A long list of infrastructure and development projects worth billions of baht is going on the agenda of the two-day mobile cabinet meeting being held in Chiang Mai starting today.
Chiang Mai alone has more than 37 projects lined up for the mobile meeting which ends tomorrow, the first to be held since the New Year.
Four of the projects are considered important and urgent, said Chiang Mai Governor ML Panadda Diskul.
Surrounding provinces such as Lamphun also proposed budgets for their development projects.
Chiang Mai provincial authorities' projects include a water management scheme (1.9 billion baht), Chiang Mai town's zoning development and outer ring road construction (742 million baht), underground public utilities (180 million baht) and mass transit efficiency enhancement (200 million baht).
A plan is also afoot to restructure the service of the well-known red song thaew (two-row seat buses) to increase their numbers and ensure they regularly run on designated routes and charge appropriate fares, said Chiang Mai transport official Chanchai Kilabaeng.
Chiang Mai University will also ask the cabinet to consider building a public health service centre (2 billion baht) and a technology and creativity park for the North (3.8 billion baht).
Lamphun will propose seven projects worth a total of 3.2 billion baht. Among them are the expansion of Highway No.106 linking Tak, Lampang and Lamphun (one billion baht) and a flood prevention project for northern industrial estates (500 million baht).
The Chambers of Commerce in the upper northern provinces will ask the cabinet to consider building a tunnel linking Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son to facilitate transport and boost tourism.
Earlier, a Japanese firm conducted a feasibility study of a cargo and passenger transport tunnel between Wat Chan in Chiang Mai and tambon Huai Puling in Mae Hong Son's Muang district.
Meanwhile, the Highways Department will ask the cabinet for a budget of 2.7-3 billion baht to build a new 90-km highway linking the northernmost province of Chiang Rai's Thoeng district and Phayao's Dok Kham Tai and Muang districts.
