The Changanassery Arch Diocese under the Syro Malabar Church has chalked out an ambitious plan to start 2000 apartments and 250 villas in Thiruvanantha-puram city in a landed area of 150 acres. The proposed city will have a hundred bedded hospital, a modern school and recreation facilities.
The rider is the proposed city which is modeled on the lines of Vatican city will have only Christian inhabitants or rather to be precise those from the Syro Malabar church only.
Sources in the Changanachey Arch diocese while speaking to Organisor said “The idea is to provide a helping hand to those from the community who live in the capital city leaving behind their families .Also there is an urgent need for Medicare and educational care for the members of the community”. He added “The project will materialize soon”.
The Changanchery Arch Diocese has planned to identify 3000 members at the initial stage with a membership fee of Rs 50000 and a deposit of Rs five lakhs with bank interest. There will be 2000 apartments and 250 villas in an area which is identified near the Technocity in Kazhakkutam in Thiruvanantha-puram.
The project which has facilities ranging from kindergarten to old age homes, a 100-bedded hospital, school, a professional college, convention centre and a 2.5 lakh square feet measuring shopping mall is estimated to cost Rs. 1,136 crore, out of which the land cost comes to an approximate Rs 150 crore. The time of completion is estimated to be six years.
Sources however indicated that there is a difference of opinion among the clergy as to whether a certain percentage of area is earmarked for members of other communities. The possibility of such a suggestion leads to the conclusion that the Church has something up in its sleeve rather than the relatively unknown component of a city project alone.
The Hindu Aikya Vedi state general secretary Kummanam Rajashekharan while speaking to Organiser said “We have come to know the Changanachery Arch Diocese is in the process of such a project and this is not good for a plural society like us where people of all communities and religion stay amongst each other.
A community or religion which is in the process of establishing their own religious based communal living can be considered as the beginning of a process wherein there will be calls for the formation of religion based taluks and districts .This can be taken as a pointer in that direction.
If the Changanachery Arch diocese moves ahead with such a proposal, then this would directly effect the federal nature of our country as there can be more such moves from all communities which in fact will be outside the purview of our constitution and this is highly deplorable and in short will end up in the formation of a religion based theocratic society which will be a threat to our state and country”. When asked if the Hindu organizations will move ahead with some agitations, Kummananm Rajashekharan said “The Hindu organizations are chalking out programmes to oppose this move and we will be in the forefront in such agitations as the formation of such a community or religion based living will be a threat to our country which has to be opposed at any cost”.
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