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Confrontation replaces criticisms
Confrontation has taken the place of criticisms in the case of Emerging Kerala, the three-day investors’ meet Kerala’s Congress-led UDF Government is hosting in Kochi from September 12, with the CPI(M)-led Opposition LDF and environmentalists declaring their determination to ensure non-implementation of the dubious projects being proposed in the meet.
“Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is saying that the Government would not withdraw the non-transparent proposals in the face of criticisms. In that case, the Opposition has no option but to take it up as a challenge,” said Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan, who had last week predicted that only corruption would emerge out of Emerging Kerala.
Achuthanandan said in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday that the Emerging Kerala investors’ meet was far more dangerous than the Global Investors’ Meet (GIM) the then UDF government had hosted in January, 2003. Several of the proposals put forward in that meet were controversial and almost none of them had taken off.
Most of the being proposals put forward in the upcoming meet are said to be against the interests of the State as they involve handing over of precious eco-fragile forest lands, rare paddy fields and wetlands to external corporate bodies for developing into industrial ventures. Even senior leaders of the Congress have come out with strong objections to the meet due to this.
However, Chief Minister Chandy reiterated on Monday that the proposals coming up at the investors’ meet would be transparent and that they would not cause any loss to the State. “I repeat: No project requiring the sale of even a square inch of Government’s land is being proposed,” he said on Monday. But his assurances have so far failed to convince critics.
Close on the heels of the fierce opposition aired by poet Sugathakumari against these proposals, novelist and rights activist Sarah Joseph warned the Chandy Government against hoping to “simply” conduct Emerging Kerala and implement those projects. “Enough people’s force to block such initiatives would come up in due time,” she said.
Confrontation has taken the place of criticisms in the case of Emerging Kerala, the three-day investors’ meet Kerala’s Congress-led UDF Government is hosting in Kochi from September 12, with the CPI(M)-led Opposition LDF and environmentalists declaring their determination to ensure non-implementation of the dubious projects being proposed in the meet.
“Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is saying that the Government would not withdraw the non-transparent proposals in the face of criticisms. In that case, the Opposition has no option but to take it up as a challenge,” said Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan, who had last week predicted that only corruption would emerge out of Emerging Kerala.
Achuthanandan said in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday that the Emerging Kerala investors’ meet was far more dangerous than the Global Investors’ Meet (GIM) the then UDF government had hosted in January, 2003. Several of the proposals put forward in that meet were controversial and almost none of them had taken off.
Most of the being proposals put forward in the upcoming meet are said to be against the interests of the State as they involve handing over of precious eco-fragile forest lands, rare paddy fields and wetlands to external corporate bodies for developing into industrial ventures. Even senior leaders of the Congress have come out with strong objections to the meet due to this.
However, Chief Minister Chandy reiterated on Monday that the proposals coming up at the investors’ meet would be transparent and that they would not cause any loss to the State. “I repeat: No project requiring the sale of even a square inch of Government’s land is being proposed,” he said on Monday. But his assurances have so far failed to convince critics.
Close on the heels of the fierce opposition aired by poet Sugathakumari against these proposals, novelist and rights activist Sarah Joseph warned the Chandy Government against hoping to “simply” conduct Emerging Kerala and implement those projects. “Enough people’s force to block such initiatives would come up in due time,” she said.
