Kerala to revive major infrastructure projects

Addressing the first session of the 13th Kerala Assembly today, Governor R S Gavai said during the previous LDF rule, the investment flow dried up and the state was pushed into a debt trap of Rs 77,900 crore. As a result, the state faced a great decline in the agricultural and industrial sectors.

Now, major infrastructural projects were being taken out of cold storage, he said, adding the Kochi Metro, Kannur Airport, Vizhinjam Seaport, Kochi Smart City and several other similar projects that would be implemented over the next five years would take Kerala through one of its best periods.

A revised action plan for Vizhinjam port, committed infrastructural development and land acquisition had been approved and the revised phase I project cost was estimated at Rs 4,040 crore.

The Governor said inclusive economic growth without compromising on ecology and environment would be the goal.

''De-bottlenecking infrastructure, opening up new areas for growth, easing the process of entrepreneurship and making available land for projects would ensure that the growth is in the desired direction,'' he added.

He said the construction of seaport-airport waterway in Kochi would be completed within 18 months. Besides, the hill highway project, kept in cold storage in the last five years, would be taken up for implementation expeditiously.

He said the government would be focusing on the emerging areas of education, health, tourism, IT, commerce, retail, biotechnology and communication as against certain sunset sectors to ensure sustained economic groth of the state and employment generation for the young people.

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Kerala to fast-track infrastructure projects: Governor

"Major infrastructural projects have been taken out of cold storage and are being acted upon and when implemented in the next five years, will take the state through one of its best periods," Gavai said in his first address to the 13th Kerala legislative assembly.

He also complemented the Congress-led government of Chief Minister Oomen Chandy for quickly acting on important issues.

"In this short period (38 days), this government has acted positively on long-delayed issues like providing relief to the victims of endosulfan (poisoning)," Gavai said.

The Chandy government was sworn in May 18 with a wafer thin majority of 72 members against the 68-member Left Democratic Front led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

Gavai also pointed out that the previous Left Front government, which had repeatedly blamed the union government to hide its own failures, had pushed the state into a debt trap of Rs.77,900 crores.

"The fiscal deficit rose to Rs.6,913 crores and the revenue deficit to Rs.4,522 crores. Corruption and inefficiency became the hallmark of the previous government," the governor noted.

He added that his government will give priority to creating jobs, improving the law and order situation and controlling prices.

Former chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan was not impressed, saying the governor had been taken for a ride by the Chandy government.

"All what Chandy said in his 100-days programme launched last month was read out today. The governor, perhaps knowing that he has been asked to read out what Chandy announced earlier did not read out the entire text because of the repetitiveness," Achuthanandan said.

"Most of what has been announced are the already launched programmes of my government and what they did is to camouflage that and make it appear as their own programmes," he added.

Former finance minister and CPI-M legislator Thomas Isaac refuted Gavai's claim that Kerala was in a financial crisis.

"I demitted office with a treasury balance of Rs.2,000 crores and what more do they need to make a beginning? It is foolish to say that the state is in a debt trap," said Issac.

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Kerala to fast-track infrastructure projects: Governor

Kerala's new United Democratic Front government will fast-track infrastructure projects that had been in cold storage for the past five years, Governor R.S. Gavai said Friday, even as he blamed the previous Left Front government for leading the state into a debt trap of Rs.77,900 crores.

"Major infrastructural projects have been taken out of cold storage and are being acted upon and when implemented in the next five years, will take the state through one of its best periods," Gavai said in his first address to the 13th Kerala legislative assembly.

He also complemented the Congress-led government of Chief Minister Oomen Chandy for quickly acting on important issues.

"In this short period (38 days), this government has acted positively on long-delayed issues like providing relief to the victims of endosulfan (poisoning)," Gavai said.

The Chandy government was sworn in May 18 with a wafer thin majority of 72 members against the 68-member Left Democratic Front led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

Gavai also pointed out that the previous Left Front government, which had repeatedly blamed the union government to hide its own failures, had pushed the state into a debt trap of Rs.77,900 crores.

"The fiscal deficit rose to Rs.6,913 crores and the revenue deficit to Rs.4,522 crores. Corruption and inefficiency became the hallmark of the previous government," the governor noted.

He added that his government will give priority to creating jobs, improving the law and order situation and controlling prices.

Former chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan was not impressed, saying the governor had been taken for a ride by the Chandy government.

"All what Chandy said in his 100-days programme launched last month was read out today. The governor, perhaps knowing that he has been asked to read out what Chandy announced earlier did not read out the entire text because of the repetitiveness," Achuthanandan said.

"Most of what has been announced are the already launched programmes of my government and what they did is to camouflage that and make it appear as their own programmes," he added.

Former finance minister and CPI-M legislator Thomas Isaac refuted Gavai's claim that Kerala was in a financial crisis.

"I demitted office with a treasury balance of Rs.2,000 crores and what more do they need to make a beginning? It is foolish to say that the state is in a debt trap," said Issac.

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Posted on 4:16 AM / 0 comments / Read More