Govt to promulgate ordinance to revamp Devaswom Boards

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 31 (UNI) The Kerala government today decided to bring in an ordinance to revamp the existing laws governing the Travancore and Cochin Devaswom Boards.

Addressing newspersons after a Cabinet meeting here, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said the Cabinet had approved the ordinance.

The ordinance is aimed at amending the Travancore-Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act to restrict the Boards' tenure to two years and also to give representation to women and SC/ST sections.

He said the government was not illegally intervening in the Boards' affairs. But it had only stepped in, considering the controversies relating to the Boards' functioning.

The Cabinet decided to re-issue 16 ordinances that would lapse by February seven.

The Cabinet also decided to register a strong protest with the Prime Minister and the Union Railway Minister regarding the bifurcation of the railway Palakkad division to form the Salem division. The decision to bifurcate Palakkad division alone and without attaching any other areas is against the assurance given to the state. The Palakkad division should be maintained in its present form as the bifurcation would have adverse effects.

On allegations that he was behind the delay in transferring the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology to the Union Government, Mr Achuthananandan said the allegations against him were the handiwork of some persons who were involved in controversies relating to the finance and employment of persons at the Centre.

''The United Democratic Front (UDF) was behind such allegations and they would have to change their stand,'' he alleged and added that an inquiry would be conducted to look into the issue.

Everything regarding the transfer of the Centre to Union Government had been cleared and it was with the Cabinet, he said and added that a final decision would be taken soon.

The Cabinet also decided to give an assistance of Rs one lakh to playwright K T Mohammed for his treatment.

UNI