Thiruvananthapuram district officials have been given one week to finalise alternative locations for the statues of Sree Narayana Guru and Ayyankali at Sreekaryam Junction, removing a key obstruction delaying construction of the Rs 177-crore flyover. The statues stand along the proposed service road alignment for the project being executed by Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL).
District collector K S Anju told the Times of India that several alternative sites had already been identified and were being examined for suitability. Representatives of organisations associated with the statues have also expressed their willingness to cooperate with the relocation, she said.
The relocation has become necessary to provide KMRL with an uninterrupted work front at the junction. The issue has remained unresolved since the project was inaugurated in January 2025, adding to delays that have also involved structural design preparations and utility shifting.
The progress of the Sreekaryam flyover was raised by Kazhakkoottam MLA V Muraleedharan through a submission during the recently concluded Kerala Assembly session on October 28. Responding to the submission, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said steps would be taken to expedite the project and acknowledged delays connected with the design, utility works and relocation of the statues.
The chief minister said the original design agency, appointed in 2023 to prepare the structural design and drawings, had not completed the assignment despite nearly three years having passed. KMRL has started the tender process to remove the agency and appoint a new design consultant. However, the appointment is also delayed, with the proposal reportedly awaiting approval from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board for nearly two months.
The pending consultant appointment has affected the finalisation of the flyover’s structural design. KMRL’s contractor for the project is Kochi-based Cherian Varkey Constructions.
Utility-related work has added another layer to the project’s delayed execution. The Kerala Water Authority was asked to complete pending works, including connecting newly laid pipelines to the existing network. The authority had assured that this work would be completed by October 30. Pressure testing of the 700mm-diameter pipelines was also under way and was expected to be completed shortly.
The 535m-long, four-lane flyover is planned as part of Thiruvananthapuram’s proposed Metro rail corridor. Its median includes provisions for Metro pillars, allowing the road structure to accommodate the future mass rapid transit system. This makes the project a linked piece of both the city’s road infrastructure and its planned Metro network.
During the Assembly discussion, Muraleedharan described the prolonged delay as “criminal negligence” and warned that failure to hand over an obstruction-free site could lead to demands for a revised estimate and arbitration proceedings. He also cautioned that contractors could seek revised rates if delays increase construction costs. The district administration’s one-week deadline now places statue relocation and the appointment of the design consultant among the immediate steps required to move the flyover towards uninterrupted construction.
