KOCHI: Even though Metro Rail contractors have completed construction of pillars along the congested Kaloor – Deshabhimani stretch, further works have been hit due to the delay in widening the road. The contractors have informed Kochi Metro Rail Limited authorities that it is impossible to place girders on the stretch due to the narrow structure of the road.
As the road is not wide, the huge cranes which help in erecting the girders are finding it difficult to enter the place. Overhead utility cables including KSEB power lines are also to be shifted. “Work at Deshabhimani stretch has been halted as girders can’t be placed unless the narrow road is widened. Blame us for this, as land should have been acquired before completing the pillar work.
The barricades can’t be removed without placing the girders”, said Elias George, Managing Director of Kochi Metro Rail Limited. Metro authorities have admitted that lapses in planning have caused the delay in completing civil works in the stretch.
Meanwhile, as per the request of KMRL, revenue authorities have hastened the acquisition process and completed negotiations with land owners. Though the traders have agreed to surrender their land for road widening as per the rates fixed by the district level purchase committee, technical issues have delayed the acquisition.
It is learnt that as per Revenue Department records, some of the plots have been marked as purampoke. Hence, lack of clarity on disbursing compensation has delayed the acquisition, according to sources at the Revenue Department.
At the same time, public protest is mounting over the slow pace of work on the narrow stretch. Opposition councillors at the corporation alleged that the failure of authorities in undertaking road widening well in advance has resulted in severe traffic congestion from Palarivattom to Kaloor.
