KOCHI: The Rs 5-crore model road project of the Tourism Department aims at converting the 1.9-km stretch from the Siva Temple Junction to High Court Junction into a `zero-tolerance zone' of international standards.

Similar model roads have been planned in the other four Corporations in the State as well. By declaring it a `zero-tolerance zone', no leniency will be shown towards offenders of traffic and other rules. Since all rules will be strictly enforced, it has been given the name `model road'.

"This concept was conceived by the Tourism Department to create models emulating international trends in road layouts in the heart of the city," said architect Ajith B. R. of Ajith Associates, the architects of the model-road project in Kochi and Thrissur.

The project has been conceived with the main objective of enabling comfortable and uninterrupted movement of vehicles, while ensuring maximum care for pedestrians. Despite 10 metres being acquired from the Rajendra Maidan, Subhash Park and Children's Park and a small portion from the park maintained by the Kochi Refineries Limited, care has been taken not to disturb flora and fauna and avenue trees that dot the stretch. The trees on the western side of the existing road will be retained, forming a `green median'.

With a separate concrete ducts being laid to carry power and telecom cables and water pipelines, the need to dig up roads will be reduced. Though February 2006 been fixed as the deadline for the project, it is expected that it will be over within a year. "The work on the 1.9-km stretch in Kochi will be completed in two phases, to reduce inconvenience and discomfort to members of the public. In phase one, the area in between the Siva Temple Junction and St Teresa's College will be completed."

The stretch has been named as "Walking through the memory lane". The first part of the stretch has been titled as `Maharaja's Sector'.

The second part, from Hospital Road junction to Canon Shed Road junction will rekindle memories of Dutch occupation in Kochi. The third sector will be reminiscent of the English settlement in the port city, Mr Ajith said.

The most important input aspect is a service duct through the entire length of the road, on the western side.

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