THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan showered praises on each other as they laid the foundation stone of 13 NH projects worth Rs 45,563 crore in the state on Thursday. They also said the Centre and state will work together for Kerala’s infrastructure development.
The camaraderie in the evening came even as Gadkari had, while speaking in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day, said Kerala backtracked on its commitment to bear 25% of the land acquisition expense for NH development. Repeating this at the function in Thiruvananthapuram, he said the Centre and state will hold talks on the issue and come up with a solution soon.
“The Centre gives all assistance to Kerala in terms of NH development in Kerala. NH development is the lifeline of the state; it boosts economic and tourism development. Since Kerala has a very high land value, we proposed that the state government bear 25% of the expenses. However, the government conveyed its difficulty. We are ready to hold discussions with the government to come up with a solution,” Gadkari said, seeking the state’s cooperation on NH development.
No issue between Centre, state on NH development, says CM
Gadkari said road infrastructure will help a state develop economically. “The Mumbai-Kanyakumari NH66 project is very important as it will be an economic corridor connecting five states, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Kerala can take advantage of this connectivity to develop the tourism sector, focusing on ayurveda. Employment potential in the state will be rise three-fold,” he said.
On the proposed Outer Ring Road in Thiruvananthapuram, Gadkari said the project’s tender will be called by March.
In the Parliament, Gadkari had criticised the state over NH development and said at least `100 crore was required to build one kilometre of NH in Kerala and added that the state had expressed concern over bearing 25% of the land acquisition cost At the event, Pinarayio rejected reports that the state government and the Centre were at loggerheads over NH development.
“Some believe that the state and Centre disagree on NH development. The media took this as an opportunity to create controversy. However, it’s daydreaming. We have no disagreements. The union minister is very supportive of the state’s highway development,” he said.
Union Minister V Muraleedharan claimed that at the event that Kerala was the only state that refused to pay 25% share of the land acquisition cost, while states like Karnataka, Punjab and Odisha were giving it. Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Public Works Minister P A Mohamed Riyas and Food and Civil Supplies Minister G R Anil were present at the event.