03 Feb 2011
Thiruvananthapuram:Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy today came down heavily
on the LDF Government for delaying the implementation of the Kochi SmartCity IT project for over four-and-half years on
flimsy grounds.
While he welcomed the agreement signed between the Dubai authorities and the government yesterday removing hurdles in
the way of the project, Chandy said there was no justification for having wasted nearly five years for this. 'I squarely blame the LDF Government and Chief Minister Achuthanandan for inordinately delaying such an ambitious project,' Chandy told a news conference here.
He said the SmartCity, which envisages creation of SEZ for IT and ITES ventures, was a brain child of the UDF Government
headed by him shortly before its term expired in early 2006.
Achuthanandan had then came out with all sorts of allegations against the project including the argument that its partner TECOM was not a company backed by the Dubai Government but a real estate firm.
Now Achuthanandan had signed the agreement with the same company, swallowing whatever allegations he had raised
earlier.
'The UDF welcome the agreement as the project is a mile stone in Kerala's march towards economic and technological progress. It would provide jobs to thousands of youth.But the Government owes an explanation as how and why it has been delayed without any justification' ,he said.
The differences between the state and the promoter over the ownership of land for the project were settled yesterday
at talks between Achuthanandan and Governor of Dubai International Financial Centre Ahemd Homaid
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