THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Public Works Minister P. J. Joseph has said that the North-South Expressway linking the two ends of the State would be attempted only after preparing a perspective plan on Kerala's transport requirements and arriving at a consensus about its parameters and potential uses.

Participating in a Meet-the-Press programme organised by the Press Club here on Thursday, Mr. Joseph said the Government proposed to ask RITES to do a comprehensive study on the State's transportation needs for the coming decades and prepare a perspective plan that would cover road, water and air transport sectors.

He had got RITES to do a similar study when he was Public Works Minister between 1996 and 2001, but the transportation needs of the State had undergone major changes on account of the steep rise in vehicle population.

The movement of heavy vehicles, particularly in places such as Kochi, would witness a sharp increase with an estimated additional movement of around 2,000 multi-axle vehicles once the Vallarpadam Transhipment Terminal becomes a reality.

He would hold discussions with RITES officials at Delhi on June 5 on the preparation of the perspective plan. The organisation would be asked to submit its report in six months, he said.

Mr. Joseph said the Expressway project had invited criticism from different quarters on account of the proposal to give it 100-metre width and enforce access control. Any road project must reflect the local needs and capabilities. Such a road could make do with 60-metre width with service roads that would ensure smooth access to the highway at shorter distances.

There could also be over-bridges or under-bridges to solve the problem of access. There was no need to go abroad for models to do this.

In India itself, there were several projects that could be taken as models, he pointed out.

The Minister said the Government would from now insist on use of centralised bitumen mixing plants and sensor pavers for tarring roads across the State to ensure even surface and to prevent bitumen losing its binding qualities due to overheating. In the case of buildings, the department would be required to observe CPWD norms.

The Government would also strictly enforce the Highway Protection Act, enacted by the LDF Government, to ensure the proper upkeep of highways.

This would also help prevent filling of land on the sides of the highways above the road level.

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