Date:11/07/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/07/11/stories/2003071103140300.htm

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Rs. 13.13 cr. for capital city development

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM July 10. The Union Government has sanctioned Rs. 13.13 crores for the capital city development from the Central Road fund. The amount would be used for widening of the Palayam-Airport and Pravachambalam-Ooruttambalam-Malayinkizh roads. Announcing this at a press conference here on Wednesday, V.S. Sivakumar, MP, said that Rs. 9.78 crores had been sanctioned for the Palayam-Airport road widening and Rs. 3.35 crores for the widening of the Pravachambalam-Ooruttambalam-Malayinkizh road. The roads would be widened as per the guidelines of the National Highway. He said the Centre had sanctioned the amount following the submission of a report in this regard to the Union Transport Ministry.

Mr. Sivakumar said the `Vision document' containing various schemes for the development of the capital city would be brought out in October this year. Proposals for the improvement of as many as 56 junctions, modernisation of roads, flyovers at the Bakery junction and Thakarapparambu, drinking water schemes and a subway at Palayam have been included in the project, he added.

Mr. Sivakumar said the Airports Authority of India had assured to start work on the construction of the new terminal of the International airport in the city if the required land was handed over to it. The acquisition had already started and the stay on 3 acres had been vacated. Steps are also being taken to rehabilitate those who had lost their land as a result of the acquisition, he said.

He said he had requested the Chief Minister to convene a meeting of MLAs and MPs of the district to discuss the long-term projects such as Vizhinjam commercial harbour, Theerapatham scheme, tourism development schemes as well as the Karamana-Vellayani drinking water schemes.

Mr. Sivakumar said that a sum of Rs. 3 crores for repair of the 9.3-km-long Kallummoodu- Kovalam road would be sanctioned by the Union Government soon. He said that a decision on handing over of 15 acres of land for the construction of an international cricket stadium would be taken after a meeting with the TRIDA chairman.

Mr. Sivakumar said the Centre would be urged to provide more funds for the development of the capital city by including Thiruvananthapuram in the megacity list.