Projects still on paper

TRIPUNITHURA: People have no respite from the traffic woes as the proposal to widen the three major roads to Vaikom, Eroor and Irumbanam from here is still on paper. As part of the project, the Vaikom Road connecting Vyttila to Puthiyakavu and the Irumbanam Road connecting North Irumbanam to North Kakkanad was supposed to be widened from 15 metres to 33 meters and the Eroor Road connecting Vennala Boundary to SN Junction was supposed to be widened from 10.5 metre to 21 metres. Muncipal Chairman R Venugopal said, “Any decision regarding this should be taken by National Highway Authorities of India,” he said.According to him, land acquisition is considered to be the major hurdle that delayed the project for years. “In the past, many locals had protested the idea of land acquisition in the area. This had created endless problems for acquiring land. Besides, the presence of a temple and a church in the area has complicated the process. Unless, the NH authorities come forward to take up the issue, nothing can be done,” Venugopal said.According to NHAI officials at Muvattupuzha, the proposal is under consideration and the widening works will start soon. “We have got the estimates on widening the roads into four lanes. Also, we got a proposal from the municipality for a flyover at Anthakara Thodu at Tripunithura. The problem of land acquisition is still pending. Also, we are yet to get a nod from the Centre nod to take another step forward,” official said.