News Brief
After Two Decades Of Delays, Kochi’s Seaport–Airport Road Phase II Finally Set To Take Off With Hand Over Of HMT Land
International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), Kochi
After nearly twenty years of setbacks and stalled negotiations, Kochi’s long-pending Seaport–Airport Road project is finally back on track.
The crucial HMT land in Kalamassery, at the heart of a prolonged ownership dispute was handed over to the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) on Tuesday (21 October), marking a major breakthrough in the project’s second phase.
Industries Minister P Rajeeve said the handover marks a major breakthrough in resolving one of the biggest hurdles that stalled work on the crucial project connecting Irumpanam to Nedumbassery.
"The land issue that held up the project for over 20 years has now been fully resolved. Construction on this stretch will begin soon,” he was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.
The minister added that the progress was the result of continuous intervention by the state government.
The 25.7 km Seaport–Airport Road stretches from Irumpanam to Nedumbassery, offering faster access to Cochin International Airport, The New Indian Express reported.
The first phase, covering 11.3 km up to Kalamassery, was completed in 2003.
The newly acquired HMT land is vital for the 2-km HMT–NAD section, which includes a 600 metre, 45 metre wide road segment.
“An amount of H37.91 crore needed to be deposited in a nationalised bank… We aim to begin work within four weeks,” a senior RBDCK official said.
Authorities are also evaluating a proposal for an underpass at Toshiba Junction, replacing the earlier flyover plan due to multiple underground pipelines.
Meanwhile, construction on the 6.5 km NAD–Mahilalayam stretch is expected to commence in December, backed by Rs 569.34 crore from KIIFB.
