Kerala Seeks Central Nod for Sabarimala Road, MC Road Upgrade
Kerala has proposed upgrading the Thiruvabharana Patha and renovating the MC Road under PM Gati Shakti, with the Centre indicating support for additional road projects.
Kerala has moved a preliminary proposal to upgrade the Thiruvabharana Patha — the road linking Pandalam and Pamba that serves the Sabarimala pilgrimage — and to renovate the MC Road under the PM Gati Shakti scheme. Public Works Minister P.K. Basheer raised these and other major road projects with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari at a meeting in New Delhi.
According to the Minister, the Centre has indicated it is prepared to sanction additional road development projects for the State. Officials of the Public Works Department said a detailed proposal, including detailed project reports for the Thiruvabharana Patha upgrade and the MC Road renovation, would be submitted by the State shortly.
The meeting also reviewed other pending works. The alignment for the Kothamangalam bypass has been approved, and land acquisition proceedings for the Kodungallur-Angamaly bypass will be expedited. The Centre is expected to approve five projects worth ₹111.27 crore under the annual plan.
On the proposed elevated corridor on NH 966 between Ramanattukara and Kozhikode Airport, Mr. Gadkari conveyed that clearance from the Alignment Approval Committee would be granted soon. The Centre has also taken a favourable position on constructing a flyover at Kayamkulam as part of the widening of National Highway 66.
The discussions followed an earlier meeting in July, during which Kerala secured Central approval for National Highway development projects worth ₹2,039 crore. These included ₹1,663 crore for four-laning the Kadavoor-Anjilimoodu stretch of the Kollam-Theni National Highway; ₹172 crore for the Ramanattukara-Chandranagar section of NH 966; ₹98.40 crore for works on NH 744; ₹66 crore for the Kazhakkoottam-Balaramapuram stretch of the old NH 66; and about ₹49 crore for the Bairakuppa bridge across the Kabani River in Wayanad.
The Centre assured Kerala that Central assistance for the development of the State's road infrastructure would continue. Public Works Secretary Adeela Abdulla and National Highway Division Chief Engineer Isaac Varghese also attended the meeting with the Union Minister.