Balaramapuram road widening compensation package set for cabinet approval

Thiruvananthapuram: Ending months of uncertainty, the state govt is poised to approve a long-awaited Rs 104 crore compensation package for landowners affected by the 1.5 km Kodinada–Vazhimukku Road widening project at Balaramapuram.

The development marks a crucial step in the delayed Karamana–Kaliyikkavila highway project, a key infrastructure initiative aimed at decongesting traffic in the state capital. According to CK Hareendran MLA, who is overseeing the land acquisition in Balaramapuram, the proposal will be tabled in the upcoming cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

"The finance department has released funds and confirmed that the matter will be taken up in the next cabinet session. Once approved, disbursal of the compensation will begin within a week," Hareendran told TOI. He added that all hurdles in the way of land acquisition are resolved and that the tendering process for the road construction is expected to begin in June. "We are targeting to start actual work by Aug this year," he said.

The Rs 104 crore, sanctioned by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), will go towards compensating the remaining 54 landowners whose properties will be acquired. Bureaucratic delays previously stalled the fund release, affecting business owners who were unable to restock or relocate due to the prevailing uncertainty. Despite the delay in compensation, demolition work has already commenced along the project stretch, starting from Vazhimukku towards Balaramapuram.

A contractor based in Kunjalumoodu is currently handling the demolition, with buildings being razed at both Balaramapuram and Kodinada ends. The Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) is the implementing agency for the highway development, which is critical for easing long-standing traffic snarls in the region. Commuters from Parassala and Neyyattinkara often face severe congestion at Balaramapuram, a major traffic bottleneck.

Meanwhile, the development of the adjacent Vazhimukku–Kaliyikkavila Road segment will face further delay as the govt has ordered a fresh alignment survey, despite a Lidar-based survey already being completed. A final decision has been made to widen this stretch to 30.2m, slightly more than earlier proposals that capped the width at under 30m. To minimize private land acquisition, the state plans to utilise govt land along a 300m stretch near the Thykkapalli mosque, known as the Old Rajapatha.

Authorities initially planned to complete acquisition by Feb this year and commence construction by April, but timelines have since slipped. An underpass was also proposed at the congested Balaramapuram Junction, but it was dropped later owing to opposition from landowners.