The State government is hatching a conspiracy against undertaking the Light Metro project, V.S. Sivakumar, MLA, has said.
Winding up the day-night agitation of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in front of the Secretariat on Sunday, Mr. Sivakumar said there were reasons to doubt the government’s sincerity in the issue despite Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan claiming that the project would be executed, while responding to query posed by the legislator.
He said the framework of the project, prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), was under consideration of a three-member committee, led by Finance Secretary for over four months. Besides, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac had said the decision to undertake the Light Metro project could be made only after studying its various aspects, Mr. Sivakumar claimed.
The Federation of Residents’ Association Thiruvananthapuram (FRAT) said the implementation of the Light Metro project was necessary for the development of the State capital.
In a statement, FRAT president R. Padmanabhan Nair and chairman Pattom Sasidharan Nair demanded that the government went ahead with steps to execute the project. They added that the delay in undertaking the preliminary works including the construction of flyovers and widening of existing roads could affect the project. They also cautioned against the possible cost escalation the delay could lead to.
