Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has reiterated that the State government will neither postpone nor abandon infrastructure projects in the name of the floods that ravaged the State.
Speaking after inaugurating the new flyovers at Thondayad and Ramanattukara on the Kozhikode bypass on Friday, he said different political parties functioned on different principles and ideologies. But no party will object to the development needs of the State. There is only one government, and it gives priority to the interests of the people, he added.
Even though the State is going through a critical phase, including serious financial difficulties, Mr. Vijayan said the government gave utmost priority to rebuilding the lives of people and reconstructing roads and bridges. After the deluge, the government had sought expertise from multiple agencies, including foreign players, to spur growth in all sectors. Several projects, including the Kannur international airport, have been completed.
The Chief Minister said the proposed coastal and hill highways would change the landscape of the State. Multi-crore projects which many believed would remain on paper are now being completed. In a few months, the GAIL pipeline project will be over, Mr. Vijayan informed.
The Chief Minister said with the opening of the flyovers, two major issues—traffic snarls and accidents—on the Kozhikode bypass would be addressed to a great extent. The work on the flyovers was conceived after considering the flood situation in the regions.
He also lauded the Vadakara-based Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) for completing the two projects in a time-bound manner. Two more flyovers will be constructed at both the junctions once the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) commences work on the six-lane project, Mr. Vijayan said.
The flyovers were constructed under the District Flagship Infrastructure Project for which funds (₹143 crore) were sourced from the Kerala Road Fund Board. An amount of ₹89 crore was allotted for the construction of the 420-metre flyover at Ramanattukara and ₹54 crore for the 480-metre structure at Thondayad.
With the projects becoming a reality, traffic congestion on the 28.14-km stretch from Vengalam to Idimuzhikkal is expected to ease.
