Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Mass transport project hits a roadblock

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The delay in securing clearance from the Finance Department threatens to deprive the capital city of a massive dose of Central Government assistance for a project to improve mass transport and pedestrian facilities.

The Union Government had committed a grant of Rs.25 crore for the project aimed at reducing greenhouse gases produced by vehicles running on fossil fuels. Titled ‘Cleaner mobility in urban areas,’ it was designed to promote non- polluting modes of mass transport for passenger movement and provide quality walkways, footpaths and park-and-walk facilities to encourage pedestrian movement on select routes.

In February, the Department of Local Self-Government (LSG) had submitted the Rs.30.25-crore project to the Finance Department for clearance. Sources in the LSG Department said the file was not returned.

The proposal involved the procurement of 12 electric buses to service key routes in the city linking rail and road terminals and the airport. The City Corporation was identified as the implementing agency, with the Southern Railway and the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation as collaborators.

The downtown area of the city was identified as the appropriate location to create quality walking space. Exclusive pedestrian corridors were proposed in the core areas comprising the Central railway station and the Central bus terminus at Thampanoor, the city bus stand at East Fort, the Chalai market, Putherikandam Maidan and Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple, all of which contributed to heavy traffic congestion.

The project report noted that the lack of pedestrian safety measures in these areas was forcing people to turn to automobiles for transport, contributing to heavy traffic congestion.

The project planned to convert the Chalai market street from Killipalam and its continuation towards the eastern entrance of the Padmanabha Swamy Temple into an automobile-free zone and remodel it as a pedestrian corridor during peak hours. A pedestrian subway was proposed at East Fort to minimise the visual impact on the Fort heritage zone.

The 1.5 km-long walkway was designed with quality paving, surface drains, street-lighting, road signs and landscaping to improve appeal. Some of the alleys leading to the market road were also identified for redesign to accommodate pedestrian traffic.

One of the major recommendations of the project was the development of two multi-level parking plazas close to the entry points at East Fort and Killipalam. The second walkway was designed to connect the Central bus station at Thampanoor with platforms and terminal buildings of the Central railway station and further on to the rear side of the Putherikandam Maidan to join the walkway at Chalai. A continuous walkway bridge spanning a length of 0.4 km was proposed to connect the railway lines, station road and Powerhouse Road.

A highly placed official said the project would be a boon to the capital city that was groaning under a crumbling infrastructure. “It would be most unfortunate if procedural delays are allowed to squander away such an opportunity,” he said.

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