Jacob sees bid to malign police policy

By Our Staff Reporter

KANNUR, NOV. 10. The Irrigation Minister, Mr. T.M. Jacob, has said that recent incidents of police high-handedness such as the disruption of a school youth festival at Koilandy were intended to portray the Government in a poor light.

Inaugurating a district convention of the Kerala Congress(Jacob) here today, the Minister said the offensive attitude of some police officers while handling certain situations could not be deemed as part of the police policy of the UDF Government. The attempts of certain police officers' to disrupt the youth festival, intimidate school students and arrest the Deputy Director of Education could never be justified, he said adding such actions were motivated by a bid to malign the Government.

Stating that measures to solve the financial crisis facing the farming community were now the top priority of the Government, Mr. Jacob said the debt relief Bill scheduled to be presented in the Assembly, was part of the Government's schemes to help the crisis-ridden farmers. It was not practical to declare moratorium on all farm loans, he said. ``We have examined the volume of agriculture loans given by primary cooperative societies in the State and it has been found that the interest for the total loan amount in case a moratorium was enforced for six months will come to Rs. 59 crores,'' he said. The Government was considering a proposal to give farmers a minimum six months' time for repayment of the principal amount and bear the interest for the period, he added.

The Government was also considering a package to help cashew growers in the State, he said. An efficient procurement system to ensure that the cashew grower got fair price for his produce was also under serious consideration, he added. The decision to set apart Rs. 5 crores for procuring rubber through the Rubber Marketing Federation was a small but significant step to help rubber growers, he said.

Stating that the financial position of the State continued to be grim, he said the Government wanted to enter into bilateral schemes with the help of various agencies. For instance, there were 372 proposed rural and urban water supply schemes in the State and a huge sum to the tune of Rs. 2,500 crores would be required for commissioning all these projects, he said adding the Government's plan was to complete at least those projects which had already been started. The Pazhassi project could be commissioned in January next year and the Kallada project, by December, he said.

The party district president, Mr. K.A. Philip, presided over the function. Mr. Johny Nellore, MLA, and Mr. Mathew Stephen, Mr. Mathew Kunnappally, Mr. Philip Thondamkulam, party leaders, were among those present.

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Section  : Southern States
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