Local bodies told to identify land

The government has decided to construct 12,000 public toilets along the sides of national and State highways. The Cabinet which met here on Wednesday directed local bodies to identify three cents each at suitable locations.

An official pressnote issued by the Chief Minister’s Office said the absence of toilet facilities posed difficulties for road users, especially women and children. Many petrol pumps preferred to let only customers use their toilets.

It was in this context that the government decided to take up the construction of 12,000 public toilets for the convenience of travellers. The note said the government would enlist the support of agencies willing to cooperate with the project.

Land in the possession of the government, public sector enterprises, and cooperative institutions would be used for the purpose. The government would also explore the possibility of opening retail shops and cafes wherever possible as part of the project.

The local bodies would be required to foot the cost of constructing the facilities.

A mechanism would be evolved for the hygienic maintenance of the toilets.

Tie-up for technologies

The Cabinet gave the go-ahead for the International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS) to collaborate with the Netherlands Organisation of Applied Scientific Research in new age technologies such as Internet of Things, Machine Learning, and Big Data. ICFOSS will ink an agreement with the Dutch agency for the purpose.

Water supply scheme

The meeting accorded administrative sanction for the second phase of the Jalagram water supply scheme. The ₹69-crore scheme will ensure water supply for Kozhinjampara, Vadakarpathy, and Eruthembathy panchayats in Palakkad district.

New posts

As many 18 posts will be created for the Institute of Advanced Virology, an autonomous institution set up under the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment.

The Cabinet also decided to recommend the Governor to convene the Assembly session from March 2.