The Alappuzha bypass project is set to miss the deadline of August 31. According to sources only 90% of the work has been completed so far.
The pending work included construction of two ROBs at Malikamukku and Kuthirapanthy.
The representatives of the consortium comprising RDS Project Ltd and Cheriyan Varkey Construction Company said that the deadline of August 31 was not realistic. “It is not possible to complete the project by the end of this month. We need more time to complete the construction of ROBs,” a representative of the consortium told The Hindu .
Sources said that the construction of steel girders, needed for the construction of ROBs, were progressing at Hyderabad and would be transported to Alappuzha by the end of this month.
Earlier, Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran said that no further extension would be given for the completion of the Alappuzha bypass project.
He said that the government had already extended the deadline twice.
“The construction firm has been provided 10 months of additional time for the completion of the project. As such no extension will be given beyond the deadline of August 31,” the Minister said during a review meeting last month.
However, representatives of the consortium said that they had sought an extension of six months in May 2018 but were only given time till August to complete the project.
According to them, the delay in getting approval from Railways for the safety plan submitted for the construction of two rail overbridges (ROBs) has hampered the progress of the project.
Meanwhile, Public Works Department (PWD) officials said that no decision had been taken to further extend the deadline. “The construction of ROBs will not be completed by the end of this month. But we are yet to decide on extending the deadline,” said a PWD official.
The bypass work, which got under way on April 10, 2015 was originally set to be completed in September 2017. However, the project got delayed on account of various reasons and the deadline was initially extended to May 28, 2018.
To bring relief
Once completed, the bypass is expected to bring relief to Alappuzha town, which has been witnessing traffic snarls on its arterial roads for several years now. With the new bypass, the town would be able to breath a little easier. And that would also ensure smooth movement of traffic between the State capital and the State’s commercial hub and beyond.
