As the Shavakottapalam (Powerhouse bridge) and Kommady bridge in Alappuzha town are all set to be inaugurated, CPI(M) leader and former Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran has deplored the lack of acknowledgement for developmental works initiated by the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Mr. Sudhakaran noted that the construction of the bridges was commenced during the tenure of the previous government in which he held the Public Works portfolio. The Public Works department (PWD) had then sanctioned ₹50 crore for the project, he said.
Mr. Sudhakaran said the previous government had sanctioned funds for eight bridges, including Powerhouse and Kommady, in the Alappuzha and Ambalappuzha Assembly constituencies. Another 70 bridges had been designed across the district during the period. Likewise, construction of 500 bridges commenced in the State, he said.
Mr. Sudhakaran said that campaigns and news about developmental initiatives were ignoring the fact that these projects had been awarded by the previous government. This, according to him, is a total disregard for the good works carried out in the past.
The Powerhouse and Kommady bridges are likely to be inaugurated by Public Works Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas on August 24.
The bridges were constructed as a single project by the Kerala Road Fund Board. The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board-funded (KIIFB) project was to be completed in May 2021. However, the project got delayed due to various reasons, including issues related to acquiring land for approach roads.
While the Kommady bridge was reconstructed, the new Powerhouse bridge was constructed parallel to the old one as part of widening it.
