With Railways, National Highways Authority of India, Public Works Department and other agencies gearing up to resume the stalled development works from April 20, procurement of materials and arranging labour are going to be a major challenge.
Social distancing norms to be followed in the work sites; lack of manpower; shortage of materials; and the hassles in transporting construction materials from other districts will hamper the pace of works even as the agencies are trying to finish them before summer ends.
Although relaxations have been provided for the inter-State and intra-State movement of trucks and goods vehicles, curbs on the functioning of quarries and the excavation of earth will be a major hurdle.
“The return of the migrant workers is impossible during the next 41 days and the works are likely to get in full swing only in December after the two monsoons,” a top railway official told The Hindu .
Collector’s nod
Railways have decided to take up the work of the doubling of the 18-km rail corridor from Ettumanur to Chingavanam from Monday as the contractor has 30 labourers at his disposal. Kottayam District Collector has also given the nod for the work.
Laying the pile foundation of the Kodoor bridge, rock blasting at Muttambalam and signalling and cabling works will be taken up. Social distancing norms would be followed and only 10 labourers would be at work in a shift, the official said.
Subway plans
Railways are planning to resume the construction of the subway and regrading work of the existing track to commission the 18.1-km Ambalappuzha-Haripad stretch from April 24. But, the contractor who has taken up the work will have to arrange labour to start the work.
The NHAI has also decided to resume the suspended national highway development works. The Reach II of the NH-66 bypass from Mukkola to Karode would begin and the EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) contractor had been given the directive, a top NHAI official said. Procurement of materials will not be a problem as granite is being sourced from Tamil Nadu.
The PWD has already secured exemption from the Centre for the resurfacing of the 20.6-km Mangalapuram-Kadambattukonam corridor in the capital, the Kottapuram-Munambam stretch in Ernakulam and Thrissur district, Kaprikaud-Edakazhiyoor road and the Koprakalam-Chandapura jucntion. The works on the NH 66 four-laning from Pravachambalam to Kodinada will also resume.
Uncertainty prevails over the Vizhinjam International multipurpose deepwater seaport.
Only 700 m of the 3.1-km breakwater, the critical component of the seaport, has been completed.
