Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Provide land to ISRO, Government told

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Trivandrum Residents Apex Council (TRAC) has urged the Government to ensure that the controversy over the land deal for the Indian Institute of Space Science does not deprive the State capital of the prestigious project.

A press note quoting TRAC president Amaravila Ramakrishnan Nair said the row over the ownership rights and environmental concerns indicated a conspiracy to torpedo the project.

The release said a coterie involving several officials and politicians had in the past conspired to divert several other projects scheduled to come up in the capital region.

“These very people then shed crocodile tears during the election time, alleging Government neglect of the capital region,” it said.

TRAC urged the Government to allocate large tracts of the hilly areas in the Nedumangad and Neyyatinkara taluks for setting up world-class research institutes.

“The Government often concedes the argument of the official lobby that there is no land in the Thiruvananthapuram taluk to set up institutes of national importance. It simply ignores the fact that there is enough land available in the suburban areas,” the council observed.

“In the case of the Indian Institute of Space Science, national importance take precedence over environmental issues,” it added.

The note urged the Government to take over the Merchiston Estate and allocate it for similar projects.

“The Government should see to it that the institute comes up at the site selected by the ISRO,” it added.

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