The activists of the Nadakkavu Vikasana Samithi, who were on a hunger strike for the last four days, protesting against the alleged inept attitude of the government towards widening the Vellimadukunnu-Mananchira road, called off their agitation on Friday.
The strike was called off following talks between Sub Collector K. Gopalakrishnan and the Samithi vice president T.K. Abdul Latheef Haji and secretary K.P. Sathyakrishnan on Friday morning.
The district administration had assured that the third phase of the development of the Vellimadukunnu-Mananchira road project would be undertaken at the accident-prone East Nadakkavu junction.
The hunger strike was led by anti-corruption activist K.P. Vijayakumar and Samithi president P.M. Premarajan. Communist Party of India district secretary T.V. Balan offered lemon juice to the protesters, ending the hunger strike formally.
New formula
Mr. Sathyakrishnan said a formula had been worked out after a round of discussion between the Sub Collector and District Collector N. Prasanth, who was in New Delhi.
Accordingly, the Revenue Department would give first priority to develop East Nadakkavu junction when the State government releases fund for the project.
The first phase of the Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu project was completed on the Eranhipalam stretch in 2003. “The ongoing second phase of development began at Malaparamba junction this year,” he said.
The project to convert the busy 8.4-km stretch of National Highway 212 (New NH 766) into a four-lane carriageway has been hanging fire for more than a decade. So far, the State has released Rs.64 crore in three phases for junction improvements. The amount could only be utilised for the improvement of the Malaparamba junction and the accident-prone curve at Paroppady.
Already the Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu Road Action Committee, led by historian M.G.S. Narayanan, has reiterated its demand to speed up the road widening work and execute the project under the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). The director board of the newly formed KIIFB, which has been formed by the government to raise additional resources for infrastructure development outside the State Plan fund, would hold its first meeting on November 7, they said.
