Work on the Vengalpady-Veloor-Mundakom road is fast progressing and is likely to be completed in a year, Eapen Kurien, Pulikkeezhu block panchayat president, has said.
Mr. Kurien said the roadwork, launched by the block panchayat in 2001, was disrupted soon after with the contractors abandoning the project. The project remained in limbo for 10 years till the matter was brought to the notice of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy during his mass contact programme in 2013.
Mr. Chandy had issued directions for the revival of the project at the programme itself, asking NABARD to take up the project and complete it in a time-bound fashion, Mr. Kurien said.
Subsequently, NABARD included the project in its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund and launched the work estimated at Rs.9.22 crore.
Big boost
The road would give a big boost to the farm sector here, Mr. Kurien said. Farmers in this part of upper Kuttanad would be able to take their produce to various markets with ease, attracting better price.
The road passes through the upper Kuttanad belt, cutting across a vast expanse of paddy fields.