CAG slams Ker govt for delay in implementing Sea-plane project

A CAG report has criticised Kerala government for its "failure" in implementing the flagship Sea-plane project even after Rs 23.29 crore was sanctioned to it, saying the state's Tourism Department should have conducted the feasibility study before venturing into the project.
The report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on economic sector, for the year ending March 2014, was presented in the Assembly today.
"The department should have examined the feasibility of the project implementation by involving stakeholders like fishermen, whose livelihood was likely to be affected by the above project," the report said.
"The failure of the Department to identify and address the concerns of the local fishermen, who feared loss of livelihood if the project was implemented, culminated into non-implementation of it," it said.

"Had proper initiatives been taken by the Department to tackle the concerns of the fishermen community, their protests and resultant delay in implementation of the project could have been avoided," it said.
The Congress-led UDF government initiated the project in June 2012. "Even after two years of release of 23.29 crore, the flagship project of the Department (Tourism), had not been made operational," the report said.

The government had planned to launch an amphibian aircraft in five locations as per the proposal drawn up by a private company.
Significantly, the state cabinet last week had decided to relaunch the project, which was envisaged to ease the pressure on road and rail modes of transport to tourist destinations.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had stated that the project, abandoned due to protests from fishermen, would be relaunched after arriving at consensus with protesters.
He said though there were protests in some places, there were also places where people supported the initiative. The government, in its initial phase, would launch the project in places where there is no protests, Chandy said.