We won’t tolerate any violent agitations: Chandy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Monday said the government would not tolerate violent agitations frequently occurring in the state as they were gravely affecting the peaceful life of the public.

Delivering the Independence Day address at the Central Stadium here, Oommen Chandy said that no one would be allowed to take law in their hands in the name of protests.

He stressed the importance of hard work on the part of the state government and people to recoup from the fall the state’s economy has suffered due to global economic recession.

The recession in Europe and the US has directly affected the state as the expatriates contributed a major share to the state exchequer. The situation has worsened as a huge number of non-residential Keralites have started coming back from the recession-hit countries, he said.

Kerala now stands far behind other states in development in the fields of economic growth, employment, investment and basic infrastructure. The state has also gone far behind in effectively implementing the Centraly-sponsored schemes. The UDF Government aims to overcome this situation through productive steps and hard work, he said.

To keep the memory of the martyrs of freedom struggle alive in the minds of the young generation, the government has decided to open a museum in Thiruvananthapuram, displaying key episodes of the freedom struggle.

Also, a Freedom Memorial would be set up at Vattiyoorkavu in the  city, where the first anniversary of Travancore State Congress was recently held.

He said the government plans to strictly implement the Right to Service Act in the state, through which they aim to provide services that people promptly.

The government has already proved that it believed in action through the 100-day action plan. The progress report of the action plan would be made public on September 11, following which a one-year action plan would be kickstarted, he said.

Chandy also said that people below poverty line would be given 25 kg of rice at one rupee during Onam.