Thiruvananthapuram: Activist Medha Patkar staged a sit-in on the road in front of the Secretariat after she was denied permission to meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The strike, which lasted nearly one-and-a-half hours, was finally called off after Medha was allowed to meet Pinarayi.
The chief minister told Medha that the government is willing to examine any complaint raised by the people regarding the development of the national highways in Kerala. This includes matters related to land acquisition, compensation and rehabilitation. However, there is no going back on the decision to develop the national highways at 45 metre width, said Pinarayi.
“Widening of the national highway is imperative for the growth of the state,” said the Chief Minister.
Medha had reached the Kerala capital to inaugurate a protest staged by people who are facing the threat of eviction for highway widening. She was given an appointment to meet the chief minister at 4.40 pm on Thursday. During her inaugural speech, Medha made some observations criticizing the chief minister and the state government. She wanted Pinarayi to speak to the people affected by highway widening.
Immediately, she received a message from the chief minister’s office which said that Thursday’s appointment was cancelled as Pinarayi was busy and that Medha could meet him on some other day.
When she received the message, Medha joined the people agitating against highway widening and sat on the road in front of the Secretariat gate. The incident was picked up by news channels sparking a row. The chief minister’s office intervened again and allowed Medha to meet Pinarayi later in the evening.