THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Motorists and daily commuters who frequent the southern fringes of the city can heave a sigh of relief since the second phase development of Karamana-Kaliyikkavila stretch has gathered momentum following months of uncertainties.
According to sources at the PWD department, a revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the stretch from Pravachambalam to Kodinada in Balaramapuram to Kerala Infrastructure Investment Board (KIIFB) will be submitted within two weeks for final approval. Once the DPR gets approved, the tender proceedings will begin. The PWD department is expected to float the tenders by January first week.
P G Suresh, Chief Engineer, PWD (NH), said the government had to revise the DPR due to increase in traffic along the stretch in the past two years. “The road in the first phase was developed based on the DPR prepared in 2010. However, years have passed and the traffic volume on the stretch has increased phenomenally. So we have decided to revise the DPR based on the latest traffic scenario and will be scoping out to see whether the new stretch can be realigned,” said Suresh.
KIIFB is the nodal agency which will mobilise the fund for the development of the stretch from Pravachambalam to Vazhimukku.
Meanwhile, land acquisition from Kodinada to Vazhimukku is moving at a snail’s pace. Sources said land acquisition process hit a roadblock after some traders raised objections and demanded a hike in compensation.
The revenue officials who were assigned to the acquisition process had already informed the commercial establishments between Balaramapuram and Vazhimukku to immediately report the number of staff who would lose their jobs once the buildings are completely demolished. The government had promised to compensate the employees.
According to Karamana-Kaliyikkavila action council members, some of the traders are trying to sabotage the development of the stretch. “This should not be allowed,” said the members of the action council.
“It has been nearly a year since the land acquisition began. Nothing moved forward regarding the development except for the land acquisition till Kodinada. So we urge the authorities to speed up the proceedings as early as possible. The traffic block at Balaramapuram is a nightmare especially for the commuters coming from Nagercoil. One has to wait for hours to cross the stretch which is hardly 2 km in length,” said an action council member.
Earlier, the government had announced they will be floating tenders before Onam. This was in August. Some of the residents and building owners had demolished their buildings after they got compensated. However, the delay from the part of government delayed the two-decade-old project further.
As per the fund status, Rs 266.67 crore has been handed over to the Revenue Department for land acquisition along the Pravachambalam-Balaramapuram stretch. Of this, Rs 122.46 crore has already been disbursed.
Road to perdition
A delay in distribution of compensation set back the progress of the work. The disbursal of compensation got delayed after the special officers entrusted with the land acquisition got transferred. Earlier, the state-level purchase committee meeting had fixed a fair value for the land along Kodinada-Vazhimukku stretch for direct purchase.
The price fixed for the stretch was Rs 14.50 lakh, Rs 13.25 lakh, Rs 11 lakh and Rs 9 lakh per cent. The project is being carried out under KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board). PWD has handed over Rs 266.67 crore to the Revenue Department for land acquisition along the Pravachambalam-Balaramapuram stretch. Out of this, Rs 122.46 crore has already been disbursed. For widening of the 1.5 km stretch from Balaramapuram to Vazhimukku, 2.069 hectare of land is being acquired.