Alappuzha, Monday 01 June 2009: Kerala Opposition Leader Oommen Chandy has said that the Union government should take over the implementation of the Kuttanad package since the State government’s sincerity in going ahead with the package was not convincing.

Addressing a press conference after visiting cholera and viral fever affected patients in Kuttanad and at the Alappuzha General Hospital, Chandy said one of the main reasons for the outbreak of the diseases like cholera in Kuttanad was the failure of the government to ensure pure drinking water.

This issue could have been addressed and diseases caused by consumption of contaminated water could have been avoided if the Kuttanad package was implemented.

However, the State government had failed in doing so, which was why the UDF was now planning to approach the Centre to make the package a Central scheme and implement it directly, he said.
The absence of protected water supply, with several areas in Kuttanad receiving no water despite the presence of pipeline networks, had caused the cholera outbreak.

Authorities should take steps to ensure supply of pure drinking water to such areas apart from initiating long-term steps to see that the water supply system in Kuttanad is not contaminated, he said.

The LDF government, he alleged, had scrapped the scheme just because of political narrow-mindedness, and despite promises that better schemes would be introduced, nothing had been done so far.