THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a bid to expedite the makeover of roads in the capital city under the Smart road project of Smart City Mission, the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) has asked the contractors to revise the work schedule so as to meet the deadline of February 2023. If everything goes as per plan, the roads will sport cycle tracks, LED streetlamps and footpaths and will be devoid of overhead cables in less than two years.
Following criticism that the work was dragging there was a growing demand for a smooth coordination among the stakeholders. As part of the first step, the KRFB has initiated a system in place to monitor the project on a regular basis.
“True that the works were progressing at a slow pace. However, the board has asked the contractor to start the works at the earliest, to which the contractor has agreed. We’ve a system to monitor and review the progress of the project. So we will ensure that all the roads which come under the KRFB will be completed on time,” KRFB Chief Executive Officer S Sambasiva Rao told TNIE.
The main roads such as MG Road, Killipalam-Attakulangara road and Thycaud-Vellayambalam road will be given priority. The work here will be carried out without disrupting the traffic and movement of pedestrians.
“The main work of the roads could be done near the footpaths. The digging at two sides need to be taken place without affecting the movement of vehicles and pedestrians,” a KRFB official said.
Meanwhile, the preliminary work of Manaveeyam road, Kalabhavan Mani road and road at the southern side near Sree Chitra Thirunal statue at Fort under the PWD has begun. The roads have been closed for the works.
A senior official of Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL) said the work in smaller stretches in the city have been started on an experimental basis. “In the second phase, we will move to the longer and busier stretches, “ he said. The Rs 427-crore project was inaugurated in February. However, the election code of conduct and the second wave of Covid delayed the project.
Project at a glance
The plan is to upgrade 49km of road falling under the Area Based Development of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. All overhead utilities would be laid underground. Dedicated cycle tracks are an attractive feature of Smart Roads. The project will be implemented in four phases. Other features are LED streetlights and footpaths. The main challenge is shifting of utility lines including power, telecom, digital TV and optical fibre cables and construction of the multi-utility ducts and stormwater drains.
Stakeholders: Corporation, PWD, KRFB. 20 roads of 9.87km in length comprising nine wards come under the corporation. They are progressing at a good pace. 40 roads (20km) come under PWD, while 16km come under KRFB. Smart City, one of the four key flagship missions launched by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, is being launched in cities of T’Puram and Kochi. The main goal is to focus on enabling local area development and harnessing technology, particularly technology that leads to smart outcomes, to drive economic growth and improve people’s quality of life.