CONSTRUCTION of the controversial Bt14-billion Chao Phraya Landmark project is expected to start early next year, according to a source close to the project.

The source also said yesterday that Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan had ordered state radio and TV stations to actively campaign for the project because he was aware of ongoing opposition.

“We need to raise public awareness of the project’s benefits,” Prawit was quoted as saying at a recent meeting.

Prawit also said the Social Development and Human Security Ministry had proposed that campaigning must target not just people affected by the riverside project but also academics and archaeologists who have recently opposed it, the source said.

Critics have expressed opposition to the project on many grounds, including the suspiciously rushed process, possible adverse environmental consequences and the social impact.

The Chao Phraya Landmark project, if implemented, will affect about 200 families and 40 historical sites.

“We have already held public forums to gather opinions from people and stakeholders. We have also monitored feedback from news reports. And we have definitely taken into account cautions,” an official working on the project said on condition of anonymity.

He said Prawit had instructed all relevant subcommittees to report their work progress every month in a bid to push ahead the project.

“The Cabinet must also get constant updates,” he said.

He then said the government had decided to hire King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Lat Krabang and Khon Kaen University as |project consultants with a budget of Bt119 million.

“The hiring contract will be inked before the end of this month,” the source said. “A part of the budget will come from the central budget of the 2016 fiscal year.”

The consultants will be tasked with studying the project and designing a construction plan within two months, the source continued. Bidding for the project will then likely start around October.

“Then, actual construction should start in January 2017 and be completed about 18 months later,” the source said.

An official working on the legal subcommittee said a draft on remedial action for affected people had already been prepared.

“We will present the draft to the Cabinet soon,” he said.