Karamana-Vellarada road widening to cost Rs 225cr

Thiruvananthapuram: Road Infrastructure Company Kerala Ltd (RICK) has submitted a detailed project report (DPR) for widening the Karamana-Vellarada road, which is under the consideration of the state government.
The PWD’s design wing, which prepared the DPR, has pegged the project cost at Rs 225.3 crore. The initial estimate was around Rs 127 crore.
Meanwhile, the district administration has initiated steps for land acquisition for the first phase.
A section 4 (1) notification was issued to announce that around 4.57 hectares of land in five villages will be acquired for widening of the second reach. It also assigned Kochi-based Rajagiri Outreach to conduct a social impact assessment study under right to fair compensation and transparency in land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement act, 2013.
Land in Malayinkeezhu, Kulathummal, Veeranakavu, Vilavurkkal and Maranaloor villages will be acquired for the second reach, covering 15.5km of the first phase.
Already the administration has completed the social-impact assessment of the first reach, covering 5km from Karamana Junction to Kundamankadavu Bridge.
The widening work is part of the 2016 state roads improvement project (SRIP). Administrative sanction has been accorded for Rs 21.44 crore towards land acquisition.
A meeting convened in June last year decided to complete the work in two phases.
The first phase will cover 20km and the second phase 15.50km.
PWD minister G Sudhakaran said section 11 (1) notification for acquiring land for the first 5.5km stretch will be issued soon. "The expert committee formed to review the social impact assessment report has completed a joint inspection of the site. Rajagiri Outreach has been assigned the social-impact study of the stretch from 5.5km to 20km in the first phase. PWD has completed a joint inspection with revenue department for the remaining 15.5km stretch," the minister told the assembly the other day.
Sources said land acquisition for the first 5km is likely to be completed by December, following which RICK can start the tender process.
The widening of the stretch would better connect the city to the hilly region on the outskirts of the district.