KMRL, district administration face flak for traffic snarls on Civil Line Road due to metro rail works
KMRL failed to complete preparatory works before launching the Kakkanad extension, alleges Uma Thomas, MLA; metro agency urged to convene stakeholders’ meeting and allocate funds to decongest roads
With KMRL barricading Civil Line Road for the Kochi metro’s Kakkanad extension, demand is rife to redevelop alternative roads and clear bottlenecks.
| Photo Credit: H. VIBHU
Motorists, traders, residents associations, and people’s representatives are on the warpath yet again with Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) and the district administration for not redeveloping alternative diversion roads, a month since works began on the metro’s 11.20-km Kakkanad extension.
Contrary to expectations that alternative roads would be redeveloped and junctions widened before erecting barricades, the metro agency had placed barricades on the congested Civil Line Road, which connects the city with the Collectorate, Infopark, and other IT establishments at Kakkanad, said M.S. Anilkumar, general convenor of the Thrikkakara Development Forum.
“Civil Line Road has not been widened to 22 metres as promised, worsening traffic congestion. KMRL should note that over 50,000 IT professionals work at Infopark, with another 50,000 expected to join soon,” he added.
Given the present traffic chaos, it’s only a matter of time before the road and its parallel routes become as congested with stranded vehicles as those in Bengaluru, he pointed out.
Referring to the worsening traffic congestion on the Civil Line Road and other roads branching from the Edappally-Vyttila NH Bypass after barricades were erected, Uma Thomas, Thrikkakara MLA, expressed dismay at KMRL’s lack of action. Ambulances, school buses, and other vehicles were getting caught in long traffic jams, while employees were struggling to reach their offices on time, she added.
“All this is because KMRL failed to complete preparatory works before starting works on the Kakkanad extension. This contrasts sharply with the ₹38 crore spent to redevelop, widen, and resurface 22 alternative roads in the city before the metro’s Aluva-Thripunithura phase one extension,” she said. Besides, ₹258 crore had been spent for rebuilding the Ernakulam North overbridge, constructing three other overbridges, and streamlining vehicle flow. KMRL should urgently convene a stakeholder meeting and allocate funds to decongest the roads, she added.
The Vennala unit of the Ernakulam District Residents Associations’ Apex Council (EDRAAC) had criticised KMRL for neglecting preparatory work and the State Government for its failure to allocate funds, despite a memorandum submitted at the Nava Kerala Sadas earlier this year. “The metro agency must widen Puthiya Road, which runs from the NH Bypass to Vennala High School Junction, and other diversion roads to 12 metres to accommodate the increased vehicle flow. The district administration needs to clear encroachments,” said T.N. Sajeev, Vennala regional president of EDRAAC.
In response to widespread criticism over the traffic chaos, KMRL sources expressed hope that the State government would provide adequate funds to redevelop alternative roads. They said that it was the responsibility of the district administration and the Revenue department to clear encroachments, while the Kochi Corporation and the Public Works department should focus on widening Puthiya Road, Chakkaraparambu Road, and other key diversion routes. Besides, the police and the Motor Vehicles department should address parking issues on the diversion corridors.
Regarding the metro agency’s failure to repair gaping potholes on diversion roads, they assured that this would be addressed shortly.
Read Comments
- Copy link
- Telegram
READ LATER
Remove
SEE ALL
PRINT
Related Topics
Kochi
/
Kerala
/
public transport