Almost 10 years after a feasibility study, the Greenfield Tourist Highway project between Kottayam and Cherthala is all set for a fresh start.
The Kerala Road Fund Board will finalise the consultants to prepare the detail project report soon.
The project, which aims at the development of tourism in Kuttanad and Kumarakom, will require large-scale reclamation of paddy fields.
As part of tourism development, some stretches of the proposed route will have space reserved for resorts and other commercial establishments.
According to the NATPAC report submitted 10 years ago, the proposed route for the project is Kodimatha - Kavanar- Thaneermukkom Bund - Cherthala.
The 14.5 km stretch from Kodimatha to Kavanar will bypass the busy Kottayam town and will pass through paddy fields, coconut lagoons and small streams besides crossing National Waterway 3.
The existing road will be upgraded for Kavanar - Thaneermukkom Bund road. From the Bund Junction, a new alignment is proposed through the paddy fields, which will join Cherthala.
KRFB Chief Operating Officer Harikesh said the consultants for preparing the DPR will be finalised in two days.
“The proposed highway will give boost to the tourism prospects of Kuttanad and Kumarakom.
“To make project economically viable, part of the stretch will be used to set up commercial firms,” he said.
It will be a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project under Design, Built, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBOFT) mode.
The project, connecting National Highway 47 and State Highway 1, was introduced during the A K Antony Ministry in 2001. It got a go-ahead this time with the intervention of Finance Minister K M Mani reportedly.
The feasibility study in 2002 has estimated a `187 crore for the project, excluding land acquisition. The existing road connecting Cherthala and Kottayam is in bad condition and some stretches get flooded during monsoon.
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