Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said here on Wednesday that the filling up of the slot vacated by K. B. Ganesh Kumar in the Cabinet was something to be decided through discussions in the United Democratic Front (UDF).
Talking to the media after a meeting of the Cabinet, the Chief Minister said that no talks were underway on reshuffle of his Cabinet. He did not accept or reject the argument that Mr. Ganesh Kumar should be re-inducted to the Cabinet; now that the cases filed by his wife against him over domestic violence stood withdrawn. It was a matter to be decided through discussions in the UDF. He could not say whether the next meeting of the UDF, slated for Friday, would take up the matter.
He said that a decision on takeover the cooperative medical colleges at Pariyaram and Kochi would be made only after the UDF discussed the report of its subcommittee on the matter. The collectors concerned had been asked to determine the assets and liabilities of the two institutions. The UDF would discuss the sub committee report after the reports of the collectors are received.
Replying to criticisms about delay in appointing chairman to the State Corporation for welfare of forward classes and members to the devaswom boards, the Chief Minister said that the appointments could be decided only after consultations in the UDF. The functioning of the boards had not been affected by delay in election of members. Procedures needed to be completed in election of legislators to the board.
Mr. Chandy said that a decision had already been taken to sanction higher secondary schools in panchayats that lack them. As to land for the landless, the government had already brought a zero landless policy into practice. No decision had been taken on exemption of cashew plantations from provisions of Land Reforms Act.
