Smart City .. for the greater Malayali good..

Last Sunday, the CM V S Achuthanandan and T-com authorities were in Trivandrum and the proposal for the Smart City project IT park was signed by the Chief Sec, Ms Lissie Jacob and the Chairman of T-com, Dubai.

At last after lot of noise and fight, the project is to be implemented with changes, minor or major for the benefit of the Malayali.

While the UDF proposes all such new projects, for common good, the LDF find all sort of plausible excuses to delay the implementation, often by violent means or strikes, hartals etc, and use it to their advantage by getting them implemeted during their rule.

The same thing happened regarding the World Bank loan which was a baby from the UDF, got thwarted and delayed and finally got implemented without any changes by the LDF. Actually they are stealing the glory due for UDF - basking in someone else's glory !!

It is very difficult to find any new and innovative projects from the LDF stable except for continuation from the UDF.

Whichever party implemets the reforms, it is no problem . The political parties and politicians need to understand that Kerala needs to reform and necessarily it will, else the people will throw them out. There is a limit to how long the people of Kerala can accomodate these parasites of the society.

The good aspect of Smart city is the development of associated software parks and the opening of new software development buildings by IT majors like Infosys, Wipro, TCS and so on in and around the Smart city area in Kochi. The necessary development of related infrastructure like good roads, bridges, transport facilities, schools, hospitals, hotels , a burden of the state will now be looked into more seriously. The growth in real estate in and around Kochi is simply mind boggling....

Everything is good for the middle class, but who cares for the poor man ??

Eventhough a late realisation that Malayalis, educated, can never be blue collar workers or technicians in their own land, (they will do anything and toil like hell outside the state) , software development will see the stop of the outflow tide of skilled and educated workforce at least for now.

The Smart city is a terrific oportunity and needs to be well handled. Trade Unions and work to rule agitations will drive away entrepreneurs from the state. We need to develop a culture of being proud of whatever job we do, not being satisfied with just Gulf money or hawala money. That is not a permanent phenomenon, just temporary.

Let us help build a properous Kerala, irrespective of affiliations and inclination, caste, colour or creed, where Malayalis can find employment within the state and need not go to far away places for earning their bread and butter. For example, Tamil nadu , whichever party comes to power it works for the betterment of the state and not fight over petty issues .. And see where it has reached now, it is at least ten times more industrialised than our state. The sad part is that most of the driving force is from Malayalis who have migrated.

Let the Smart city project be the forerunner of good tidings to come to Kerala and the average Malayali.

George Easaw