The shifting of electric posts and allied power infrastructure from Civil Line Road that is being widened as part of preparatory works to construct Kochi metro’s Kakkanad extension would pick up pace in the coming weeks, official sources said. Motorists had raised concerns about the inordinate delay in relocating posts and pedestals of many transformers in the corridor.
Among them was Sanoj Lal, a financial-services consultant residing at Chembumukku, who said such posts hampered motorists from utilising the widened parts of the road. “There are also impediments like uneven width of the road, possibly due to disputes related to land acquisition. This has in turn resulted in encroachers putting up stalls in such spaces. Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) must take steps to widen the congested corridor since it linked the city with the IT hub at Kakkanad. It must also set up diversion roads to redirect vehicles when Civil Line Road is barricaded for the metro viaduct construction,” he added.
Sources within KMRL and the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) confided that metro contractors, under the supervision of KSEB personnel, faced challenges in relocating posts swiftly owing to constraints in shutting down power supply during the sultry weather. “Moreover, examinations are going on,” they added.
