THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The much-touted outer ring road project proposed in the district will soon become a reality as the committee of Capital Region Development Programme (CRDP)- II is all set to submit a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the government within two months. However, the DPR will be submitted only after a Social Impact Study is conducted. The study is scheduled to be conducted next month. It will be conducted by Larsen and Turbo (L&T) engineering.
According to officials of CRDP, they have submitted the terms of reference including the suggestions on the project to the State Social Environment Impact Assessment (SEIA) department.
“We have completed the topographic survey of the project. Next step is to conduct the environmental impact study. After that, we will submit a DPR to the government along with the alignment of the proposed road. Once the report is submitted, the ball will in the government’s court. It will study the report and then finalise the agency which will implement the project, a first of its kind in the state,” said a top official of CRDP.
The official said they are hopeful of getting an approval for this much-awaited project by early next year. The authorities said the final draft will be prepared in consultation with the stakeholders.
CRDP’s committee is headed by the Chief Secretary. The proposal for an outer ring road was mooted around four years ago to decongest the existing roads such as MC road, NH 66 and NH 66 bypass. But it got delayed owing to fund crunch. Exactly a year ago, CRDP had invited suggestions regarding the alignment of the 105.58-kilometre road. Officials said many agencies including the Trivandrum Development Front (TDF) approached them with suggestions.
“We have included several suggestions to make the project viable and avoid problems in the future. The project will change the face of Thiruvananthapuram. NH 66 bypass is in the developmental stage. The construction of Vizhinam port is also progressing. So a road which connects all the key projects in the district is essential. If the northern fringes of the district are becoming an IT hub with the launch of Technocity, the southern fringes will be developed once the Vizhinjam project becomes a reality. So hope the government will give a nod to the project soon,” said Shelly Raveendran, a member of TDF.
The Rs 1,061-crore project is expected to be taken up in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. The state’s share will be Rs 189 crore and the Centre’s Rs 323 crore. The remaining Rs 549 crore is expected to be raised through PPP mode.
The key advantage of this project is that the need to acquire land is very less compared to other infrastructure projects. CRDP officials said the project has been designed to minimise displacement levels in the area. The project involves the construction of a 55-km outer ring road which will interconnect NH 66, state highways and MC road beginning from Mangalapuram in the North to Andoorkonam, Vattapara, Aruvikara, Ooruttambalam, Balaramapuram and touches Vizhinjam by-pass. After completion, the ring road will directly connect Kaniyapuram and Neyyattinkara. The corridor is expected to spur economic growth in the outer fringes of the city and create jobs for people in these areas. Four economic areas have been proposed as part of the project- logistic zones from Mangalapuram to Ooruttambalam, IT/ITeS zone in Andoorkonam, media or entertainment zones, and rehabilitation and resettlement zones. The project is envisaged as 55 per cent brown field and 45 per cent green field (from the scratch). The road is to be six-lane.
Of the development zones, the northern logistics hub will come up on 60 acres at Mangalapuram and the southern at Neeramankuzhy. Andoorkonam (48 acres) and Pantalcode (80 acres) are the economic and commercial zones. The rehabilitation and resettlement and new housing zones will be at Thungampara, Thirvuvelloor, Kandla (all residential) and Maranalloor (recreational). Greenfield developments will be taken up in Phase I and land for development zones will be acquired through land pooling.