THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The development of the six-lane National Highway from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram will be completed by 2025, PWD Minister P A Mohammed Riyas has said. He was inaugurating the 37.9-km road from Nedumangad Pazhakutti to Ponmudi hill station at Tholikode in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. “Along with the development of national highways, the dream projects of Kerala, the Coastal Highway and the Hill Highway will be completed on time,” Riyas said.
He said the state-of-the-art road to Ponmudi, a major hill station in the state, would give a new impetus to the tourism sector. “Some of the unhealthy tendencies that are destroying our roads along with the weather are from some contractors and employees. Contractors and employees should ensure that the entire amount allocated for road development is utilised effectively,” Riyas added. He also pointed out that incentives would be given to contractors who complete construction on time and efficiently. “The government is considering rewarding well-performing officials,” Riyas said.
The minister also said that strict action would be taken against contractors and employees who show negligence. The Nedumangad- Ponmudi road is being constructed under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative package implemented by the state government to rehabilitate roads damaged by heavy rain and floods in the state in 2018. The construction cost of the road passing through Nedumangad, Aruvikkara and Vamanapuram assembly constituencies is Rs167.69 crore. 21.03 km of roads including State Highways 2 and 45 will be tarred with a width of 10 to 12 m and 15.6 km with a width of 5.5 m.
The renovation will be implemented under the aegis of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) under PWD without any land acquisition. Reconstruction of 17 culverts, widening of 10 culverts and construction of five new culverts are part of this.
In addition, there will be retaining walls, bridge upgrades, drains on both sides of the road to the forest boundary, and an Irish drain in the forested area to prevent landslides at higher elevations. Earlier, the revamping of the road started in 2002 and the contract period ended in 2017. Food and Civil Supplies Minister G R Anil, MP Adoor Prakash, MLA G Stephen, MLA D K Murali, and various people’s representatives attended the event.