Thiruvananthapuram: Union Minister Prakash Javdekar will inaugurate the permanent campus of IIT Palakkad by August end. The minister conveyed this to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during discussions in New Delhi on Wednesday. The IIT is currently functioning from a temporary campus. The proposed campus is coming up in Kanjikode.
Mr Vijayan urged the HRD minister to set up School of Planning and Architecture in Kerala. He assured that prior to setting up the institute, department of architecture will be started in IIT Palakkad. The Union minster said that two hostels would be constructed at the earliest to resolve the accommodation problem of students of Kasargod Central University. One will be set up using the funds of UGC and the other using funds from social welfare grants.
The CM apprised the minister of the difficulty being faced by students belonging to SC/ST and backward sections. The Union minister, however, said it may not be practical to arrange hostel facilities for all students and they will have to avail private accommodation.
The Chief Minister met Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and urged him to abandon the move to privatise Cochin Shipyard. The minster assured that the shipyard would not be privatised and only 25 per cent shares were being handed over to private sector. He informed that several development activities including dry dock worth Rs 2,000 crore was being set up which would provide 5,000 jobs. Mr Gadkari assured the CM that Mattannur Mysore state high way via Virajpet would be recognised as a national highway.
The minister said that Kannur-Mysore highway had been recognised in principle as NH and the remaining requirements would be completed in due course.
The minister assured to provide Rs 400 crore for the maintenance of roads that had been damaged during monsoon. The Centre has released Rs 180 crore as immediate assistance.
