In the backdrop of escalating traffic challenges along the 17-km Edapally-Aroor NH 66 corridor, the initiation of an elevated highway by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in mid-2024 threatens to exacerbate the situation. A cloud of uncertainty hovers over the development of crucial roads branching from this corridor, fuelled by alleged delays in decision-making processes.
The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) finds itself at the centre of a stalemate concerning the Chilavannur Bund Road, originating from Thykoodam. The alleged delay in finalising a compensation package has hindered progress, leaving the fate of this vital road hanging in the balance. Similarly, the project to widen the 3.60-km NH bypass-Thammanam-Pullepady-MG Road into a four-lane stretch faces uncertainty due to purported delays in transferring the stretch to the Public Works department (PWD). The Local Self-Government department (LSGD) handed over the stretch to the Revenue department, missing the revised December 2023 deadline for subsequent transfer to the PWD. The Revenue authorities seek additional time for land handover, crucial for commencing the construction of the four-lane road.
Despite the State Government allocating ₹125 crore over 13 years for the development of this stretch to enhance east-west connectivity and alleviate congestion on key routes, procedural delays persist. The Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), entrusted by the PWD for the stretch’s development, awaits the final alignment approval from the PWD’s design wing. Sources from the KRFB highlight the necessity of approval by relevant MLAs and the chief engineer, following which boundary stone laying can commence. Social impact assessment and compensation disbursement would ensue before the possession of the required land.
Residents, united under the Thammanam-Pullepady Road Vikasana Samithi, express frustration over the prolonged project timeline. With landowners facing hindrances in constructing or selling properties, their pleas for intervention were lodged with Public Works Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas in November 2023, urging an expeditious resolution to the bureaucratic entanglements.
