Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

WB team reviews KSTP works

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A high-level mission from the World Bank has expressed ‘overall satisfaction’ with the progress of the WB-aided Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) being implemented in the State.

Led by Team Task Leader Arnab Bandyopadhyay, the team inspected the Palakkad-Shoranur, Palakkad-Meenakshipuram, Thrissur-Kuttippuram roads, MC Road and IWT projects between November 16 and 24.

Nearly 90 per cent of the work on the KSTP-I (MC Road) has been completed and the remaining work will be finished by the third quarter of 2010. The overall progress of Phase I corridor improvement works is about 85 per cent and the substantial completion is expected by the third quarter of 2010.

The team has found that additional maintenance work on about 160 km of the State’s primary road network undertaken as part of project restructuring has also progressed to about 45 per cent.

Of the $265 million, a sum of $167 million had already been disbursed for the project. The last mission had assessed the project as “reasonably unsatisfactory” and it had reflected in the country report. The present delegation upgraded it to “satisfactory.”

As part of the IWT works, the Thiruvatta bridge, boat terminal building at Changanaserry, Arpookkara bridge and four boat jetties have been completed. The team was told that the work of seven other boat jetties would be completed by early 2010. The overall progress of the institutional strengthening activities was also reviewed by the team and it expressed satisfaction.

The WB team met Chief Secretary Neela Gangadharan, Principal Secretary, Public Works, Tom Jose, and KSTP Project Director Sanjeev Kaushik in the capital. They were apprised of the World Bank’s view on various development objectives.

According to Public Works Minister P.J. Joseph, the use of IT in PWD would be taken to the next level by computerising all sub-divisions. The expenses required for the computerisation would be borne by the KSTP.

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