THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As part of the Smart City project of the city corporation, smart roads were to come up at Manaveeyam Veedhi, the cultural corridor of the capital city, where people from different backgrounds connect through various cultural activities such as music, drama or street performances. But the project continues to be delayed as the corporation is yet to receive consent from various departments before implementation.
According to the proposal, the smart roads are to come up at Manaveeyam Veedhi and Chalai. The project is being implemented at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore per kilometre, of which Rs 2.5 crore will be used for utility ducts.
Although the Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited (SCTL) had held a meeting with road owners and utility providers a few months ago and discussed the arrangement of water, sewer and electric lines and optical fibre cables, action towards implementation was not initiated. The detailed project report (DPR) has not been finalised either as the Public Works Department (PWD) and Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) have not approved it yet.
“Through this project, we aim to upgrade our city roads to smart roads which will have facilities such as cycling tracks, walkways with fences, bus bays and utility ducts. Technical issues regarding utility ducts have been cleared,” said Sanoop Gopikrishna, general manager, SCTL.
“A letter in this regard has also been addressed to the PWD minister. Without cooperation from all agencies concerned, the project cannot be implemented,” said a corporation official. A meeting was recently held by the city corporation with officials of the Kerala State Electricity Board and Kerala Water Authority to shift utility lines.
Installation of e-toilets and an on-site waste management system is also included in the project. To manage vehicular movement, the corporation has decided to put traffic bollards at both entry points of the street. “Once we get the PWD’s approval, we hope to receive tenders for the work by next month. Once smart roads are implemented at Manaveeyam Veedhi, the project will be done at Chalai,” said Sanoop.