A panel of retired technical experts have requested Public Works Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas to introduce some changes in the plan for national highway widening in Vadakara Municipality to reduce wastage of land and avoid traffic congestion in the town.
One of the most important suggestions is not to fill the land required for six-laning of the national highway (embankment), and instead put up pillars (viaduct) supporting the road, thus leaving the space below vacant to accommodate service roads and parking areas. “Implementing this method in only the 2.30 kilometres from the Fire Station Junction to Karimpanapalam can create 16.19 acres of parking space,” their report said. It added that this method could save 8,25,300 cubic metres of soil required to fill land.
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Another major suggestion is to convert the new bus stand into a ten-storey building, which could be a complex through which vehicles from service roads could enter the highway, and also accommodate parking.
The report also includes the problems that the six-lane national highway could create in Vadakara town, as well as its benefits.
The panel has pointed out that the situation could be positively and creatively used for the wholesome development of the town aiming to convert it into a smart city by 2030.
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The panel (reviewers) consists of 50 people, mostly retired professionals who have worked in different parts of India and abroad. Some have worked in Japan and the UAE while some have worked with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and the National Highways Authority. They studied the existing plan and forwarded the suggestions to the minister through the municipality.
Meanwhile, the municipality, with the help of UL Cyber Park in Kozhikode, has developed a GIS-based intelligent property management system that would help design a far-sighted underground utility network across the town before the NH widening, as it would be more difficult afterwards.