Kerala Latin Catholics meet Chandy

The Church had made it clear saying it would have an ‘issue-based’ approach in every constituency in the elections.

File photo.

Thiruvananthpuram:  Leaders of the Latin Catholic Church in Kerala, who have been accusing the government of ignoring the community’s demands, met with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and KPCC president V M Sudheeran on Monday.

The Chief Minister promised to put pressure the Centre with regards to the Costal Regulation Zone (CRZ) issue issue soon after the elections, Shaji George, spokesperson, Kerala Region Latin Catholic Council, said.

The community leaders says CRZ regulations, which restrict construction of buildings, threaten to displace millions of fishermen on the coast.

The political leaders also agreed to include various demands such as the call for a separate Fisheries Ministry at the Centre and special package for fishermen families in the election manifesto of the party.

‘’We will wait for the manifesto to be released,’’ Shaji said.

The Church had made it clear its demands at a ‘Latheen Catholica Maha Sangamom’ organised here recently, saying it would have an ‘issue-based’ approach in every constituency in the elections.

At the meeting, Sudheeran had announced that the Chief Minister would convene a meeting to discuss the problems faced by the Latin Catholic community.

Source: New Indian Express