KSEB-NHAI face-off hits Aroor-Thuravoor NH stretch

Kochi: The completion of the ambitious 12.75km Aroor-Thuravoor elevated highway, set to be the country's longest single-pillar skyway, has been delayed by a high-voltage bureaucratic stand-off. While nearly 90% of the project is finished, an over six-month delay by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) in granting ‘shutdown' permissions for extra high tension (EHT) line shifting has left the Rs 2,200-crore project in a state of suspended animation.National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has identified three critical locations where EHT lines must be relocated to facilitate span constructions. While permissions were finally secured for sites near Hotel Abam (Thuravoor) and Aroor Junction, the project remains paralyzed near the Aroor Residency Hotel stretch. According to NHAI officials, the request for a power shutdown was submitted over half a year ago. "KSEB insisted on erecting temporary lines in the three EHT line shifting stretches, which wasn't in our original scope of work as per the agreement. Even after that, we spent months setting up these temporary facilities at Aroor Junction. But we're still waiting for the nod of the KSEB to shut down to facilitate the EHT line shifting near Aroor Residency Hotel stretch. This delay alone has set us back by at least three months," a senior NHAI official said.At the Aroor Residency site, four critical spans remain unbuilt. Until the EHT lines are shifted, the massive overhead gantries cannot move, effectively halting the structural completion of the highway. When contacted, a senior KSEB official said the nod will be provided only after the NHAI sets up a temporary line at the EHT shifting site.Smooth vehicle flow continues to be hitRoad users are at the receiving end of this administrative friction. Originally slated for structural completion in March 2026 with a full opening by May, the project is now missing its targets. This delay has direct, daily consequences for the thousands of vehicles navigating the NH-66 corridor. NHAI has so far restored the surface road for only 8km of the total 24km (both sides). The remaining 16km of roadwork is held hostage by the incomplete elevated sections at Aroor. The bottleneck effect at the Aroor stretch has led to agonizingly slow vehicle movement, particularly for those heading toward the Palluruthy side.NHAI is prepared to handle the entirety of the labour and cost for the shifting; they require only the KSEB's cooperation to turn off the power temporarily."The lack of inter-departmental coordination has turned a landmark engineering feat into a symbol of frustration. Without immediate intervention from the state govt to find a common path between the KSEB and NHAI, the last mile of this skyway will continue to cast a long, congested shadow over the commuters," said Sanoob Aziz, a member of the ‘Jagratha Samiti', a local resident collective.