The long-awaited widening work of the National Highway stretch between Vadakkanchery and Mannuthy has resumed after the Hyderabad-based contractor company was able to source bank loans.
The work had stopped completely in October last, resulting in road transportation between Palakkad and Thrissur turning a nightmare for commuters. The poor condition of the existing road and the indiscriminate delay in six-laning create traffic snarls that last several hours.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has said that the process to set up two tunnels with a distance of 2 km inside the Kuthiran forest area to reduce the distance on the stretch will begin next month at an outlay of Rs.200 crore. Machines to dig the tunnels will reach Mannuthy next month.
It was the diversion of loans taken by the Hyderabad-based KMC Company for other purposes that resulted in the crisis. It was only one week ago that the company was able to get fresh loans to reinitiate the work.
It was in 2010 that the company undertook the contract for the widening work, promising that it would be completed in 30 months. However, land acquisition was delayed till May 2013.
The total estimate of the work is Rs.1,300 crore. In the first phase, the contractor was able to carry out only 13 per cent of it. Now the banks have asked the contractor to complete another 20 per cent in three months.
The work was resumed following strong pressure from the State government and the civil society movements in Thrissur. New road overbridges will be built at Vadakkanchery, Mannuthy and Irumbu Palam.
