KANNUR: Days after the disclosure of a report submitted by a panel headed by former bureaucrat Sudha Pillai, which found that Kannur district received a disproportionate share of the KIIFB funds, particularly for land acquisition, former chief minister and CPM leader Pinarayi Vijayan defended the allocation, saying that it was intended to serve the long-term development interests of the state.
Speaking at the inauguration of the extended CPM Kannur district committee meeting on Sunday, Pinarayi said KIIFB had allocated approximately `1 lakh crore for various projects across the state.
He said governments must plan not only for present and the immediate future but also for the years ahead.
He said land acquisition was necessary to ensure timely implementation of development projects and that the land acquired in Kannur could be put to effective use.
He said that among the state’s four airports, Kannur airport was the only one where land required for further development was available in the surrounding area.
While the government had planned to establish IT parks at various locations across the state, the availability of land in Kannur offered an opportunity to implement such projects at a faster pace, Pinarayi said.
He maintained that the allocation of funds and land acquisition should be viewed in the broader context of Keralam’s long-term development than as a benefit extended to a particular district.