The state government, which earlier allotted Rs 2.5 lakh to purchase land to construct a house for the mother of cleaning worker Joy, who died while cleaning the Amayizhanjan canal, has revised the earlier order after realising that the amount was too insufficient to buy land.
As per the new order, the Government has sanctioned the District Panchayat to spend Rs 5 lakhs from its own fund to purchase land. Special sanction has been issued to revise the plan guidelines to spend the money from the District panchayat's fund.
The revised order has been issued based on a communication from the Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat president. It was cited that considering the land's fair value and market value, it was not possible to buy 3-5 cents of land at Marayamuttam at Rs 2.5 lakhs. The panchayat president requested that sanction be given to spend Rs 5 lakhs from their own fund to meet the expenditure for the purchase of land.
The government considered this request and issued sanction after assessing the present circumstances of Joy's family. According to the earlier order, Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation can utilise its own funds subject to subsidy guidelines to construct the house. Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat was entrusted with the responsibility of purchasing land for the construction of the house. The government had laid down conditions for land purchase, saying that the maximum value of the land to be purchased shall be within Rs 2.5 lakh and the measure of the land shall be up to 5 cents and shall not be less than 3 cents.
District panchayat authorities had said that the housing scheme named 'Mannum Veedum' had become difficult to implement due to soaring land prices and conditions in fixing the maximum value of land to purchase.
The city corporation, which came under flak following the tragic death of Joy, had decided to build a home for Joy's mother. Joy, 47, went missing in July while clearing the waste in the Amayizhanjan canal at Thampanoor. His body was later found under Uppilamoodu bridge at Pazhvangadi.