The Mananchira- Vellimadukunnu Road Action Committee has asked the Minister for Public Works as well as the local MLAs to explain why the tender proceedings for the road development have not begun yet, despite the former’s assurances that the works will be completed in 2024.
A meeting of the committee chaired by historian M.G.S. Narayanan on March 15 (Friday) asked the authorities about measures taken to remove the hurdles to acquire the remaining few cents of land for the project. The committee has also demanded the UDF, LDF, and NDA candidates for the Lok Sabha polls to publicly clarify their stand regarding the project, the delay in carrying it out and the negligence of the authorities regarding it.
The Mananchira- Vellimadukunnu road project was announced in the State Budget in 2008, but it took a lot of pressure and protest from the part of the committee for the then UDF government to start the acquisition process. The LDF government that followed promised the locals that the works will be completed during its tenure, but it has not progressed much even when the LDF is on its second term.
The funds for the project were sanctioned in various instalments. “It is a common practice for the governments to sanction funds when the elections approach and then not release them after the election. Hence the project was delayed for 16 years,” said M.P. Vasudevan, General Secretary of the Committee. The smaller roads in and around were developed, but this road was grossly neglected despite being one of the major highways in the city, he added.
Meanwhile, the Committee has threatened to go for intense protest measures if the project is delayed further.
