Bt628m Andaman coast projects get Cabinet okay

The Cabinet also agreed on 117 proposals estimated at Bt84.06 billion for future development.
Of the 117 proposals, 10 encompass all the Andaman coastal provinces and cost Bt24.87 billion. The remainder are individual provincial projects costing a total of Bt59.26 billion, according to Prime Minister’s Office deputy spokesperson Chalitrat Chandarubeksa.
A committee led by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday approved a three-year, Bt5.79-billion plan to increase the annual capacity of Phuket’s airport to 12.5 million passengers. The committee also proposed a dual-track railway between Bangkok and the Malaysian border town of Padang Besar that will cost around Bt20 billion, according to Bloomberg.
A proposed rail route along the Andaman coast, valued at Bt58 billion, is also being studied by the Cabinet, said Payungsak Chartsutipol, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries.
There are 67 projects proposed for Phuket worth Bt47.68 billion. Phang Nga has 13 projects worth Bt3.82 billion, Krabi has 10 worth Bt3.49 billion, Trang gets six worth Bt334 million and Ranong has 11 worth Bt3.99 billion.
On the 23 projects slated for immediate start-up, the Cabinet ordered that plans be hurriedly drawn up and presented to the Budget Bureau within two weeks.
The projects include a pier for tourist businesses at
Khao Yao, Phang Nga,
worth Bt30 million; tourist destination development on Trang’s Sukorn Island at Bt25.94 million; tourist security promotion in Phuket worth Bt25.37 million and water management to serve tourists in Ranong worth Bt20 million. They total Bt101.31 million.
Another immediate project is for construction of a Bt25-million “monkey cheek” reservoir in Phuket to solve the island’s water shortage. There’s also a water pipeline from Baan Bang Jo to Phuket International Airport worth Bt24.84 million and a marine traffic light system costing Bt17.30 million. Bt9.11 million will be spent on conservation and development of the Baan Phraya Wichit Songkram historical site. Road spending includes Bt20 million on improvements to Chao Fa Road and Bt17 million for a system to monitor traffic speed limits.