Kerala - Kochi   

Edapally overbridge to be ready by March 2009

KOCHI: Minister for Public Works Mons Joseph on Saturday set the deadline for completing three crucial bridges in the city.

He was attending a meeting convened to review road and bridge development projects.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Joseph encountered protests during his visit to the construction site of the Edapally bridge. Angered over the 10-year delay in completing the bridge, people shouted slogans and demanded that a couple of people’s representatives from the district who were present ‘go back.’

Following the meeting held at the Ernakulam guest house, Mr. Joseph said Public Works Department (PWD) contractors had promised to complete work on the Edapally bridge by March 2009.

The District Collector has been asked to monitor the progress of the work and file a monthly report to the government. Any delay will result in the contract with the builders being cancelled. Delay by the Union government in sanctioning funds has been attributed for the non-completion of the bridge. The bottlenecks have been removed now, Mr. Joseph said. Twenty-four more spans have to be completed.

Taking stock of the progress of work on the Seaport-Airport road, he said Rs.200 crore more was needed for the completion of the road. A new project report was required to complete the pending 22-km stretch in four phases. Mr. Joseph directed officials to finalise a new alignment for the development of the Kochi-Madurai national highway.

He said the bridge being built parallel to the Menaka bridge would be thrown open to traffic on January 1. Potholes on bridges and roads maintained by the PWD and other agencies would be filled. The bridge parallel to the Venduruthy bridge would be ready by June 2009. Earlier, Mr. Joseph inaugurated the second phase of works on the bridge.

He issued directions to the PWD and the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala to ensure that all potholes near road and bridge toll booths were filled. The city police handed over the project report for building a model road to Mr. Joseph.

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