THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The contract for the development of the 29-km stretch along NH 66 from Kazhakootam to Kadampattukonam at Parippally is likely to be finalised in a week. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has received bids of seven companies through the e-tender process. NHAI sources said the contractor would be finalised after selecting the company which quotes the lowest amount. The company will be selected after a technical and financial evaluation.
Though the technical evaluation is over, financial evaluation of the firms is under way. The road will be widened to 45 m to facilitate six-lane traffic. There will be service roads on either side and proper road safety measures will be put in place as mandated by the Indian Road Congress.
The tenders submitted by seven companies for the project were opened on January 19. The companies are EKK infrastructure Ltd, Jandu Construction India Private Ltd, KNR Constructions Ltd, RDS Project Ltd, S and P Infrastructure Developers Private Ltd, Sew Infrastructure Ltd and Sree Dhanya Construction Company.
Of these, Sree Dhanya is a Thiruvananthapuram-based builder while others are from other states. KNR Constructions was the contractor of the Kazhakootam- Mukkola stretch of NH 66 bypass. According to P Pradeep, project director, NHAI, the contractor will be selected in a week as financial evaluation of the bidders is under way.
“Though the bids were opened, we need to evaluate the technical and financial bids. After evaluating it, we will finalise the contractor. So it will take one week and the proceedings are in progress,” he said.
The NHAI had called the e-tender on October 25. The last date to submit technical and financial bids was December 9. However, the last date for submission was extended to January 18, 2022. Later, the bids were opened on January 19.
Meanwhile, the NHAI could not vacate the stay order secured by the authorities of Thiruvarattukavu devi temple at Attingal. At present, the lone remaining hurdle for the project is the stay order on acquiring 45 cents of land belonging to the temple, which is essential for construction of the 12-km-long Attingal bypass. Though NHAI filed a review petition in the High Court against the stay order, nothing has turned positive.
The Kazhakoottam-Parippally road project has been conceived in such a way that the highway would deviate from Mamom Junction to a bypass road. From here, long-distance travellers need not touch Attingal town, a major traffic bottleneck. They will join the main road at Ayamkonam near Kallambalam.
The project requires 65 hectares of land, of which 20 hectares are already in NHAI’s possession. NHAI has allotted Rs 200 crore to the revenue department to compensate owners who surrender their land.
Around 90 per cent of the amount has been disbursed. The stretch will be developed under the engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) model. A toll booth will be set up like the one on Kazhakoottom-Kovalam road. Once the stretch is widened, travel time from Kollam to Thiruvananthapuram, which normally takes 90 to 105 minutes during peak hours, will be reduced by 20 to 30 minutes.