Wayanad rehabilitation; panel headed by chief secretary in charge of construction work

KALPETTA: The government has handed over the charge of construction work for the rehabilitation of Wayanad to a panel headed by the chief secretary. A 16-member coordination committee has been formed for this. The panel will review the sponsorship and expense for the township.

The coordination committee has been directed to hold discussions with those who have promised assistance, the construction company and the beneficiaries. Priority will also be set for the implementation of projects using the central loan. There is a move to seek time from the central government to spend the loan amount after the project work starts. The center will be asked to extend the time limit for spending the total loan amount by one year. More financial assistance will also be sought.

The government has decided to lay the foundation stone for the Wayanad disaster-affected township in March. An order will be issued for land acquisition within two days.
Since there is a condition that the Rs 529.50 crore sanctioned by the center as loan must be spent by March 31, it has been decided to start construction work as quickly as possible. Estimates for 16 works are ready. There will be no delay in starting its construction. These things were decided at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The chief minister has directed the heads of various departments to prepare the projects with urgency, keeping in mind the time limit.