Thiruvananthapuram: An open forum, organized by Karamana-Kaliyikyavila national highway action council at Balarampuram here on Monday, provided a platform for the candidates contesting from Kovalam and Neyyatinkara constituency to express their visions.
"For proper development of the national highway, members of the action council and the public should send a request to the government to widen the road to 45 metres from the existing 30.2 metres, as per central government norms. It is unscientific to reduce the width of the road in the name of people's consent," said Punchakkari Surendran, NDA candidate in Neyyattinkara.
M Vincent, UDF candidate in Kovalam, said, "It was a risk to construct the national highway in the highly congested area with high-rise buildings. It was during the five years of UDF government, the first phase of the Karamana - Kaliyikavila NH road project has been completed and compensation was partly distributed to beneficiaries in the second phase. It could be completed only if the UDF government comes back to power."
K Ansalan, LDF candidate in Neyyattinkara, said, "The NH is a need for development than a solution for traffic issues. Unlike, other states where separate space for development is allocated, we have to develop the existing area due to lack of land. If elected, I will try and pressurize the government to complete the project. I will also make sure that compensation is dispersed on time."
Taking a dig at the UDF government over slow progress of the project, T N Suresh, NDA candidate in Kovalam, said that it took six years to complete construction work of about six-km road and it will take more than 25 years to complete the whole project. While LDF candidate in Kovalam Jameela Prakasam suggested that instead of depositing compensation amounts in bank accounts of beneficiaries, the money should be distributed as money market instrument which people could encash easily.
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