The Hindu 06.01.2011
Review decision to shelve drinking water project: MP
Kannur MP K. Sudhakaran has urged the State government to review its decision to deny sanction to a Rs.67-crore project for revamping the drinking water supply system in the district.
Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday, Mr. Sudhakaran said the government's denial of sanction to the project to replace the existing pipeline from the pumping station at Veliyambra to this town was irresponsible and outrageous.
He said the project was conceived as a solution to the problems in drinking water supply in the district caused mainly by the narrow pipeline and disruptions in power supply at the pumping station.
The people here had been at the receiving end of these problems for the past many years, he said adding that the Rs.67-crore project was the outcome of memorandums submitted by people's representatives to the government.
Mr. Sudhakaran said the denial of sanction for the project raising objections to its estimate was not acceptable. It was not practical to launch the project on old estimate, he said asking the government not to test the patience of the people.
Terming the government's denial of sanction discriminatory, he said he had faxed his memorandum to Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran seeking review of the decision.
Describing the drinking water supply problem in the district as serious, Mr. Sudhakaran said in no other district had restaurants been closed for days because of shortage of water supply. He said even he was depending on private parties for drinking water supply.
Passenger train
The MP said he had appealed to Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee and Minister of State for Railways E. Ahamed to start the Kannur-Mangalore passenger train without delay.
The train was a long-standing demand of the people in the region, he said adding that though the train was announced thanks to the intervention of Mr. Ahamed, there were reports that the train might not be flagged off.
The MP urged the railway authorities to start the survey of the proposed Thalassery- Mysore railway line.
Mr. Sudhakaran said the government's decision to name Caltex Junction in the town as AKG Circle on the basis of a demand by the district panchayat was an action that exposed arrogance of the district Communist Party of India (Marxist) leadership.
He said the district panchayat's recommendation to name the junction traditionally known as Gandhi Circle as AKG Circle was an encroachment on the powers of the municipality.
Citing the High Court's stay on the government's decision to re-christen the circle, he said the decision was illegal.
He said the district panchayat could have approached the municipality with its request.
