Budget allocates Rs 236 crore for Kochi projects

KOCHI: In the State Budget presented by Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac in the Assembly on Friday, Kochi City has got projects worth Rs 236 crore. These include Thammanam-Pulleppady road expansion which gets Rs 100 crore, the renovation of major roads in the city for Rs 30 crore, Vathuruthi railway overbridge for Rs 30 crore and making Ernakulam General Hospital into a super-specialty hospital spending Rs 76 crore. Reacting to the allotments, Ernakulam MLA Hibi Eden said that with the commissioning of a Memu in the harbour line, the railway overbridge at Vathruruthi will be of immense help to people. “The Navy has given permission for constructing the overbridge while the Cochin Port Trust has agreed to part with the land,” Hibi added.

Rs 25 crore has already been given to landholders for the development of the arterial Thammanam-Pulleppady road and the new allocation will give a fillip for further land acquisition for the road. Rs 30 crore has been granted to refurbishing major roads in the city. These are BOT bridge to Jos Junction, Foreshore Road, the road in front of guest house, Shanmugham Road and its parallel road, High Court to Goshree bridge road and High Court junction to Madhava Pharmacy junction on Banerjee road. General Hospital Superspeciality wing will cover 44,000 sq ft over six storeys and will have a cancer block. It will also have an OP annexe, cardio-thoracic surgery unit where even bypass surgery can be done, plastic reconstructive and microvascular surgery department, neurology, neuro surgery, nephrology, urology and gastroenterology departments.