Government mulls more flyovers for Kochi

The state government is actively considering the proposal for setting up flyovers in the city, Works Minister V K Ebrahim Kunju has said. Replying to a submission put forth by Hibi Eden MLA at the Assembly, the Minister said the government has been studying the proposal to deal with increasing traffic snarl-ups in Kochi.

Hibi Eden pointed out that around 100 vehicles are registered at Ernakulam RTO office on a daily basis.  The city is currently under tremendous pressure for increasing the number of vehicles. The government should take immediate steps to construct flyovers in the city, he demanded.

Since Kochi has a floating population, thousands come to the city on a daily basis. There should be flyovers at Edappally, Vyttila, Palarivattom and Kundannoor as these four junctions are the meeting points for people coming to Ernakulam from other districts, he said.

Answering the submission, the Minister said that the feasibility report for constructing flyovers at Edappally, Palarivattom, Kundannoor and Vyttila has been submitted to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Currently, a detailed report in this regard has been made. However, the government has stopped the survey activities in this regard following public protest. A final decision would be made only after detailed discussions with political parties and other organisations, the Minister said.

Since the Metro Rail project also touches Edappally and Vyttila junctions, the NHAI has decided to come up with a proposal that is acceptable to the Kochi Metro and Vyttila Mobility Hub officials.

The project requires a total of `1,600 crore for the construction of the flyovers and other related activities, including land  acquisition.

The Minister said the government would take steps to reduce the toll rate at these flyovers. As part of the efforts, an attempt is

being made to get a portion of the construction cost from the Centre as grant-in-aid.

The government has also issued instructions to the consultant to opt a new methodology by which the toll rate will be reduced by increasing the period of toll collection.

The government will take all possible efforts to ensure that the passengers are not burdened.