Redrafting the Coastal Regulation Zone guidelines in favour of the coastal dwellers, addressing the drinking water shortage and revitalising the public sector companies are at the top of the developmental agenda conceived by A. N. Radhakrishnan, the BJP candidate.
The discrepancies in the CRZ regulations had hit the residents of coastal villages like Mulavukad hard. The rural and urban divide in the regime prevented the residents from building houses even up to 500 sq feet whereas those in the urban side of the water bodies could build sprawling houses. The regulations needed to be redrafted with the residents of coastal villages and workers in mind, he said.
Mr. Radhakrishnan pointed out that many parts of the city were reeling under severe drinking water shortage. “It is a shame that the State which has 44 rivers is facing drinking water shortage,” he said.
Almost all the public sector companies in the city, including the Cochin Shipyard Limited, FCAT, HMT and the Cochin Port Trust, are in dire straits. Though promises of special packages were announced, none of them received any special support. The revival of these firms should be taken up on priority basis.
Smart City is an icon of a failed mission. The project, for which the foundation stone was laid way back in 2007, had not progressed beyond the piling work stage, he claimed. The Edapally-Moothakunnam coastal road project, which failed to take off, stood as testimony to the apathy of the authorities. The road project was launched in 1972 and land was frozen for the work in 1982. Wild growth had invaded the land that was acquired for the road, he said.
Referring to the promise of upgrading the Ernakulam South Railway station to international standards, Mr. Radhakrishnan said the modernisation ended with the installation of an escalator, which could be found in almost all the shopping malls of the city, he said.
