The Union government has approved projects worth Rs 2,039 crore for Kerala, Public Works Department Minister P K Basheer said, following his first meeting with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi, as per a PTI report.

Basheer announced the approvals in a Facebook post, listing out a series of road and infrastructure projects cleared by the Centre across the state.

The minister said the approved projects include a bridge across the Kabani River connecting Perikkallur in Wayanad district with Bairakuppe in Karnataka, sanctioned at a cost of Rs 49 crore.

The Centre has also approved Rs 98.40 crore for works on National Highway 744, according to Basheer. A further Rs 172 crore has been sanctioned for National Highway 966 between Ramanattukara and Chandranagar in Palakkad, while Rs 66 crore has been approved for the old National Highway 66 stretch from Kazhakkoottam to Balaramapuram.

The single largest allocation, Basheer said, is Rs 1,663 crore for the four-laning of the Kadavoor-Aanjilimoodu stretch of the Kollam-Theni National Highway.

Gadkari also gave in-principle approval for ropeway projects at Sabarimala, Munnar and Wayanad, the minister said.

Basheer added that approval for widening National Highway 185 from Adimali to Kumily is expected shortly. Revised alignments for the proposed bypasses at Kothamangalam and Muvattupuzha will also be cleared soon, he said.

As per the PTI report, the minister said Gadkari has directed officials of the National Highways Authority of India to prepare and submit a Detailed Project Report for a proposed elevated highway connecting Ramanattukara to Kozhikode airport.

(With inputs from PTI)