Civic body councillors of UDF protest against govt.

MALAPPURAM

MALAPPURAM

United Democratic Front (UDF) councillors in grama panchayat, block panchayat, district panchayat and municipal councils in the district staged a mass dharna in front of the collectorate here on Tuesday, protesting against the State government’s “anti-local body attitude”.

Inaugurating the dharna, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) national general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty, MLA, said that the government attitude towards the local self-governments was akin to questioning the very existence of the local bodies. “In the present government’s view, the local bodies are redundant,” he said.

The protesting councillors pointed out that the government had earmarked for local bodies in the current financial year only one third of the amount it had given in the previous years. They demanded that at least 10 per cent should be increased in the plan funds.

They said the government had adopted a harassing stand against the local bodies. By depriving the local bodies of the funds it used to get, the government was trying to stifle them, the protestors pointed out.

District Congress Committee president V.S. Joy presided over the function. U.A. Latheef, MLA, P. Ubaidullah, MLA, T.V. Ibrahim, MLA, IUML district leaders Umer Arakkal, Ismail Moothedam, P.K.C. Abdurahman, District Panchayat president M.K. Rafeekha, block panchayat president A.K. Mustafa, Panchayat Association president Kalam Master, Malappuram Municipal chairman Mujeeb Kaderi, Block Panchayat Association president Abdurahman Karat, former DCC president E. Mohammed Kunhi, and former District Panchayat president A.P. Unnikrishnan were among those who spoke.