ALAPPUZHA: The wait is over for the implementation of the much-awaited `1,840-crore Kuttanad package.
Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan will inaugurate the launch of the package at a function to be held at the Mankomb Mini- Civil Station premises here at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal will inaugurate the work on the project.
Union Minister of State for Agriculture KV Thomas will preside over the function. State Ministers NK Premachandran, Mullakara Retnakaran, G Sudhakaran and TM Thomas Isaac will speak. Ministers C Divakaran, S Sarma, Benoy Viswom and Opposition leader Oommen Chandy will be the chief guests on the occasion.
Around 25,000 people are expected to attend the function.
In the first phase of the package, `143 crore worth flood management projects will be executed.
Detailed projects reports, worth `2,353 crore havw been prepared under the package so far. Out of it, `2,111 crore worth of projects have been earmarked for irrigation.
The State Government has submitted reports of `1,072 crore to the Centre and projects worth `643 crore have been sanctioned by the Centre.
Of the `45 crore allotted by the Centre, the State has spent `12 crore till date.
