Land acquisition will in no way affect the progress of the monorail project in Thiruvananthapuram as the government needs to acquire only around 3 hectares of land for the project, Minister for Public Works V K Ebrahim Kunju said on Thursday.
“In Thiruvananthapuram, we need to acquire only around three hectares. The rest of the land is puramboke and a minor portion of it belongs to the Railways,’’ Ebrahim Kunju said in response to a query whether delay in land acquisition will affect the monorail project in the capital.
The Minister was briefing mediapersons here on Thursday about the achievements of the Public Works Department in the last two years of UDF rule.
Land acquisition will be put on fast track, he said, adding that the government expects to commission the first phase of the project by 2016. The Cabinet on Wednesday gave administrative sanction to the 22.2-km monorail project in the state capital clearing the decks for signing the agreement with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). The administrative sanction for the monorail project in Kozhikode was given earlier.
‘’The role of the DMRC in these two projects will be that of general consultant,’’ Ebrahim Kunju said.
The work on the second phase of Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) will begin on June 1, Ebrahim Kunju said, adding that the World Bank will fund Rs 1,166 crore out of the total project cost of 2,403 crore.
Under this project, work on three major roads in Malabar region will begin on June 1.
These are Kasaragod- Kanhangad, Pilathara-Pappinissery and Thalassery-Valavupara roads.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MORTH) has accepted Kerala’s stand that five national Highways within the state under NHDP Phase IV need not be developed on a BoT basis, the minister said ‘’Only financial assistance from MORTH is required. The National Highway wing of PWD will develop it in a two-lane basis without toll collection,’’ he said.
Public Works Department has decided to hand over housekeeping and catering jobs in PWD Rest Houses to Kudumbashree in a phased manner.
Two companies - Aashwas Public Amenities Kerala Ltd and Pratheeksha Bus Shelters Kerala Ltd - will be launched to provide better amenities to the public.
‘’Aashwas envisages setting up of quality toilets along major roads. Pratheeksha bus shelters, apart from being bus shelters, will offer additional amenities like newspaper kiosks, internet connectivity, mobile charging facilities etc,’’ Ebrahim Kunju said.