The city known as the Queen of Arabian Sea got a road named after the queen on Monday.
Winding its way alongside the serene backwaters, the name Queen’s Way seemed a perfect fit for the new walkway along the Goshree-Chathyath road, which was dedicated to the public by Tourism Minister A.P. Anilkumar.
The novelty in the name reflected in the inaugural ceremony as the minister opened the road by switching on the street lights with the help of a smart phone to add further sheen to it in the twilight glow.
The fully automated walkway has been set up with the Rs. 5 crore allowed by the tourism department, thanks to the initiative by Hibi Eden, MLA.
The walkway with smart phone-controlled lights is all set to become a big draw with the holiday visitors and tourists.
“The walkway is a perfect example of how a development project can be aesthetic when conceived with imagination.
The district tourism promotion council should make sure that its beautified look never fades away,” said Mr. Anilkumar who promised to allocate more funds for additional facilities like bio-toilets. Mr. Eden presided over the function.
The musical walkway stretches along 1.80 kilometres from the start of the GIDA road to Chathyath Church.
Old walkway widened
Since the old walkway was too narrow, it has been widened by extending a cantilever beam over the backwaters. The walkway has been constructed by preserving the mangroves and trees in the area. The floor has been beautified using colourful tiles.
Visitors can relax on 120 benches erected along the entire stretch of the road.
An amphitheatre with a seating capacity for 50, CCTV cameras, lights to beautify trees, LED strips to enhance the look of the walkway from the backwaters, and anti-rust stainless handrails along the banks of the backwaters are some of the highlights of the new walkway.
In the second phase, two bio-toilets, grill separating the walkway from the road, tamper proof high definition night vision CCTV cameras, and free WiFi would be provided.
