With work on Vyttila flyover set to begin from Saturday and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Public Works Department (PWD- NH wing) engaged in a passing-the-buck game on who will construct a wider underpass for Vyttila railway overbridge, District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla has assured to intervene and set matters right.
An official of the NHAI which owns the NH bypass, service roads and the underpass cited inadequate funds as one reason. “The urgency for a wider underpass, for which ample space is available nearer to the railway track, had been taken up with the NHAI head office on many occasions. But it was turned down, citing lack of funds. At a recent meeting, we suggested that the PWD ready the underpass since it is constructing the ₹86-crore flyover,” he said.
“A new underpass can be constructed if service roads on either side are extended northward. This will also help remove encroachers from the area,” he said.
Responding to this, a PWD (NH) official associated with the flyover work said that the NHAI should have built a wider underpass at least a decade ago, considering to and fro movement of vehicles and pedestrians. “We cannot build the structure unless the PWD formally accords us sanction, since its no-objection certificate (NOC) is limited to permission to construct a six-lane flyover.” Responding to this, Mr. Safirullah said that the owner agency (in this case the NHAI) must build the underpass. “The issue will be looked into,” he said.
The underpass, which is hardly 3.5-metres wide, is crucial to divert vehicles when Vyttila Junction and the junction on its northern side where Thammanam Road meets the NH bypass are barricaded for flyover construction. The construction of a pair of pillars for Kochi metro on either side of NH bypass will further choke free and safe movement of vehicles and pedestrians at the busiest junction in Kerala. The existing underpass has width just enough to accommodate only two cars. Thus, the traffic police have readied a tentative plan to impose one-way movement of traffic in the Ponnurunni-Vyttila (west-east) direction. This will see buses and lorries too jostle for space in the narrow underpass. While motorists wanting to cross over from the eastern side of the junction to the western (city) side would have to take a convoluted route through Vyttila Junction, pedestrians would find it near impossible to use the underpass.
On the the police saying that it is up to the PWD or the NHAI to remove encroachers from service roads, Mr. Safirulla promised all help from the police and the Revenue Department to evict vendors and others who have encroached upon service roads. “There will be a clampdown on all who stifle free and safe movement of pedestrians and motorists.” .
