By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Wednesday asked the people to unite against the land mafia who he said were diverting black money to grab real estate in the state.
“All of you should be watchful and unite against this group of people who are a mafia and are diverting black money to get hold of real estate,” Achuthanandan said during his Independence Day speech at the central stadium here.
The chief minister, who unfurled the national flag and also witnessed a colourful parade, said IT was one area where Kerala was all set to make a mark.
“The Smart City project has been given the nod. Now we are going ahead with a 500-acre Techno City project near the Technopark campus here. Likewise every district would have significant projects in IT,” he said.
He also stressed on the need of starting a campaign to stop the use of plastics.
A new project would be launched next month to keep the state spick and span, Achuthanandan said.
This is the second time in three days that the chief minister has spoken about land mafia. On Monday, he had said that a “land bank” mafia was involved in real estate and was “diverting hawala money into this business.”
The Independence Day was celebrated in all the other 13 district headquarters of Kerala, where cabinet ministers unfurled the tri-colour and took the salute.