Reconstruction of Palarivattom flyover expected to be completed in 8 months: Kerala CM

After the Supreme Court verdict allowing the reconstruction of the Palarivattom flyover, the state government has decided to reconstruct it in a time-bound manner, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday.

"I spoke with E Sreedharan and he has agreed to take up the responsibility. The construction work will start soon under his supervision and is expected to be completed within eight months. The Supreme Court had accepted the need for reconstruction as pointed out by the state government," Vijayan said.

He said that vigilance probe on Palarivattom flyover scam would be completed soon. "The probe is in its final stages and it will be completed soon. It is one of the scams that took place during the previous UDF tenure," added Vijayan.

The Chief Minister also informed that the government has appointed the Konkan Railway Corporation as the special purpose company for the Kozhikode-Wayanad tunnel route project.

An alternative route from Kozhikode to Wayanad has been a long pending demand as the present route via Thamarassery pass becomes unnavigable due to natural calamities and traffic jams. During heavy rains, the traffic is often disrupted for months.

"The solution is to build a 7.82 km long tunnel road from Anakampoil to Meppadi via Kalladi. The length of the tunnel will be 6.9 km. Rs. 658 crores have been sanctioned for the project with funding from KIIFB. Konkan Railway Corporation, which has proven expertise in tunnel construction, will submit a Detailed Project Report (DPR) after the necessary studies. The government would initiate the next step based on the DPR", he said.

( With inputs from ANI )