A sub-committee has been constituted to end the confrontation between local residents and the toddy tappers’ unions following the closure of a toddy shop at South Bazar here.
The committee was constituted at an all-party meeting convened by District Collector V.K. Balakrishnan here on Saturday.
Leaders of four political parties, union representatives and action committee members agitating against the shop will be its members. All parties sought stronger intervention on the part of the authorities to bring about an amiable solution.
The proposal that the society running the toddy shop abstain from buying toddy (brought by tappers) till the sub-committee submitted a report was accepted by all parties except the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Sunny Joseph (Congress), K.P. Sahadevan (CPI-M), U.T. Jayanthan (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Ashraf Bengali Mohalla (Indian Union Muslim League) will be on the committee. They had been asked to talk to the unions and the action committee.
The sub-committee held a meeting at the Collectorate in the afternoon. M. Prakashan, A.P. Abdullakutty, MLAs; CPI(M) leaders P. Sasi and K.P. Sahadevan; Congress leaders P. Ramakrishnan and Sunny Joseph; Indian Union Muslim League leader V.K. Abdul Kader Moulavi and BJP leader K. Ranjith attended the meeting. Superintendent of Police K.P. Philip was present.
