THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the apprehension flooding remains, Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL) and the city corporation have decided to scrutinise the proposed subway project at East Fort to draw up strategies for flood mitigation. On Thursday, the technical committee formed by the new council at the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation held a meeting with officials of the SCTL to take a final call on the Rs 28-crores project. As many as 60 shops would also be set up inside the proposed 100-metre long subway.
A senior official from SCTL’s subway project said the project is already in the execution stage. “We wrote to the corporation after the new council took charge to ensure their full support. Another pedestrian crossover facility is coming up at the same spot near Gandhi Park. So, we asked ourselves whether both projects were necessary at the same spot. Hence, we decided to meet the mayor to arrive at a decision,” the official said. According to the official, SCTL decided to go for a subway project because elevated crossover was not feasible in the area.
The official said the elevated structure was not a feasible option because of the heritage value of the spot. “The skywalk coming up now is more of a commercial structure being set up by a private company and would be used for displaying advertisements. The only advantage is that the civic body doesn’t have to spend anything on it,” the official added.
According to sources, the corporation has decided to go ahead with the proposed subway and skywalk projects at East Fort. The committee has decided to come up with strategies to avoid flooding as the location identified for the subway is low lying and flood-prone.
“Flood mitigation strategy is part of our project already. Even if flooding occurs, we have to pump out the water immediately.” According to the official, the current strategy is to put up a permanent pumping mechanism in the subway to pump out the water to the nearby canal. “But if the canal is clogged we will not be able to pump the water. Hence, proper maintenance and unclogging of the canal would be very crucial to avoid flooding inside the subway.”.
Standing committee chairman and LDF parliamentary party leader D R Anil told TNIE that the corporation has decided to go ahead with both projects. “Flooding is an issue we are scared of and we would scrutinise the project further. There needs to be a scientific plan for flood water handling. We will be properly maintaining and unclogging the Amayizhanchan canal and we will be introducing a proper system for that,” said Anil.
The SCTL has also requested the city corporation to hand over half of the Gandhi Park for the subway project. “We have awarded the work already and we need to get them all NOCs before kick-starting the civil works. As itis a subway, there would be excavation facility and we need a space to dump the removed mud without disrupting the busy traffic. We cannot kick off the work without the corporation handing over the Gandhi Park,” said the official.
The parking lot at Gandhi Park is being widely used by the public coming to Chalai Market. “The Corporation will have to suspend the contract or enter into an agreement with the private party running the parking lot to avoid legal issues,” said the official.Anil clarified that handing over the Gandhi Park can happen only after the assembly elections. “Once the elections are over, we will look into the matter. We will extend all support to make the project as a reality,” he added.