Amid compensation delay, demolition works begin for Kodinada-Balaramapuram road widening

Thiruvananthapuram: The widening work of Kodinada-Balaramapuram Road, which is an integral part of the Karamana-Kaliyikkavila Road project, has finally commenced with the demolition of buildings on the land acquired.
The demolition work, awarded to a contractor from Kunjalumoodu, began from Vazhimukku towards Balaramapuram and is expected to be completed within a month. Despite this progress, the state govt is yet to compensate 52 landowners, even though Rs 98 crore was sanctioned for the purpose.
Sources indicate that the delay stems from the finance department's failure to release the funds to the revenue department, which is responsible for disbursing the compensation. "We are waiting for the release of the fund. Once we receive it, we will distribute compensation to the remaining landowners as soon as possible," a revenue official stated. Parassala MLA C K Hareendran expressed confidence that the 1.5 km road project, delayed for over a year, will finally commence next month.
The Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) is overseeing the project and is expected to float a tender for the four-lane road construction once the compensation issue is resolved. The govt is also preparing a master plan for the comprehensive development of Balaramapuram Junction, a crucial traffic point in the region. However, a previously planned underpass at the junction was scrapped due to opposition from local traders. As a result, daily commuters from Parassala and Neyyattinkara continue to face heavy traffic congestion at this bottleneck.
In Jan, Kovalam MLA M Vincent raised concerns in the state assembly, criticising the govt for failing to complete the works of a mere 1.5 km stretch. In response, PWD minister P A Mohamed Riyas assured that the work would commence on a war footing. The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) sanctioned the compensation funds in Dec 2024, but with bureaucratic delays holding up payments, the project remains in limbo. The govt now hopes to finalise the tender by April to ensure that construction begins before the monsoon season.