KOCHI/ALAPPUZHA/THRISSUR: ompared to the northern districts, the pace of the NH-66 widening work is slower in the three target districts in central Kerala — Thrissur, Ernakulam and Alappuzha. Nonetheless, it is moving forward.
A total 176.19km-long NH-66 stretch will be widened in the three districts by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) at a combined cost of Rs 18,312.38 crore, and 4% of the work is completed. Of this, 88.15km – the longest stretch – is in Alappuzha and the work is more visible there. Of the remaining, 26.03-km-long stretch is in Ernakulam and 62.01km is in Thrissur.
As per the plan, the 37.9-km-long Thuravoor Thekku-Paravoor section in Alappuzha will be finished first, by September 2024. Around 3% of the work is over. After this, the focus would be on finishing the Kottukulangara-Paravoor stretch, also in Alappuzha, by the February 2025 deadline.
“Almost 40% of the civil works were completed in one year. The deadline is 30 months and we are working hard to finish it earlier,” said NHAI liaison officer B Unnikrishnan. Unavailability of raw materials like granite posed an issue, as will the upcoming monsoon season.
Revenue department sources said 98% of land acquisition in Alappuzha is over. “Of the 106.14 hectares of land required, 104.98 hectares have been acquired. A few cases are pending in court, delaying acquisition. The Centre and state government allotted Rs 3,180.53 crore of the total cost for land acquisition, of which Rs 3,034.60 crore has been distributed,” said a source.
In Thrissur, the work is being carried out in two sections, Thalikulam-Kappirikkad (33.17km) and Kodungallur-Thalikulam (28.84km) for Rs 6,506.59 crore.
There were protests over rehabilitating those who would lose livelihood due to the widening. NHAI resident engineer M S Shetty said physical completion of the projects in Thrissur is 5%. “We are retaining all major junctions that the NH passes through,” he said. Thalikulam panchayat president Sajitha P I said work on flyovers and levelling of roads has begun in the local body.
Around 44.78km of NH-66 passess through Ernakulam, Kerala’s commercial capital. Here, the Aroor-Vyttila-Edappally stretch is being merged into the highway and so, work is required only on the 26.03-km-long Edappally-Kodungallur stretch.
NHAI officials said levelling of land, piling and drainage construction and other work is progressing at full swing.
“Construction on Kodungallur-Edappally stretch began a few months ago, and we have expedited the work as the climate is favourable. So far, there have been no hurdles. If this continues we will meet the deadline,” said Bipin, NHAI project director (Palakkad division), who is in-charge of the stretch.
Nearly 32.5 hectares have been acquired at a cost of Rs 1,401 crore. “Nearly 17.7 cents were acquired from Lulu Group for the widening project. Including building cost, the government handed over nearly Rs 8.97 crore as compensation,” said Padmachandran Kurup, special deputy collector (land acquisition), NHAI.