KOCHI: Finally, the travel woes of the residents at Pizhala, a small island in the Goshree area, will end soon as the construction of the Moolampilly-Pizhala bridge is likely to be completed before November 30. After visiting the construction site on Monday, Minister for Local Self Government A C Moideen said the construction is progressing at a rapid pace. The minister also attended a review meeting to assess the progress of major projects undertaken by the Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA).
Assessing the work, the minister said the construction slowed down last month. "The delay was due to the floods. The contractors are planning to bring in additional workers to make up for the delay in work caused by the floods," he said.
The minister refuted allegations that the delay in completion of the work was due to the inefficiency of GIDA. "I did not find any delay in the work owing to official apathy. There are some technical issues in connection with the project, which will be addressed soon," he said. He said a meeting of GIDA will be convened soon in the presence of the Chief Minister to discuss the implementation of other projects mooted by the agency.
80 per cent construction over
The work of 54 spans of the total 60 spans of the bridge have been completed. At the review meeting, District Collector K Mohammed Y Safirulla said 80 per cent of the construction of the bridge was over. The bridge will have a total length of 607 m. The total cost of construction is `81.75 crore. The Collector also said 75 per cent of the Kadamakkudi-Chathanad bridge has been completed. The remaining work will be completed once the land acquisition is finished.
Meanwhile, civic administrators from the area said the Moolampilly-Pizhala bridge alone will not help in solving the travel issues of the people. The connection bridge - Kadamakkudi-Chathanad bridge - should also be completed, they said. Both the bridges once completed, will offer the Goshree islets a better connectivity to North Paravoor and the Container Terminal Road.The boat service connecting Valiya Kadamakkudi, Paliyamthuruthu, Pizhala, Chennoor, Kothad, Moolampilly and Chittoor boat jetties was also launched on Monday.
Bridging the gap
The work of 54 spans of the total 60 spans of the bridge have been completed
The bridge will have a total length of 607 m.
The total cost of construction is I81.75 crore. The Collector also said 75 per cent of the Kadamakkudi-Chathanad bridge has been completed.
The remaining work will be completed once the land acquisition is finished.