Trouble brews for Kerala CM Vijayan over proposed Palakkad distillery. Pick paddy or booze, says CPI
Amid the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hardening their stance against the Kerala government’s sanction of a controversial brewery unit in Palakkad, the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is also being targeted by its ally, the Communist Party of India (CPI).
An article on the editorial page of CPI mouthpiece Janayugom Wednesday suggested that promotion of businesses that exploit agriculture and food security was against the interest of the state.
The opinion piece, written by senior CPI leader Sathyan Mokeri, said the government’s approval for the brewery unit raised the question of whether paddy or alcohol should be made from the land of Palakkad.
From where did they get the water needed for the brewery unit? Once the (private) company starts exploiting the water resources, there won’t be enough water for agriculture,” he wrote.
The Chittoor region of Palakkad district, where Madhya Pradesh-based alcohol manufacturer Oasis Group is set to establish the unit, has one of the lowest groundwater levels in Kerala, the CPI leader said.
The state government had on 15 January approved the setting up the Rs 600-crore grain-based distillation and brewery unit. The Congress, which leads the UDF, however, alleged that the firm, embroiled in the Delhi’s liquor policy controversy, got the permission without a proper tendering process.
Like CPI’s Mokeri, it said that the setting up of the unit would worsen the water crisis in the agrarian region.Earlier this month, the UDF-ruled Elappully panchayat, where the unit is proposed to be set up, also requested the government to reconsider its decision given the water concerns.
The Kerala government, in contrast, has been reiterating that the unit will not affect the availability of water in the area.Addressing the media, M.B. Rajesh of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which leads the LDF, Wednesday said the allies haven’t criticised the project officially. “No alliance partner has issued a statement against the project. The reports are in the media.”
Rajesh alleged that the Opposition was creating an unnecessary scare regarding water scarcity, and asserted that groundwater will not be exploited for the project as its primary source would be harvested rainwater.
On Wednesday, Congress leader V.D. Satheesan alleged that the Kerala government had approved the brewery project without consulting with the departments concerned. Releasing a cabinet note from 15 January on his social media handles, Satheesan alleged that the decision was taken by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Excise Minister M.B. Rajesh without discussing with the Cabinet.
The Oasis Group had earlier told ThePrint that out of 24 acres that it bought in Palakkad, nearly 5 acres would be dedicated exclusively to rainwater harvesting and that six months of monsoon in Kerala would provide sufficient rainwater for the needs of the project.
This article has been republished from The Print.