THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though Smartcity Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL) had promised that the roads that were dug up for smart road project in the capital will be repaired before June 1, the work of laying utility cables underground is likely to be delayed.
With political parties taking up the issue and blaming the civic body and the government, the authorities are trying their best to complete the remaining work by the end of the month. “We are trying our best to complete existing works before May 31. But utility cables can only be laid once the monsoon season is over. At present, we are focusing on covering pits which are dug for laying ducts. The work is in progress and the contractors have deployed more workers to ensure timely completion of works,” a top official of Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) told TNIE.
As many as 34 roads are getting upgraded to smart roads and the cable-laying work is likely to be completed by May 31. Recently, ministers Antony Raju and V Sivankutty, intervened in the issue and held a meeting with SCTL. The officials were given an ultimatum to complete the work by the end of the month.
The `427-crore project for renovating 46-kilometres of road in the city is expected to be completed in February 2023. However, the main challenge is shifting of utility lines including power, telecom, digital TV and optical fibre cables and construction of multi-utility ducts and stormwater drains.
The works are being carried out under two sections. Sources said the development of roads coming under the corporation is progressing fast while the works on the roads which come under PWD and KRFB are still lagging. As many as 20 roads of 9.87km length comprising nine wards come under the corporation. These are being developed at a cost of `104 crore. Twenty kilometres of 40 roads come under PWD while 16 kilometres come under KRFB. The preliminary work of the project began in February last year, but the district collector had directed to stop road cutting and digging activities owing to election code of conduct. The second Covid wave also led to delays.
As part of the project, all overhead lines will be laid underground so that no cables and electric posts could be seen on either side of roads. The other features are dedicated cycle tracks, LED streetlights and footpaths. The contractors of the project, which will be implemented in four phases, have also been selected.