‘Ministers only interested in foreign trips’: HC raps Kerala govt on its functioning

The Kerala High Court made the observations while considering a contempt of court case against the Pinarayi Vijayan government.

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Kerala government has once again been pulled up by the High Court for its inefficiency in executing certain orders. On Monday, the Kerala High Court criticised the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government’s way of functioning while considering a contempt of court case against it.

In October 2018, the court had reportedly directed the state government to pay the salary and other welfare to the employees of Coconut Development Board within three months. However, even after one year, the government is yet to pay the employees their due. The petitioners once again approached the High Court with a contempt of court case, the hearing of which took place on Monday.

When the counsellor for the Kerala government expressed financial constraints for not paying the salary and other dues to the petitioners, Justice Devan Ramachandran admonished the government, orally remarking that state ministers are more interested in undertaking foreign trips and that it lost its trust in the state government.

Slamming the government for its inefficiency, Justice Devan said that if the government is not implementing a court order, then there is no point in issuing further directives. The government's actions are inhuman. “If the government is caught in the traps of bureaucracy, I have nothing to say,” he said.

The judge also directed the Secretary of Agriculture Department to appear in court for the next hearing in the matter.

On Friday, the Congress-led Opposition also criticised the state government for the extravagance, corruption and poor fiscal management that have left the state’s finances in shambles. The total public debt of Kerala stands at Rs 2.50 lakh crore. Incidentally, amidst the financial crisis in the state, the government has given nod for hiring a helicopter on rent.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is on a two-week trip to Japan and South Korea, and is expected to return on Thursday.

It was only recently that Justice Devan lambasted the Kochi Corporation and held it accountable for the massive waterlogging in the city. The HC had also slammed the government for carrying out repair work of roads in Kochi only ahead of a VIP visit.

Read:

‘Need not turn Kochi into Singapore; ensure basic amenities’: Kerala HC to local body

‘Is there an urgency to repair roads only when VIPs visit?’: HC slams Kerala govt