Thodupuzha: Idukki District Congress Committee (DCC) president C P Mathew has come down heavily on Chief Minister V D Satheesan regarding the District Collector’s directive on restoring elephant corridors in Chinnakkanal.

Addressing a press conference in Thodupuzha, the DCC president said the Chief Minister should have directed the withdrawal of the order during his recent visit to the district.

​"The Chief Minister convened a meeting in Idukki just a day after the directive was issued. He ought to have given strict instructions to withdraw the order during that meeting itself. The current directive has triggered widespread anxiety among local residents. If anti-people measures are implemented as a result of this order, the Congress party will launch strong public agitations," Mathew warned.

Demand to call off CPM hartal
Turning his attention to the upcoming hartal, Mathew demanded that the CPM immediately call off its scheduled October 16 hartal over the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) issue and issue an apology to the public for misleading them.

He pointed out that the government had already reviewed and published the cadastral map, which was the CPM’s primary demand. According to the published map, 23 villages have been excluded, fulfilling the government's assurance that agricultural lands and the Cardamom Hill Reserve (CHR) belt would be exempted.

​Clarifying his absence from official functions attended by the Chief Minister, Mathew explained that he chose not to attend because they were government events.
"As for the meeting held at the Collectorate, it was meant for elected public representatives. As DCC president, my stance was that my presence was not required there. I had duly informed the Chief Minister about the reason for staying away," he stated.