THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former chief minister Oommen Chandy has sought an apology from the LDF government before the people for delaying the Alappuzha bypass by 3.5 years due to inefficiency and inactivity. He said the bypass should have been inaugurated on August 14, 2017.
Oommen Chandy recalled that when the UDF government had stepped down from office in 2016, 30 per cent of the work was completed. The Left government didn’t have any projects at that time, still it had been unsuccessful in completing the UDF’s project on time. “The previous UDF government had taken a landmark decision on August 31, 2013, to bear 50 per cent of the expenses towards the development of NH stretches of the inordinate delay in completing projects.
This led the four-decade-old stalled works on the Alappuzha and Kollam bypasses finally to resume. It was the first time that the state and the Centre had decided to share the expenses equally for developing the NH,” said Chandy.He also recalled that the UDF government had earmarked `352 crore and `348.43 crore for Kollam and Alappuzha bypasses.
Covid delayed work, Chandy’s comment irresponsible: CM
T’Puram: Reacting to Oommen Chandy’s statement, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan clarified the work was expedited ever since the LDF government came to power. However, since the labourers returned to their home states due to the pandemic, it was a challenge to complete the project, Pinarayi said. “The people of Alappuzha know the truth. They had been waiting for the bypass for 40 years. With the PWD coming up with yeoman’s work, things started working smoothly. The workers were brought back after the relaxations were lifted. Oommen Chandy’s statement is irresponsible,” said Pinarayi.