LDF has come out with a development outline for Ernakulam. With a heavy focus on the Kochi city, the `Visaala Kochi Vikasana Rekha', released by the LDF election committee for the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency on Wednesday, takes a bird's eye view of the development needs and possibilities of the constituency and proposes a series of projects.
K. Chandran Pillai, MP and CITU leader, who released the document, told mediapersons that a lot of homework had gone into the preparation of the document and that a host of experts and ordinary people had been consulted. "It is a very pragmatic approach to Kochi's development possibilities," he said. Mr. Pillai claimed that the basic philosophy of the development perspective was that development was the right of the people and that a project should be judged by its contribution to improving the living conditions of the people.
The document has identified infrastructure development as the thrust area. "Infrastructure development is the key to removing the current stagnation and to facilitating sustainable development," the document notes. Energy, transport and port are some of the areas that the document gives special attention to. It recommends the execution of the Petronet LNG project and the 500-mw power project planned by the Kochi Refineries, on a war-footing.
The document wants the Pooyamkutty hydroelectric project -- which has been kept in the cold storage following intense resistance by environmental protection activists -- to be executed immediately as one of the solutions to power shortage. It points out that information technology and biotechnology have vast scope for development in Kochi. The fishing harbour in Kochi, one of the four major ones in the country, needs restructuring. The fishing sector needs to have linkages with the research institutions and it has to be reorganised as an industrial activity.
In order to have a useful linkage between the industries and the education sector, the LDF document calls for a reorientation of the research/degree programmes at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat).
The document also calls for setting up an Industries Academy and an International Institute of Foreign Trade in Kochi.
The document wants the Central public-sector industries to be kept in the public sector and more governmental investment to be made in them. At the same time, the document underlines the importance of private sector investment. Chandran Pillai said that, ``we are quite aware that private investments are crucial for industrial development." Importance should be given to manufacturing industries. The industries in the public sector should be restructured by factoring in competition.
The Kochi port has been given a pride of place in the document. It should act as the nerve centre of the State's economic growth. The Vallarpadom project should be completed early and the move to privatise the port should be resisted.
The document calls for putting the conservation of Periyar river on the socio-political agenda of the region. Drinking water availability should be augmented by completing the ongoing projects early and launching new ones. Agricultural development, tourism promotion, public health, law and order are among the issues discussed in the document.
courtesy:Hindu
Former SFI statepresident Com. Sindhu Joy is the LDF candidate from the constituency. She got the upper hand with the announcement of the UDF candidate K V Thomas who is having a negative image on his pro-isreali stand.
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