Infrastructure Conference begins

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy inaugurated the three-day Infrastructure Conference, ic2011, organised by Public Works Department here on Wednesday. In his inaugural speech, Chandy said that the State lagged behind in infrastructure development. “While the government took steps to protect public sector undertakings, nothing much had been done for the development of infrastructure which is very crucial for the development of the state,” he said.He said there was no state road of international quality. Only 5 per cent of waterways were being utilised for transport. Ports too need to be developed. The state must make major strides in infrastructure development, he added. He said finding land for development was the greatest challenge.  “We all are responsible for the protest against land acquisition. People who give their land for development must be given due compensation without any delay,” he said.He said focus must be on completing the projects in a time-bound manner without compromising on quality.Minister V K Ebrahim Kunju delivered the presidential address. Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty, Finance Minister K M Mani, Transport Minister V S Sivakumar, PWD secretary Manoj Joshi and Transport Commissioner T P Senkumar spoke at the function. Planning Board member G Vijayaraghavan gave introductory talk. Ministers M K Muneer, K C Joseph and PWD Minister M Vijayakumar will address the gathering on Thursday.  ‘Quality Management in civil construction and maintenance activities’ and ‘road repairs and rehabilitation: effective alternatives’ will be the major topics for discussion on Thursday. About 120 selected delegates are participating in the conference. The conference is structured with seven technical sessions where about 20 experts in various sectors will share their  experience. It will conclude on Friday.