DPR for rail over-bridge will be submitted in 2 weeks: Min

Thiruvananthapuram: Public works department (PWD) minister G Sudhakaran told the assembly on Tuesday that the procedures for submitting detailed project reports (DPRs) before Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) for construction of two railway over-bridges (ROBs) at Edava and Punnamoodu were fast progressing.
“The revised DPR of the Punnamoodu ROB will be submitted to KIIFB in two weeks’ time, while that of the Edava ROB will submitted after acquisition of the required land,” the minister said replying to a submission by Varkala MLA V Joy.
The notification for acquiring land for Edava ROB was issued in November 2019, and the procedures are progressing, the minister said.
Joy, in his submission, stressed the need for a speedy construction of these two ROBs considering the development of Varkala, ‘which is fast turning out into a major tourism destination in the state’.
“Besides, the famous Varkala beach, we have fast-developing tourist spots like Kappil Beach and Muthalappozhi in the area. Also, the ROBs are required to smoothen the traffic for Sivagiri pilgrimage,” the MLA pointed out.
Sudhakaran, meanwhile, said the two projects are expected to have a total cost of more than Rs 50 crore. The government gave administrative sanction for allocating Rs 36 crore for the Edava ROB project with Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) as the special purpose vehicle (SPV) in February 2017, while KIIFB gave its financial sanction in May 2017, he said.
In case of Punnamoodu ROB, government issued an order appointing RBDCK as the SPV in April 2018 and appointed Institute for Social Advancement as the consultant to prepare the DPR.
“Though the DPR was prepared after fixing the alignment and submitted it to the Indian Railways for approval in March, 2019, it had to be revised as per the Railways’ direction. The consultant submitted the revised DPR in December 2019, and we expect to submit it for KIIFB’s approval in two weeks’ time,” the minister added.