Left Democratic Front (LDF) has accused its political rivals of attempting to mislead the electorate in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency by propagating falsehoods in the run-up to the upcoming polls.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, MLAs of the LDF in the district led by General Education Minister V. Sivankutty and Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil highlighted the development initiatives undertaken by the State government in Thiruvananthapuram city and its suburbs. They also lashed out at the sitting MP Shashi Tharoor and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre for allegedly neglecting the development of the region.
Vizhinjam project
The LDF leaders said the State government has utilised ₹8,505.49 crore for the Vizhinjam International Seaport project that will generate over 5,000 employment opportunities. A training centre will also be established at a cost of ₹50 crore to impart vocational training to youngsters in the region.
The government has also acquired the necessary land to construct a road connecting the seaport with National Highway 66. The construction is in its final stage. Besides, a logistics park has been planned to provide direct employment to 2,000 people in the locality. A ₹6,000-crore outer ring road project is also on the anvil, they said.
The country’s first digital science park has also been launched in Thiruvananthapuram that also houses the first digital university in India. An investment of ₹1,515 crore is expected in the park, the LDF leaders added.
The government has also overseen the growth of IT exports from Technopark from ₹5,000 crore to ₹9,300 crore. Technopark currently houses 465 companies that have employed a total of over 64,000 professionals.
Smart City project
The LDF leaders added that as many as 47 out of the 74 projects planned under the Smart City project in Thiruvananthapuram have been completed.
The LDF government has ensured the holistic development of the capital district by overcoming the “hostile” stance of the Centre and the ignorant attitude of the two Congress MPs who represented the district, they claimed.
Lashing out at Mr. Tharoor, they accused him of remaining a mute spectator when the Central government embarked on steps to privatise public sector enterprises in Thiruvananthapuram district.
“The MP had also ridiculed the protests organised against a move to privatise the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. He had adopted a similar stance when the Centre had decided to monetise Hindustan Latex Limited. He was silent while steps had been initiated to shut down the Railway Recruitment Board, Vijayamohini Mills, and All India Radio’s Ananthapuri FM,” they alleged.
Kadakampally Surendran, Antony Raju, C.K. Hareendran, K. Ansalan and V.K. Prasanth, MLAs, were also present at the press conference.
