‘Private capital, science and tech, and land donation to make Kerala happier’

Reliance on private capital to bring in investment and create jobs, dependence on science and technology to root out corruption and pollution, and a push for voluntary donation of land seem to be the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s panacea for creating “happiness” in local bodies.

It was Minister for Local Self-Governments M.V. Govindan who laid out this “plan of action” while opening a district-level meeting of local body representatives and officials here on Tuesday. It was titled ‘Navakerala Thaddesakam’, a project that is part of ‘Rebuilding Kerala’.

The senior CPI(M) leader seemed determined to shed the image that the authorities were hostile to entrepreneurs wishing to invest within grama panchayats, municipalities and corporations. “There are private investors who feel fed up and leave after attempting to set up ventures in the State for five-six years. You should go and ‘salute’ them. You should persuade them to set up either their own initiatives or joint ventures with the local bodies and others. This will create jobs,” said Mr. Govindan.

Quoting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who recently told corrupt officials to be prepared to spend time in jail if they did not mend their ways, Mr. Govindan said those who sit on files for long to get bribes would have to face the consequences. Using technology, such files could be tracked and the officials would be pulled up and sent to jail if necessary. The services of the department would soon go completely online and there would only be three layers for delivery of services, he said.

The Minister said science and technology could also be used to address issues such as pollution in local bodies. He cited the example of a sewage treatment plant set up in Thiruvananthapuram to solve the pollution problems near the Government Medical College Hospital and nearby health facilities.

Availability of land was another problem before the government while launching development works, including houses for the homeless. Mr. Govindan said both individuals and groups should come forward to donate land, while lauding filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan and a private foundation in Kochi who recently handed over land to the government. “If the above said proposals are implemented properly, we will see a new Kerala that will be more happier than it is now,” added Mr. Govindan.