Thiruvananthapuram: Chirayinkeezh MP Varkala Radhakishnan alleged here on Sunday that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was trying to scuttle the development of the capital region.

Speaking at a reception organised for the newly elected people's representatives in the district, he said the UDF regime had failed to respond to an assurance from the Union Law Ministry on setting up a High Court Bench in the State capital.

"All it needed was a proposal from the State Government. But Mr. Chandy insists that the proposal will be submitted only after eliciting a political compromise to establish the High Court Bench in the University College building. He knows that any move to shift the college will meet with stiff public resistance," Mr. Radhakrishnan said.

He said a lobby of Government officials, lawyers and politicians was trying to torpedo the move to establish the High Court Bench. He observed that the Governments in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had set up benches at Madurai and Hubli, ignoring the opposition from several quarters. He added that the LDF would set up a Bench in the capital if it won the mandate in the next Assembly elections.

Mr. Radhakrishnan said the State Government had squandered the chance of bagging an IIT for Thiruvananthapuram. "A UGC committee scheduled to visit Thiruvananthapuram for a site inspection was diverted to Kochi. The team ruled out Kochi citing lack of research facilities. As a result, the State lost a prestigious project."

He said the construction of an international convention centre at Aakulam and the development of a second terminal at the airport were held up by the tardy progress in acquiring land.

Mr. Radharishnan said the Tamil Nadu Government's proposal to develop Kolachel as a transhipment container terminal hub posed a major threat to the Vizhinjam project.

Thiruvananthapuram MP Pannian Ravindran said the State Government's failure to lobby for Central assistance was responsible for the tardy progress of many development proposals. He said the move to close down the marine aquarium under Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute at Vizhinjam had not elicited even a feeble protest from the Government.

Mr. Ravindran highlighted the need for an integrated plan for the development of the railway network in the capital region. He also called on the Centre to set up a regional centre of the Sports Authority of India in Kerala.

Mayor C. Jayan Babu said the absence of budgetary support from the Government was forcing local bodies in the State to seek external assistance for development of infrastructure.

District Panchayat president Anavoor Nagappan; Deputy Mayor V. Jayaprakash; district panchayat vice-president M.B. Murali and chairmen of municipalities and block panchayats were present.

The reception was organised by the Capital City Development Forum. Forum chairman M. Vijayakumar presided over the function.

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