The Hindu 24.07.2013
Civic body urges State to take up road project
The Thammanam-Pullepady road development project should
be taken up by the State government as part of the preparatory works of
Kochi metro rail project, the Kochi Corporation has demanded.
A
resolution to this effect was moved by Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany in the
corporation council meeting on Tuesday. Opposition councillors walked
out of the meeting in protest against the failure of the civic
administration in taking forward the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban
Renewal Mission (JNNURM) projects.
If the road
project was not implemented before work on M.G. Road and other city
centres began, it would paralyse vehicular movement in the city, Mr.
Chammany said.
It was also decided at the council
meeting that the city would approach the Mission for additional funds
for restoration of water bodies and formation of a Special Purpose
Vehicle for managing the water transport sector. The Cities Development
Initiative Asia was working on a detailed project report for the water
transport sector of the city which could also be used for obtaining
Mission support, he said.
Taking part in the debate,
the Opposition councillors criticised the civic administrators for
failing to take the initiative to take the Mission projects forward.
Quoting
media reports, CPI (M) councillors K.J. Jacob, M. Anilkumar, N.A.
Shafeeq, M.B. Maheshkumar, K.V. Manoj and CPI councillor C.A. Shakkeer
said the corporation had even failed to review the projects initiated in
the city earlier. The inactive administration had cheated the people of
Kochi, they alleged.
T.J. Vinod, chairman of the
Development Standing Committee of the corporation, said many of the
projects sanctioned for Kochi could not be taken forward for want of
money for land acquisition.
Going by the fair value
of the land fixed by the government, it would require at least Rs.284
crore for acquiring land for Sahodaran Ayyapan and Thammanam-Pullepady
road projects, Atlantis and Pachalam rail overbridges and the sewerage
treatment project. K.J. Sohan, chairman of Town Planning Standing
Committee, said many unfeasible guidelines of the Mission had resulted
in cost overrun. The Mission authorities have revised the project
guidelines after considering the feedbacks, he said.
The Mayor announced that a detailed review of the Mission projects would be held shortly.
‘If road project was not implemented before work on M.G. Road began, it would paralyse traffic.’
