THRISSUR: After the inauguration of the Supplyco Christmas Market in Thrissur was halted due to public protest over the unavailability of subsidized goods, Thrissur Mayor MK Varghese strongly criticized the Kerala government.
In response to the incident, the Thrissur Mayor Varghese stated that the issue was caused by the Kerala government. Inaugurating the Supplyco Christmas Market without arranging the subsidized items was a difficulty for the public. Those intending to purchase items from the Supplyco outlets were disappointed without the listed items. The Kerala state government bears complete responsibility for the incident.
Today Mayor MK Varghese and MLA P Balachandran arrived there to inaugurate the Supplyco Christmas Market in Thrissur but departed without an official inauguration due to public protest.
The public demanded that the Supplyco market should only be inaugurated once the goods arrive at the outlets. They expressed discontent, stating that namesake ceremonial inaugurations for publicity should be avoided.
Mayor Varghese mentioned that after the inauguration was stopped, he questioned the authorities about inviting them without arranging the listed items. He added that inaugurating without provisions on the scheduled day causes distress among the public.
The Mayor then stated that he would address the issue with the CM today.
Yesterday, the Kerala state Finance Minister KN Balagopal announced that the Kerala State Cooperative Consumers’ Federation Ltd (Consumerfed) would organize Christmas-New Year markets starting December 21 across all districts. The announcement included subsidies for 13 items. Additionally, discounts ranging from 5% to 30% were mentioned for non-subsidized goods.
However, upon approaching Supplyco for these items, only green gram and coconut oil were available. In response, people protested, demanding the availability of all goods.
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