Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited (SCTL) has received Rs 245 crore Administrative Sanction for the Smart Roads component under the Smart City project. The project mainly consists of Smart Roads and underground ducting component under the Smart City scheme, which covers a total length of 72.5 km in nine wards under ‘area-based development.
Owned by PWD and KRFB, the Smart Roads scheme along 43-km of road is a major focus area of SCTL.
The estimated cost of the project is Rs 604.93 crore and the fund will be sourced by the Smart City fund of Rs 526.16 crore. The Smart City fund is further allocated from central schemes (Rs 46.82 crore) and civic bodies (Rs 31.96 crore). The road and junction improvement would include components such as carriageway improvement, sapling plantation, street lighting and junction redesign.
The project is divided in three phases. The first phase will cover Chalai-Manaveeyam Road, the second phase will cover Althara-Attakulangra Road and the third phase includes MG Road under KRFB.
The components of this project are storm water drains, underground ducting of utilities, road and junction improvement, installation of signage and markers and construction of cycle track, footpath railing, pavers and curb stones.
SCTL CEO P Balakrishnan was quoted by a national daily as, “Smart Road projects cover over Rs 500 crore of the total estimate. We have obtained Administrative Sanction for Rs 245 crore worth schemes, but to do soil testing we need clearance from PWD. Meetings at the ministerial level are being held to expedite the clearance.”
According to Balakiran, SCTL plans to complete soil testing within 15-days and the work is estimated to commence from October. He adds, “We have had core personnel from stakeholder departments during project proposal preparation. Labourers can get into the manholes and can walk for maintenance works as there will be a height of two meters.”
