The Finance Minister has announced allocation of ₹65,000 crore for development of 1,100 km of the national highway network in poll-bound Kerala. This includes the 600-km section of the Mumbai-Kanyakumari corridor.

Elections to the State Assembly are due in the next three to four months. Separately, she set apart ₹1,957 crore for the second phase of the Kochi Metro that envisages extension of services along a 11.5-km stretch to the satellite township of Kakkanad.

According to KMRL officials, the proposed network connects central city of Ernakulam to the Infopark, the largest IT hub of Kerala. The phase II will provide multi-model integration by connecting the metro alignment with bus system, water transport ferry, and public bycycle. The Phase-II metro corridor will integrate with water metro at Kakkanad Jetty and at Infopark Jetty.

M I Sahadulla, Co-Chair, FICCI Kerala State Council said the State has plenty to cheer in the budget especially the allocation for NH development, clearance of Phase II Kochi Metro and modernisation of Kochi fishing harbour. However, tourism and hospitality sector which is under crisis due to Covid has not received the necessary vital support in the budget.

K.Harikumar, president of Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that the decision to modernise the fishing harbour will boost the fisheries and aquaculture sector that contributes 9.7 per cent of the Gross State Value . Scientific fishing and development of a fishing harbour on modern lines are welcome as Kerala is slowly and steadily losing its predominant role as a major hub for fisheries. “It is sincerely hoped that scientific fishing will be the first step in its effort to regain the status”, he added.

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