Industries Minister P. Rajeeve has said that 23-year-old bottlenecks have been resolved, and the second phase of construction on the Seaport-Airport Road, between HMT and the airport, will be completed in a time-bound manner.
Addressing a press conference in Kochi on Saturday (December 7), Mr. Rajeeve said that an amount of ₹588.11 crore has been handed over to the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) for the project. The notification for the Naval Armament Depot (NAD)-Mahilalayam stretch on Seaport-Airport Road will be issued soon.
Mr. Rajeeve said that protracted discussions had to be held for making available the land of HMT and NAD for the project. The government sanctioned ₹18.77 crore for acquiring 404 cents of HMT on November 22. Another ₹23 crore for acquiring NAD’s land would be allotted shortly. The remaining 14.40 km stretch of the Seaport–Airport Road would be constructed in four stretches: HMT-NAD (2.70km), NAD-Mahilalayam (6.50km), Mahilalayam-Chowara (1.01km), and Chowara-Airport Road (4.50km).
HMT had sought market value for its land and appealed against the High Court verdict that the land was under the ownership of the government. The Apex Court issued an interim verdict to take over the land by depositing a specific amount based on a plea by RBDCK. The RBDCK can now deposit the amount and go ahead with the construction.
A total of ₹32.26 crore would be needed for the acquisition of 529.60 cents of NAD and the construction of the compound wall and widening of the road. Administrative sanction for ₹102 crore has also been given for the acquisition and road construction of the NAD-Mahilalayam stretch. Technical sanction and fund allocation will also be fast-tracked. The State government is paying ₹69 crore to the Centre for constructing just 1 km of road.
Mr. Rajeeve said that the traffic reform at Kalamassery has proved to be a resounding success. RBDCK managing director S. Suhas and District Collector N.S.K. Umesh were also present.
Published – December 07, 2024 08:06 pm IST