Chandy holds CPI(M) responsible for stalling project

Kozhkode, Apr 27 (UNI) Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today held the Communist Party of India (Marxist) responsible for stalling the ambitious Dubai Smart City project shattering job aspirations of many unemployed youth in the state.

Addressing a meet-the-press programme here, he said due to a tough stand taken by the CPI(M), alleging misappropriation, a decision on the proposed project aided by the Dubai Government had been deferred till elections. The project offered 70,000 direct and 2.1 lakh indirect job opportunities.

All major IT companies, worldover, were eyeing for the project at Kochi, heralding it as a Information Technology hub.

''As per the blueprint of the project, the Government had to allocate 100 acres of land free of cost on the guarantee of providing at least 33,300 jobs,'' Mr Chandy said.

He added that the promoters had zeroed in for Kerala, rejecting other contenders Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Even Andhra Chief Minister Rajashekhara Reddy visited Dubai in a bid to bag the project in favour of his state.

''Even after the Kerala High Court directive clearing the project the CPI(M) raised objection against signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the project, forcing the Government to defer the issue till the elections,'' he said.

Mentioning that the CPI(M)-ruled West Bengal had allocated 4,000 acres of land to Malaysia-based Salim Group of Companies for a similar project, he said their counterpart here had opposed a developmental schemes of the opposition.

''Now the ball is in the people's court. Let the electorate decide whether they wanted ambitious projects like this'' or favoured the CPI(M)-led LDF, which always adopted a negative developmental agenda, he said.

Mr Chandy, who toured almost all the 140 assembly constituencies in the State, said he could not witness any anti-incumbency factor as the people were happy with the five year regime of his government which provided a 9.2 per cent growth rate, above national average, he added.

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