THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The big dream projects of the state are designed to be implemented on time under the supervision of the new 'department' which will be under the complete control of the Chief Minister. It is hoped that the announcement regarding this will be made in the inaugural budget presented by Finance Minister KN Balagopal on June 4.

The new development department will be under the control of the Chief Minister, his Chief Principal Secretary, and Chief Secretary. Projects will be implemented via KIIFB. Former chief secretary KM Abraham, who is the CEO of KIIFB, is the new Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister. The other day, an independent department was set up under the control of the Chief Minister solely for development matters.

The main objective is to complete the ambitious projects launched by the first Pinarayi government within the stipulated time. Apart from that, new projects will also be launched. The Pinarayi government's aim in the second term is to repair the damage caused by the slowing down of development works due to the floods and the pandemic.

Superpower for CM

• Rules of Business will be amended to give more power to the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary
• The Chief Minister can directly control the projects of any department
• The department secretaries can bypass the ministers and hand over the files to the chief minister through the chief secretary
• Project approval and loan processing will be expedited, quick decision on files
• The amendment of the Rules of Business did not take place during the last term following criticism
• It is hoped that there will be no opposition as most of the ministers are newcomers

Big projects

1. Thiruvananthapuram- Kasargod Semi High-Speed ​​Rail (Rs 3941 crore)- Detailed project document is ready. Rs 13,000 crore for 383 hectares of land.
2. KFON Internet - (Rs 1028.20 crore)- The first phase was commissioned for government institutions in seven districts. Free internet for people soon.
3. Thiruvananthapuram Light Metro - (Rs 7446 crore)- 35.16 km of rail track and light metro service. Cabinet has approved it.
4. Kochi Smart City (Rs 4000 crore)- 14.70 lakh sq. ft. Completed two phases. It will be completed in 2023.
5. Kochi - Bengaluru Industrial Corridor - (Rs 1038 crore)- Central plan, 1351 acres to be acquired.
6. Vizhinjam Port (Rs 6595 crore)- Started in 2015. Planned to complete the project within 1000 days. Yet to be completed.
7. 400 km natural gas pipeline (Rs 4500 crore)- Indian Oil - Adani Gas Initiative. Permission in 2020.