Thiruvananthapuram : While the whole community rallied behind search for Joy who went missing in the canal portion that’s under Railway jurisdiction, Congress was raking up political leverage in the situation, said Minister MB Rajesh on Monday.
The Opposition Leader raises allegations without mind to facts. He claims the mishap could have been prevented if at least one meeting was called. It goes to show he does not know matters as they are. Efforts were on for the past one year to have the waste dumpings cleared. As per Railway rules, the State government cannot do anything in any area that’s under Railways’ jurisdiction, the Minister said.
All that the government can do is knock frequently and make certain interventions - which is exactly what the govt did continually. So what’s the basis for VD Satheesan’s outburst? The indifference on part of Railways is there for all to see, the Minister said. The Railways even ignored High Court order that came in the wake of government interventions, the Minister added, speaking with media.
Backdrop : Railways contracted sanitation workers to cleanup Amayizhanchan canal portion close to Thampanoor railway station where waste dumpings stagnated the stream. One of the workers, 42-year-old Joy, was tragically swept away by waterflow following rains. A 46-hour search operation by Fire Force, police and NDRF ensued with robotic tools too deployed to scour the murky waters, at the end of which Joy’s body was recovered Monday morning in the canal portion in Thakarapparambu - a km away from where he went missing.
