The Hindu : Central aid for capital development

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 17, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Central aid for capital development

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Nov. 16. The development of a satellite township at Aakulam and the construction of a Habitat Centre at Kowdiar are two of the major projects for the capital city that have been identified for Central assistance under the package announced by the Union Urban Development Minister, Ananthkumar, here on Friday.

The Government has identified 50 acres of land at Aakulam for the township project which is aimed at easing the congestion in the city and enabling horizontal development.

Inaugurating an interactive session on Central-sponsored schemes, Mr. Ananthkumar said that Hudco had promised to extend an assistance of Rs.100 crores for the two satellite townships at Aakulam and the Marine Drive in Kochi.

The Habitat Centre project has been included in the proposals prepared by a high power committee of officers set up by the Government to prepare a blueprint for the development of the capital region. The Central Government will finance the Rs. 30-crore project, Mr. Ananthkumar said.

The centre which is to come up in a plot of land in the Kowdiar palace compound has been envisaged as a venue for seminars and workshops on professional and intellectual pursuits. According to the report of the committee, the project will combine the roles played by the India International Centre and the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. Mr. Ananthkumar is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the Habitat Centre next month.

The Ministry of Urban Development had offered to finance the entire project if the Government provided 10 acres of land free of cost. The State Government has already identified 3.25 acres of land in the Kowdiar Palace compound which is under the possession of the Revenue Department. The plot was earlier earmarked for construction of a civil station. The committee, however, felt that the Habitat Centre would be consistent with the historic ambience and the architectural style of the palace and its surroundings.

In a bid to secure more land for the project, Mr. Ananthkumar and the Minister of State, O. Rajagopal, met the head of the royal family of erstwhile Travancore, Uthradam Tirunal Marthanda Varma, at the palace today. They also visited the site identified for the project. The Revenue Minister, K.M. Mani, and the Local Administration Minister, Cherkalam Abdullah, accompanied the Union Ministers.

The Additional Chief Secretary, Babu Jacob, who chairs the committee of officers, said the Government was working on the report of the committee to identify the proposals to be presented for Central assistance. He said the Government was in touch with the royal family to secure more land for the Habitat Centre project.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP, V.S. Sivakumar, called on the Union Ministers today and urged them to convene a meeting here to discuss proposals for development of the capital city. In a memorandum submitted to Mr. Ananthkumar, he urged the Urban Development Ministry to extend financial assistance for priority projects under the City Challenge Programme.

Mr. Sivakumar mooted the proposal to set up an Ayurveda Park in Thiruvananthapuram. Mr. Ananthkumar assured him that the Ministry would consider the project if the State Government was prepared to provide 100 acres of land.

Reform package

Presiding over the meeting, the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, exhorted local bodies to initiate a reform package for speedy implementation of infrastructure projects. He urged them to avail of Central aid without waiting for State Government clearance.

Mr. Antony said the flexibility in Centrally sponsored schemes had opened a window of opportunity for Kerala. Pointing out that solid waste management had emerged as a major challenge for urban development, he said the Government was finalising a cluster of projects to be implemented under the Clean Kerala programme. The Chief Minister said the development of the capital city region was a priority area. Mr. Rajagopal called on the State Government to prevent diversion of Central funds released for development activities. Observing that a good road network was essential to the development of Kerala, he said the Centre would finance the construction of an express highway from Mangalore to Thiruvananthapuram.

The Hudco regional head, Alva, said the agency was looking forward to a long term MoU with local bodies in Kerala under the public-private partnership model. An IT park for IT- enabled services and various other projects in the tourism, health and education sectors are being considered for funding, he added.

The State Ministers Cherkalam Abdullah, P.K. Kunhalikutty, K.M. Mani, K. Sankaranarayanan, M.K. Muneer and Babu Divakaran, the Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, D.K. Biswas, the Joint Secretary, Pankaj Jain, the State Additional Chief Secretary, Babu Jacob, the Secretary, Urban Development, Elias George, the Director Municipal Administration Rani George, Corporation Mayors and municipal chairpersons participated in the session. Later, receiving a list of priority projects identified by the State Government and local bodies, Mr. Ananthkumar said the projects would be cleared for funding in a month's time.

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