http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/31/stor...3111520300.htm
Kannur: P. Jayarajan, MLA and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader, has said that the proposed expressway is the best long-term solution to the existing problem of inadequate road facilities in the State.
Delivering the keynote address at a seminar on development of Kannur, organised by the North Malabar Chamber of Commerce and the Press Club, here on Monday, Mr. Jayarajan said the existing narrow roads in the State could not cater to the increasing road traffic. In the next couple of years, the road traffic in the State would be thrown out of gear as the number of vehicles was going up every day, he said adding that there had been no farsightedness on the part of the authorities in implementing road projects. He personally favoured the expressway as an answer to the existing situation, Mr. Jayarajan said, adding that its adverse impacts were often blown out of proportion.
Denying that strikes and agitations were obstacles to development, Mr. Jayarajan said that though Government officials and teachers had the right to launch agitation to protect their rights, they should also be aware of their responsibilities.
When the Government had published the list of uneconomic schools and announced their phased closure, teachers in those schools had woken up to the grim reality and started working for improving the results, he observed.
Mr. Jayarajan also dismissed the view that `excessive' politics was the major hurdle to the district's development.
Inaugurating the seminar earlier, District Collector K.S. Srinivas underlined the need for fixing priorities for development of Kannur. In recent months, the proposed Kannur airport had been raised as the only developmental requirement for the district, he said adding that the airport, though necessary, was not the only solution to all the problems of the district.