Kerala: 5 years & Rs 165 crore later, a green light at end of Kuthiran tunnel

THRISSUR: The Kuthiran tunnel, part of the Mannuthi-Wadakkanchery stretch of the National Highway, was opened on Saturday evening, marking the fruition of a long-pending dream of Kerala in the transport infrastructure sector.
The project to construct two tunnels, each 964 m long, at Kuthiran was launched to reduce the acute traffic block on this stretch of the NH linking Kerala with Tamil Nadu and other south Indian states.The traffic blocks on this vital road often continued for hours together.
This stretch had also witnessed numerous accidents claiming several lives and injuring hundreds. The opening of the road tunnel, reportedly the longest in south India, is expected to ease the traffic.
The blasting for the tunnel, estimated to cost 165 crore, had begun in June 2016.
Curiously, the opening of the tunnel was rather abrupt. Almost everyone -- including state ministers, officials and even the construction company officials --was caught unawares when Union minister for surface transport Nitin Gadkari tweeted in the afternoon that the tunnel is going to be opened.
Public works minister Muhammed Riyas and revenue minister K Rajan said even around noon that they were unaware of the opening of the tunnel.
Now, focus on opening second tunnel: Minister
The state government had directed the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials and the construction company to open at least one tunnel by August.
The contract for converting the 28.5-km Mannuthy-Wadakkanchery road was inked way back in 2009, and the estimated cost was only Rs 641 crore. The cost has gone up to over Rs 1,300 crore as per the RTI replies received by Congress leader Shaji Kodenkandath in 2019. The work also got inordinately delayed due to various reasons.
The main work of constructing a twin tunnel at Kuthiran climb was awarded to KMC Constructions Ltd, which subcontracted it to Pragathi Engineering and Rail Projects Ltd. Pragathi Engineering had quit after completing over 90% work on the first tunnel and nearly 75% work on the other, by alleging that KMC had not paid about Rs 60 crore as the cost of the completed work. The tunnel work is now being undertaken directly by the KMC.
Even though the left tunnel meant for travel from Wadakkanchery to Mannuthi has been opened, the work on the other tunnel meant to carry traffic from Mannuthi to Thrissur is progressing. KMC officials have claimed that the second tunnel will be ready for traffic by December this year.
District collector Haritha V Kumar received a communication from the NHAI project director around 5.30pm, saying that the tunnel will be opened this evening. The collector and city police commissioner Aadhithya R were among the first passengers through the tunnel when it was opened around 7.55pm.
Ministers Riyaz and Rajan said they were happy that at least one tunnel had been opened though the state government was not taken into confidence about the timing of the opening. “We are now focusing on the opening of the second tunnel, and will continue supporting and putting pressure on the NHAI and the construction company for the early completion of the work,” Riyaz said.
Rajan said there would be strong public resistance if the construction company starts collecting toll citing the completion of one tunnel. Toll collection can begin only after the entire work associated with the six-laning of the Mannuthy-Wadakkanchery road is completed, he said.