Filmmaker Alphone Puthren has written an open-letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over what he believes should be the priority of the new government. A day after the Chief Minister directed the Kochi Metro Rail Limited and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to commission the first phase by March 2017, Puthren put up a Facebook post asking, “Shouldn’t the priority be in providing drinking water rather than constructing a metro rail?” 

The ‘Premam’ director declared that Kerala can be considered a developed state only when every family in Kerala has sufficient drinking water. He went onto say that he doesn’t feel like travelling by the metro when people are struggling for drinking water.

Signing off as a citizen of Kerala, Puthren said he was sharing his concern because “ the new Chief Minister is more concerned about people’s issues.”

Alphonse Puthren’s June 8 post had more than 300 shares with many Facebook users supporting the filmmaker and many others pointing out the advantages of a metro rail, including easing traffic congestion in the city.