A Special Purpose Vehicle (a company constituted to undertake a specific project or activity) is likely to be formed for the extension and development of Marine Drive up to Vaduthala.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan briefed the civic heads of Kochi Corporation and the Mulavukad panchayat on the “urban sustainable land reconstitution project in Kochi” programme at a meeting held in the State capital on Tuesday.
V.S. Akbar, president of Mulavukad panchayat suggested the construction of a bridge connecting Vaduthala and Mulavukad at the meeting. One more bridge connecting Mulavukad panchayat with the Kochi Corporation area needs to be constructed considering the heavy flow of vehicles through the existing bridge. The Bolgatty junction should be developed to handle the future traffic demands, he suggested.
Mr. Akbar also proposed the development of a tourism project along the 2-km-long water body that lies between Container Road and Mulavukad Island.
The project area, which begins from the Marine Drive and Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary in the southern part, extends to Cheranalloor grama panchayat in the north and covers the Vaduthala, Pachalam areas and the Mulavukad island on the eastern side across the backwaters. The project proposal is to extend the Marine Drive to Vaduthala at a distance of 9.1 km.
The Chief Minister assured the meeting that the project would be implemented in an eco-friendly and sustainable manner, said Nicholas D. Couth, the Health Standing Committee chairman of the panchayat.
Kochi Mayor M. Anilkumar welcomed the project.
Senior government functionaries also attended the meeting.