KOCHI: Despite witnessing a huge increase in vehicular traffic across the city, the much-hyped Ring Road project still remains a pipe dream. The 64-km-long stretch which connects Chathiyath with Panangad has been part of the city’s development vision for over 15 years now. The project envisaged by the Greater Cochin Development Authority even received a state budget mention in 2016
The Ring Road project that aims to provide seamless connectivity to inter-district travellers by avoiding busy stretches of the city has been a long-pending demand of motorists and residents. The initial plan envisaged a 36-metre-wide road. According to the GCDA officials, the project even received clearance from the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority for its first phase implementation, with a condition that no land will be reclaimed for it.
It is expected to streamline the flow of vehicles, including inter-state, inter-district and intra-district fleets of container lorries and hundreds of multi-axle buses that pass through the heart of the city. “The concept of the outer ring road is based on the idea that vehicles which are not heading for the city need not enter it. Even when other cities are implementing the same as part of their vision plan, Kochi is in no mood to put it into action.
The project can improve intra-and-inter-city traffic immensely, reduce pollution and play a crucial role in the growth of the city’s image. It helps travellers save time and effort by avoiding serpentine queues of vehicles,” said S Gopakumar, president of Better Kochi Response Group (BKRG)The GCDA still cites fund crunch as the main reason for the delay in initiating the project.
“The project is still relevant. But we are facing an acute fund crunch, and our hands are tied. Though it was mentioned in the 2016 budget, no substantial allocation was made at the time. We haven’t dropped the project. Currently, we are considering alternative options for implementation,” said V Saleem, GCDA chairman.
However, experts brush aside the fund crunch factor. “When you can tap funds for projects like Kochi Metro and Water Metro, it is quite possible to get financial support for the project. All we need is the political will to execute it. The officials have even laid survey stones for acquiring required land for the project. With nearby suburbs developing each day and apartments and commercial establishments mushrooming, it may become impossible to execute the project with current alignment after a while,” said Gopakumar.
Echoing a similar sentiment, Greater Cochin Development Watch — an organisation working for the betterment of Kochi, points out political interests as the reason for the project’s delay. “As GCDA was the implementing agency, each dispensation had its own interest. But the project design itself had many flaws.
Even when the public demanded an ‘at grade’ project, GCDA officials demanded an ‘elevated model’ throughout the stretch. It made the estimated cost to shoot upand went beyond the reach of the agency. We were hoping that the project will tap the tourism potential of Kochi’s islets while also ensuring a smooth travel experience,” said Felix J Pulludan, president, Greater Cochin Development Watch.
Vision 2031
Town planning department officials associated with the Vision-2031 pointed out the need for an arterial outer ring road. A growing population and increased number of cars per household have worsened the traffic congestion. To address this issue, a 30km outer ring road project – the Cochin Seaport-Airport Highway – is being constructed. When fully operational, this corridor will connect many of the industrial and commercial zones of the Kochi area and reduce travel time from the sea port to the airport by half. Kochi is well connected to other cities in India via the national highway network. Three national highways (NH-47, NH-17 and NH-49) pass through or near the city. This allows commercial traffic from both the airport and seaport to connect easily to the national grid.
The project is proposed to be implemented in four phases. The first phase is between the GIDA land and NH 17 (Varapuzha), 2nd phase links NH-17 and NH-47 ( Athani), 3rd phase comprises the stretch between NH-47 and NH-49 (Puthencruz) and the final phase will include the stretch between Puthencruz and Madavana near Aroor on NH-47. 14 panchayats in GCDA jurisdiction are expected to benefit from this project.
Areas marked in the map
1. ALANGAD
2. NEDUMBASSERY
3. PUTHENCRUZE
4. KUREEKKAD
5. CHELLANAM