Baseless allegations affect morale of officials: Chandy

Kozhikode/Thiruvananthapuram: Levelling baseless charges against officials will dent their morale, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said in Kozhikode Monday.

He was speaking to newspersons about the recent tirade in the media over alleged irregularities in organising the 35th National Games to be held at 30 venues in seven Kerala districts Jan 31-Feb 14.

A section of the media are cut up with the organisers of the mega sporting event after an event management company attached to a leading regional daily in the state was given a Rs. 10.62-crore contract for conducting the event Run Kerala Run to promote the games.

"Airing of baseless allegations will only lower the morale of the officials," said Chandy.

He also said that those levelling allegations can give these in writing so that they can be looked into.

"But airing baseless allegations will not help anyone and it won't be tolerated also," said Chandy.

Meanwhile, talking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram former Sports Minister K.B Ganesh Kumar Monday alleged that corruption was rampant in a Rs. 30-crore road development project being executed as part of the National Games preparations.

Last week, Kumar had quit the organising committee of the National Games citing needless extravagance in conducting the event.

"It's not fair on the part of Kumar, to now level allegations of extravagance. When he was the sports minister, he along with a few others, went to see the London Olympics. When trouble broke out over that, he then said that they went to see how it's being conducted, so he could replicate it during the National Games," Kerala government Chief Whip P.C. George told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram Monday.