Kozhikode: No funds yet, plan to step up road stir

Kozhikode: The members of the road action committee led by noted historian MGS Narayanan will begin the fourth stage of the agitation by the second week of the month, against the State Government’s apathy in releasing funds for the Mananchira- Vellimadukunnu road- widening project on the last date given as March 31. Convener of the road action committee KV Sunil Kumar accused the State Government of going back on its promise of releasing the amount of '265 crore to complete land acquisition procedures. “The government assured us that if we were able to present as many documents as possible as part of the land acquisition, the amount would be released”, said Mr Sunil.

He added that the committee started a mass campaign based on which 85 percent of the documents from land owners were collected which were then submitted to the Government expecting to get the amount released before March 31.  “But once again in these four years of agitation we were cheated by the Government. There are land owners whose documents have been held up by the Government, and therefore they have not received the deserving amount for the land they have given to the Government for the road expansion project,” he added.

It was earlier promised by Finance Minister Thomas Issac that the funds that were allotted for other purposes which lapsed by March 31 would be diverted for the Mananchira- Vellimadukunnu road- widening project, but now the Government has not given any explanation for not sanctioning the money. The Government is also answerable to the shop owners who were moved from here assuring that they would be given compensation. The government has to release Rs 1.86 crore to these shop owners. In a meeting with MGS Narayanan at his residence on Wednesday, the action committee will take a final decision on the massive protest to be staged with the support of all social- cultural and political organizations.