Kozhikode
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala has levelled serious allegations against Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan in the financial handling of the Assembly and said he would approach Governor Arif Mohammad Khan for a probe into the charges.
Addressing a news conference here on Thursday, Mr. Chennithala alleged that Mr. Sreeramakrishnan had indulged in large-scale extravagance in the conduct of the Loka Kerala Sabha, hosted by the State government to bring Keralites living around the globe under one platform. A sum of ₹1.84 crore had been spent just for the seating arrangements in Sankaranarayanan Thampi Hall in the Assembly Complex in 2018.
He alleged that the profligacy had been led by Vadakara-based Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS). The renovation included replacing new seats and erecting imported lanterns costing ₹16.65 crore in January 2020. All this for hosting a programme for one-and-a-half days.
e-Assembly
He alleged that a sum of ₹52. 31 crore was spent for the software e-Niyamasabha (e-Assembly). For this, ₹13. 59 crore had been offered as advance to the ULCCS. It was mysterious that the ULCCS had been awarded the contract without inviting tenders for the project.
He said that if the cost of the construction of the Assembly complex was ₹76 crore, the government had spent about ₹100 crore in the last four years for modification and festivities. The norm that expenditure of the legislature required no scrutiny was deftly employed to spend the money from the exchequer.
He said the appointment of the consultants of the Sabha TV and the organisation of Festival of Democracy, both initiatives of the Assembly, were steeped in corruption. All these initiatives had been taken without constituting a legislative committee or summoning an all-party meeting. The Sabha TV chief consultant was given a rented accommodation at a private flat at Vazhuthacaud when 15 furnished rooms were vacant at the MLA hostel. Till now, a sum of ₹60.38 lakh had been incurred for producing 86 programmes, he said.
Mr. Chennithala said the Speaker, who was a State committee member of the CPI (M), had behaved in a manner unbecoming of his position, he said.
