KSTP phase II pact to be signed in April

World Bank team to reach State for talks next week

The government is to sign an agreement with the World Bank in April for the Rs.2005 crore second phase of the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP).

Under the second phase of the KSTP, six roads in the State will be developed into world-class ones. “Although the agreement will be signed in April only, work will commence before that,” Minister for Public Works V.K. Ebrahim Kunju said in a statement here on Sunday.

The agreement will be signed in New Delhi and a World Bank team, led by Senior Transport Economist Simon D. Ellis, is to arrive in the State next week to hold the final round of discussions. During their stay here, the team will go in detail into the Project Appraisal Document (PAD) and hold discussions with the PWD and KSTP officials.

In the second phase, the development of Kasaragod-Kanhangad, Pilathara-Pappinissery and Thalassery-Valampara roads will be taken up at a cost of Rs.528 crore. Tender formalities have been completed and the work will commence soon.

The tender formalities for the 88 km stretch from Chengannur to Ettumanur and from Ettumanur to Muvattupuzha will be completed this month. The development of the stretch will cost Rs.420 crore. The tender documents for the 132-km Punalur-Ponkunnam-Thodupuzha road had been submitted to the World Bank for scrutiny.

The Minister said the Detailed Project Report for the development of the 41-km Perumbilavu- Pattambi- Perinthalmanna road was being worked out.