THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has announced a housing scheme for fishermen effecting a hike in the government grant for house construction from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh. Making the announcement in reply to the discussions on the demand for grants to the departments of Administration of Justice, Police, Jails and Fisheries department, he said hitherto the grants available for fishermen was insufficient for constructing a house and the fund in this regard had not been utilised last year for want of applicants. In view of this, the government had decided to hike the amount on par with the grants available to the SCs and STs. He said a sum of Rs 60 crore will be spent for promoting job opportunities among the fishermen community through Matsyafed. For the repair of their houses, a sum of Rs 25,000 will be granted. The fisherwomen will be given interest-free loans of Rs 15000. The accident insurance for fishermen will be increased from Rs 2 lakh to 3 lakh. He said all the fishworkers belonging to the APL and BPL categories will be allowed to join the Fishermen Relief Saving Scheme. An order in this regard was issued on the other day. The Chief Minister told the Assembly that Rs 40 crore will be allotted for the modernisation of the Fisheries technical schools. Eleven villages will be made model fishermen villages. Chandy said during the 100 hundred days of the government, 740 new posts were created to improve the functioning of the Janamaithri police stations. The student police wings will be extended to more police stations. He said list of 546 police personnel having criminal background was submitted in the High court on the other day. The list is prepared on the basis of the complaints registered by the police. He said that strict action would be initiated against these policemen. The cases registered by other agencies also will be considered. Responding to V Sivankutty raising a written allegation of corruption involving Rs 100 crore againt him in the Assembly in connection with the waste treatment plant at the Travancore Titanium Products in 2006, Chandy said while his government prepared a project worth Rs 256 crore to set up the waste treatment plant and increase the production of TTP, the LDF Government decided to set up the waste treatment plant only. Sivankutty demanded a CBI probe instead of the ongoing Vigilance probe. Oommen Chandy pointed out that the Vigilance probe conducted during the last five years had not found any evidence of corruption against him. Opposition Deputy Leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan alleged that the government lawyers were siding with the accused when the cases against ministers come up in the courts. He said that the government had dissolved the Anti-terror squad. In view of the increasing number of terror cases involving Malayalees taking place in the country, the dissolution of the ATS will have serious repercussions. He criticised the dissolution of the Justice Nissar Commission which probed into the firing incident at Kasargod. He demanded a CBI probe or a probe by a sitting judge of the High Court into the firing incident. The Assembly later passed the Rs 141.54 crore demand for grants for administration of justice, Rs 670.81 crore for police, Rs 25.12 crore for jail and Rs 124.41 crore for the Fisheries Department.
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