The World Bank has expressed concern and sought the State government’s intervention on the delay in executing three road safety management initiatives launched as part of the ongoing $445-million Phase II of the World Bank-aided Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP).
Thirty-eight months after the launch of Phase II that aims at upgrading 363 km of roads into world class on the 78.65-km safe corridor demonstration project from Kazhakuttam on NH 66 to Adoor on M.C. Road, the Challenge Fund to develop and implement district-level road safety programmes and the Capacity Building for the Kerala Road Safety Authority (KRSA) has failed to take off. A report card prepared by the World Bank team, which is in the State now to review the Phase II works has given 4/10 for the safe corridor project, 0/10 for the Challenge Fund and 3/10 for the Capacity Building initiative. The WB had offered $16 million for the safe corridor initiative, $4 million for the Challenge Fund and $2 million for the Capacity Building of the KRSA.
Team Leader, WB, Bernard Aritua said the three key road safety initiatives should have been in place by now 38 months since the Phase II works began. “There are 18 months left for Phase II and such a report card would badly affect the State in the future WB-aided projects,” he told The Hindu here on Monday.
The safe-corridor road safety project is aimed at zero accidents in the accident-prone corridor through enhanced road safety measures. The work was recently awarded to the GHV-EKK joint venture, which is also executing the Ponkunnam-Thodupuzha corridor. But the WB is not happy with the progress of the safe corridor works.
The Challenge Fund was intended to elicit innovative road safety proposals in a collaborative effort by local road-user stakeholder groups, to build on the best practices and lessons learnt from the safe-corridor demonstration project and to develop locally 10 safe-corridor zones in the State.
Mr. Aritua said no initiative has been taken by the KSTP team so far to use the fund.
Under capacity building of the KRSA, the proposal was to infuse technical staff to enhance road safety activities.
