KOCHI: The Greater Cochin Development Authority and other official institutions in Kochi should give priority to realise the 64-km Ring Road project connecting Chatiyath and Panangad as it would provide a major fillip to the infrastructure requirement of one of the most neglected regions in the Greater Cochin region. The 10.5-km first phase of the project linking Marine Drive to Varapuzha has been in the limbo for the past five years.
The link is one of the primary requirements of the infrastructure development of the people residing on the northern side of the city, said Felix J. Pulludan, president, Greater Cochin Development Watch. The matter assumes urgency in the background of the decision of the National Highway Authority of India to impose toll on the Container Road, he said. “I understand that the toll will be much higher as the authorities wanted to bring down the number of vehicles other than containers to the minimum,” he said.
The authorities concerned should have a holistic vision of developing infrastructure requirements of the region by focusing more on the underdeveloped regions, he added. “We have already expressed our apprehensions to the GCDA on the delay of the project while fresh ventures like Aroor-Angamaly bypass are being proposed,” Mr. Pulludan said.
According to the administration annual report of the GCDA for financial year 2015-16, the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority has cleared the first phase of the project with a condition that no land should be reclaimed for the project. The report said GCDA then revised the alignment and submitted the same for the approval of the state government. The full Ring Road project covering 64 km proposes a road with 36-metre width connecting Chatiyath-Varapuzha-Alangad-Athani-Puthencruz-Mulamthuruthy and Panangad. The project will provide connection to the NH-47 and NH-17 to some of the most thickly populated regions coming under the Greater Cochin area.
