Thiruvananthapuram/Thodupuzha: The CPM is likely to reprimand its MLA S Rajendran for insulting Devikulam sub-collector Renu Raj. It is understood that the Idukki district leadership is against any stricter action against the Devikulam MLA.
Party district secretary K K Jayachandran has sought an explanation from Rajendran, who is also a CPM district committee member. After studying is reply, the party plans to admonish the MLA.
Meanwhile, the submission moved by Rajendran against the action of the sub-collector on the Munnar issue was rejected by the speaker in the assembly. In a submission moved by opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan supported the sub-collector and criticised the MLA. The minister made it clear that the government will go ahead with its measures to protect the ecology of Munnar.
Idukki district collector K Jeevan Babu too submitted a report saying that the controversial construction of women's industrial centre is illegal. The report also backed the measures adopted by the sub-collector. The report also confirmed that the MLA did verbally abuse the sub-collector and ordered the illegal construction works to continue.
Meanwhile, the MLA has submitted a complaint to the speaker alleging that the sub-collector had insulted him.
Illegal construction
The "illegal" construction of an industrial centre is being carried out at a place that had been inundated during the floods last year. The Munnar panchayat had started the construction work without seeking any permission from the revenue department.
Currently, the revenue department is not clearing any construction work at flood-affected areas and places where landslides and mudslides had taken place. Since a permission is unlikely, the panchayat didn't even try for it and started work. There are allegations that the industrial centre is coming up barely six metres from Muthirapuzha River when construction is allowed only beyond 50 yards of the river.
The building is being constructed by a Congress-led panchayat to provide self-employment opportunities for women. The two-storey building project is estimated to cost Rs 1.04 crore. The concrete work on the ground floor is over. The ground floor will have shops.
According to a 2010 high court order, the Idukki collector has to give permission to start construction works on industrial projects in eight villages including Munnar. Since no permission was sought from the collector, the sub-collector issued a stop memo to the panchayat.
Since the contractor did not stop work, additional tahsildar and police reached the spot on the orders of the Devikulam sub-collector and demanded stoppage of work.
A group including panchayat president R Karuppusami and district panchayat member S Vijayakumar stopped the officials. Soon, Rajendran MLA reached there and made the controversial remarks against the sub-collector. Since the issue snowballed into a big controversy, the construction work has been stopped.
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