Giving a shot in the arm for the development of the ambitious West Coast Canal project, the Cabinet on Wednesday granted in-principle approval to conduct a study for the preparation of a master plan titled ‘Transit Oriented Development and Assessment of Economic Development Opportunities’ for the development of regions close to the canal project.
The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) will provide a sum of ₹300 crore for acquiring the land which could be developed as economic development zones as identified by the study in accordance with the public-private partnership (PPP) policy of the State government.
The project envisages making navigable a total of 520 km of canal network from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod in the first phase, by the Kerala Waterways and Infrastructure Ltd (KWIL), the special purpose vehicle created for the rejuvenation of the inland waterways in the State. The KIIFB has already approved works to the tune of ₹1,170 crore on various stretches of the canal.
The second phase involves upgrading the State waterways to the standard of national ones. As part of this, 243 bridges will be reconstructed to ensure seamless transportation through waterways for passengers and cargo. The second phase also involves rehabilitating around 1,275 families from the banks of the canal between Kovalam and Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram district, the work of which is under way.
