Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], March 11 (ANI): Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty on Wednesday alleged that the Union government has 'deliberately excluded' state ministers from the inauguration ceremony of National Highway 66, despite the state contributing around Rs 5,580 crore for land acquisition for the project, among other contributions.

Speaking to ANI, Sivankutty said the state government had not even been formally invited to the event, even though it played a key role in facilitating the highway's development.

'It is shocking that representatives of the state government have been deliberately excluded from the inauguration ceremony of National Highway 66 (India), which was completed after the state government spent a huge amount of money for land acquisition. The state government has not been given a proper invitation,' Minister Sivankutty said.

Calling it a 'political stunt' to exclude the leaders of the state, the minister said that the state bearing the burden of atleast Rs 12,000 crore for the whole project, which had been praised by the Union Ministers and other officials too.

'The state government spent Rs 5,580 crore for acquiring land. Since this amount was included in the borrowing limit, the state had to bear a financial burden of nearly Rs 12,000 crore... Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, as well as officials of the National Highways Authority of India, had publicly appreciated the efforts of the Kerala government several times,' he said.

Sivankutty further alleged that those who had earlier opposed the highway project were now attempting to claim credit for it.

'Ironically, those who once collected soil and went to Delhi during protests to block the highway development are now present on the inauguration stage. Those who tried to stop the development are now claiming its credit, that is a clear double standard,' he added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Keralam, where he inaugurated, laid the foundation stone of and flagged off multiple developmental projects worth around Rs 10,800 crore in Ernakulum.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate, dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth about Rs 5,650 crore in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, where he will address the gathering on the occasion.

In the road infrastructure sector, the Prime Minister will inaugurate two major highway projects. The first is the six-laning of the Thalapady-Chengala section of NH-66, built at a cost of over Rs 2,650 crore. This section forms part of the Mumbai-Kanyakumari Economic Corridor and will strengthen connectivity between Kasaragod and Kannur districts and neighbouring regions, including Mangalore and Muzhapilangad. The project will improve connectivity to key towns such as Kasaragod, Bekal, Payyannur and Kannur, enhance linkage to Azhikkal Port and support tourism and trade.

Apart from road projects, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the Polypropylene Unit at the Kochi Refinery of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). The investment in this project is over Rs 5,500 crore. The capacity of this Polypropylene Unit is 400 Kilo Tons Per Annum. Polypropylene is an essential material used in packaging, automotive components, medical devices, textiles, and household products. The facility will strengthen India's domestic polymer manufacturing capability, reduce import dependency, promote industrial growth and generate employment opportunities in the region. (ANI)