The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Rs.175 crores for building sea walls

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 07, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Rs.175 crores for building sea walls

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Government will carry out a Rs.175-crore project for the construction and reformation of sea walls in the next four years, Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran has said.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, the Minister said the State-level empowered committee had approved the project. The project proposed construction of 47 km new sea wall and reformation of 60 km of the existing sea walls. The Twelfth Finance Commission had allocated the money for the project. Of the Rs.175 crores, Rs.62.70 cores would be spent this year.

Mr. Premachandran said the construction work would be carried out under strict monitoring. The technology developed by the Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune, employing geo fabric filters would be used for construction. Sea walls constructed using this technology would last long, he said.

A cell would be formed to ensure better transparency and periodic review of the work. He said that only 90 km of the coastline of Kerala except harbours and known beaches were without sea walls. More funds were expected to be received for construction of sea walls under tsunami rehabilitation programmes.

The Minister said the Government had also drawn up a comprehensive programme for the development of inland waterways using funds earmarked by the Finance Commission. The four-year programme would involve expenditure of Rs.225 crores for extending the National Water Way III (NWW III) and developing link canals.

He said the delay in completion of the NWW III was in the way of the Central assistance for extension of the National Water Way to Kovalam in the South and Neeleswaram in the North. So, the Government proposed to speed up the project.

As rehabilitation of people living on the canal sides was a stumbling block, the Centre would be urged to include a rehabilitation component in the project.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala