Thiruvananthapuram: Nearly two months after laying the foundation stone for the township project to rehabilitate people displaced by Wayanad landslides, the Kerala cabinet on Thursday sanctioned ₹351 crore for the project. According to an official statement issued by the Kerala government, the cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, granted administrative sanction for the amount.

The fund of ₹351 crore also includes the project's initial cost, subject to the technical approval to be given by KIIFCON, a subsidiary of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).

As per the official communique, the cabinet also validated the amount of ₹17 crore deposited in the Kerala High Court. The amount was filed in the court in connection with a case filed by Elstone Tea Estate Ltd seeking enhanced compensation for the land acquired from them for the township project, the statement said.

The state government will allocate ₹20 crore from the CM's relief fund to the Wayanad Township Special Officer for payment of an advance to the Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society (ULCCS) after it signs the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract with it.

The township project was necessitated after a major landslide struck the Mundakkai and Chooralmala regions of Wayanad on July 30 last year, almost completely decimating both areas. Over 200 were killed and hundreds were injured in the multiple landslides. According to official data, 32 persons remain missing.

Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the township project on March 27 and assured its timely completion. ULCCS commenced the work on April 12.

According to a PTI report, the work began a day after the Kerala High Court allowed the state government to take possession of the Elstone Estate land, meant for the project, after depositing an additional ₹17.77 crore.

Sabarimala Airport project and PM JANMAN
The cabinet also approved the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) 's decision to appoint STUP Consultants Private Limited, Navi Mumbai, as a consultant for the preparation of the detailed project report and related works for the Sabarimala Greenfield International Airport project, with a consultancy fee of ₹4.366 crore, the statement said.

It also said that the cabinet ordered the formation of a committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to resolve issues related to the progress of the airport project.

The cabinet also approved the detailed project documents submitted by the Kerala State Electricity Board in connection with the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) scheme.

The documents relate to the electrification of 261 houses of tribals belonging to the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in 22 partially electrified tribal areas of the state, the statement said.