Thiruvananthapuram, March 31. A function held here today to mark the dedication of 51 renovated roads in Kerala became an occasion for some serious soul search about Kerala development. While dedicating the roads, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan indulged in some honest introspection about Kerala’s development puzzles, esp. the road development..
While ruing the pathetic condition of Kerala roads, he added that the situation is changing now, and the LDF government has shown the will to implement development projects. “We have done projects which had been at a stand still for long,” he said.
Touching on the issue of SilverLine and his recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi,, the chief minister said Prime Minister’s response to the SilverLine was completely positive in all ways. .
While other Indian states boast of roads which are of state-of-the-art, Kerala’s National Highways are often of the standard of village roads, said Mr. Vijayan caustically. In Kerala, many times it takes three to four hours to cover distances that can be covered in an hour. If Kerala fails to catch up with others who are progressing by leaps and bounds, the state will eventually end up a laggard, the chief minister commented.
Delay in projects
Mr Vijayan said when his government announced a slew of development projects, there were a lot of pessimistic responses. Those who are apprehensive cannot be blamed as that was the norm in the state till the recent past. There was inordinate delay in executing projects. Citing an example, Mr. Vijayan pointed out that the initial discussions on GAIL pipeline were held in 1996. Afterwards nothing happened. But other states went forward. It needed the will power of LDF government which came to power in 2016 to complete the project, the chief minister said.
“If we delay in executing projects which we should have, the price we will end up paying will be staggering,” said the chief minister. In all other states NH is developed by NHAI using funds of the union government. But the NHAI backed out from Kerala citing mind boggling land values in Kerala. NHAI said the situation was appalling. They wanted Kerala to acquire land. We raised our points. Discussions were prolonged. But results remained elusive in the past.” Praising the union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, Mr. Vijayan said, “we now have a union minister who thinks positively and an agreement was reached with him. Kerala government agreed to give 25 percent for land acquisition though the state doesn’t have enough money in coffers. We had to seek help of KIIFB, which offered financial assistance,” Mr. Vijayan said.
Recounting the protests during the initial stages of NH development Mr. Vijayan said, there was huge opposition to land acquisition for NH. But, when the government started acquisition everyone cooperated. Many were surprised to receive the fair compensation which they never expected. They have shared their joy through media. All of them cooperated completely.
GAIL Pipeline completed, NH work started
The chief minister said the NH development from Thalappudi to Thiruvananthapuram is now evident. The GAIL Pipeline is now complete in Kerala too. City Gas project work has started. That will be helpful to women. Gas price distributed through pipeline will be considerably less than cooking gas cylinders. Why such a project was delayed, when it would have helped industries and vehicles also, besides households? asked the chief minister.
Some have the attitude of opposing everything. Koodamkulam power had to be brought to Kerala. A power highway was needed to be built from Edamon to Kochi. The work had started, but at one stage it stopped. Power corporation which was executing the work backed out. After the LDF government assumed power, the project was completed and now power flows through that highway. Now Coastal Highway and Hill highway are getting ready. NH 66 will soon become a national highway in the true sense. Kerala’s roads are changing. Isn’t it a comforting sight? Mr. Vijayan asked. “We should be able to unite on such issues,” he said.
“Infrastructure means not just roads. The Kovalam-Bekkal national waterway is fast developing We have 4 airports already. They have good traffic. Efforts to build a fifth one in Sabarimala for pilgrims from all over the world are progressing well,” he added.
Railways
Trains run at low speed in Kerala and it’s impossible to increase speed with present railway tracks, said the chief minister. Developing the current tracks is not possible in the near future. That is why we think of new lines. This is inevitable for our development, said the chief minister. Our transportation sector should change according to times, the chief minister said. He stressed the need for constructing SilverLine corridor which he said will revolutionise the transport sector of Kerala.