Kochi: Offering a fresh line of connectivity to Infopark and Smart City projects which are expected to employ over 2 lakh employees by 2020, the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation Kerala (RBDCK) on Tuesday announced that it will construct a four-lane road connecting Chakkaraparambu on NH 47 to Kakkanadu. The 4.06-km road will land at the south gate of Infopark on the Seaport-Airport road, and will be constructed at a cost of Rs 412 crore.
The project needs acquisition of 30 acres in Thrikkakkara municipality and 10 acres in Kochi corporation areas. As many as 120 houses will also be taken over to complete the 45-metre wide road which is expected to decongest the Palarivattom – Kakkanad Road. The project cost includes construction of three bridges and rehabilitation of the evacuees for which a sum of '270 crore has been earmarked.
Consultancy firm KITCO had submitted the feasibility study report of the project in 2013. A meeting of the RBDCK has also decided to submit a letter to the state government seeking permission to district level purchase committee to initiate land acquisition for the project. RBDCK managing director A P M Mohammad Haneesh said construction of the first phase of the road will start from Seaport-Airport Road to Arkkakadavu, where land acquisition is easier. “We shall now move the State government for the administrative sanction for the project,” he said. “If is for the government to decide on the mode of funding of the project.”
The RBDCK proposes to take more land along the new road so that the evacuees could be rehabilitated along the stretch. This will help the agency to limit the cost of rehabilitation. Though the agency has earlier conducted soil test for the project and held discussions with people’s representatives, it was stuck midway. Mr Haneesh, Ernakulam district collector M.G Rajamanickam, Benny Behanan MLA, GCDA chairman N. Venugopal, Kochi deputy mayor T.J Vinod, Thrikkakara municipal chairperson K.K Neenu and officials attended the meeting.
