THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The land acquisition proceedings for the first reach of the proposed four-lane widening of Vazhayila near Peroorkada in the capital to Nedumangad have reached the final stage. Of the 305 landowners in the first reach – from Vazhayila to Keltron Junction at Karakulam– the district Collectorate has passed the compensation disbursal for 109 landowners.
For the implementation of the project’s first phase, Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), the executing agency, has floated an e-tender for the construction of a flyover at Karakulam near the bridge. The 375-m-long flyover will have an approach road of 300m on both sides. The total cost of the flyover project is Rs 50 crore.
As the project comes under KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board), a meeting is scheduled for February 7 to ensure allotment of the remaining funds for the first reach and the full fund for the second reach.
A KRFB official said that the land acquisition proceedings for the first reach was 90% complete, and the compensation amount was credited to 42 landowners. “The remaining 10% will be completed by February 29. Simultaneously, the tender proceedings for the flyover project will be completed by then, so that the flyover’s construction can begin in March. The compensation amount to be distributed for the first reach is `117.78 crore,” an official said.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister G R Anil, who took a special interest in the project, told TNIE that the state government was planning to start the construction before the election code of conduct comes into force. “The tender for the flyover has been called. So we expect to start its construction by March. The land acquisition proceedings for the second reach will also begin soon,” Anil said.
Earlier, a six-member committee was constituted to draw up a new alignment for the road development project. The panel, which submitted its report based on the social impact assessment (SIA) study to the state government, had put forth several suggestions to ensure limited displacement of people during land acquisition. It also held discussions with landowners to allay their apprehensions over the land acquisition.
The widening of the 11.3-km main carriageway is being carried out by dividing the stretch into three reaches and calling tender for each reach separately to hasten the project’s execution. Currently, the survey proceedings for the third phase of the stretch are progressing.
The widening of the stretch has been a long-pending demand, as it would give good connectivity from the state capital to Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu, thereby, providing a link to NH 44, which is the north-south corridor. The government had earlier sanctioned Rs 338.53 crore for the project, of which, Rs 279.31 crore will be spent on road work and Rs 59.22 crore on land acquisition. The entire stretch will be 20 metres wide, with a two-metre-wide median.
E-tender floated for construction of flyover
For the implementation of the project’s first phase, Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), the executing agency, has floated an e-tender for the construction of a flyover at Karakulam near the bridge. The 375-m-long flyover will have an approach road of 300m on both sides.