Corporation permits North RoB demolition

KOCHI:  The Kochi Corporation Council has withdrawn its resolution regarding the demolition of the North Railway Overbridge (RoB). A decision in this regard was taken at a special Council meeting held here on Monday.Withdrawing the earlier resolution that the North RoB can be demolished only after completing the widening of the Thammanam-Pulleppady stretch, the Council decided to give its nod to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to go ahead with the dismantling of the RoB. “The state government, the district administration and the DMRC have promised that they would extend maximum support to the civic body to successfully re-route the traffic once the bridge is demolished. They have also promised that proper steps would be taken to relocate the shops that will be demolished for the North Overbridge project,” Mayor Tony Chammany said.The Mayor said that the Kerala Roads and Bridges Development Corporation would allot the shops constructed beneath the Pulleppady RoB for the relocation of the shops at the North RoB. “Since the construction of shops under the Pulleppady RoB will take more time, temporary rehabilitation will be provided to the shop owners under the RoB at Irumbanam,” he said.The Mayor said that the government had already allotted Rs 25 crore to acquire land for the Thammanam -Pulleppady Road through which the traffic will be diverted once the North RoB is demolished.  “We have already conveyed the Council’s anxiety about the traffic chaos that will arise out of the dismantling of the North Overbridge,” the Mayor added.Earlier the Metro Rail authorities and the City Traffic Police officials presented the details of the traffic diversion that will be implemented, once the reconstruction of the North Bridge begins. It has been proposed todivert the vehicles coming from the Palarivattom area to MG Road. Apart from service buses (City buses, Thirukochi and KSRTC ordinary buses), all vehicles will be diverted through new routes as only the side bridges of the RoB will be demolished initially.