The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Government urged to pressurise Centre

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 10, 2004

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Government urged to pressurise Centre

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JUNE 9. The Capital City Development Forum has urged the State Government to utilise the favourable political climate at the Centre to push for the development of the city.

Addressing a press conference here today, the Mayor, J. Chandra, and the former Speaker, M. Vijayakumar, who are patrons of the forum, said the Cabinet sub-committee constituted for the development of the capital city had not convened for many months. "The budgetary allocation for city development has not been utilised for two years", they said.

The forum said the development of the international airport was held up due to the failure of the Government to acquire 2.5 acres of land. Hailing the Union Government's policy shift on privatisation of airports, Mr. Vijayakumar called on the MPs from the State to ensure enhanced budgetary support for development of the Thiruvananthapuram airport.

Accusing the State Government of playing a hide-and-seek game on the setting up of a High Court Bench in the capital, he called on the Antony regime to make its stand clear on the issue.

Mr. Vijayakumar said the Government had gone back on its commitment to set up a biotechnology park in Thiruvananthapuram. He accused the Government of failing to exert pressure on the Centre to include the State capital in the National Highway Development Project.

Mr. Vijayakumar said the MPs from the district, P.K. Vasudevan Nair and Varkala Radhakrishnan, had promised to initiate talks with the Surface Transport Minister for a new road linking Thiruvananthapuram to Thirunelveli through Kattakada and Ambasamudram.

The forum appealed to the State Government to step up pressure on the Union Government for an international transhipment container terminal at Vizhinjam. It also demanded the setting up of a new railway zone at Thiruvananthapuram, doubling of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari railway track and the construction of a second terminal for the capital.

Ms. Chandra said the construction of a Habitat Centre had not taken off, though the project was cleared several months ago. She stressed the need to upgrade the Government dispensary at Valiathura to a hospital, set up institutes for malaria and filariasis and modernise the General Hospital.

The forum also urged the Government to expedite measures to set up an open university, technical university and Ayurvedic research institutes. Other priority projects highlighted by the forum include an international convention centre at Aakulam, an All India Institute of Medical Sciences, a permanent venue for the International Film Festival, an international cricket stadium and a civil station.

The forum warned that in the absence of immediate steps to address pressing issues, the State capital would slip to the position of a backward region. It called on all the elected representatives to raise their voices for the development of the city.

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