Four projects under the Corporation’s Smart city project are set to be commissioned within a month. Among these are two renovated parks, a vending zone and an open-air theatre.
Meanwhile, the opening of the Smart Road at Manaveyaam Veedhi will be delayed for at least two more weeks due to pending works of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA). Officials of Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited, the Kerala Road Fund Board and the KWA visited the site on Wednesday to assess the remaining work.
Although tarring of the Smart Road was completed some days ago after the shifting of utility lines underground, the work on a major supply line of the KWA is remaining at both ends of the road. However, the work on the culture street at Manaveeyam Veedhi, which involves the construction of a permanent stage and related electrical works, is likely to take six more months. Traffic will be allowed through this stretch once the remaining KWA work is completed.
Vending zone
The work on the vending zone at RKV road near Napier Museum is almost complete and could be opened this month. The zone has space to accommodate 45 shops. The existing shops in the area, most of them serving tea and snacks from shacks, will be shifted to the vending zone.
In the same area, the work on a renovated park at Observatory Hill is nearly over. The park, named after Captain Lakshmi Sahgal, consists of an open gym, skating area for kids, fountains, walkways, refreshment and toilet facilities. The renovation work on the Sree Chithira Thirunal Park at the Fort area is also nearly over.
Another work about to be completed is the redevelopment of Putharikandam Maidanam, with the construction of an open-air theatre with galleries on both sides that can accommodate 1,000 people.
The redevelopment work also involved provision of a jogging track, landscaping, rain shelters at equal intervals, water fountains, renovation of the compound wall, better overall illumination for evening walkers and Wi-Fi Hotspot, CCTV, emergency call box and public information display system.
