Steps have begun to set up a fishing harbour at Pozhiyoor and a feasibility study has been initiated for four other fishing harbours at Valiyathura, Poonthura, Varkala and Chilakoor in Thiruvananthapuram district.
Investigations had commenced in Pozhiyoor, near Poovar, Minister for Fisheries and Harbour Engineering J. Mercykutty Amma said, in reply to a question in the Assembly on Monday.
The fishing harbour at Pozhiyoor, along with the one at Ajanoor in Kasaragod district, would be set up immediately after completion of investigations, she said. Feasibility studies for new fishing harbours at South Paravur, Trikannapuzha, Kaipamangalam, Kuryadi, Kodikkal and Puthiyangadi were on.
The government was also looking for financial assistance from the Centre for these fishing harbours, she said.Minister for Local Self Government K. T. Jaleel said Law Department has not raised any objection on the formation of Thiruvananthapuram Smart City Ltd, the special purpose vehicle for the execution of the ₹1,522 crore Smart City mission project for the captial city.
File scrutiny
The file after scrutiny of the Law Department is with the Finance Department, the Minister said in reply to a question. The Board of Directors had been notified and IAS officer Gopalakrishnan has been posted as CEO of the SPV.
Tender formalities are on for the selection of the consultant. The Centre and the State is to pump in ₹500 crore each for the project, the Minister said.
Minister for Agriculture V. S. Sunil Kumar said the Biomedical Research unit to subject animals for various laboratory tests will be set up at the Life Sciences Park, Thonnakkal, in six months. The Minister said it will end the dependence on foreign countries for various tests.
The Agriculture Minister said inquiry will be carried out on the postings made in the colleges under the Kerala Veterinary University during the UDF regime.
The colleges were sanctioned without post creation. The government is taking steps to overcome this and to start classes at the colleges at Kollam and Kulathupuzha. Start ups would be encouraged by the Agriculture Department to attract the younger generation to the agriculture sector and to pass on the findings to the farmers, he said.
