Public Works and Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas has said that the National Highway construction works across the State will be completed by next year. Speaking at a press conference in Kollam, he added that the works are progressing in a time-bound manner.
“At discussions with the National Highways Authority of India it was made clear that the works in Kollam district will be completed by December 2025,” he said. He added that the State government has lost ₹317.35 crore after waiving the GST royalty charge for the construction of the 61.62 km long greenfield highway (Kollam-Sengottai NH).
“The total revenue generated after converting the rest houses of the Public Works Department into People’s Rest Houses is about ₹18.5 crore. There are a total of 13 rest houses in Kollam district. While ₹34 lakh has been allocated for the renovation works of Pozhikkara rest house, ₹75 lakh has been sanctioned for the works of Kottarakkara rest house. The rest houses at Achencoil, Pathanapuram and Aryankavu have been allotted ₹25 lakh each,” he said. The Tourism Department has allocated ₹99.65 lakh for the implementation of the Responsible Tourism project at the Courtallam Palace, which has an area of 56 acres. The Minister added that more employment opportunities will be created for the Malayalis on Tamil Nadu border, especially for women, through the project.
