THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Putting an end to uncertainties, the construction of the 874-metre-long two-lane flyover at Peroorkada in the city is likely to begin by January 2024. The tender for the construction of the flyover will be floated in December, while the disbursal of compensation to landowners will begin by next month once the 19(1) notification of The Right of Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation & Resettlement Act, 2013, is issued.
Once compensation is disbursed, the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Ltd (RBDCK), the implementing agency, will float the tender. As per the plan, the flyover will start near Lourdes Church at Peroorkada and culminate near St Jude’s Church at Vazhayila. Once built, it will reduce bottlenecks at the junction, where four busy roads, including the ones to Nedumangad and Kudappanakunnu, intersect. V K Prasanth MLA, who played a major role in initiating the project, told TNIE that the land acquisition proceedings entered the final stage and the 10(1) notification will be issued early in December.
“There was a delay in the land acquisition process due to the redesigning of the flyover due to a massive pipeline situated nearby. In the earlier design, the flyover was passing over the pipeline. This will affect the water flow through the pipeline in the future. So the RBDCK has redesigned and prepared a new plan. However, the work on the flyover can begin in January itself,” he said.
The total cost of the project is Rs 106 crore. Of which, Rs 55 crore has been utilised for the land acquisition process, and the remaining amount will be used for construction. Besides building the flyover, there is a proposal to widen the road at Ambalamukku by 21 metres. However, final approval has been received from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). RBDCK had sought sanction for acquiring 160.65 acres in the Peroorkada and Kudappanakunnu villages for the flyover. As per the new proposal, around 25 shops on either side of the road need to be demolished.
Underpass to flyover
The previous LDF government had proposed an underpass instead of a flyover but dropped the plan after a study by RBDCK found there were many drinking water pipelines underneath the road