KOCHI: The suggestions and recommendations put forth by various stakeholders of Kochi’s development at the face-to-face meeting held here on Wednesday would be evaluated closely and deserving ideas incorporated in the LDF’s election manifesto for the 2021 assembly poll, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.He was speaking at the meeting during the Ernakulam leg of his Kerala Paryadanam, an interactive event with prominent personalities from different walks of life, held at TDM Hall.
Regarding Kochi-specific projects, Pinarayi said special focus will be on resolving the issues related to the solid waste treatment. “The existing geographical specialities of Kochi need to be considered. Now, we are focusing on constructing high-quality roads, which will not deteriorate during rains. The coastal areas need to be protected just like how we guard our boundaries. The state government has initiated talks with various agencies for devising coastal protection strategies,” he said.
The individual recommendations put forth at the meeting, including the idea mooted by writer N S Madhavan to bring all welfare pensions under one umbrella so that the beneficiary can count it as a basic income and the idea pitched by Muralee Thummarukudy for providing a shared work space for NRKs who are returning from overseas, are not difficult to implement, the CM said.
Cochin Chamber of Commerce president K Harikumar sought a ‘retail trade policy’ to be framed for Kerala. Lauding the reforms brought in to bring in “ease of doing business’, the chamber also sought the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitive Index to be adopted at the state level as in Andhra Pradesh so that mid-course corrections can be brought in if required and the state can benchmark its growth. The CM assured the representatives that he will consider their demands positively.
“We are also trying our best to overcome the impact of Covid-19 on the tourism sector. The government is also focusing on utilising new energy resources. The world is shifting to electric vehicles. In tune with that, we are also changing to e-mobility. The policy decision was taken for launching industrial parks and special projects for encouraging more small, medium and large entrepreneurial ventures.”