Congress govt helping corporates: CPI(M)

The party was accused of allegedly doling out government land in the name of development

Attacking the ruling Congress led UDF government, CPI(M) today alleged that it was helping corporates by doling out government land in the name of development.

"Distributing government land to private persons is the development which Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is claiming," CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters here.

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The government is openly challenging the land reforms act through its four recent orders which were later cancelled or modified following pressure from KPCC president V M Sudheeran and the opposition, he said.

The Chandy government had yesterday cancelled a decision to hand over about 127 acres of "surplus" land spread over Ernakulam and Thrissur districts by according concession under Land Ceiling Act to a private company allegedly having links with controversial godman Santhosh Madhavan.

The government has been forced to backtrack on granting permission to an eco-tourism project in 420 acres at 'Methran Kayal backwater' paddy fields at Kumarakom village in Kottayam district and for a super speciality medi city project in 47 acres of paddy land at Kadamakuddy in Kochi.

Similarly, it had come under attack for issuing orders to accept basic land tax for about 800 acres of a private estate owner at Nelliampathy in Palakkad.

Corporates are "controlling" the government, Kodiyeri, whose party heads the LDF opposition in Kerala, alleged.

He said that despite protests by officials, the government had given land to corporates and corruption of crores of rupees had taken place at a time when there were several landless people in the state.

The Left leader said if LDF is voted to power in the May 16 Assembly polls, it would re-visit the various orders of the last days of the UDF government.

Development has to come about protecting the environment, he added.