Riyas confident of timely completion of Smart City project roads in State capital

Thiruvananthapurama: State Public Works Minister P A Mohamed Riyas is confident of timely completion of roads being constried as part of Smart City in the State capital

The minister said works are progressing as scheduled and on track. .

He was tatking to reporters while visting the work sites to make an on the spot assessment., During the visit he revealed that 38 roads under the Kerala Road Fund Board have been selected for maintenance and refurbishment under this initiative.

Originally, the road works under the Smart City project were assigned to a separate agency, but their inability to meet the deadlines led to a crisis. Prompt intervention by the state government resulted in the removal of the agency, and contracts were subsequently awarded to different agencies to expedite the completion of the project.

Thanks to these changes, significant progress has been made on roads such as Manaveeyam Veedhi and Kalabhavan Mani Road. The Althara-Chenthitta road works are set to meet BM&BC standards, incorporating a cycle lane. Minister Riyas stated that the construction works are scheduled for completion by April 2024, before the onset of the monsoon, and officials have been given clear directives to achieve this goal. Regular review meetings are also being conducted to monitor the progress of the works.

For areas where road demolition is necessary for laying drinking water pipelines, the respective departments will take responsibility for road maintenance. A committee, comprising ministers of public works and water resources along with departmental officials, will coordinate these efforts.