‘High tension’ at Aluva

Two parallel bridges having a total length of 820 metres including the approach road will be constructed from Pulinchode to Marthanda Varma Bridge providing six-lane-traffic. The cost of construction of the flyover will be around Rs 25 crore. Thirtyeight box girders will have to be erected on 40 piers. The construction of Aluva flyover, a part of four lane National

Highway from Mannuthy to Edappally, began in 2006 and was scheduled to be completed within three years on BOT basis. The contractors are allowed to levy toll for 17 years to compensate the construction and maintenance cost of the NH. The construction of the flyover was delayed in the initial stage in the absence of the state support agreement which would allow contractors to collect toll fees. The government sanctioned the agreement in December, 2007, and work started in full swing. But the construction wasdisrupted again when the request of the contractors to shift the 66 KV Kalamassery-Chalakudy HT line passing over the flyover site was not granted. The KSEB insisted on a six-metre height clearance for the HT line. At present the clearance is only 1.5 metres.

The existing towers should be strengthened and the HT line should be shifted to temporary towers after acquiring land. But the departments concerned failed to take any action in this connection.

“We have prepared the estimate for erecting new towers and got the approval for it at the department level. Private land as well as that of the Aluva municipality have to be acquired for it,’’ said Sabu, executive engineer, KSEB.

The KSEB has sent the proposal to NHAI for issuing the amount for land acquisition. But the NHAI wanted a report from the revenue department on the land value. Even after repeated requests from the PWD and the KSEB, the revenue department is yet to send the report. At present the HT line passes to the western side across the flyover site at Pulinchode and back again to the eastern side at Marthand a Varma Bridge in Aluva. The zig-zag HT line can be straightened if it is drawn from Pulinchode straight to the Marthanda Varma Bridge, experts said. The KSEB is learnt to have requested the Aluva Municipality to identify land for erecting two towers to provide mandatory clearance for HT line to cross the flyover. But the request is entangled in red tape. Sathish Chandra Reddy, project manager of KMC Constructions Ltd, the contractors of the flyover, said that 16 girders were fixed on the piers and the remaining 22 girders can

be fixed by April 10 if the obstruction of HT line is cleared immediately.

But the completion of the flyover will be further delayed if the State Government, the Aluva Municipality and the KSEB fail to take any speedy action to provide the mandatory clearance for HT line.