The city had much to cheer for in the State Budget for the year 2021-22 presented by Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac on Friday.
Under the Capital City Regional Development Programme, one of the three industrial corridors announced in the State, a massive network of knowledge hubs, industrial parks, amusement centres, and townships are set to be located in 10,000 acres of land on both sides of the six-lane road to be constructed along the 78 kilometres from Vizhinjam to Navayikulam, along the eastern side of the city.
The expected investment of this scheme is ₹25,000 crore. As seed money for Capital City Development Company, ₹100 crore is earmarked in the Budget.
The capital city will also get special importance under the 14th Five-Year Plan to be prepared soon. Some of the major projects under this are the second phase of City Road Improvement Scheme at a cost of ₹864 crore, total public works projects worth ₹900 crore under KIIFB, the Neyyar–Aruvikkara drinking water projects at ₹635 crore, total sanitation programme and completion of sewage lines at₹525 crore, a ₹900 crore project for turning the city into an education–health Hub, the ₹250 crore Thiruvananthapuram Heritage project, Akkulam, Veli tourism development at ₹150 crore, Chitranjali Film City complex, other cultural centres ₹150 crore, IT, Life Science and Video parks development at ₹534 crore, ring roads and second phase of the Kaliyikkavila road.
An amount of ₹50 crores has been allocated to the Institute of Advanced Virology at Thonnakkal. The Kerala Science and Technology Museum gets an allocation of ₹19 crore. Technopark gets an allocation of ₹22 crores for developmental activities, while a labour complex with financial aid from KIIFB will be inaugurated in Techno City.
The Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) gets an allocation of ₹71 crore. A Press Club for women journalists, with accommodation facilities, will be set up in the city under the aegis of the Media Academy. An artist square will be constructed in memory of Raja Ravi Varma near the Kilimanoor private bus stand.
