all charges. One of the serious allegations was the issuing of building permits including flats in the city from October 2005 to October 2012.
Mr. Chandy had also deputed the Urban Affairs Minister Manajalamkuzhi Ali to put into practice the terms reached between the government and the committee.
However, nothing materialised till now. So the committee was compelled to re-launch its agitation, Ms. Anandakanakam said.
The committee convener K. P. Vijayakumar will begin the indefinite hunger strike at 5 p.m. on November 11. A total of 13 cases pertaining to the corruption allegations against the Corporation council had already been registered before the Kozhikode Vigilance Inquiry Commissioner and Special Judge here.
However, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) was yet to file the charge sheets in any of the cases. The committee members also urged the Home Department to remove the Vigilance Deputy Superintendent of Police M. P. Premdas from the post. The actions of the officer showed that he shielded the respondents mentioned in the complaint filed before the Vigilance court.
The Vigilance court had recently asked the Dy.SP. to inquire four charges of corruption.
But after carrying out a preliminary inquiry he submitted a report stating that there is no evidence to register cases in any of these allegations. Consequently the court prevailed over the report and asked the officer to register three cases, Mr. Vijayakumar said.
