Senior Congress leader, V.M. Sudheeran has said that the Supreme Court directive to implement National River Linking Project (NRLP) in a time-bound manner was against ‘the principles of Federalism’ and was ‘a Constitutional impropriety’.
Inaugurating the meeting to remember N. Mohankumar, former District Congress Committee (DCC) president, here on Wednesday, Mr. Sudheeran terming the SC directive 'unfortunate,’ and `a shock,’ said that the issues like interlinking of rivers was an issue that affected the country as a whole and as such the capable authorities to examine them were Union Cabinet and Parliament. He raised doubts whether the proposed Pampa-Achencoil-Vaipar Link Project (PAVLP), one of the projects under NRLP, will lead to new tensions between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
He demanded the Kerala Assembly could again pass a resolution against NRLP, if necessary. He said that the project, which was kept in cold storage, could not be allowed to continue just on the basis of SC directive. He said that nobody cared to study the practicality of inter-linking of rivers. The proposed PAVLP will affect the Vembanad Lake and Kuttanad on its shores will face an environmental disaster. It will affect five districts in Kerala, he observed.
On the Piravom by-polls, he said that there was no anxiety in the UDF, which was unitedly facing the elections. “The UDF was able to approach the voters with a feeling of rights (to contest). The Government was trying its best to implement the promises in the manifesto. The mass contact programme of Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy had grabbed global attention. The programme, an effective one, was an organised effort to find a solution to the problems of nameless common man,” he said.
Pointing out the achievements of UDF Government, he said what the LDF Government could not do its entire five year term on the Moolampilly land issue, UDF Government was able to achieve through one and a half hours of discussions. The State also effectively handled the issue of killing of two fishermen by Italian merchant vessel.
DCC president, A.A. Shukoor presided. Coir Board chairman, G. Balachandran and former MLA, D. Sugathan were among those who spoke.
