Kerala: Manaveeyam road work likely to be completed in two months
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even though the weather is favourable for road construction work, the refurbishment of Manaveeyam Road and Kalabhavan Mani Road under the Smart City Mission project has not started yet. These roads have been in a pathetic condition for the past several months, and the motorists have been bearing the brunt for a long time. People from the cultural spectrum of the city are also at the receiving end due to the present condition of the Manaveeyam road.
However, Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited (SCTL) officials said that the company has started tender proceedings, and the tender for the Manaveeyam Road project will be floated on Thursday. Similarly, the tender for the Kalabhavan Mani Road will be opened this week.
“Not only Manaveeyam Road and Kalabhavan Mani Road, but many other roads in the city that were included in the smart road scheme are in bad condition. Monsoon is expected after two months, and the work will be disrupted again,” said Shelly Raveendran, member, Awake Trivandrum, an NGO working for the development of Thiruvananthapuram.
Since work on the smart road began two years ago, the Manaveeyam road has become a dumping ground for construction materials. Several spots on the stretch have also been dug up. According to residents, the once-art corridor has now become a haven for antisocial people. Intended as part of efforts to give this 180-metre stretch a big facelift, it has now proved very detrimental, with the work getting stalled on several occasions due to the inefficiency of the contractors.
Earlier, the SCTL officials had said that the road, the work of which is 70% complete, would be opened by March 31. The Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), the project’s executing agency, had also said that a new tender was out and a contractor would be roped in within two weeks. But the tender proceedings are yet to start.
According to a top official of SCTL, the delay in the work on Manaveeyam Road was due to the redesigning of the stretch. As per the new design, the bollards proposed at various parts of the road to limit vehicular traffic have been dropped. The new design will be both pedestrian-friendly and allow partial traffic. It will also have open spaces for conducting cultural events.
“Right now, the reconstruction of the footpaths on Manaveeyam Road is underway. However, a fresh tender will be floated this week. We will give seven days for e-tender submission. After that, we will select the lowest bidder, and the construction can be started this month itself. Many contractors have also expressed interest in participating in the bidding process for the renovation,” the official said.
The official also said that the construction of Kalabhavan Mani Road will begin within two weeks.
Recently, when President Droupadi Murmu came to the city, the convoy of vehicles avoided the Althara-Vazhuthacaud stretch from Raj Bhavan to reach Hyatt Residency hotel at Vazhuthacaud, due to its bad condition.
Promise unkept
- Earlier, the SCTL officials had said that the road, the work of which is 70% complete, would be opened by March 31
- KRFB, the project’s executing agency, had also said that a new tender was out and a contractor would be roped in within two weeks
- However, nothing has happened, and the tender proceedings are yet to start