Law and development are not at loggerheads

KOCHI: Maintaining that lawyers are responsible for promoting justice, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies, New Delhi, director G Mohan said that justice should be practised in accordance with the ethos reflected in the Constitution. He was speaking at the valedictory function of a national seminar on ‘Infrastructure Policy and Law’ which was organised by National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) in Kochi on Saturday.Earlier, Civil Supplies MD M Beena who spoke at a session on “Identification of Key Issues Common to Infrastructure” said that there is a need for people to understand that law and development are not at loggerheads. “In reality, every phase of development should be regulated within the legislative framework. The issues recognized in this regard were - financing, hurdles in land acquisition, rehabilitation of the displaced population, labour and issues in institutional framework,” she said.Madhukar Sinha, professor, Centre for WTO Studies in New Delhi, was also present at the seminar. He said that there should be maximum transparency and accountability while dealing with public money. Kochi Town Planning Committee Chairman K J Sohan spoke about the metro rail."Many places in Kochi are accessible only through private vehicles. Instead of metro development, the existing system of public transportation should be developed. Required population for a viable metro project is non-existent in Kochi,” he said.