Smart City-A distant dream during LDF regime

Smart City project was one of the ambitious programmes for the UDF-government led by Oommen Chandy when he was in power. It was an ambitious project was expected to create more than one lakh jobs in the first stage of the project and around half a million jobs directly or indirectly in the final phase. The project was aimed to create critical infrastructure for IT and IT-enabled services.

The project was envisaged jointly by Kerala government and Dubai Internet City, and would have been located strategically in Kochi, the commercial capital of Kerala. Though several southern states canvassed for the project, Dubai Internet City finally chose Kerala for the project.

I think that was their mistake. Of all the four southern states, Kerala is the most industrially unfriendly state. Let it be during the regime of LDF government or UDF government. LDF, a political set-up based wholly on obsolete communist ideology, would have never supported a major project that they would call a bourgeoisie.
Will the climate be different during UDF regime? Never. The LDF, when it is in opposition, will fight tooth and nail against any proposal to set up large industrial project in Kerala.

However, in the beginning of the LDF regime, Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan, proudly proclaimed that his government would enter talks with Dubai Internet City for the establishment of Smart City Project. Of course, they held a few discussions, but nothing was forthcoming. Finally, last week, TECOM, said they were withdrawing from the project.

The government due to its obstinate stand on a simple matter lost one of the prestigious IT project for Kerala which would have ushered a new industrial and Information Technology culture for the people of Kerala.

Are our politicians being myopic? Do we need such short-sighted men as our leaders?
A state starving industrially and economically need huge projects to provide employment to its educated millions. So, any move by the government to stall or oppose projects aimed at giving benefits to its people should be condemned.