The Cabinet on Wednesday gave clearance for the revised project for Kannur airport which proposes funding on the pattern of Cochin International Airport Limited.
Accordingly, 26 per cent of the equity of the new airport would be directly held by the government. Besides, 25 per cent of the equity would be allocated to institutions and cooperatives with government share-holding. The balance of 49 per cent would be offered to the public.
The Cabinet also decided to start a B. Tech course in electrical and electronics engineering at the Wayanad Engineering College from the coming financial year.
Briefing the media, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said about 60 students would be admitted to the course.
The government would provide ten acres of land in Sultan Bathery taluk of Wayanad district on lease to the Calicut University to start a university centre. The term of the lease would be 30 years. The Cabinet had also sanctioned 21 posts of administrative staff in the University.
Mr. Achuthanandan said that necessary posts would be created for the new model residential school for boys at Chelakkara in Thrissur district and model residential school for girls at Kuzhalmannom in Palakkad district. The Cooperative Academy for Professional Education would be granted 2.5 acres in Paravoor village of Ernakulam district on lease for 30 years.
Asked about irregularities in acquisition of land for the national highway projects, the Chief Minister said that the government would do the needful in the matter. Irregularities including exclusion of land belonging to influential people would be looked into.
He announced that 45 posts of para medical staff would be created in the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. Secretary of the Kochi Corporation A.T. Thomas would be posted as Joint Commissioner, Land Revenue. Thiruvananthapuram sub collector K. Biju would be posted as new Secretary of the Corporation.