Road infrastructure has been given the needed emphasis in the budget with Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac announcing that 5,000 km of roads will be completed during 200-2021.
In addition to the ₹1,102 crore earmarked under the Plan scheme, Dr. Isaac said at least ₹3,500 crore could be expected under non-Plan for maintenance, new roads, and clearing bills of contractors.
Construction works at ₹25,000 crore, including ₹13,358 crore and ₹4,500 crore from earlier Plan schemes, ₹1,100 crore from Central Road Fund, ₹1,400 crore from Rebuild Kerala, and ₹800 crore from the KSDP were being carried out by Public Works Department.
The transformation of age-old methods used by the PWD into designed roads using modern technology envisaged in the last budget was being realised in the State, Dr. Isaac said.
Modern techniques such as full-depth reclamation, cold recycling, thin white topping, geo-textiles, mixtures of plastic and rubber added to bitumen would be utilised, the Minister said.
Silverline
The 531.45-km greenfield semi-high-speed rail (SHSR) corridor from Kochuveli to Kasaragod will be completed in three years once land is acquired and the 585-km West Coast Canal (WCC) from Kovalam to Bekal, the main arterial waterway, will be opened for transportation in 2020-2021.
He said 95% of transportation in Kerala depended on roads at present, which is not at all desirable. “There will be an eco-friendly fundamental change in the transport structure when the waterway and rail development are added,” Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac said in the 2020-2021 Budget.
Silverline, the SHSR announced in the previous budget, was going to be a reality and it would be the work requiring the highest investment, Dr. Isaac said. Its aerial survey had been completed and the alignment would be finalised soon. Land acquisition procedures for the corridor would start in 2020.
International agencies were keen to invest in the SHSR that would have a new service road and five townships. Even though there would be 10 stations, there would be short-distance trains to 28 feeder stations. The ro-ro facility for transporting vehicles and freight at night would be available in the SHSR. One-third of the ticket charge was expected as non-ticket revenue.
Dr. Isaac said discussions were going on for loan at lower rate from international agencies.
