The width of the 2.50-metre-wide concrete connectivity road that passes through paddy fields in Pizhala, one of the Goshree islands, will be increased, District Collector Jafar Malik, who is also the secretary of the Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA) said.
It is crucial to get optimal use of Mollampilly-Pizhala bridges that were opened to traffic in June 2020. A total of ₹4.80 crore is needed to acquire land to widen the stretch, and the process has begun. Concerns raised by people of the island about road connectivity will be redressed, he said.
The Pizhala Karamuttikkal Samara Samiti, an NGO that was in the forefront of the demand for bridge/road connectivity to Pizhala, has sought revision of the alignment of the proposed road. “This is because there are two reverse curves within a 41- metre distance posing danger to the safety of motorists, in the alignment readied by the GIDA. This goes against the State Government’s endeavour to straighten curves,” said Francis Dianish, vice president of the Samiti.
It remains a mystery how the alignment, which needs more land acquisition than if it were straight, got technical sanction. Memoranda have been submitted to the Chief Minister and the ministers for Public Works and Local Self-Governments, since the GIDA and the district administration have not heeded to the demand to straighten the curves and to end the road in front of the Pizhala Church, where a bus stand can be readied, he said.
Completion of the road is crucial for islanders to benefit from the Moolampilly-Pizhala bridge and its connectivity bridge, which are 704 metres in length.
