Kannur gets major push in State Budget: sports hub, port, cultural and industrial projects announced

Kannur district has received significant allocations in the State Budget presented by Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal, with new projects announced across sports, culture, industry, health, and infrastructure sectors.

The Budget has earmarked ₹10 crore for preliminary works of the integrated international sports hub in Kannur. Designed as a self-sustaining, world-class sports facility with high-revenue commercial real estate, the hub will include a FIFA-standard football stadium, an FIH-standard hockey arena, a shopping mall, and a four-star hotel. The feasibility of a public-private partnership model will also be explored.

The sports facilities at Brennen College, Thalassery, will be upgraded to a residential sports academy, for which ₹2 crore has been provided for initial works.

For port development, ₹6.96 crore has been allocated for initial works towards developing the Malabar greenfield port (outer harbour) at Azhikode into an international port.

A permanent nightlife and cultural corridor will be set up at Peralassery along the lines of Manveeyam Veedhi in Thiruvananthapuram, with ₹2.5 crore allotted for preliminary works. The project will feature an open-air stage for folk art forms such as Theyyam, markets for Kudumbashree products and a literary corner. In addition, ₹4.50 crore has been allocated for exhibits, landscaping, and annual maintenance at the Peralassery A.K. Museum.

The Budget has also proposed a safari park at the Taliparamba zoo, for which ₹4 crore has been set aside.

To promote local arts and crafts and to support performances, training programmes, workshops, and artist interactions, ₹1 crore has been earmarked to establish a South Zone Cultural Centre at Pinarayi.

For logistics and industrial growth, ₹2.50 crore has been allocated to set up a new multi-sectoral logistics facility in Kannur. An additional ₹10 crore has been provided for the continued implementation of the Dharmadam-Vengad Global Dairy Village project. The infrastructure development of a new industrial park in Kannur district will receive ₹5 crore. Further, ₹9.50 crore was allocated for infrastructure development of three new industrial parks in Kannur, Kasaragod and Ernakulam district: ₹5crore for Kannur, ₹2.50 crore for Kasaragod, and ₹2 crore for Ernakulam.

An allocation of ₹2.50 crore was made for initial works to establish the institute for sustainable development in Kannur district. In the irrigation sector, ₹13 crore was earmarked for the Pazhassi irrigation project.

Judicial and education infrastructure also received attention. An additional bench of the Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT) will be established at Thalassery, with ₹28.01 lakh allocated for various KAT-related activities.

In the health sector, ₹50 crore was allocated to the Malabar Cancer Centre. To strengthen research and development under the AYUSH department, including the establishment of an International Research Institute of Ayurveda, ₹2.50 crore has been earmarked.

For transport infrastructure, ₹5 crore has been allocated for the construction of the Dharmadam railway station underpass.

Kannur Constituency

For the Kannur assembly constituency, works worth ₹22.25 crore have been sanctioned in the Budget.

An allocation of ₹1crore each has been made for the Kannur NGO Bachelor quarters, gender park at Kanhirode, Kannur Guest House park, beautification of Kannur South bazar, Padannathode protection works, and Edakkad primary health centre building.

Kuthuparamba Constituency

Kuthuparamba has received major allocations, with priority given to road development and completion of street lighting, as 20 projects were sanctioned for the constituency.

Another ₹2 crore has been earmarked for completing street lighting and laying the main streetlight line across the constituency.

Large infrastructure projects announced include ₹100 crore for a modern bus terminal, ₹100 crore for playgrounds in all local bodies and ₹20 crore as additional funding for the proposed Panoor taluk hospital building. Allocations were also made for roads, tourism, sports, education, water resource conservation, and e-sports facilities.

Meanwhile, ₹25 crore has been sanctioned from the Central Road Infrastructure Fund for upgrading the Kuthuparamba-Mooriyad-Kalluvazhap-Vazhamala-Vilanganad-Valayam road.

Published – January 29, 2026 07:29 pm IST