A solution to the recurrent flooding of Thampanoor area that houses the Central Railway Station and the KSRTC bus terminal is in sight with the construction of the star-shaped culvert to drain water from the low-lying area into Amayizhanchan canal.
Three culverts are being constructed from the city Corporation’s parking lot to the Ponnara Sreedhar Park; from the park to the reservation counter of the railway station; and from the park to the KSRTC bus terminal.
The rainwater and water through the drains from Aristo Junction and New Theatre will be channelised through one of these culverts to the drain on the bus terminal side. This will be directed to the canal through the railway culvert. The rainwater from the park side and from the Overbridge will flow through a drain — to be constructed from the railway station-RMS-Overbridge — also into the canal. Thiruvananthapuram Road Development Company Ltd. (TRDCL), the concessionaire of the City Road Improvement Project (CRIP), has taken up the construction of the culverts along with the ongoing six-laning of the Overbridge-Thampanoor stretch, although it is not part of the project.
“The work was entrusted to us by the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP) and the approval was given two weeks ago after overcoming several hurdles. The work is in full swing and will go on during the monsoon to be completed within 40 days,” TRDCL vice-president Anil Kumar Pandala told The Hindu .
Admitting that it would be an inconvenience to the road users and those coming to the railway station and bus terminal, he said steps had been taken to ensure round-the-clock work and to pump water from the low-lying area that would get inundated even in a small rain.
The authorities decided not to go for a deep culvert so as to ensure the correct gradient for the flow of the water to the canal. The drain in front of the upcoming bus terminal of the KSRTC can be constructed only if the temporary bus shelters are removed. “We are waiting for the past three months to get it removed,” he added.
As per the DPR (detailed project report), a 1m x 1m drain on both sides of the road was to be constructed. The funds for the additional work will be provided to the TRDCL by the KSUDP.
