20-Year Wait Ends: Construction Of Kochi Seaport-Airport Road Set To Begin After President's Approval

In a significant stride towards Kochi infrastructure development, the long-awaited progress on the Seaport-Airport road has received momentum.

This follows President of India Droupadi Murmu, authorising the release of 2.49 hectares of National Armament Depot (NAD) land for road construction.

This order marks the culmination of a two-decade-long wait, heralding a breakthrough for the project. Following the directive, the NAD will transfer the designated land to the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK), the executing agency for the initiative.

The Seaport-Airport road project encompasses a 25.7 km stretch from Irumpanam to Kochi airport, delineated into two phases. The completion of the first phase, spanning 11.3 km from Irumpanam to Kalamassery, dates back to 2003. The subsequent phase comprises three sections: HMT Road-NAD Junction to Mahilalayam Junction road (section A), Mahilalayam Junction to Chowara (section B), and the stretch from Chowara to Airport Road (section C).

P Rajeeve, the Industries Minister, announced this pivotal development, revealing that RBDCK will compensate the Centre with Rs 23.06 crore for the land acquisition. He outlined the reciprocal arrangement, indicating that in exchange for the land acquired for the road, the HMT-NAD road will undergo reconstruction, with a widened dimension of 5.5 metres, reports The New Indian Express.

Emphasising the state government's persistent efforts to expedite decision-making processes, the minister disclosed plans to establish a specialised panel of officials to delineate land for the project. Additionally, he pledged to facilitate the renovation of the HMT-NAD road by installing essential utilities such as electric poles, transformers, and telephone poles, alongside integrating new traffic signal points.

Recent progress was evidenced during a meeting chaired by Rajeeve and Public Works Minister Mohamed Riyas, where the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board sanctioned Rs 722 crore for the development of the stretch between NAD and Mahilalayam road.

Under the Seaport-Airport road project, plans include widening the Bharata Mata College-Collectorate road and the Infopark-Irumpanam road. Despite the commencement of land acquisition hinging on the Supreme Court's final verdict, the government has resolved to initiate roadwork post-approval of the compensation amount.