The cabinet approved a draft contract for the joint venture to build the high-speed train development project linking Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-tapao airports.
Nathporn Chatusripitak, a spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, said the public-private partnership project between the State Railway of Thailand and the winning consortium led by the Charoen Pokphand Group will be transferred to the government after 50 years.
The Budget Bureau is required to set aside 149.65 billion baht for the project. Some 14.96 billion of that will be allocated each year over the 10 years after the rail link begins operating in 2024.
Meanwhile, 45 civic organisations yesterday petitioned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to reveal the details of the contracts for the projects under the government’s much-touted Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), saying public input is needed before the schemes take off.
The high-speed train scheme linking the three airports is also one of the five megaprojects under the EEC.
The network also called for more civic input into key decisions.
More than 100 people, led by Sawit Kaewwan, secretary-general of the State Enterprises Workers’ Relations Confederation, turned up at Government House’s complaint centre to submit the petition.
Mr Sawit said the groups are concerned the high-speed train project and the EEC, which covers Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao provinces, could take a toll on local livelihoods as well as farms and the environment.
“We wrote to Gen Prayut to appeal to the government to review the projects or make sure they will have no bearing on the local livelihoods. "The administration needs to consider measures to mitigate the possible impact," said Mr Sawit.
The contract governing the high-speed train project, which is expected to be signed next month, must also be made public for scrutiny, he said. Mr Sawit said these projects should not be rushed, adding there must be a process of public hearings to allow people to give their input before the work begins.
A shrimp farmer in Chon Buri, Thawit Pokkrong, one of the petitioners, said the EEC would hurt the eastern region, where many people carry out rice farming and raise aquatic animals. “This area is not suitable for industry, only farming since it is a low-lying area where water can be contained,” he said.