Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to inaugurate the Kollam bypass on NH-66 on Tuesday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit Kerala on Tuesday to attend various events in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram, including the inauguration of Kollam bypass on NH-66.
This will be the third official visit of the Prime Minister to Kollam. His first visit to the city was in December 2015, when he unveiled the statue of R. Sankar. Subsequently, the Prime Minister visited Kollam in April 2016, hours after the fire tragedy.
And now, he will be visiting the city to inaugurate the much-awaited Kollam bypass.
Here's all you need to know about the Kollam bypass which is all set to be used by the public soon:
1. Kollam bypass on NH-66 is a 13 km (from Mevaram to Kavanad) long, two-lane bypass.
2. The total cost of making of the bypass is Rs. 352 crore.
3. The Kollam bypass includes three major bridges over the Ashtamudi Lake, having a total length of 1540 meters.
4. The project will reduce travel time between Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram, and will also decongest traffic in Kollam town.
Earlier, passing Kollam was a nightmare for those who would travel on the National Highway from Thiruvananthapuram to other parts of the state. During peak traffic hours, it would easily take a few hours to pass a few kilometers from Kottayam- the starting point of Kollam town to Kavanad- the ending point. But now, with the inauguration of the bypass in Kollam, commuters can take a sigh of relief.
5. The bypass is a project equally funded by the state and the Centre. The share of the state is Rs 174 crore.
6. The construction of the bypass was completed in four phases. The first phase was from Mevaram to Ayathil, the second phase was from Ayathil to Kallumthazham, the third from Kallumthazham to Kadavur and the fourth from Kadavur to Kavanad.
7. The construction of the third and fourth phases got approval on January 17, 2014, and the amount sanctioned was Rs 277.25 crore. But it was not possible to begin it with the amount allotted. On January 23, the amount was raised to Rs 352.5 crore and in a day, the contract for the construction was approved. The construction began on May 27, 2015, and the aim was to complete the work by November 26, 2017.
8. Apparently, the Kollam bypass project was conceived long back in 1972 and the work on the final phase began on May 27, 2015.
9. The 1.5-kilometer Ayathil-Kallumthazham stretch was completed in 1999 and the Mevaram-Ayathil stretch in 1993.
10. The UDF, LDF and the Union government have been competing to own the credit of the bypass for a while. The state government had announced that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the bypass on February 2. But in a move that surprised the state, the Centre informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the bypass on January 15.
Meanwhile, the official Twitter handle of Kerala CMO shared a video of the Kollam bypass on Monday, along with a caption that reads, "Tomorrow, Kollam bypass will be dedicated to the nation. For Kollam, it is a long cherished dream come true. When this Govt assumed office, only 23% of the works were in the finished state. We kept our word of completing it in 1000 days, and finished the remaining 76% in 2.5 years."
Check out the video here:
Other things on PM Narendra Modi's agenda are visiting the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram and unveiling a plaque to mark the launch of some visitor facilities.
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 "Here's all you need to know about Kerala's Kollam bypass")
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