The government has given the nod for widening the congested Kazhakuttam-Kesavadasapuram stretch of NH 66 to accommodate the pillars of the Light Metro on the median and to construct flyovers at Sreekaryam and Ulloor.
The administrative sanction issued by the government says 6.75 hectares of private land will be acquired for widening the 8-km stretch that is part of the 21.8-km Reach I of the ₹ 4,219 crore Light Metro proposed from Technocity to Karamana. However, the government order issued last week is silent on the funds for acquiring land and the agency that will execute the widening work.
Official sources said the alignment had been fixed and the Kazhakuttam-Kesavadasapuram stretch would have a Right of Way (ROW) of 24 metres while the NH 66 stretch from Kazhakuttam to Cherthala, to be four-laned by the National Highway Authority of India, will have a ROW of 45 m.
A three-metre median on the centre of the road will be constructed to accommodate the pillars of the light metro.
The carriageway will be of seven metres each and footpath will be of one metre each.
Service road has also been proposed for the widened stretch.
Transport planners had argued for a ROW of 45 m as per NHAI standards or 30 m to take care of the future transportation and traffic needs and to avoid the bottle neck at Kazhakuttom Junction. But, the PWD decided to keep the ROW at 24 m.
The decision to acquire land comes close on the heels of the Revenue Department commencing steps to acquire the land needed for the three flyovers at Sreekaryam, Ulloor and Pattom, and 19 light metro stations in the Reach I. Land to the extend of 1.98 hectares is needed for the 19 stations and another 2.11 hectares for the three flyovers.
Meeting
Meanwhile, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Principal Adviser E. Sreedharan on Thursday met the Minister for Public Works G. Sudhakaran and demanded steps to expedite the light metro project for the capital and Kozhikode. Steps to get clearance for the project from the Union government, nod for the DMRC proposal to float tenders for the rolling stock for light metro, and widening of the Kazhakuttam-Kesavadasapuram stretch figured in the meeting, MRTS sources said.
Ajit Patil Bhagavath Rao, Managing Director of the Kerala Rapid Transit Corporation Ltd — the special purpose vehicle set up by the State to execute the project — called on Mr. Sreedharan and held talks.
