Climate risk mitigation and disaster reduction for road transport infrastructure will have more focus under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative (RKI) with streamlined policy, risk-based approach to planning, design, and resilience building, Governor P. Sathasivam has said.
Pilot demonstration projects will be taken up for one road corridor each from the four distinct climatic geographical regions of the State, Mr. Sathasivam said in his address to the Assembly.
A sum of ₹1,400 crore had been provided for immediate repair and rehabilitation work of the roads damaged in the August floods. Most of the design roads had either survived the floods or suffered limited damage.
The Governor said 15 roads from nine districts had been identified for being built as design roads based on traffic, bus route, connectivity, and places of tourist attractions.
Rail line
The Governor said the government was for a third and fourth broad gauge elevated rail line as a greenfield corridor from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod for operating semi high-speed trains. These trains, which can operate at 180 km per hour, would reduce the travel time between the State capital to Ernakulam to an hour-and-a-half and to Kasaragod to four hours.
Tourist arrivals
The tourism sector poised for a leap during the neelakurinji season suffered due to massive cancellations following the heavy rain and floods. The government had been able to restore confidence among tourists by restoring the roads and other infrastructure. The government would conduct snake-boat races under a league format from this year.
