Thursday, April 27 2006 14:26 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kozhikode: The UDF Government was not 'afraid' to make public the report into the killings in Marad near here three years ago, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said today (Apr 27, 2006).

The process was only delayed as the report could not be placed in the assembly since it was not in session now, he told a meet-the press programme here.

Chandy refused to join the issue with Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Minister, Vayalar Ravi, who had reportedly criticised A K Antony, the then Chief Minister, of being 'ineffective' in handling the situation.

"I have received the Marad judicial enquiry commission report and the Home Department is looking into it for the Government to take a decision before placing it in the assembly. I do not know how others have got access to it," Chandy said.

When his attention was drawn to an interview by Ravi to a private TV channel in which he had charged Antony with being aware of CPI(M)'s role in the incident (that claimed nine lives in the beach area near here in May 2003) but failed to act on it, Chandy said, "I don't know where from such informations (about the report) are received".

When further queried if the statement by a Union Minister and a senior Congress leader from the state on such a sensitive issue need not be viewed seriously, the Chief Minister said he did not know what Ravi had said and therefore would not like to comment on it.

On Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan's remarks that the Chief Minister was raising the Smart City project issue at the time of elections only to divert the attention of the people from the "misrule" of the UDF Government, Chandy said "In fact, VS (Achutandandan) is worried that his opposition to the project is backfiring".

Noting that the Government of Dubai had selected Kerala despite claims from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh "Only because it felt that our state was more investment-friendly now," he said the UDF Government entered into an agreement only after the officials had guaranteed 33,000 jobs in return for the 100 acres of land the state would provide to them to set up the project.

"The LDF has been anti-IT right from the beginning and that is why despite being the most literate state, Kerala cannot lead in Infotech," he said, adding while the IT export of Karnataka stood at Rs.35,000 crore, it was only Rs.500 crore for Kerala.

Stating that there were 27 such projects in Dubai, he said the state was more keen to have the Smart City project as it would bring investments from global IT giants.

"Also, we have held an all-party meeting on the matter and the issues raised by the Opposition have been taken note of," Chandy said, adding his Government finally decided to shelve the project till the elections despite the Court clearance as "We wanted the Opposition to explain to the people why it was against development of IT in the state".

The Government of Dubai had been informed about the delay in implementing the project and the officials had also agreed to wait till the elections were over, he added.