There’s good news for residents of Pachalam, Vaduthala, Chittoor and Kochiites in general. Against the backdrop of the state cabinet decision to sanction Rs 52.7 crore, the construction of the Pachalam Railway Over Bridge, a long-pending demand of the people, will begin on Tuesday, said Hibi Eden MLA.
Union Minister K V Thomas will inaugurate the construction of the ROB at 9 am at the project site. DMRC Principal Advisor E Sreedharan will attend the function.
On Wednesday, the cabinet sanctioned `847.42 crore for construction of various roads, flyovers and rail over bridges in Kochi. The construction fund for Pachalam ROB was given as part of this allocation. “It’s for the first time in the history of the state that such a big amount is being sanctioned by any government for basic infrastructure development of Ernakulam,” he said.
Without proper connectivity, developmental activities have not reached certain regions in the northern side of Ernakulam district including Pachalam, Vaduthala, Chittoor and Cheranaloor. It’s perceived that the construction of the ROB will be the beginning of development for these regions.
The ROB is being constructed by acquiring less than one acre of land. While the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) will be in charge of construction, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will carry out the work. E Sreedharan has assured that the construction can be completed within six months, informed Hibi Eden.
“The new over bridge would be a permanent solution to the transport-related issues of residents in the northern pockets. There was a major movement by various residents associations, community organisations, traders' bodies and the public to help materialise the project. There was severe criticism from various quarters for not including many projects in the recent budget. However, the government was able to finally give administrative sanction to these projects and allocate funds for the same,” the MLA pointed out.