The residents of Kuttampuzha panchayat in Kothamangalam have a reason to cheer. With the intervention of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, the hassles in the construction of Aanakayam bridge, which could reduce the travel burden of the residents to almost nil, is speculated to be resolved soon.
The construction of Vadattupara- Kuttampuzha Road in the Kothamangalam constituency will be discussed at a meeting to be presided over by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on November 7 at Thiruvananthapuram. The meeting is being convened after T U Kuruvila, MLA, brought the issue to the Chief Minister’s notice.
At present, residents of Vadattupara in the Kuttampuzha panchayat, have to travel 35 kilometres in order to reach Kuttampuzha. This distance will be reduced to three kilometres if the proposed Aanakayam bridge is constructed in the Nedumbassery- Kodaikanal Road which connects Vadattupara and Kuttampuzha.
The Central Government had allotted `5.17 crore for the bridge construction. Though the tender was allotted, the project had come to a standstill after the forest department refused to grant permission to construct the bridge.
The MLA had brought this issue to the CM’s notice, also mentioning that the financial aid offered by the Central Government may be lost if measures are not taken for construction of the bridge.
The meeting will be convened in the Chief Minister’s conference hall at 12 pm. P T Thomas,MP, District Collector P I Shiek Pareeth, Forest department Principal Chief Conservator, Chief Engineer (Roads), Chief Engineer (National Highway) and Superintending Engineer (KSEB) will attend the meeting. Construction blockage on the Aluva-Munnar Road, part of the top Station highway, will also be discussed.