Wednesday, 17 October 2012

Airport project: CPI leader rebuts MLA’s charges


Accuses MLA Sivadasan Nair of patronising ‘land grabbers’
: The Communist Party of India (CPI) has accused Aranmula MLA K. Sivadasan Nair of patronising ‘land-grabbers’ who illegally converted a vast expanse of paddy fields, and encroached upon natural streams and government land in the name of a private airport project at Aranmula.
In a statement issued here on Wednesday, P. Prasad, CPI district secretary, alleged that Mr. Sivadasan Nair’s loud statement in strong support of the controversial private airport project in Aranmula exposed his “arrogance and intolerance” of public sentiments and the mass movement against the airport project.
Against people
The CPI leader said Mr. Nair, being an elected representative of the people, should not have taken a stand against the interests of the people because of whom he came to power.
The MLA’s statement that nobody could stop him from supporting the private party, connected to the airport project, and its illegal activities in Aranmula was nothing short of challenging the democratic system of governance, Mr Prasad alleged.
Mr Prasad said the CPI had taken it as a social and political responsibility of the party to oppose such anti-people and anti-democratic policies.
Ample room
He said people’s representatives should not simply sideline the fact that democracy gave enough room for expressing, dissenting as well as agreeing notes on various issues concerning the people and the State.
Mr. Prasad said it was sheer ignorance of Mr. Sivadasan Nair to make such a statement that the CPI had no right to oppose the private airport project in Aranmula.
The MLA should not forget that it was the CPI that had strongly opposed the illegal conversion of paddy fields in Aranmula by a private party during the United Democratic Front government in 2003-04, he added.
The CPI district secretary alleged that the entire paddy land conversion in Aranmula was carried out when the UDF was in power.
Mr. Prasad also said CPI ministers had never given any sort of clearance or support to paddy field conversion or any other illegal activity in Aranmula.
LDF’s role
Though the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had given an in-principle clearance for the proposed airport project in Aranmula, it had categorically mentioned that it should be strictly in compliance with the prevailing laws of the land.
The notification issued by the Principal Secretary to Industries Department, declaring 500 acres of land in Aranmula, Mallappuzhassery, and Kidangannur as industrial area in February, 2011, was not with the approval of the State Cabinet, the CPI leader said.
Mr Prasad alleged that the baseless arguments and insinuating references issued by Mr. Sivadasan Nair against the CPI and its leaders were aimed at appeasing the KGS Aranmula International Airport Company and its patrons in Delhi.
Strong opposition
The CPI district secretary said Mr. Sivadasan Nair should not simply sideline the crucial fact that the Legislature Committee on Environment had strongly opposed the proposed private airport project,.
It had also condemned the illegal paddy field conversion and violation of laws, in Aranmula.

·  The MLA had said nobody could stop him from supporting the private party
·  His statement smacks of arrogance and intolerance, says CPI

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