For a CM of action, 100 days of satisfaction

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  “Neither the Chief Minister nor the ministers of the UDF Government can evade their duties by passing the buck to the bureaucracy,” according to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.The earnest attempt of his government is to ensure transparency at all levels and end corruption in the state, he says.Expressing satisfaction over the 100 days’ action plan of the government announced on June 1, two weeks after assuming office, the Chief Minister says that the right message has been given to the people that the state should aim at results and not controversies.“We are trying to break the cynical mindset, including that of a section of the media, for ensuring the state’s development and welfare of all.Delay in the implementation of projects is the bane of the state, ” he admits.In an interview with Express, Chandy covered topics including transparency in governance, Kerala’s typical critical response, development issues, Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan’s declared war against a few in the government and the palmolein case.Transparency in all matters of public activity is a key objective of the government, he said and added that the people know that the Cabinet and the UDF are united as never before.‘’No big wonders might have happened during our 100 days in power.But the mission of the government has been accepted in the public domain,” a confident Chandy said.Q: How would you rate your earlier innings as Chief Minister and now? A: In my earlier term, the stress was on development and clearing the decks for generating the right climate for investment.Now both development and welfare measures are given equal focus while remaining committed to transparency and a corruption-free regime.Q: Though there is no dearth of well-meaning initiatives from the present government, aren’t you aware that officialdom is not conditioned for imbibing it, especially at the lower rung? A : I’ll not blame the bureaucracy for it.It is the solemn duty of the political leadership, Chief Minister and ministers to correct wherever and whenever a fault is detected