Six-lane National Highway to be completed by March: NHAI assures K C Venugopal

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The construction of the six-lane National Highway in Kerala will be completed by March next year, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has assured. The assurance was given at a meeting convened by K C Venugopal, Chairman of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Venugopal called the meeting while attending the national conference of PAC chairpersons.

The meeting reviewed the progress of construction work. The construction of service roads, the need for elevated roads and issues related to toll collection were also discussed.

The state government should ensure better coordination with the NHAI to speed up the construction work. Chief Secretary Biswanath Sinha was instructed to take the necessary steps in this regard.

Construction of the National Highway at Kayamkulam, which had been suspended, has resumed after the stretch was redesigned as a pillar-supported elevated road. The work will be expedited. It has been agreed to construct the elevated road over a length of 2.25 km at Kayamkulam. At Kalarkode, the two-span underpass will be constructed as a single project. The underpass will be 14 metres long and 4.5 metres high.

Construction work on the stretch from Paravur to Krishnapuram will also be expedited. Steps will be taken in coordination with the Kerala Water Authority to prevent frequent damage to drinking water pipelines during construction in the Thuravoor-Punnapra region. The meeting also called for improving the quality of service roads, ensuring a width of seven metres in narrow stretches and speeding up work to extend the Aroor-Thuravoor elevated highway towards the south.

NHAI officials will also intervene to resolve the dispute over the transportation of construction materials from Tamil Nadu. The authorities will collect feedback and complaints from commuters at toll plazas through the 'Rajmarg Yatra' app and take necessary action.

C N Singh, Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has said that the possibility of suspending toll collection at Nattika could be considered if the condition of the road is poor. The NHAI has also expressed its willingness to construct service roads with a width of seven metres if the state government acquires and hands over the required land.