The 14.3-km airport extension of the Seaport-Airport Road could be completed in three months, on stretches where land had been handed over to Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK), said the agency’s Managing Director S. Suhas, following an inspection of the road alignment in Kalamassery and HMT areas.
Around five acres of land owned by the Naval Armament Depot (NAD) too needs to be acquired. A favourable decision is expected to be taken at the land transfer meeting of the NAD scheduled for Monday, following which the Ministry of Defence is expected to take a call.
A 1.9-km portion of the total 2.7-km stretch in the HMT-NAD corridor of the road was completed in accordance with national highway standards. The corridor can be completed, provided around five acres from the NAD to build a 410-metre road and four acres from the HMT to build a 400-metre road are handed over to the RBDCK.
The HMT is opposed to handing over the land, which had been given to it by the State government several decades ago. The firm has challenged a High Court order in favour of the State government before the Supreme Court.
Land needs to be acquired from individual owners for the 6.5-km NAD-Mahilalayam stretch on the proposed airport extension, for which the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) had sanctioned ₹450 crore. Survey work has gathered pace, following meetings convened earlier this year by Industries Minister P. Rajeeve. Half the land needed has been acquired.
Work on the road has been completed on the 1-km Mahilalayam-Chowara stretch. Survey will begin shortly for another 4 km of the proposed extension.
The 14.3-km airport extension of the 25.7-km Seaport-Airport Road project got an impetus following the intervention of Public Works Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas and Mr. Rajeeve.
The 11.3-km Irumpanam-Kalamassery Road was completed in 2003, while the RBDCK widened the Bharata Mata College-Kalamassery stretch into four lane. The PWD (Roads wing), which took over the Irumpanam-Kalamassery stretch from the RBDCK, has to take up widening of the rest of the congested corridor occupied by tanker lorries and other goods carriers.
The airport extension, which is expected to lessen congestion on the NH Bypass and the Kalamassery-Angamaly NH corridor, has been hanging fire for about a decade due to hassles associated with land acquisition.
Steps have been taken to speed up land acquisition, by enhancing cooperation with the Revenue department, the Southern Naval Command and the NAD. The problems associated with acquiring NAD land were expected to be overcome shortly and the RBDCK was constantly pursuing with the district administration the need to speed up land acquisition in the NAD-Mahilalayam corridor, said Mr. Suhas.
