THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The contractor for the development of the second phase of the Karamana-Kaliyikkavila stretch will be finalised next week, a senior officer of the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) said. The second phase of the stretch is from Pravachambalam near Nemom to Kodinada near Balaramapuram. The development of the second phase had come to a standstill following a deadlock on land acquisition at Pravachambalam, after the authorities failed to relocate the 22 families residing in puramboke land.
The tender floated for selecting the contractor was opened earlier and only two bids have been submitted. The cost for the second phase is estimated at Rs 111.5 crore.Sources close to the KRFB said Sree Dhanya Constructions, who was the contractor for the first phase, is likely be selected for the second phase too as they had submitted the lowest bid. However, the evaluation of bids is still underway and the contractor will probably be finalised only by next week, an officer who is in-charge of tender proceedings said.
KRFB is looking after the tender proceedings while KIIFB is the funding agency. Unlike in the first phase, the second phase will have streetlight poles on the median.
“Once we finish the tender proceedings, the PWD will have to begin the construction of the road by giving instructions to the contractor. If all goes well, the construction will begin by August end,” said a senior KRFB officer.
The tender process was delayed for months due to the obstruction in the land acquisition at Pravachambalam. The rehabilitation of around 22 families at the Old Rajapatha area near Pravachambalam remained a major hurdle for months. However, the issue was settled later with the intervention of the district administration.
The 5.6-km stretch between Pravachambalam and Kodinada is the major part of the second phase of the stretch. Earlier, Rs 266.67 crore was handed over to the Revenue Department for land acquisition in the Pravachambalam-Balaramapuram stretch. Of this, Rs 122.46 crore was also disbursed to the landowners.
Meanwhile, land acquisition from Kodinada to Vazhimukku is moving at a snail’s pace. Sources said the land acquisition process hit a roadblock after some traders raised objections and demanded a hike in compensation.