‘Priority to Malabar development’

Chandrasekharan says there is no plan to freeze the zero landless scheme

Warm welcome:E. Chandrasekharan being received at the Kanhangad railway station on Saturday on his maiden visit to the constituency after taking charge as Revenue Minister.

The new Left Democratic Front (LDF) government is committed to addressing the relative backwardness of the Malabar region, Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan has said.

“The LDF in its election manifesto has made it clear that its government would accord topmost priority to addressing the relative backwardness of the Malabar region, including Kasaragod district,” he said.

Addressing the meet-the-press programme at the Press Club here on Saturday, he said the government would take steps to build permanent structures like mini civil stations to house all offices of the 12 newly constituted taluks in the State.

Stating that the new government had no plan to freeze the zero landless scheme brought in by the previous UDF government to ensure land for all, the Minister said the LDF Ministry would see that only land that is suitable to live on would be distributed to the landless.

Reiterating that the LDF government would act tough on corruption at all levels, he said a village officer in Malappuram district was suspended by the district administration on Friday after he was found to have taken bribe from a person.

Land acquisition

Addressing a press conference at Kanhangad, Mr. Chandrasekharan, the MLA from the constituency, said the new government would take steps for speedy land acquisition to take up works on the long-pending Railway Over Bridge at Kottachery in the town, and another at the Pallikkara on the national highway and the proposed Kanhangad-Kaniyooru rail line to provide easiest access to Bengaluru from north Kerala.