KOCHI: In a big relief to the residents of Kochi, the much-delayed construction of the Vaduthala railway overbridge is all set to commence soon, as the government has sanctioned Rs 67.5 crore for the project. Though the preparatory work for the bridge started years ago, the delay in sanctioning the amount stalled the project.
Ernakulam MLA T J Vinod said that the most notable progress in the project so far is the allocation of Rs 67.51 crore from the Kerala Investment Infrastructure Fund Board (KIIFB) to the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation.
“Though the design and GAD were submitted to the railways way back in 2016, the project got stuck in red tape citing the doubling of the Shornur-Ernakulam rail line. Following this, interventions were made with the help of MP Hibi Eden, and a revised design was adopted taking into account the doubling of the railway line. Now the amount for acquiring 60.15 acres of land has been sanctioned. Earlier, it was estimated that only an area of 42.92 acres needs to be acquired, the MLA said.