InfoQuest (November 12, 2019) --Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha presided over the economic and social development conference for the District 1 of the lower central region (Kanchanaburi Province, Ratchaburi Province and Suphan Buri Province). At the conference, the District 1 with the potential for border trade, tourism, agricultural production and marketing center, security industry and providing support for the western region in trade was seen as a good choice for the government's development plan for the central and Bangkok regions. Before the conference, an on-site investigation was conducted to learn about the major problems that are plaguing local people. Based on this, the conference was held to put heads together and come up with targeted solutions, like developing new projects, drawing out budget plans and formulating emergency measures.
Therefore, representatives from different provinces submitted the following projects to promote the development of their respective provinces. As to agriculture, there are projects on developing a system for cutting and loading fresh sugar canes to factories, developing supporting machinery equipment, improving labor productivity, monitoring and inspecting air quality, and studying transportation management/sugar cane quality inspection centers or bodies of this kind. The conference approved these projects and urged rapid implementation. At the same time, it also stressed to prioritize them in using budget, so as to meet the market demand and promote public participation in project implementation.
As for tourism, there are projects on the renovation and development of the old quarter of Kanchanaburi Province, the urgent renovation of the paper mills, the promotion of water tourism, the design and construction of drainage systems, the design and construction of Sky Walk, the design and construction of an observation platform with a good view of three rivers, the construction of Buddhism-theme tour routes, the repair of Buddhist relics and the protection and development of ancient sites, with the aim of highlighting cultural tourism. The conference tasked the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand with allocating budget, and encouraging local people to purchase these paper mills at lower-than-stipulated prices through negotiation.
With regards to water resources management, the conference stressed to pay attention to every front, including doing solid work in research and convening hearings of stakeholders to enhance mutual understanding. For this aspect, the prime minister had the Office of the National Water Resources take charge of budget allocation to support the implementation of large projects.
Furthermore, the development of infrastructure, including transportation, electricity, water supply and living quality, the development of professional medical centers and health service networks, as well as the construction progress of teaching buildings and residential buildings of Ratchaburi Vocational and Technical College were also briefed at the conference, and the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Education were tasked with allocating budgets according to actual situations.
In terms of natural resources and environment, the project put forward by Ratchaburi to improve the efficiency of the pipeline collection system and waste water treatment system met with wide support at the conference, and one aging waste water treatment station and nine waste water treatment systems will be renovated. The prime minister had the Ministry of Interior call on every household to build oil separation tanks as a radical solution to the garbage and sewage problems.
In addition to various projects, many policy suggestions were put forward at the conference including: adjusting the double-track railway construction plan to reduce the subsequent impact on Ratchaburi Province; studying and formulating transportation and logistics infrastructure development plans to develop the Western Economic Corridor (WEC); supporting the development of tourism by consolidating the advantages of tourism and border trade to develop the MICE industry and by integrating tourism with GMS southern economic corridor to research and develop tourist attractions in the region and link them with the Khao Ngu Stone Park in Ratchaburi Province. The prime minister ordered the Governor of Ratchaburi Province to adjust the double-track railway construction plan to reduce the impact on the province, and tasked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment with preparing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of Khao Ngu Stone Park in developing tourism and with speeding up solutions to relevant problems.
Due to a limited budget, priority will be given to projects of great urgency, and feasibility must be fully considered in every budget expenditure to deliver benefits to the collective and the public, said the prime minister. He hopes that all parties can work together to promote the steady development of regions and the country.
Source: InfoQuest, by Tanawat Suayaem / Kasamarporn / Rachada, translated by Xinhua Silk Road
Notice: No person, organization and/or company shall disseminate or broadcast the above article on Xinhua Silk Road website without prior permission by Xinhua Silk Road.
A single purchase
