KOCHI: Imagine a mere 6-km stretch that links the bustling Vyttila to the gates of Infopark, while also providing a crucial connectivity to the Seaport-Airport road. Actually, the road already exists. It’s just choked and narrow, only 3-3.5-m wide in most sections.
Clamour for the development of the “forgotten” Vyttila-Kaniyampuzha-Irumpanam road is growing louder with the government recently deciding to use 33.5 acres of land belonging to TRACO Cable Company in Irumpanam to set up the proposed Infopark phase-4. Even today, the narrow, crumbling path faces a heavy rush of vehicles, mostly techies rushing to Infopark in the morning and leaving in the evening.
“Traffic density on the narrow road is increasing, especially after the Kochi Metro work started on the Palarivattom stretch. Developing the shortest route is a necessity now that the Infopark phase-4 is coming. We have been batting for the road’s development ever since the Eroor RoB was opened for public in January 2017,” said Jayendran V C of TRURA (Tripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents Associations), an apex body of residents associations in Tripunithura municipality.
The urgency is nothing new. Back in 2021, when M Swaraj was Tripunithura MLA, the government recognised the importance of this PWD road and accorded administrative sanction for `10 crore for its development.
The approval covered the entire stretch from Vyttila-Kaniyampuzha-Eroor RoB to Labour Junction and then to Irumpanam near TRACO Cable Company. However, the funds proved inadequate for execution as a preliminary study found that 462 cents (about 4 acres and 62 cents) of land was required to widen the road.
“The fund was grossly inadequate. The critical next step, securing necessary funds, never materialised, which stalled the road widening project,” a senior PWD official said.
The road is just 3 to 3.5 m wide in sections, particularly from TRACO Cable (Irumpanam) to Vettuveli Kadavu near the BPCL storage tank. Similar is the case with the last stretch, the 2.8 km long Eroor RoB-Kaniyampuzha-Vyttila stretch, adding to the traffic gridlock.
Eroor-Kaniyampuzha road in poor condition
The narrow Eroor RoB-Kaniyampuzha-Vyttila road is in a poor condition, with the section getting waterlogged at the slightest of rain. Its condition has deteriorated to the extent that more and more two-wheeler riders are falling off while negotiating the waterlogged, pothole-ridden section.
“The stretch has turned dangerous. It gets inundated easily, hiding the pothole-filled sections. Two-wheeler riders are often caught unawares. There are also multiple bottlenecks on the small stretch where two cars can’t pass simultaneously. The authorities need to address the waterlogging, and widen the road wherever possible,” said Kaniyampuzha resident and social activist O N Manoj.
Tackling fund crunch
On the fund crunch, TRURA has put forth an innovative suggestion.
“If the government is struggling, why not appeal to a large corporate entity in the vicinity? The BPCL, whose storage tank is located near the road, should step in and develop the crucial segment from TRACO Cable Company to Vettuveli Kadavu using its corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund.
The TRACO land will be soon handed over and Infopark’s future is set. Now, the community is waiting to see if the path to that future, the shortest road, will finally be widened, transforming a narrow choke-point into a proper gateway to progress,” Jayendran said.