Prayut to promote ‘Kalasin Model’ amid project controversy

But shifts in General Prayut Chan-o-Cha’s schedule have drawn attention, particularly one involving a royal water-diversion project that some say needs to be repaired and put back into use.
In the morning, Prayut will hand over an agricultural machine and livestock from the Royal Cattle and Buffalo Bank for Farmers to farmers at Ban Pone Village in Kammuang district. He is then scheduled to travel to Lampayang Royal Reservoir in Khaowong district, followed by a meeting with local leaders at Khaowong Technical College.
Kalasin Governor Kraisorn Kongchalart said the prime minister’s visit to two districts of Kalasin will see him plan the province’s development strategies with an emphasis on addressing poverty.
Prayut chose to visit Kalasin after a survey concluded that people in that province and Mae Hong Son province suffer from poverty and a lack of opportunities, said Kraisorn.
Location changes in the PM’s schedule resulted from discussion among authorities concerned about the capacity of venues given the number of people who wanted to meet the premier, he added.
“Therefore, we had to adjust the schedule to fit the visit but I will ensure that the premier will be informed of the problems and the needs of the people,” the governor said.
His province would become the model for how to solve people’s poverty and hardship, he said. 
Meanwhile, Bamrung Kayotha, a member of the sub-committee on national reform on natural resources and environment, said he wished that Prayut had chosen to visit the Lampayang Bhumipat water diversion tunnel in Khaowong district. The facility is a Royal Initiated Project of the late King Rama IX, he said, featuring a 740-metre underground tunnel able to provide water to over 12,000 rai (1,920 hectares) of land. 
But the area has been abandoned and the transportation route to the project was damaged for a long time without repair, said Bamrung.
“I wish that the premier would visit the area to see the real conditions and situation of the area. The local villagers are poor and have no access to any help from the government. However, the visit to the area which had initially been planned was cancelled without any reason,” he said.
But Bamrung’s claims were denied by Kittiphum Intarabutr, a chief irrigation official of Kalasin Irrigation. The tunnel project has been functional and could distribute water to farmers in two tambons covering about 12,000 rai (1,920 hectares) of land, he said.
“The tunnel project has no problems,” said Kittiphum. “The transportation routes will receive an additional budget of about Bt12 million to improve five kilometres of the route to the project.”