Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan has lashed out at the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sangh Parivar organisations for stalling the development of the State by putting on hold the National Highway development.
“The Narendra Modi government's decision to put on hold the four/six-laning of the NH was yet another attempt by the Sangh Parivar to destroy all that the State had gained over the years,” the Chief Minister said at a press conference here on Tuesday.
The National Highways Authority of India’s May 2 letter to the regional officer placing the NH development in High Priority-II has come at a time when the work on NH-66 was progressing at a fast pace and has been issued without any consultation with the State government.
“No reasons have been stated either and the projects in the HP-2 category will have its land acquisition and the award of compensation put on hold for two years,” he said.
Expressing surprise over the directive that had come after voting for Lok Sabha polls in the State was over, the Chief Minister said the Public Works Principal Secretary had already sought the withdrawal of the decision to the NHAI, and Minister for Public Works G. Sudhakaran had already written to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.
“It seems the Centre wanted to ensure that highway development does not take place in the State during the remaining two years of the LDF government,” the Chief Minister said. The LDF government had done all it could to take forward the NH development project in the State after it came to power.
Charge against UDF
“The UDF did not do anything and the notification had lapsed by 2013. Many stretches of the NH were so bad, that it would have been a shame to call it a national highway,” Mr. Vijayan said criticising the UDF for delaying the project.
Listing out the steps taken to speed up the project, the Chief Miniter said the 3A notification under NH Act is complete. The 3D notification is 92% to 100% complete in Kasaragod, Kannur, and Kozhikode; 60% in Malappuram, Thrissur, and Ernakulam, and 40% in Alappuzha, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram.
“The decision will effectively kill NH development in the State,” Mr Vijayan said, adding it would be wishful thinking to hope that four-laning would resume after two years. The price will go up and the land acquisition machinery will have to be wound up.
The Chief Minister also criticised the Centre for not sharing the petrol and diesel cess collected from the motorists at ₹8 per litre specially for NH development in 19 years.
This money is not shared with the States, like in the case of other Central levies. The State has not received the money it rightfully deserves for NH development and when major disasters struck the State, he said.
