KOCHI: While Tripunithura ranks among the most densely populated towns, the capital of the erstwhile Cochin Kingdom has witnessed few road infrastructure projects to boast of. Which explains the severe congestion in the region. And it is not the dearth of projects but their non-implementation that is ‘squeezing’ the temple town.
The planned extension of the Seaport-Airport Road from Karingachira to Kundannoor, the old Tripunithura bypass project, the Mamala-Chitrapuzha Bund Road, and the SN Junction-Poothotta four-lane project are all remaining on paper.
While the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) is set to implement the second phase of the Seaport-Airport Road project, involving a 14.3km stretch from HMT Road in Kalamassery to Kochi airport, the planned extension at the other end — from Karingachira to Kundannoor — has been abandoned.
“The proposal for the extension of Seaport-Airport Road from Karingachira to the proposed Angamaly-Nettoor highway project of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has not been entrusted to RBDCK,” the state-run agency said in a reply to an RTI query filed by V C Jayendran, secretary, Tripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents’ Associations.
Currently, the Seaport-Airport Road abruptly terminates at Karingachira, resulting in severe traffic congestion during peak hours in nearby areas such as Hill Palace, Thiruvankulam and Tripunithura.
“The old Tripunithura bypass project, connecting Mattakuzhy near Puthenkurish with Kundannoor, was announced in 1989. However, the project has been put into cold storage as only four hectares, out of 34, was acquired over the past 25 years. With the project freezed, those residing along the proposed alignment couldn’t buy or sell their land.
Despite repeated requests, the authorities refuse to reveal whether the new Angamaly-Nettoor bypass project will pass through the proposed alignment of the old Tripunithura bypass project,” Jayendran said.
Mamala-Chitrapuzha Bund Road project
Meanwhile, the over two-kilometre Mamala-Chitrapuzha Bund Road project, conceived to decongest the busy Hill Palace-Thiruvankulam road, remains on paper.
“A major portion of the road was proposed through a paddy field and the owners surrendered land free of cost. The state government even allotted a fund of `75 crore for the project. But there has been no progress even after two decades. Now the Tripunithura municipality has given the nod to IOC to lay an LPG pipeline,” Jayendran pointed out.