THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a fresh development, PWD (NH) wing has proposed an underpass at Pravachambalam where the second phase development of Karamana-Kaliyikkavila begins. The new proposal is at the designing stage with the project preparation unit of the PWD and the officials are expected to finalise it within a week. According to PWD sources, an underpass at Pravachambalam has been proposed keeping in view the possibility that traffic might increase at the junction in the future. But the project may delay the development works of the road from Pravachambalam to Kodinada in Balaramapuram since it will likely affect the tendering process. Earlier, it was decided to float the tender after completing land acquisition till Kodinada.
PWD officials said, the underpass proposal has not been finalised. The department will go ahead with the works only after the viability of the proposal is discussed.“We have proposed an underpass at the junction. Design works are on. If the design is found viable after a feasibility study which will be carried out by the District Development Committee, we will float tenders for the second phase of construction,” said R Bindhu, PWD executive engineer. Meanwhile, the land acquisition for the road development works is fast progressing at Balaramapuram junction. Land acquisition process was stopped for two weeks during Onam. However, officers with the department said the acquisition works have begun again and will be completed in a couple of weeks. Land is being acquired under the new land acquisition act. Officers said the traders along the stretch are co-operating with the land acquisition process.
Land acquisition gained momentum recently after months of delay. 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.
When contacted the members of action council for the Karamana- Kaliyikkavila development said they are against the move to built an underpass at Pravachambalam. “Earlier, they had proposed an underpass at Balaramapuram. Later, they dropped the plans. Now, they are proposing another one at Pravachambalam. I’m afraid this is a move to delay the second phase of Karamana- Kaliyikkavila development work. We are already behind schedule. Hence, we urge the department to drop the underpass plan and float the tenders,” said an action council member.