Kerala: Smart road work in Thiruvananthapuram misses deadline once again

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The ongoing smart road works under the Smart City Mission has yet again failed to meet the completion deadline, disrupting daily life in many parts of the city. Ahead of school reopening, Minister V Sivankutty had announced that the remaining smart road works will be completed by June 15. The deadline, which ended on Saturday, marks yet another extension.

Among the worst affected areas is Chalai Market. The smart road works, which took off in January, have left the road network in a dilapidated and dug-open state for months now. This has severely impacted traders as many of them are unable to open their shops. The dug-open drains and construction activities are posing serious hazards to pedestrians and traders.

“The development of Chalai Market is our need too. The smart road work has not progressed as expected. When they launched the work, it progressed in a paced manner but later it slowed down. They could have completed the work before the onset of monsoon,” general secretary Dileep S, Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti (Chalai Unit) said. He said water supply to many residential areas has been disrupted for the past three months. “There are thousands of families and the old pipe network started bursting after the launch of the construction,” he said.

The work at three out of the 12 roads in the Chalai Market under the custody of the Kerala Road Fund Board is yet to take off. An official of KRFB said that the tender will be opened soon