Following unprecedented traffic snarls at Vyttila due to the flyover construction work, the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) has intensified efforts to remove bottlenecks on Chilavannoor Bund Road that begins from the southern side of Vyttila Junction and ends at Panampilly Nagar.
The road can considerably de-congest Vyttila and SA Road. The biggest bottleneck is an approximately 200-m-long narrow corridor beneath Thykoodam bridge from where the road takes off. GCDA Chairman C.N. Mohanan said that a few rounds of negotiations had been held with landowners.
“We showed them [landowners] alternative plots available at Atlantis Junction near Panampilly Nagar. While some wanted alternative plots, others demanded compensation in cash.
“A surveyor is at present assessing the market value of each plot of land based on the value at which the last sale was registered. None is opposed to surrendering land,” he said.
The area to be acquired was frozen a few years ago. It has a church and a few houses, many of which are unoccupied as the land was frozen years ago.
Mr. Mohanan said that a few more houses located in very small plots in the area near Kasturba Nagar and Perandoor canal too had to be acquired to link the stretch with Panampilly Nagar.
On reviving the long-stalled development of Pachalam-Mamangalam Road into a 22-metre wide corridor, Mr. Mohanan said that land acquisition alone would need approximately ₹100 crore.
“I spoke to Finance Minister Thomas Isaac and requested that the project be allotted funds from KIIFB. “Another option is to seek funding from Union Urban Development Ministry,” he added.
On long-pending road development proposals in the city, former Mayor K.J. Sohan, who was also chairman of the Kochi Corporation’s works standing committee, said that the Thammanam-Pullepady Road must be widened into a four-lane stretch and extended on either side.
“This is because it passes right through the heart of the city, and there will be huge economic spin-offs once the road is developed. Many people surrendered land free of cost to build this wide a road two decades ago, and funds must be allotted for pending works,” he added.
The Chathiath-Mamangalam Road can do with two-lane width since acquiring land for four-laning will entail massive land acquisition, Mr. Sohan said.
