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LDF chief secy proceeds on leave
In a major embarrassment to LDF, chief secy Lissie Jacob proceeds on a long leave as a prelude to her resignation, reports Ramesh Babu.
In a major embarrassment to the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, Chief Secretary Lissie Jacob on Thursday proceeded on a long leave as a prelude to her resignation, protesting Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan’s censuring her in public over the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) land controversy.
During a recent Cabinet briefing, the chief minister had said that Jacob kept him in the dark while sanctioning Rs 1 crore
for constructing a helipad for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to lay the foundation for ISRO’s upcoming Indian Institute of Space Sciences (IISS) in Ponmudi.
The controversy erupted after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) purchased “ecologically fragile land” assigned to the forest department from a businessman and the helipad was to be built on it.
The Opposition, Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) legislators, stalled the Assembly the entire week demanding resignation of Forest Minister Binoy Vishwam over the issue. However, the chief minister has given him a clean chit.
