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Ongoing irrigation projects to be expedited

Thiruvananthapuram , Oct. 12

The Kerala Government is looking at the possibility of setting up a petroleum complex at Kasaragod, said the Industries Minister, Mr Elamaram Kareem, in the State Assembly on Thursday.

In reply to questions, the Minister said that the Government was seeking reports from the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) regarding oil exploration efforts in the coastal areas of the State.

He said that Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) was planning to establish a container terminal at Kottayam.

This would be in the joint sector with assistance from the Centre.

As many as 2,615 small-scale industries had been registered in the State till September in the current year, Mr Kareem said.

IRRIGATION PROJECTS

The Irrigation Minister, Mr N.K. Premachandran, told the House that new irrigation projects in the State would be taken up only after completing the ongoing projects.

The Muvattupuzha Valley irrigation project, which had been delayed by litigations and inquiries, would be completed next year.

The project cost, which was estimated at Rs 44 crore at the time of the commencement of the work, had since escalated to Rs 622 crore, the Minister said.

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau is probing allegations about various works on the project, including Karikode canal, which is part of the project, he added.

The Meenachil Valley Project would be taken up for implementation only after detailed studies.

A meeting of officials and farmers would be held to discuss the scope of the Pazhassi irrigation project and efforts would be made to implement it with the participation of the local people.

The Government would also examine the scope of the Vamanapuram irrigation project.

In reply to a question, Mr Premachandran said that more budgetary allocations would be required to take care of the maintenance of completed projects.

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