By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Opposition walked out of the assembly on Tuesday after Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan declined a discussion on an adjournment motion on the Rebuild Kerala initiative. Congress MLA VD Satheesan had moved the motion saying the initiative, launched after last year’s flood, was a total disaster. “While people are suffering for want of assistance and rehabilitation, the government is spending `1.5 lakh per month on the project’s office in a private building at Punnen Road, Thiruvananthapuram. A whopping `88 lakh was spent on the office’s interior design. How does the government justify this,” he asked. He said it was unfortunate the government had to deploy schoolchildren to assess the damage caused by the flood to buildings and residential properties despite having meritorious engineers and officers. He said around 20% of flood victims were yet to receive the `10,000 initial aid announced by the government. He said the Chief Minister’s statement the Rebuild Kerala project was a long-term process meant victims would not get any relief in the near future. In his walkout speech, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said the world had appreciated the resilience shown by Keralites in bouncing back from the devastation caused by the flood. “However, the government is now taking all the credit,” he said. On Chief Minister saying the Opposition hampered ‘Salary Challenge’, Chennithala said it was ‘goonda collection’, not salary challenge. “The Opposition had demanded the formation of a judicial commission and later a special tribunal to deal with flood-related cases, but nothing was initiated by the government,” he said Deputy leader of Opposition M K Muneer said the government had failed in supporting flood victims. P J Joseph and Anoop Jacob also spoke before the walkout. 'opposition stand unfortunate' Replying to Satheesan’s adjournment motion, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Opposition was supporting initiatives taken by certain private television channels against government’s Rebuild Kerala project. “The channels will air the work done by the government as their ‘impact’. The Opposition is backing them. It is unfortunate,” he said. Govt to set up four sports academies T’Puram: To address the doping menace among youngsters, the Sports and Youth Affairs Department will join hands with the National Anti-Doping Agency to make the dope test mandatory in senior, junior and sub-junior competitions, said Sports Minister E P Jayarajan. To nurture sportspersons of international standards, the government is planning to set up sports academies for shooting, volleyball, archery and tennis, he said. “Thiruvananthapuram will have two academies - one for shooting at Vattiyoorkavu and another for tennis at Kumarapuram. Volleyball academy will come up at Idukki and Wayanad will have archery academy. Also, there is a plan to organise beach games for children and women during November and December,” said Jayarajan.

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