Kerala - Kochi   

Road projects in city hanging fire

KOCHI: Work on the NH bypass-Thammanam-Pullepady-M.G. Road corridor and the Chilavanoor Bund Road has been hanging fire for many years. These roads would have provided multiple entry points into the western parts of the city.

The roads, planned by the Corporation of Cochin and the Greater Cochin Development Authority, respectively, would have decongested the Sahodaran Ayyappan Road since they would run parallel to it.

The city-bound Bund Road was to have two arms from K.P. Vallon Road—one proceeding to Atlantis on the southern side of M.G. Road and the other reaching Thevara through Kasturba Nagar. These road networks would in turn also decongest M.G. Road and Banerjee Road.

As of now, development of the NH bypass-M.G.Road corridor has been plagued by the Railway’s delay in completing the Pullepady bridge and the corporation’s inability to complete land acquisition for the road. Recently, the Kerala High Court issued a six-month deadline to the Railways to complete the bridge. A senior Railway official said that work on the 27-metre rail portion of the bridge was awarded early this week, for Rs.1.49 crore.

The delay of over three years and the subsequent cost escalation could have been prevented had the Railways agreed to give a few lakh rupees as tender excess in 2006, when a contractor bid for the work for Rs.41 lakh. The Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala had completed the work on the bridge’s approach three years ago.

Mayor Mercy Williams said that a project to develop the corridor and to four-lane the S.A. Road using Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) funds, have been submitted for approval to the Centre. “Corporation officials would take up these and other infrastructure projects with the Centre on Thursday.”

The development of S.A. Road would be incomplete if the South bridge is not widened. A project submitted by the Better Kochi Response Forum to build two/three-wheeler bays by widening the existing footpaths, is awaiting sanction from the Railway Safety Board.

“The work would be done with the help of sponsors,” said S. Gopakumar, a Forum office bearer.

Work on developing the Bund Road got stalled after some organisations alleged that the project was aimed at helping some builders.

The GCDA had roped in local residents, residents associations and builders to ensure that the road became a reality, without any fuss over land acquisition.

“Many builders came forward to sponsor a good share of the project cost. The road would have become a reality by now but for vested interests playing spoilsport,” said a senior GCDA official.

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