By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala’s ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) Saturday decided to sign an agreement assuring state support for all road projects taken up in the build-operate-transfer (BOT) mode after refusing to do so for a long time.
Once the agreement is signed, the state would get a staggering Rs.30.53 billion for completing the four-laning of the National Highway 17, NH 47 and for three bypasses on NH 49.
“We have decided to recommend to the state government to go ahead with it and discuss this with the concerned central ministry,” LDF convenor Vaikom Viswan told reporters here after the front’s meeting.
Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and Parliamentary and Sports Minister M. Vijayakumar had refused to sign it despite pleas from Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T.R. Baalu at a meeting held here.
The state government was refusing to sign the agreement, as these projects would require collection of toll charges after completion.
Leader of Opposition Oommen Chandy said criticised the Left parties for delaying development projects.
“Years back they opposed tractors, then they opposed computers and now after refusing to sign the agreement, after 18 months they have decided to sign. They are always lagging behind in seizing opportunities and when they finally realize, Kerala would have gone many years back,” Chandy told IANS.
Chandy said he had a copy of the minutes of the meeting that Achuthanandan and Vijayakumar had with Baalu and it showed that both of them had vehemently opposed the agreement despite Baalu repeatedly saying that even West Bengal and Tripura – ruled by communists – had signed it.
Chandy, who was chief minister before last year’s assembly elections, said: “The funds would have been received by us but we were unable to get them because by that time the model code of conduct for elections came into force for the April/May 2006 polls.”
Observers say the cash-strapped Kerala government had no other option but to sign the agreement because most state-managed roads are in a bad shape in the absence of repair and maintenance.