THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Rs 4,868-crore project got Centre’s in-principle approval in 2019. Under it, the road from Parippally in Kollam and going through Andoorkonam, Vattappara, Aruvikkara, Ooruttambalam, Balaramapuram and NH 66 bypass at Vizhinjam will be developed and logistic, IT/ITeS, and a media or entertainment, and a rehabilitation zones will come up along it. However, the files of the ambitious project are stuck in various depts
Though Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday to discuss the major infrastructure projects to be implemented in the state, the much-hyped Outer Area Growth Corridor (OAGC) project, which is expected to change the face of the capital, was not even mentioned in the project list.The Rs 4,868-crore project had received in-principle approval from the Centre in 2019. When asked about the project’s fate on Wednesday, the chief minister said the same.
However, the fact remains that even after a year of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) being submitted by a committee of the Capital Region Development Programme (CRDP) — the implementing agency for the project — hardly any progress has been made.Sources said the project still remains stuck in red tape. Recently, T Balakrishnan ,retired IAS officer and special officer of CRDP, was replaced with PWD principal secretary Anand Singh as the person in charge of the project. He assumed office only on July 12 and hence he has to study the project in detail. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) of the project have also not been completed.
“The files of this project are stuck at various departments including PWD, LSG and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The land acquisition has not even started due to the inordinate delay in the file movement. The pandemic slowed down the proceedings. Now, the files need to be moved from each department and the government can approve the DPR only then,” said an officer involved in the project.
As per the CRDP website, the project’s master development plan is under preparation and approval from departments including NHAI is awaited. The proposal documents selecting the consultant for peer review and proof checking of plans, designs, drawings and reports of the project were recalled by CRDP in November last year and, eventually, the bid process was cancelled.
According to Shelly Raveendran, convener of Trivandrum Development Front (TDF) , the government is least interested in this project. “When the interim state budget presented by former finance minister T M Thomas Isaac announced the OAGC project, we were pleased. But it has come to light that the project is still at a nascent stage and no one is bothered to take up the project. Once implemented, this project will be a gamechanger for the development of the capital. This project will also boost the economy of the state by connecting the road to the upcoming Vizhinjam International Seaport,” he said.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Union government has promised 50% of the funding for the project and the state government has to arrange the remaining amount. Planned to be implemented in two phases under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, the project involves the construction of a road interconnecting NH 66, state highways and MC Road. Beginning from Parippally in Kollam in the north, OAGC will extend to Andoorkonam, Vattappara, Aruvikkara, Ooruttambalam, Balaramapuram and the NH 66 bypass at Vizhinjam in the southern part of the district.
The project needs large stretches of land as the second phase of the project has an industrial and commercial hub in addition to the 80-kilometre six-lane road. The CRDP has chalked out plans to acquire land by employing two methods -- land bond and land pooling. The state government has approved the concept of land bond. The land pooling method will be a practical one as it has been successfully implemented in Gujarat and Maharashtra, sources said. However, thesecan be done only after the preliminary proceedings of land acquisition begins.
Earlier, Larsen & Toubro, which conducted the Social Impact Study, had started collecting data from the village offices regarding the land required for the project. However, the study hit a roadblock allegedly due to bureaucratic delay. The corridor is expected to spur economic growth on the outer fringes of the city and create employment. Four economic areas have been proposed as part of the project -- logistic zones from Mangalapuram to Ooruttambalam, IT/ITeS zone in Andoorkonam, a media or entertainment zone, and a rehabilitation and resettlement zone. The project is envisaged as 55% brownfield and the remaining as greenfield. It is proposed as a six-lane road which will be 60 metres’ wide.
Land bond and LAND pool
Land bond, a secure monetary instrument issued by the government with assured returns and backed by State guarantee, has been proposed to overcome resource crunch and hurdles faced in land acquisition for development projects.
Govt asks NHAI to take over PROJECT and provide funding
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said that the project received in-principle approval from the Centre. In his Facebook post, Vijayan said the project would be developed considering the economic possibilities of the upcoming Vizhinjam port, at an expected cost of Rs 4,500 crore. The state has asked the National Highway Authority of India to take over the project and provide funding. Almost 50 per cent of the cost of land acquisition will be borne by the state government, Vijayan said in the post.