Kochi: "Kerala is our pride but what the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government is doing in the name of ‘Keraleeyam’ is nothing but splurge," Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan said here on Wednesday, blaming the Left regime for turning a blind eye to the grave financial situation in the state.
The Congress leader listed at least 15 areas of state arrears in a bid to drive his point home even as CM Pinarayi inaugurated the week-long event in Thiruvananthapuram in the presence of prominent personalities from different walks of life, including diplomats, cultural icons, industrialists, ministers, and people's representatives.
“Crores of rupee is being spent in Thiruvananthapuram rather insensitively. It seems the chief minister, his cabinet colleagues and others on the helm of the regime are clueless about the situation in which the government has reached,” Satheesan told a press meet at the Congress office here.
He said the government has to pay arrears to the tune of Rs 40,000 crore on account of salaries and pensions alone. “Six DA and salary reform dues are to be paid. One lakh pensioners have died before being paid pension reform arrears. Social security pensions have also been due for several months,” he said.
Citing the dues to be paid to school heads who shouldered the cost of providing midday meals in schools, Satheesan said over 500 teachers have requested the government not to promote them as their school heads fearing financial losses they will face.
He also flagged the non-payment of salaries and pensions to current and former employees of the state-run Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). “The payments have been due for three months,” he said.
He went on to point towards the situation at Supplyco wherein, he said, distributors have not been participating in e-tender procedures for the past two months. “The dues Supplyco has to pay comes to around Rs 1500 crore. Farmers are to be paid paddy procurement dues for five months. The government is also supposed to pay a liability amounting to Rs 3,000 crore on account of supplying free food kits during the Covid time,” he said.
The Congress leader also cited the delay in paying the second instalment of development funds to local self-governments, the collapse of a welfare fund for building workers, and meagre spending on Life Mission, a much-publicised housing project for the poor.
“Of the Rs 717 crore allocated for Life Mission only Rs 17 crore has been paid. At the same time, the government is spending Rs 27 crore on Keraleeyam. This is when nine lakh people are waiting for a house,” he said.
He alleged massive corruption in the Kerala State Electricity Board and also flayed the government for not paying dues to the Endosulfan victims of Kasaragod. He went on to cite the dues to be paid by the government to private hospitals on account of the Karunya medical aid scheme for the poor and the bills to be cleared for refilling fuel in police vehicles.
Treasuries have not been clearing any bill above Rs 5 lakh for some time now. Even the bills below that amount are taking time to be cleared, he said.
“The chief minister and his ministers are celebrating Keraleeyam in a state where a scary financial crisis is prevailing. Is this the government’s priority? Does the CM think that if people from outside of the state are brought to an illuminated Thiruvananthapuram, where flex boards of his and his cabinet colleagues are installed, then they will go back and praise Kerala? Is this the time to host such an event? Is this what the CM and the ministers are going to tell the people when they go to meet them with their planned outreach event,” Satheesan asked.
“The chief minister’s image in Keraleeyam posters is captioned, “I’m with you”. How can a CM who travels in a security convoy of 40 cars and 1,000 police personnel be among the poor and the ordinary people,” he asked.
