THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former ports minister and Congress leader K Babu has said the state government’s ‘inefficiency’ and ‘criminal lapse’ have delayed the completion of the `6,500-crore Vizhinjam port project.
Babu alleged that the Project Implementation Committee, chaired by the Chief Secretary failed to meet periodically to assess progress of the work.
He said 90 per cent of the land needed for the project was acquired and handed over by the UDF government. But the LDF government failed to acquire the remaining 18 acre of land after it assumed power.
Though the LDF government promised a fishing harbour worth `140 crore in Vizhinjam, it has failed to relocate the fishing boats from the area and clear other hurdles for the project.
Babu said though the agreement with the government lays down a provision for compensation if work is not completed in a timely manner, it remains to be seen how effectively the government will be able to put it into practice.