Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan (file)
| Photo Credit: PTI
Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has alleged that the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) government planned to parcel out 246 acres of prime land in Kochi to real estate giants close to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leadership “under the cover of” cancelling the Smart City project at Kakkanad in Kochi.
At a press conference at his official residence, the Cantonment House in Thiruvananthapuram, on Thursday (December 5, 2024), Mr. Satheesan said the Kerala Cabinet’s decision to repossess the land it had accorded to Tecom Investments, a Dubai-based holding company, for constructing a ‘Smart City’ was “a precursor” to the dubious move.
Mr. Satheesan said the Oommen Chandy government had initiated the project in 2011. Tecom promised to create an expansive IT park with 6 lakh sq ft of built-up space and allied facilities at an estimated cost of ₹2,000 crore. The scheme promised to generate 90,000 jobs.
Subsequently, Mr. Satheesan alleged that the LDF governments failed to follow up on the agreement or review the progress, causing the project to stall indefinitely.
Mr. Satheesan said the Cabinet furtively cancelled the agreement with Tecom without any politically bipartisan consultations. Moreover, he questioned the government’s decision to compensate the company that failed to execute the project. Mr. Satheesan demanded that the government offer more clarity on what went wrong.
Child abuse incident
Mr. Satheesan demanded that the government disband the Child Welfare Council’s governing committee, which includes CPI(M) functionaries accused in criminal cases.
The agency had drawn severe public criticism after the police arrested three caregivers, all women, for abusing a child, including causing injury to a two-and-a-half-year-old child for bedwetting at the institution’s care home.
Attacks SFI
Mr. Satheesan also alleged that the Students Federation of India (SFI) operated a “torture chamber” at the University College Campus in Thiruvananthapuram.
He demanded the arrest of SFI activists accused of brutalising a differently abled youth in the Students’ Union room on the campus.
On SilverLine
Mr. Satheesan reiterated that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition would not allow the LDF to implement the Silverline semi-high-speed rail scheme even if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government green-lit the project.
He said the SilverLine project’s rail alignment ran through houses, business districts and farmlands. “It would cause large-scale displacement of residents, loss of livelihood and environmental damage,” he said.
Published – December 05, 2024 12:07 pm IST
