Thrissur: The land for the proposed Indian Institute of Technology in Palakkad would be acquired and handed over to the authorities this year itself, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said in Palakkad on Tuesday.
Addressing a meeting after the inauguration of the Mass Contact Programme in Palakkad district, the Chief Minister announced the decision to escalate the process of land acquisition for setting up the IIT.
The Union Government has cleared the proposal for setting up the IIT in the State and an expert team from the Centre had inspected sites in Palakkad proposed by the government.
The state had identified 500 acres of land for setting up an IIT campus near the Kanjikode industrial cluster in Palakkad district.
The cost for the land acquisition is estimated to be around Rs 200 cr and the state budget has made a provision of Rs 50 cr for the purpose.
The Chief Minister also said that Rs 160 cr would be made available to the medical college in Palakkad.
The medical college in Palakkad will be developed as a specialized cancer treatment centre. Mr. Chandy also announced Rs 10.28 cr for the development of agriculture in Attapadi.
The mass contact programme started at the scheduled time despite heavy rains. The Chief Minister personally met the 100 people selected by the district administration for providing relief.
