THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said the state government was hoping to work in tandem with the Centre Government in matters related to development projects. Presiding over a meeting of MPs convened in Thiruvananthapuram, he said they should bring the issues which affect the development dreams of the state to the attention of the Centre. The meeting also passed a representation demanding to end the negligence shown towards the state by the Railway Ministry and Centre in matters related to setting up a coach factory in Palakkad and denying permission for the Chief Minister to meet the Prime Minister to seek reinstatement of its foodgrain quota.
He also termed the Niti Aayog set up by the Centre will not be an effective alternative for the Planning Commission. Further, the Central decision to bring a Higher Education Commission of India to replace the University Grants Commission will affect the interests of the state as the new body will not support allowing grants to higher education institutions, he said. The state government also requires financial allocation from the Centre to implement the national waterway project. Since the functioning of the family courts along with other courts is a violation of the rule, the state government would take steps to shift the family courts to separate compounds.
The state government also requires the help of the Centre for developing the National Institute of Virology in Alappuzha. The help of the Centre is also needed for setting up a bio-safety lab at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. Further, the state has not received the Centre share of the Ockhi rehabilitation package and it requires MoEF clearance to hold hill highway work in reserve forest area of 66.20 ha spanning four districts. The meeting also opined the Centre has been making some interventions in the affairs of the state, including the functioning of the grama sabhas which is against the spirit of the federal system.
The MPS should make effective interventions to fulfill the constitutional obligations, the meeting said. For instance, some Central criteria are against the interests of Kerala and the MPs should make sure these criteria are framed considering the interest of the states. And the Centre should hold consultations with the states and in Parliament when international agreement which affect the states are signed, the meeting said, while pointing out some of the agreements are against the interest of the state.
TAKE UP RAIL-RELATED PROJECTS IN PARLIAMENT, PINARAYI TELLS MPs T’Puram : Chief
Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday urged MPs from the state to take up railway-related projects that have made little headway - such as the Kanjikode coach factory initiative - in the upcoming Parliament session. He made the request at the meeting of MPs here. The Sabari rail project should be taken up as a national project. Though the Centre had earlier agreed to shoulder the expenses for the project, now the situation is that the Centre may back out, the Chief Minister said.
He urged the MPs to put pressure on the Centre to implement the project at the earliest. The state government has been diligent in acquiring land for railway-related projects and handing it over, he said. The remaining land required for doubling the Ettumanoor-Kottayam-Chingavanam line will be transferred soon. The District Collector has initiated measures in this regard. The government has also entrusted the Kerala Rail Development Corporation with the construction of 27 rail overbridges.
Participation in Udan would have hit KIAL’s prospects, says CM
MP T’Puram : The Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL) decided to pull out of the Ude Desh ka Nagrik (Udan) scheme of the Central Government as it would affect the prospects of the new airport, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday. Addressing a meeting of MPs here, he said selected carriers will have a monopoly on the routes awarded to them. This will affect the future of KIAL which is gearing up to be the best airport in the country.
The Civil Aviation Ministry has informed the state government that all procedures related to KIAL will be completed by August 15, the Chief Minister said. He also reiterated the government’s stand that the airport can be inaugurated in September this year. The MPs were also asked to take up the cause of the Kozhikode airport which had lost the status as the embarkation centre for Haj pilgrims to the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL). The chairman, Airport Authority of India, has agreed to discuss issues related to the Kozhikode airport, he said.