Question : REPAIRING AND WIDENING OF NH-47

(a) whether the Government has undertaken widening of National Highway (NH)-47 from Salem to Kanyakumari;

(b) if so, the details and present status thereof and the steps taken for repairing of Palakkad-Thrissur stretch on the said NH which is in bad condition and causing difficulties in vehicular movement;

(c) whether there are reports of heavy traffic congestions on Earnakulam bypass on NH-47 due to delay in construction of flyovers at Kundannoor, Vyttila, Palarivatom and Edappilly junctions; and

(d) if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Government to ease traffic congestions on the said bypass?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI SARVEY SATHYANARAYANA)

(a) and (b) Four laning from Salem to Coimbatore and Thrissur to Cherthalai is completed. Four laning from Coimbatore to Vadakancherry and Six laning from Vadakkancherry to Mannuthy (Thrissur) have been awarded. The widening in the Cherthalai - Thiruvananthapuram - Kanyakumari section is held up due to extremely slow pace of Land Acquisition. The stretch from Palakkad to Vadakkancherry is in traffic worthy condition and repair work for damaged portions from Vadakkancherry to Thrissur has already been taken up.

(c) and (d) To ease traffic congestion on Ernakulum bypass on NH 47, draft DPR for construction of flyovers at Kundannoor, Vyttila, Palarivattom and Edappally junctions has been submitted by the consultants. However, the DPR has not yet been finalized as the proposed Cochin Metro Rail infringes on the alignment at Edappally and Vyttila Junctions requiring dovetailing with the plans of Kochi Metro Authority so as to ensure that the highways and metro alignments are compatible to each other.