Pinarayi Vijayan -Kerala Chief Minister- known for his reticence on social media has surprisingly responded to the video message that actor Jayasurya had addressed to the CM on Facebook on Tuesday, deploring the poor condition of roads in the state.
On Thursday, Pinarayi replied in a post on Facebook that development of roads is a matter of prime importance to his government. He was quick to admit that freshly-tarred roads were back to their pot-holed condition in less than a year’s time, mainly due to the apathy of the authorities concerned.
According to the Chief Minister, it seems to be the norm to have various departments like the Public Works Department, National Highways Authority of India, Municipalities and Panchayats blame each other at the district-level, resulting in status quo. And finally, the contractor bears the entire burden of the blame, he feels.
The post goes on to say: “The LDF had made its stance amply clear in this regard even before it came to power. I had pointed this out on many occasions during the Nava Kerala March too. The LDF had included this matter in our election manifesto as well as in the first budget that the government presented after assuming power. And it is indeed one of the areas of prime focus for us.”
The Kerala government plans to go in for scientific widening of roads along with its beautification in keeping with the heritage of the place. All repair works too would be undertaken on a war-footing and finished in a time-bound manner in preparation for the rains -the post reads- in order to make it travel-worthy. Instructions for the same have already been issued.
As part of road safety measures, open drains, cracks, footpaths, bus-bays bus-stops and rest rooms too would be renovated, ensuring all amenities for both pedestrians and travelers.
Table-tops to cross busy roads, automatic signaling system at junctions and exclusive cycle-paths too are being considered by the state government.
“I firmly believe that together with public support, we will be able to improve the standard of our roads. The time taken to address complaints received from the masses about repair-work should be streamlined at any cost,” the CM opines.
He went to praise Jayasurya for finding time to focus on this grave issue, despite his hectic shooting schedule and also wished him all the best for his next cinematic venture.
Pinarayi also extended the full support of local bodies to all Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities that are undertaken by business ventures headed by the likes of Jayasurya and other famous actors and producers.
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