Abin Varkey
Kottayam: Aranmula MLA Abin Varkey has said that motor vehicles department’s (MVD) action of fining an off-road vehicle that took part in flood rescue operations at Aranmula was inappropriate and disregarded the ground realities at the time. Varkey said conducting vehicle checks in a town where people from across the district had taken refuge during the flood rescue effort was inappropriate, and that subjecting a rescue vehicle to rigorous checking and a fine was unjustified. He said if an officer wished to ask whether the vehicle owners had been forced to undertake rescue work, the officer’s intention in doing so needed to be made clear, adding that he had conveyed this to state transport minister.
He alleged that CPM’s cyber cadre and party leaders were backing MVD’s action, calling the intervention questionable.
Varkey said critics could raise objections to anything, alleging that several ‘cyber comrades‘ were active in the state. He said people needed to clarify whether they stood with MVD or with the two youths who own the vehicle. He said he respected high court’s verdict in full, which was why the fine amount ordered by the court was being paid.