Protest is brewing against the exclusion of the Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu Road widening project from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) projects.
At the maiden meeting of the newly formed KIIFB in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, the project did not find mention even though Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac, during his visit to the city three months ago, had promised that the road widening project would be the first venture under the KIIFB.
The KIIFB, which has been formed by the government to raise additional resources for infrastructure development outside the State Plan fund, has approved 48 projects in the departments of Industries, Forests, Public Works, Health, Information Technology, and of the Kerala Water Authority.
A. Pradeepkumar, MLA, had assured the Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu Action Committee that the Left government would take steps to convert the busy 8.4-km stretch of National Highway 212 ( New NH 766) into a four-lane carriageway. The CPI(M) legislator, who represents Kozhikode North, had submitted a report with an estimate of Rs.284 crore for the project. But, only an improvement at the Malaparamba Junction has been done so far.
Meeting today
The committee led by historian M.G.S. Narayanan will hold an emergency meeting at his residence at Mananchira Housing Colony at 6 p.m. on Wednesday to chalk out the future course of action. The committee members had earlier gone on a hunger strike against the “inept aptitude of the authorities”. The Congress-led United Democratic Front government had then decided to acquire land and release Rs.64 crore in three phases, said committee general secretary M.P. Vasudevan.
With available funds, the Revenue department had also decided to widen the road at Malaparamba Junction, the accident-prone curve at Paroppady and East Nadakkavu. However, the sanctioned amount could be used only to acquire land at Malaparamba junction as well as acquire 38 shops on the stretch.
Nadakkavu Vikasana Samithi activists, who had called off a four-day hunger strike last week, has decided to resume their agitation. “The people of Kozhikode cannot accept such blatant neglect. We have called a meeting on Thursday to intensify the protest,” said anti-corruption activist K.P. Vijayakumar.
The strike was called off after the Samithi office bearers were assured that the Revenue Department would give priority to East Nadakkavu junction development when the government releases funds for the project.
