KOCHI: In many cities across the country where development projects are implemented without a planning, it has become a burden for the people, said Local Self- Government Minister Paloli Mohammed Kutty. The Minister was delivering the inaugural address at the function organised to dedicate the reconstructed Kaloor- Kadavanthra Road to the public here on Tuesday.
“Cities like Delhi and Chandigarh were constructed after planning. But, Kochi is an emerging city. Therefore, we have to implement development projects within the available space. That is why the state government is supporting the elevated transporting projects such as Metro Rail,” the Minister said.
K Babu MLA who presided over the function said that Kochi should have a metropolitan authority with more powers. “Major cities in the country have Metropolitan Authority,” Babu said. He also urged the Minister to take necessary steps for the formation of a Metropolitan Authority for Kochi. Mayor Mercy Williams supported the suggestion put forward by the MLA. “The Metropolitan Authority should have adequate fund and power to execute projects,” the Mayor said.
Referring to the delay in reconstructing the road, the Mayor said that apathy on the part of authorities was not the reason for the delay in the completion of the project.
“There are some technical reasons,” she said. Mercy Williams also said that there was no point in repeating the inauguration of a project.(This was the third inauguration of the Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road). GCDA chairperson M C Josephine said that apprehensions regarding the reconstruction of the road was created by a section of people to tarnish the image of the GCDA.
Josephine claimed that there was no delay in reconstructing the road. “The work of two other road projects in the city have been awarded.
The work of these projects will be completed at the earliest,” she said.
