Vayalar Ravi berates LDF Govt for Vallarpadam project delay

Kochi, Oct 11 (UNI) Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi today criticised the LDF Government in Kerala for not expediting land acquisition for the rail link to Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT), saying delay would harm the project.

'I hope better sense will prevail on the government and it will expedite the acquisition of land for providing the railway link to the prestigious project,' Mr Ravi said at a function here to launch the e-remittance facility of IndusInd and Doha Bank.

Stating that rail and road links were vital for the container transhipment terminal, the first in India, Mr Ravi said the delay in land acquisition would result in cost escalation of the project. It was also causing anxiety about the fate of the project, he said.

Mr Ravi said the Rs 2,000 crore Vallarpadam project, the foundation stone for which was laid by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year, was very important for Kerala's economy.

'I hope the present stalemate will be over in a couple of weeks.' The government had not been able to decide on the rail alignment for the project following protests by local people whose land would be acquired if proposed alignment was decided upon.

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