Oppn cries foul over GO allowing local bodies to aid Kanhangad co-op hospital from 'own fund'
The Opposition parties are resisting tooth and nail the move to dole out money from the "own fund" of the local bodies which is usually used judiciously in sectors such as health.
The Opposition parties are resisting tooth and nail the move to dole out money from the "own fund" of the local bodies which is usually used judiciously in sectors such as health.
The Opposition parties are resisting tooth and nail the move to dole out money from the "own fund" of the local bodies which is usually used judiciously in sectors such as health.
Kanhangad: The government order allowing the local bodies to grant money from their "own fund" to the proposed Kanhangad co-operative hospital project has become a bone of contention between the ruling LDF and the Opposition parties in the Kasaragod district.
The hospital society, which was registered in 2001, had been in limbo during all these years. The controversy is that after the society became active recently, a GO was issued all of a sudden granting permission for the local bodies to transfer money from their "own fund" for the proposed hospital.
The Opposition parties are resisting tooth and nail the move to dole out money from the "own fund" of the local bodies which is usually used judiciously in sectors such as health.
The UDF and the BJP in the district alleged that the issuance of such a GO was a naked misuse of power.
But the Kanhangad cooperative hospital society office-bearers said that there was nothing extraordinary in the issuance of the GO and anyone irrespective of their political affiliation could buy the shares of the hospital society.
They pointed out that GO was issued on March 16 on the basis of the request given by the secretary of the Kajangad cooperative hospital society to Local Administration Minister MV Govindan in February.
The cooperative hospital project will be inaugurated by the Local Administration Minister on April 30.
The Opposition Congress and BJP leaders have already announced that the local bodies ruled by them would not give such a contribution to the hospital from their "own fund".
The CPM leaders, however, pointed out that the government issued the GO on the basis of the letter given by the board of the cooperative hospital and it is not mandatory on the part of the local bodies to give such a contribution.
The maximum amount of contribution fixed is Rs 1 crore for the District Panchayat, Rs 2 crore for Kanhangad Municipality, Rs 50 lakh for Neeleswaram and Kasaragod municipalities and Rs.25 lakh for various block panchayats.
The LDF is ruling 19 out of 38 gram panchayats, two out of three municipalities and four out of six block panchayats and the district panchayat. If all these local bodies contribute money as per the quota fixed for them, a total of Rs.14 crore can be raised for the proposed cooperative hospital project.