Pathanamthitta: The Congress has alleged that the alignment of a drain under construction along the Ezhamkulam-Kaippattoor Road at Kodumon in Pathanamthitta has been altered to conceal encroachment of the land by Health Minister Veena George's husband George Joseph.

The Congress organised a protest over the issue on Tuesday and forced the workers to stop construction of the drain in front of the panchayat stadium in Kodumon. Congress workers also installed party flags at the site, following which the police intervened and arrested seven protestors. The Congress is observing a hartal in Kodumon panchayat in this regard from 6 am to 6 pm on Wednesday.

Incidentally, differences emerged within the CPM over the construction of the drain on Tuesday. While CPM district secretary K P Udayabhanu, who visited the site in the morning, asked the officers to continue the work, CPM district committee member and Kodumon panchayat president K K Sreedharan said that the secretary’s demand could not be implemented. Sreedharan also admitted that encroachment had taken place on the adjacent ‘puramboke’ land (Poramboke means unassessed lands which are the property of the government). But the officers and labourers engaged in the construction ignored the panchayat president’s instruction and continued the work.

By noon, Congress activists staged a protest at the site and stopped the work. They alleged that the alignment of the drain was changed to conceal the encroachment of the ‘puramboke’ land situated nearby where a building owned by George Joseph exists. After the police arrested seven Congress activists, the party carried out another agitation in front of the police station. The arrested Congress members were later let off. Congress leaders said that the stir will continue until the drain is built on the border of the road.

Meanwhile, George Joseph denied that he had encroached on the road and constructed a building. He said the alignment of the road was carried out before the building came up and that he was prepared to grant more land for developmental work. "I have not interfered in the drain construction. The alignment for the project was finalised prior to Veena assuming the ministerial position" he said.