The implementation of the Vizhinjam port project is under a cloud, considering the ‘conspiracies’ over the tender proceedings, Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan has said. He was speaking after inaugurating the 21st annual conference of the Federation of Residents’ Associations, Thiruvananthapuram (FRAT).
Not just the port, the city was unlikely to get a ship-building centre at Poovar, and the High Court Bench, he said.
Railway development and an upgrade to ‘metro’ status were unlikely to come its way, he said. In a seminar on ‘metro city,’ K. Muraleedharan, MLA, said that the Vizhinjam port would become a reality only if everyone stood united for it.
Though the planned delimitation process to carve out Kazhakuttam municipality from the city Corporation was to placate local people who were not getting proper services from the civic body, he was not in support of the move as it would end up reducing the chances of Thiruvananthapuram becoming a metro city.
Flyovers
“Projects such as AIIMS, monorail, and light metro have remained on paper. The city urgently needs a set of flyovers to reduce traffic congestion,” he said Mr. Muraleedharan.
Mayor K. Chandrika said that the city would lose Central funds if it was not upgraded to metro city status. Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority (TRIDA) Chairman P.K. Venugopal said that the condition for becoming a metro city was that it should have a minimum population of 10 lakhs.
This could be achieved by adding a nearby local body to the Corporation, he said.
