CRIP work still crawls

Jisha Surya

First Published : 18 Apr 2011

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The entire City Road Improvement Project (CRIP) was slated to be completed by April. However, the Phase II works, which failed to meet the December 2010 deadline, are yet to be over. Though the authorities are hopeful of completing the Phase II works before the monsoon, lots of issues, from lack of co-ordination between various government bodies to failure in acquiring land, pose hurdles.
The MG Road stretch will be ready soon, said a senior official of the Thiruvananthapuram Road Development Company Limited (TRDCL). However, since the authorities had failed to acquire the land at Thampanoor, the road development will be limited to the LMS- Overbridge stretch, instead of LMS-Attakkulangara.
Currently, the TRDCL workers are busy shifting the median in front of the SMV School. “As more buses need to be stopped at the place, we have made some modifications to avoid the traffic congestion in the area,” the official said. The works are expected to be completed by May 10.
Venpalavattom-Poonthi Road is another stretch which is getting ready under the CRIP. The road is part of the Murinjapalam-Poonthi Road-NH Bypass stretch. It is being developed as a three-lane road.  The road has been designed keeping in mind the necessity to connect the National Highway to the hospitals in the area.
Meanwhile, the TRDCL has initiated the works on developing the Bakery Junction which were delayed following the JICA-assisted works. A part of the area under the flyover will be set apart for landscaping and another part will be allotted for paid parking.  However, the JICA officials have started digging the tarred road at the junction for more works, causing much trouble to the TRDCL.
The first layer of tarring has begun on the Enchakkal-Attakkulangara road. The 1.466-km stretch will be developed as two-lane road from Enchakkal to Sreevarahom and as three-lane from Sreevarahom to Attakulangara.
The work on the Ulloor-Kochulloor stretch, which began almost a year ago, is still in the initial stage. The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is allegedly delaying the works in the name of construction of sewerage.
“The KWA could have completed the work in 10 days. We would have to face the wrath of the public if we start working without the completion of sewerage works. The road work could take only 30 days’ time,” a TRDCL official said.
The Ulloor-Kochulloor road is in a totally dilapidated condition now, causing much hardship to the public.
Around 14 km of road has been developed under Phase I. A 28-km stretch is to be developed under Phase II. But, the road works will get a hit with the arrival of the monsoon in June.