T’puram: After years of administrative delays, land acquisition hurdles and legal disputes, the long-pending Vattiyoorkavu Road and Junction Development project has entered a crucial preparatory phase, with KSEB floating the tender for utility-shifting works ahead of commencement of civil construction.Sources close to Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), the implementing agency, said relocation of electric poles, overhead lines and other electrical infrastructure is the first major activity before construction can officially begin. Once KSEB completes the utility-shifting works, KWA will begin relocating water supply pipelines and other utilities along the project corridor. That work is expected to begin in Aug, sources added.“Civil construction is expected to begin within a month if the preparatory works progress as scheduled,” a senior KRFB official said.The Rs 531.76-crore KIIFB-funded project is being executed by Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society (ULCCS). According to KRFB officials, financial approvals and contractual formalities have already been completed, leaving utility shifting as the final major prerequisite before work starts on the ground.The project has witnessed repeated delays over the past few years due to changes in project scope, revisions in estimates, technical approvals, land acquisition and demolition of affected buildings. Although nearly 97% of demolition has been completed, a handful of commercial buildings at Sasthamangalam continue to remain after their owners secured interim stay orders from the court against demolition.Officials said legal proceedings are progressing simultaneously, and the govt is taking steps to vacate the stay orders so that the remaining structures can also be removed without affecting the overall project schedule.The first phase of construction will primarily focus on building stormwater drains on both sides of the road. Simultaneously, utility ducts will be laid beneath the proposed footpaths to accommodate electricity, communication and other underground cables. The integrated utility corridor is expected to minimize future road cutting for maintenance works while improving urban infrastructure.The comprehensive project envisages widening nearly 10.75km of roads connecting Sasthamangalam, Vattiyoorkavu, Mannarakonam, Peroorkada and Vazhayila into a modern four-lane urban corridor with footpaths, streetlighting, a central median, drainage network and dedicated utility ducts. More than 570 commercial establishments are affected by the project, with the govt also planning a rehabilitation complex for displaced traders.The first reach development of the project is from Sasthamangalam to Mannarakonam via Maruthankuzhy, while the second reach will be from Mannarakonam to Peroorkada via Mannamoola, and the third reach is from Vattiyoorkavu to Vazhayila via Nettayam.The shopping complex will be built on the way to Thoppumukku from Mannarakonam to rehabilitate the traders at Vattiyoorkavu Junction. The road will be four lanes with a 0.5m-wide median.
