The inclusion of proposals for flyovers at Vyttila and Kundannoor, land acquisition and widening of the Pulleppady-Thammanam-Chakkaraparambu National Highway bypass road and development of the Munambam Kavala-Varapuzha Road in the State government’s District Flagship Infrastructure Project is expected to speed up work on the four crucial infrastructure projects in the district.
The detailed project reports (DPR) for the first three projects are ready, while that on the Munambam-Varapuzha Road is awaited. In May this year, Public Works Minister V.K. Ebrahim Kunju had said that work on the twin six-lane flyovers was expected to commence in October and would be completed by March 2017. “A few procedural aspects such as technical sanction for their design and tender approval have to be completed. The PWD (NH) wing must speed up these works,” a PWD official associated with the project said.
The Vyttila flyover is expected to cost Rs. 109 crore and the Kundannoor flyover Rs. 80 crore. But uncertainty clouds the widening of the Pullepady-Bypass Road into a 22-metre-wide four-lane road. “Land acquisition is a major problem. Ninety people surrendered their land free of cost over a decade ago. A sum of Rs. 25 crore given by the State government to compensate other land owners is pending with the Collector. More funds are required to complete land acquisition for the project that is estimated to cost Rs. 300 crore. The new corridor will throw open a new east-west corridor in the city,” official sources said.
