'Canal Walk' sparks off a row in Corpn. Council

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, AUG. 14. The City Corporation Council today witnessed a heated debate between the ruling and Opposition parties over an LDF-sponsored resolution on the Government notification declaring 32 square kilometres of land in six revenue villages as `controlled area' for the Canal Walk project.

The LDF councillors alleged that the notification was part of a real estate scam to sell off prime land to private resorts and hotel owners in the name of tourism development. Terming the resolution as ``politically motivated'', the Opposition benches said it was aimed at torpedoing the ambitious project which would give a face-lift to the capital city.

As the Treasury and Opposition benches repeatedly locked horns with each other, charges and counter charges flew thick. Moving the resolution, the LDF parliamentary party secretary and CPI leader, Mr. Kadakampally Mohanan, said the notification would affect thousands of families in the affected areas. He said the Government had failed to take the Corporation and the people into confidence on the project. The notification was issued to whip up public opinion against the LDF, he said.

The Opposition leader, Mr. K. Maheswaran Nair, said that the decision to issue the notification had been taken by the previous LDF regime at a meeting convened by the former Speaker, Mr. M. Vijayakumar. He alleged that the Mayor and the CPI(M) leadership had kept the Council in the dark about the decision for ten months. Mr. Nair said the LDF was now trying to make political capital out of the issue.

The chairman of the standing committee on development, Mr. B. Soman, said the Government had issued the notification without even finalising the details of the project.

The PDP councillor, Mr. Poonthura Siraj, alleged that the resolution reflected the blind hatred of the CPI(M) towards its arch rival and CMP leader, Mr. M.V. Raghavan, who represented the Thiruvananthapuram West constituency. He said the LDF was out to sabotage the Canal Walk project. Justifying the notification, Mr. Siraj said the people in the affected areas were looking forward to the project which would mitigate the pollution of the Parvathy Puthanar canal. The Peroorkada member, Mr. Sudarsanan (Cong.), said the project would boost the tourism potential of the region and create employment opportunities.

However, the CMP councillor, Mr. M.P. Saju, called for reissuing the notification including only the survey numbers needed for the project. The Attipra member, Mr. Asokan, said the LDF-held wards were singled out for the notification which amounted to a freeze on land transactions.

The Opposition members raised a din as the Mayor abruptly wound up the debate and declared the resolution adopted. Amid the furore, the Mayor adjourned the meeting.

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