Residents threaten protest over stalled Kavalam-Thattassery bridge construction

More than eight years after receiving government approval, the construction of the Kavalam-Thattassery bridge across the Pampa river in Kuttanad remains stalled.

Though land acquisition has been completed, the project is awaiting the financial nod from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) for the revised estimate. Residents under the aegis of a people’s committee recently submitted memorandums to Public Works Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas, District Collector Alex Varghese and KIIFB officials demanding immediate measures to commence construction. The committee has threatened to relaunch protests if the project is delayed further.

In 2016, the State government allocated ₹30 crore for constructing the bridge and approach roads. Initially, authorities planned to acquire the land needed for the project through direct negotiated purchase. However, some landowners demanded a change in alignment. As the alignment was fixed by the Inland Waterways Authority, officials rejected their demand. Later, the Revenue department ended the move to acquire land through negotiated purchase.

By November 2018, the department announced that the land would be acquired by invoking the Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act. Landowners were given time till December 1, 2018, to hand over the consent letters. However, no follow-up action was initiated until 2020. After inordinate delays, around 2 acres of land in Kavalam and Kunnumma villages were acquired for the project at a cost of ₹11 crore, with demolition of structures completed earlier this year.

Due to cost escalation, the project cost increased from ₹46 crore to ₹73 crore. However, the revised estimate has yet to receive the final nod.

Once completed, the bridge will connect the Alappuzha-Changanassery (AC) road and the Main Central (MC) road. It will help reduce the distance between Alappuzha and Kottayam by around 9 km. It will also facilitate development in Kuttanad’s remote areas. The bridge will have a length of 396.4 m and a width of 7.5 m.