Even as Tamil Nadu is opposed to the idea of a new dam instead of the present one at Mullaperiyar,the Kerala Budget for 2012-13 has set aside Rs 50 crore for preliminary work on a new dam. Finance Minister K M Mani,whose party,the Kerala Congress,has been at the forefront of the recent agitation demanding a new dam,said the existing Mullaperiyar dam is a matter of grave security concern for the people in five Kerala districts. Hence,a new protection dam would be constructed 1,300 feet downstream from the existing one. The budget also proposed to increase the retirement age of state government employees and teachers in aided sector to 56 years,inviting protests from the Opposition and youth organisations,including those affiliated to the ruling parties. But Mani tried to play down the proposal,saying the previous Left governments unification of the retirement age to the end of every financial year had,in effect,increased the retirement age to 56 years. He said the unification of the pension age had created inconvenience to the public. Hence,the unified retirement scheme had been abandoned and the retirement age increased by a year to 56 years,he said. The budget has made major allocations for agriculture,rural development,industry,water resources and co-operative sectors. In the infrastructure sector,the government has given special thrust to the transport sector,with the Finance Minister announcing a pre-project study for two full-fledged airports in the districts of Wayanad and Idukki. These apart,all district headquarters would have airstrips. Two such airstrips would be constructed in Kollam and Kottayam in the next fiscal. Kerala already has three international airports while construction of the fourth one is underway. A sea-plane company would be formed as a solution to the traffic snarls. The company has got an allocation of Rs 12 crore. The south and central Kerala leg of the national waterway would be completed next year and it would be extended to the northern part of the state. Token allotments have been made for the high-speed rail corridor,mono-rails in Thiruvanathapuram and Kozhikode,metro rail in Kochi and personal rapid transport system in Thiruvananthapuram. The budget also proposes public-private participation in developing civic amenities and to process solid waste in major towns.
