THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Traffic woes at the busy Attakulangara junction, adjacent to the East Fort, will soon be a thing of the past as KIIF B on Tuesday approved a Rs 179.69-crore project for this. To ease traffic congestion in the East Fort area, a 1,200-mlong flyover will be constructed starting from Killipalam-Attakulangara Road and ending at Attakulangara-Enchakkal Road, said Transport Minister and local MLA Antony Raju. The total width of the flyover will be 10m.
According to the minister, those who are evicted for the project will be compensated for the land and building ceded at market rate. An amount of `95.28 crore has been set aside to acquire land. The minister said the flyover would decongest East Fort and Manakkad Junction, the heart of the city, and facilitate easy access to Attukal temple.
With the completion of the new flyover, it will be possible to ease traffic block at Attakulangara junction and reach Thampanoor and the airport faster. A flyover or an underpass at Attakulangara junction has been a long-standing demand of motorists it is one of the busiest junctions in the city. Vehicles have to wait for a long time at the traffic island due to heavy traffic.
However, the biggest headache for the project will be land acquisition. The entire stretch is a commercial hub, and evicting traders and rehabilitating them will be a challenge. A senior official of the revenue department said the decision on land acquisition and compensation would be taken only after preparing the final alignment of the flyover. “It is too early to comment. The minister has announced the project and the fund has been sanctioned.
Land acquisition and other proceedings will begin only after the final alignment,” the official said. Traders of East Fort and Attakulangara expressed concerns about the land acquisition proceedings. “We are not against development. But the government should construct the flyover without causing harm to the traders at East Fort and Attakulangara.
Moreover, the government should not delay the completion of projects like Thakaraparambu and Bakery junction flyover project,” said Abdul Rahman, an owner of are staurantat Attakulangara. The government had come up with several proposals earlier to ease the traffic at East Fort, including the extension of median construction for an additional bus bay and eviction of wayside vendors. But the situation remains the same.