Capital district gets four key projects.

Four key projects, including a 25-km four-lane road connectivity from NH 66 to the Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport, figure in the Rs. 34,000-crore road projects sanctioned for the State by Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari.

The 25-km road connectivity to the Vizhinjam seaport will be from the NH 66 Karamana-Kaliyikkavila stretch and is to cost Rs.1,200 crore. The cost of land acquisition has been worked out to be Rs.800 crore as per the current rates while the civil works is expected to cost Rs.400 crore.

In addition, a rail link is also being planned from the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari line to the proposed Vizhinjam seaport.

Mr. Gadkari also announced administrative sanction for the phase II of the four-laning of the NH 66 stretch from Kazhakuttom to Karode as demanded by Shashi Tharoor, MP.

The four-laning of the 16.3-km stretch from Mukkola to Karode on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border is to cost over Rs. 1,400 crore.

Mr. Tharoor told the Minister that land acquisition in the villages of Kottukal, Kanjiramkulam, Chenkal, Thirupuram and Karode was nearing completion. Phase II should be taken up simultaneously as another Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) contract to complete the project in 2019, he said.

Bowing to the demands from Congress legislator M.A. Waheed, MLA, BJP president V. Muraleedharan and Chief Minister, the Union Minister announced a flyover for easing the problems of the road users at Kazhakuttam junction and an underpass in front of the Technopark. The two projects will cost Rs.30 crore.

Mr. Gadkari urged the Chief Miniter and Mr. Tharoor to ensure that the elevated flyover design is unique. 'It should be on the lines of the one in Sahar airport constructed by the L & T, and should be beautiful and eye-catching,' the Union Minister said.

But Mr. Gadkari was mum on the demand put forward by Mr. Tharoor for a Seaport NH ring road from Vizhinjam to Pulluvila, Kanjiramkulam, Olathanni, Neyattinkara and Balaramapuram in view of the dream project taking off at Vizhinjam. For this, he suggested widening of the existing roads.

The Chief Minister also was also silent on the demand put forward by Mr. Tharoor to wind up the toll collection by the PWD in the bypass as the four-laning project kicks off.


THE HINDU