Bottlenecked junctions and stretches on the Civil Line Road-Infopark stretch must be widened, prior to commencement of piling for the viaduct of Kochi Metro’s 11.20-km Kakkanad extension, socio-cultural leaders and representatives of residents’ associations, traders, NGOs, and autorickshaw driver unions who arrayed under the banner of Thrikkakara Vikasana Samity, have said.
The demand gains significance as piling work began near CSEZ premises a week ago to construct the entry to one of the stations in the metro corridor. A total of 71 key stakeholder representatives attended the meeting, apart from the Chairperson of Thrikkakara Municipality and officials representing the Motor Vehicles department.
In neighbouring Thripunithura, residents, under the banner of TRURA, have been crying foul over junctions along the Pettah-SN Junction corridor not being adequately widened when the arterial road beneath the metro corridor was widened.
Traffic plan
Already, KMRL has attracted public ire for not clearing bottlenecks on alternative roads through which vehicles can be diverted, when barricades are erected at eight-metre width in the congested Civil Line Road and rest of the corridor that leads to Infopark. In addition, the metro agency has not announced a traffic-management/diversion plan. Ernakulam District Residents Associations Apex Council (EDRAAC) and other bodies have been contrasting this with the extensive preparatory works such as developing of alternative roads and construction of bridges that KMRL and DMRC did prior to beginning Kochi Metro’s phase-one works in the Aluva-Pettah stretch.
The general secretary of Thrikkakkara Vikasana Samity M.S. Anil Kumar spoke of how representatives at the meeting were very critical of the delay and the lackadaisical attitude of government agencies in widening junctions through which the metro’s Kakkanad extension would be built. “They were particularly peeved at the fate of pedestrians and two-wheeler riders who stood the risk of being mowed down by vehicles in traffic chaos that has become the norm, especially in Civil Line Road.”
It is noteworthy that none of the road infra projects that were announced for Thrikkakkara took off in the past 15 years. The development of Airport-Seaport Road and Infopark Road that held immense potential to decongest the town too have been stagnating. The PWD must urgently ready a project to widen the road and to construct a flyover in the Olimukal-CSEZ stretch, in order to decongest four junctions on the stretch. We have submitted a proposal in this regard to NATPAC, he added.
Responding to the concerns, KMRL sources said piling will shortly commence for yet another station-entry point, near Children’s Home. “A traffic-management plan will be announced prior to beginning of piling for the viaduct through the centre of the road.”
Even as the centre is barricaded at eight metre width, care will be taken to streamline vehicles through 5.50-metre portions on either side of the road. Traffic diversion will be introduced if needed. About 90% of the road-widening work is over, they added.
