NEW DELHI: Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that the Chief Minister's statement that Kerala is the only state that spends money on national highway development is wrong. Muraleedharan explained this by releasing the financial expense borne by other states.

"The state of Kerala had promised to pay 25% of the cost of acquiring land for all national highways in Kerala. Karnataka is paying for 50% of the land acquisition costs for ring roads and bypasses and 30% of the land acquisition costs for the national highway. The Tamil Nadu government is bearing half of the Rs 470 crore spent on land acquisition and rehabilitation for 4 elevated highways. In Punjab, 50 percent of the expense is borne by the state government. In states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha, up to fifty percent of the expense is borne by the state governments," Muraleedharan said.

The Union Minister also released a parliamentary document showing that Kerala agreed to bear 25 percent of the expense of land acquisition for all national highways. "The cost of the construction of the national highway is fully borne by the National Highway Authority. There is a campaign going on that the state government is constructing the road. Kerala is bearing 25 percent of the expense for land acquisition and not for road construction. False claims are made by erecting flex boards and through channel discussions. The central government is giving more assistance to Kerala than it is giving to other states," he added.