CPI(M) to launch campaign against Govt.

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, AUG. 1. Indicating that it was recovering from the humiliating defeat it had suffered at the hands of the Congress and its allies in the Assembly polls, the CPI(M) has decided to launch a campaign to highlight the acts of omission and commission of the Antony government.

The CPI(M) State secretary, Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan, told a press conference here today that the party had decided to start off with a week-long campaign beginning August 19 featuring public meetings at the local committee level. The campaign, which he termed as one meant to place the facts before the people, would conclude on August 25. Mr. Vijayan reeled out a long list of charges against the Government ranging from its insensitive response to the reported starvation death of Adivasis, neglect of the traditional industrial sector, the move to hike user fees for various public utilities and the signs of commercialisation of the education sector.

He accused the Government of having frozen recruitment after having come to power promising 15 lakh new jobs. The Government, he said, was also trying to freeze wages and dearness allowance of employees in the name of financial stringency. Referring to the SNDP Yogam general secretary, Mr. Vellappally Natesan's criticism of the education and abkari policies of the Government, he said Mr. Natesan was probably the best person to speak on the subject since he had been claiming to have played a major role in bringing the UDF Government to power and deciding who should be the Ministers.

Cancer hospital

On the Malabar Cancer Hospital, the CPI(M) State secretary said that letters sent by SNC Lavalin to the State Government would show that there was indeed a promise to provide Rs. 98 crores as grant for setting up the hospital.

Mr. Vijayan pointed out that the Canadian company had come up with the offer when pointed out that the State would get only a small portion of the grants that funding agencies routed through the Union Government.

Mr. Vijayan said the understanding on financing the hospital project was not part of the agreement for renovation of the Pallivasal, Shenkulam and Panniar hydel projects. Nor was the agreement signed by the LDF Government as was sought to be suggested by the media.

The MoU between the KSEB and SNC Lavalin was signed on August 10, 1995, when Mr. C. V. Padmarajan, was the Power Minister. The follow-up agreement was signed on February 24, 1996, when Mr. G. Karthikeyan was in charge of the Power Department. When the LDF Government came to power, it decided to proceed with the work and that was how it entered into further negotiations with SNC Lavalin. It had, in fact, succeeded in bringing down the project outlay by Rs. 12.5 crores by effecting some purchases within the country.

The agreement with SNC Lavalin, he pointed out, was worth Rs. 183 crores. Barring a few crores of rupees used for consultancy services, the entire outlay was for supply of equipment and did not involve any fund transfer.

The offer to fund the cancer hospital came from SNC Lavalin and the offer was that it would raise the required amount from different agencies in Canada, including the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The letters from SNC Lavalin would prove this, he asserted.

Mr. Vijayan said he could not say which agency had financed the work on the cancer hospital to the extent of some Rs. 13 crores as responsibility of raising the funds rested with SNC Lavalin.

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Section  : Southern States
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