Drain construction in front of building owned by Health Minister's husband; rift in CPM; Congress observes hartal

PATHANAMTHITTA: A rift has flared up in CPM over the construction of a drain on the road in front of a building owned by Health Minister Veena George's husband George Joseph.

The drain is being constructed as part of the Ezhamkulam-Kaipattoor road development. The drain was being constructed by bending it towards the road in front of the building near Kodumon police station. The anomaly of this was discussed in the CPM-ruled Kodumon Panchayat Bharana Samiti. A resolution was passed and the public works authorities were informed that the drain should be built without a bend. When the drain continued to be built with a bend, panchayat president KK Sreedharan came and stopped the work. CPM District Secretary KP Udayabhanu, who arrived later, gave instructions to build the drain with a bend.

The rift in the party came out when the district secretary publicly came out against the panchayat president who is also a member of the CPM district committee. Udayabhanu's position is that nothing illegal has happened in front of the building. He also said that the party will seriously look into the panchayat president obstructing the drain work. KK Sreedharan alleged that George Joseph threatened the officials and changed the alignment.

DCC president Prof Satheesh Kochuparambil said that changing the alignment of the road for the minister's husband was abuse of power.

Congress with protest

Alleging that the encroachment of the minister's husband is being covered up, Congress workers came to the place with flags and staged a sit in protest. The police registered a case against them. Congress observed a hartal in Kodumon panchayat in protest against this.

'The alignment of the road and drain was made three years ago. The building was constructed only a year and a half ago.'

George Joseph,
Husband of Minister Veena George.