Thiruvananthapuram, Monday 04 April 2011: Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Vijayakumar has accused the Centre of deliberately neglecting the demands of the State and trying to scuttle all major projects, including the Vizhinjam port.

Vijayakumar told reporters that the row over granting environment clearance for the proposed Vizhinjam International Container Transhipment Terminal had been kicked up to derail the development initiatives in the State.

The State government had got the preliminary clearance and had taken steps to go ahead with the project. Now, the Centre was creating fresh impediments in the name of Vallarpadom, Colachel and Tuticorin ports. A conspiracy was being hatched at the international level to upset the project, he said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had failed to honour his commitment made in 2008 to sanction an IIT for the State. The State government had completed land acquisition and allocated Rs.125 crore for the Kochi Metro Rail project. An office of the Delhi Metro Corporation had started functioning in Kochi. Though the Planning Commission had cleared the project, its file was awaiting the Union Finance Ministry’s clearance.

(News agency)