Project report to be submitted for agri sector development

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government will submit to the Centre a detailed report on a Rs 500-crore project for the comprehensive development of the agriculture sector of Kuttanad in Aalppuzha district.

The project is in line with the recommendations contained in the report the M.S. Swaminathan Foundation, which went into the reasons for the crisis being faced by the farm sector in Kuttanad.

The decision to submit the project to the Centre was taken at a meeting of Kuttanad Prosperity Council, presided over by the Chief Minister, on Wednesday.

The Chief Minister said that as many as 131 detailed project reports for the construction of the outer bund for the paddy fields would be prepared in the first phase. The cost for the construction of the bund is put at Rs 150 crore.

The reconstruction of Thannermukkam bund, as part of the overall package, is expected to cost Rs 160 crore. The project report in this regard will be prepared by the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai.

The Chief Minister said that the meeting decided to entrust the preparation of the project report for the reconstruction of Thottappally spillway with a consortium of the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) and the Kerala Agriculture University.

Also, a consultant will be appointed for the renovation of watersheds, roads and canals in the region, the report on which is expected to be made available in three months.

A project report for the construction of a permanent bund for the paddy fields would also be prepared in three months, the Chief Minister said.