Kerala - Kannur   

Caught in row

KANNUR: The road infrastructure in Kannur and Kasaragod would have seen some change for the better if the proposal to upgrade four roads in the region under the World Bank-aided Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) had not got entangled in the row over the cost escalation of the KSTP works in the State.

Uncertainty now grips all the four works, as the entire KSTP package in the State has been recommended for re-tender.

As per the original plan, the Rs.210-crore upgrading of the Kasaragod-Kanhangad, Pilathara-Pappinissery and Thalassery-Valavupara roads should have started by November 2004 and completed in 2007, as they had been included in package five of the Phase II of the KSTP. Since the clearance for the works has been tied to acquisition of land, 40 per cent of land required for the upgrading has already been completed. An amount of Rs.17 crores has been disbursed as compensation to land owners. Now that the Government has decided to go for a re-bid, there is concern about the possible scaling down of the upgrading of the four roads. Of the four roads to be upgraded under the KSTP, Thalassery-Valavupara road, which is part of the old Thalassery-Coorg road, is the major one as it links the road to Mysore and Bangalore. Thalassery-Valavupara road upgrading would also have benefited the overall development of the entire region. At present this road and the connecting road that passes through Karnataka upto Gonikuppa and Hunzur are in a state of disrepair.

People travelling on the Bangalore-Kannur/Thalassery route would have saved minimum three hours if the road up to Mysore was converted into a National Highway.

M.N.

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