Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

LDF flays highway, lottery policies

LDF convenerVaikom Viswan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State committee of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) has come down heavily on the Central government's stand on National Highway development in Kerala and its decision to legalise online lottery. The committee, which met here on Friday, took strong exception to the Central government's insistence on the National Highway having 45 metre width across Kerala despite the State government repeatedly pleading for greater flexibility in the matter in view of the ground realities here. Road development on such a scale would be impossible in Kerala given the habitation pattern in the State and the alleged flaws in the alignment fixed by the National Highways Authority of India, front convener Vaikom Viswan told a news conference here.

Pointing out that the Centre itself had agreed to limiting the width of the National Highway from Kaliyikkavilai to Thiruvananthapuram to 30 metres, Mr. Viswan said the Centre could well adopt this as the norm for the entire Kerala. Criticising the Centre for its decision to legalise online lottery, the LDF convener said that the rules issued by the Centre in this regard would render tens of thousands of people jobless and cause heavy erosion in the government's revenue.

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