Kerala’s proposed semi-high-speed railway, SilverLine, topped the wish list of projects Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wanted MPs from the State to lobby with the Central Government when the Lok Sabha convenes for the winter session on November 29.
However, 19 of the United Democratic Front (UDF) MPs from the Stae are unlikely to find common ground with the Government on SilverLine, given the coalition’s vehement opposition to the project.
On same page
At the customary MP’s conference ahead of the Parliament session, Mr. Vjijayan and Opposition MPs reportedly found themselves on the same page on a host of other issues.
They included the need for more doppler radars and cyclone warning systems for micro-level weather forecasting.
The Centre's alleged infringements on federalism were on the table. Mr. Vijayan said MPs should resist attempts to whittle down States’s share in the Centre’s divisible tax revenue pool.
‘Oppose Bills’
Mr. Vijayan opposed the draft Indian Ports Bill because it diluted State’s control over ports and harbours. His Tamil Nadu counterpart, M. K. Stalin, had also raised the demand.
He also asked the MPs to resist the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, which paved the way for the entry of profit-motivated private players into the power distribution sector.
Kerala needed its MPs to prop up rubber prices, lobby for funds for seashore protection and rehabilitation of Non-Resident Keralites, Mr. Vijayan said.
Creating synergy
MPs should facilitate Centre-State synergy for basic infrastructure creation. They should insist that the GST compensation for States should be extended till 2027. The Centre should allow States to borrow above the limit set by the FRBM Act to fund mega infrastructure projects, he said.
Mr. Vijayan asked the MPs to ensure the State got sectoral and State-specific grants amounting to ₹3,500 crore as per the recommendation of the 15th Finance Commission. The Centre should allow States to spend more freely from disaster relief funds.
Central aid
Mr. Vijayan also requested the MPs to seek Central aid for light metro projects in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.
He also demanded Central support for the expansion of the Calicut international airport, execution of the Paripally-Vizhinjam outer-ring road, setting up an AIIMS in Kinaroor and city gas distribution scheme for more municipalities. Chief Secretary V. P. Joy was present at the meeting.
