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The district administration in Thiruvananthapuram has asked Southern Railway to complete the pending works on Vattavila Suresh Road and submit a compliance report. A portion of the road was earlier handed over to the railway authorities for the railway line-doubling project near Nemom. Residents had raised concerns about safety and loss of connectivity after the road was removed for construction activities. Railway officials had earlier agreed to construct a retaining wall and build a tarred road to restore access. However, the work remains incomplete more than 18 months after the railway project began.
The district administration in Thiruvananthapuram has directed Southern Railway to complete the pending work related to Vattavila Suresh Road and provide a compliance report on the progress. The communication was sent by the deputy collector (land acquisition) on behalf of the district collector to the deputy chief engineer of Southern Railway's construction wing. Advertisement
A portion of Vattavila Suresh Road had earlier been handed over by the state government to the railway authorities for the railway line-doubling project near Nemom railway station. After the road was excavated and taken over for construction activities, residents in the area raised concerns about loss of connectivity and safety risks.
During a public hearing held earlier at the collectorate, representatives of the Nemom Action Council, a local residents organisation, brought these issues before district officials and railway authorities. At the meeting, railway officials acknowledged the concerns raised by residents and indicated that steps would be taken to address them.
Officials from Southern Railway had informed the administration that a retaining wall would be constructed in the area to ensure safety near the railway alignment. They had also indicated that a tarred road would be built to reconnect Vattavila Suresh Road with the main road near Nemom railway station so that local access would not be disrupted.
However, according to the district administration, these works have not yet been completed even though the railway line-doubling project in the area began more than one and a half years ago. Authorities have now asked the railway department to complete the promised work and formally report the progress to the district administration.
The issue is connected to the land acquisition carried out for the railway project. As part of the process, a portion of the public road was transferred to the railways. Reports indicate that the state government received about INR 1.15 crore from the railway authorities as compensation for the land, including the stretch of Vattavila Suresh Road that was required for the project.
Local residents had earlier expressed concern that the removal of the road had affected daily movement in the neighbourhood. Around 200 families in the area were reportedly impacted after the route was blocked due to construction activity.
Following protests and repeated complaints from residents, railway authorities had earlier indicated that they would construct a three-metre-wide tarred road to restore connectivity and hand it over to the local civic body for maintenance. The assurance was meant to address the disruption caused after the existing road was removed.
Questions have also been raised about the handling of the land acquisition process. Reports indicate that a special tahsildar had taken over a portion of the public road during the acquisition stage without making adequate arrangements for acquiring additional land to create a proper alternative road connection.
The matter has also drawn attention because parts of the road had reportedly been taken over for railway purposes in the past as well, leading to repeated concerns among residents about access and connectivity in the area.
The district administration has now reiterated that the railway authorities should complete the remaining work on the retaining wall and the tarred road without further delay and submit a report on the progress.
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