Pathanamthitta (Keralam) | A war of words broke out between former Aranmula MLA and ex-Health Minister Veena George and sitting Congress MLA Abin Varkey on Saturday over credit for the Kozhencherry bridge, which is scheduled to be inaugurated on Sunday.
While George, a CPI(M) leader, claimed that she and the previous LDF government took the initiative to secure the project's sanction and completion, Varkey said the initial allocation of funds for the bridge was made during the 2011-2016 Congress-led UDF government.
George, who represented Aranmula in the previous Assembly, had inaugurated the approach road to the bridge earlier this year, ahead of the Assembly elections.
The CPI(M) leader had represented Aranmula constituency from 2016 to 2026 before being defeated by Varkey in the recent polls.
In a Facebook post, George said the new bridge was a long-standing demand of the people and its completion involved several challenges, including legal disputes, land acquisition issues, floods and the covid-19 pandemic.
She said the project was announced in the first budget of the LDF government in 2016 following her repeated requests, with an administrative sanction of Rs 22.02 crore issued on October 31, 2016.
Financial approval for Rs 19.77 crore was granted through Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) in August 2017, she said, adding that the construction was inaugurated in 2018 by the then Public Works Minister G Sudhakaran.
George also detailed the hurdles faced during its construction, including court cases related to land acquisition, disputes with the contractor and repeated tendering procedures.
Land acquisition was completed in January 2024, with compensation transferred to the landowners' accounts, she said.
Accusing Varkey of spreading misleading information about the project, George asked him to apologise to the public if he had any conscience and honesty.
In a Facebook post, Varkey said the initial allocation of Rs 2 crore for the bridge was made in the 2012-13 budget during the UDF government led by Oommen Chandy, following a request by the then Aranmula MLA and Congress leader K Sivadasan Nair.
He cited a government order dated March 13, 2013, granting administrative sanction for the amount, and said the funds were intended for preliminary work, including preparation of drawings, soil investigation and demarcation of land for the approach road.
Varkey said the subsequent allocation of additional funds enabled the construction to begin in 2018.
He said he had invited both Sivadasan Nair and George to Sunday's inauguration to acknowledge their respective contributions to the project.
Varkey also said he had not made any factually incorrect statements and urged George to end the controversy.
PWD Minister PK Basheer will inaugurate the bridge over the Pampa River on Sunday.