The Hindu : National : The debate over development

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 27, 2006

National

National

The debate over development

Roy Mathew
Thiruvananthapuram

Politics has always overshadowed other issues in Kerala but in this election, development has received unprecedented attention.

All agree that Kerala needs faster development and more employment opportunities. However, sharp differences exist among the ruling and the Opposition fronts on the means to be adopted.

The United Democratic Front (UDF) Government began its innings with the Global Investor Meet, aimed at attracting investments. The Opposition did not overtly object to the meet, but it saw many of the investment proposals as a means to corner public money and resources. In particular, it viewed any move to provide land at concessional rates with suspicion.

A proposal for an expressway from the northern part of the State to the south attracted protests over rehabilitation and environmental issues. Janata Dal (S) leader M.P. Veerendrakumar was in the forefront of the protests. Allegations that the land mafia was behind the proposal forced the Government to put it in cold storage.

Though there is now broad agreement in the LDF and the UDF that the expressway might be needed, the Government did not want to stir up controversy in an election year.

A proposal to give sand mining rights to private companies was followed by heated debate and court cases; there was no unity even in the UDF on this. The Smart City project raised an even bigger ruckus. Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan opposed the proposed agreement between the Government and the promoters, Dubai Internet City. Though the Government amended the agreement, opposition continues against the proposed transfer of the State-owned Infopark in Kochi to the promoters. The Election Commission stopped a last-minute bid to sign the agreement before the elections. Though the High Court quashed the Commission's order, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy decided not to go ahead. The controversy has brought the project to the forefront of the election debate, and the Chief Minister is seeking the mandate of the people to go ahead with it.

According to Mr. Chandy, the State needs mega projects such as the Smart City; he charged the Opposition with stalling the Government's initiatives to attract investments and change negative investor perceptions about Kerala.

Mr. Chandy has been pushing several mega projects such as Vallarpadam Container Terminal, Kannur airport, Kerala Airlines, Kochi Metro Rail and Vizhinjam International Container Transhipment Port.

While the people have generally been appreciative of the Government's efforts, they also seem to have endorsed the Opposition allegations of corruption and shady deals in several proposals. The divide between the Government and the Opposition is so sharp that Mr. Chandy and Mr. Achuthanandan have come to represent opposite poles in the developmental debate.

The BJP, which promises to make the State debt-free, does not subscribe to the development policies of either the UDF or the LDF. It is not happy with either Mr. Chandy's reform policies, or with the Opposition line, which it sees as "obstructionist" and anti-development. It feels Kerala should evolve its own developmental strategy.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National

News Update

Stories in this Section