Nearly 200 projects worth more than 57 billion baht have been proposed by five southern border provinces ahead of next week’s mobile cabinet meeting in Hat Yai district of Songkhla.
The proposals from Songkhla, Satun, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat comprise 199 projects, with preliminary funding requests to be submitted at the mobile cabinet meeting in Songkhla on Sept 1, says a Government House source.
The proposals were reviewed at a preparatory meeting on Tuesday chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.
Mr Phiphat said the proposals were preliminary and would be screened further by a joint public-private committee next week before being submitted to the cabinet. The government would approve only projects that are ready, cost-effective and beneficial to residents, he said.
Songkhla submitted five immediate projects worth 50 million baht covering the economy, tourism, culture, transport and disaster prevention, as well as 26 policy proposals seeking 35.06 billion baht in government support.
The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry raised concerns about a proposed “Two Seas” tourism project involving boat trips to observe Irrawaddy dolphins, warning it could affect the marine ecosystem and the welfare of the dolphins. It asked state agencies to review the project.
Songkhla’s highway office also reported 133 urgent projects affected by flooding, 106 of which remain incomplete, and sought an additional 1.94 billion baht.
The meeting also approved additional funding requests for Songkhla, including 47 million baht for Hat Yai and Khuan Lang municipalities. Satun proposed 17 urgent projects and 11 policy projects, while Mr Phiphat suggested expanding the proposals to cover Manang and Thung Wa districts.
Yala submitted 10 ready-to-imple- ment projects worth 338.15 million baht and four projects seeking 4.31 billion baht. Pattani proposed six projects worth 50 million baht, mainly involving flood prevention, drainage and water management.
Mr Phiphat asked Pattani authorities to work with the Marine Department to resolve issues surrounding a 400-million-baht Pattani River dredging project and prioritise projects before proceeding. Narathiwat proposed six ready-to-implement projects worth 404.79 million baht and eight policy projects worth 15.06 billion baht.