KOCHI: Just months after a Rs 100-crore augmentation work on the Container Road was completed, the key freight corridor is likely to be dug up again. This time, to facilitate the electrification of streetlights installed months ago but remain non-functional.
At a meeting chaired by Ernakulam Collector Priyanka G, it emerged that sections of the Container Road would now have to be cut to allow the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to lay underground cables required to power over 1,100 streetlights along the nearly 18km stretch (NH 996A).
The development has sparked criticism, with councillors and even Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, at whose behest the latest meeting was called, pointing out that the work should have been carried out during the road’s 1.5-year-long upgrading phase itself.
“Why didn’t KSEB do it then?” asked Mulavukad panchayat president Aqlin Loppez. “Instead, they sat on it. Now, more public money needs to be used needlessly for fresh work.”
Container Road, managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), is a vital artery and handles close to 40,000 vehicles daily. It was upgraded after being classified as accident-prone.
“Accidents are a result of the stretch being poorly-lit,” pointed out Cheranalloor panchayat president Lissy Varyath.
“In fact, it has even triggered dangers beyond road accidents,” she added.
As TNIE reported earlier this week, illegal waste disposal, stray dog menace, and criminal activities are thriving on the stretch in the cover of darkness.
“While NHAI completed the roadwork neatly and installed streetlight poles, the lamps have remained dark due to delays in securing power supply,” said Shaiju Biju, ward member of Moolampilly East.
NHAI officials said power supply could not be provided due to differences with KSEB over transformer requirements and costs. According to them, an initial demand note of `18 lakh was received from KSEB to set up two transformers — at `9 lakh each. This was later revised to include four transformers for an estimated total cost of over `1 crore.
At the meeting, NHAI officials pointed out that there were no supporting documents or justifications on the part of KSEB to back this “preposterous” estimate.
Earlier, NHAI had already agreed to install a new 100 kVA transformer and to upgrade an existing transformer from 100 kVA to 160 kVA. But KSEB pointed out in the meeting that this alone would not suffice to meet power needs. Sources told TNIE that without the additional two transformers, nearly 4,000 homes in the panchayats that line the road could face power disruptions.
“To set this up, fresh cables needed to be laid, which meant cutting sections of the road,” said a KSEB official.
This development entails new permissions from the leadership ladders of both NHAI and KSEB, all of which is likely to delay the electrification of streetlights. But on Hibi’s urging, the NHAI gave a verbal approval during the meeting, and a written order is likely to follow suit.
Even then, another bone of contention remains — a hefty labour cost of `46 lakh, sought by KSEB for the new cabling work. However, the Ernakulam MP has urged the KSEB to make necessary concessions and expedite power supply to Container Road.
“Public safety cannot be compromised because of inter-departmental lapses. KSEB must take responsibility and move quickly, even if that means making concessions,” Hibi told TNIE.
Now, with fresh road cuts on the cards, “an already unlit road may only get even more dangerous”, noted Shaison Albert, vice-president of Mulavukad panchayat.