Moves by the State government to shift the Thenmala police station from its present location by constructing a new building on land owned by the Thenmala panchayat has triggered protests.
Following protests, the laying of the foundation stone for the new building fixed on Wednesday had to be postponed.
A hartal in the township called by the Left Democratic Front on Wednesday in protest against laying off of the foundation stone was also withdrawn following the postponement of the function.
But the move to shift the police station has not been dropped and this has led to two LDF members in the panchayat committee launching an indefinite fast.
The police station is presently housed in a colonial building which the management of the private Riya Estate claims is the company’s building standing on estate land. In the past, the estate in question was owned by Harrisons Malayalam Limited (HML). They had sold it to the Riya group in 2005. When the estate was owned by HML, no rent was paid by the police station.
When the land came into the hands of the Riya group, a monthly rent was imposed.
The new owners had also been insisting that the police station should shift from their building.
But in October 2013 when former Special Officer and Collector for Government Land Resumption from Harrisons Malayalam Limited (HML) M.G. Rajamanickam inspected the estates in the area presently and previously owned by HML, he gave the opinion that police station stands on government land.
But of late the UDF-ruled Thenamala Panchayat committee took a decision to allot 25 cents of land in the township for constructing a new building for the police station. The LDF counters the move on grounds that the 25 cents in question is the only land the panchayat owns.
The panchayat members on fast, V.S. Mani from the CPI(M) and Sibil Babu from the CPI, wants the panchayat land to be used for other development activities.
Their contention is that based on Mr. Rajamanickam’s observations, the new police station can be constructed in the location where the police station now stands.
