KOCHI: Calling upon Kerala society to rise above differences and extend the hand of cooperation for the overall development of the state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it is not right to create roadblocks on the development path. "Life is short. We should ensure a better tomorrow for the future generation. The Kerala we see now is not the same place where we grew up. A lot of development has taken place over the years. We should be able to hand over a prosperous state to our future generation for which we should work together," he said after inaugurating the Lulu International Convention Centre and Hotel Grand Hyatt, the largest convention centre in India, at Bolgatty here on Saturday.
Congratulating LuLu Group chairman M A Yusuffali for establishing a world-class convention centre in Kerala despite challenges, Pinarayi said it is the management skill and the magnanimity to understand the workers' problems that helped Yusuffali to succeed in building a business empire. Referring to the problems faced by Yusuffali in completing the project, the Chief Minister said such challenges do not surprise him.
"Which initiative does not face challenges in our state? As a successful businessman, Yusuffali thought of contributing to the development of our state. However, faced with challenges, he even thought of dropping the project. I am used to such experiences. There is a tendency to oppose implementation of good initiatives in our state. People are going to arrive in our state in large numbers because of this project. This will open abundant opportunities," said Pinarayi.
He said the state needs more investment that can create job opportunities. "I have held discussions with the ministers of the UAE and Bahrain on the business opportunities in Kerala and they have agreed to hold further discussions. Our aim is to enure the development of the state and create more job opportunities," he said.