Thiruvananthapuram | Congress MP Kodikunnel Suresh on Friday said he has urged Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to abandon the proposal to de-notify the Kollam Chinnakkada-Edamon stretch of National Highway-744 and instead develop it as a four-lane highway.
In a Facebook post, Suresh said he met Gadkari and discussed what he described as a matter of "serious concern" regarding the proposed development of the Kollam Chinnakkada-Punalur Edamon section of NH-744.
The MP said he had received representations from elected representatives, commuters, social organisations and members of the public expressing concern over reports that the stretch would be widened only to 10 metres, de-notified as a national highway and handed over to the state government.
He said the Kollam-Edamon stretch passes through major towns, including Kottarakkara, and serves as an important inter-state corridor connecting Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
"Reducing such an important national highway to a 10-metre-wide road and handing it over to the state government would be against the long-term interests of the people and would undermine future development prospects. This cannot be accepted under any circumstances," Suresh said.
According to the Congress leader, Gadkari immediately summoned the Chief Engineer of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in charge of southern India and sought an explanation.
The minister was informed that the proposal had been made based on a recommendation of the previous Kerala government, Suresh claimed.
He said he informed Gadkari that the change in government in Kerala warranted a review of the earlier recommendation.
Suresh also recalled that when the Greenfield Highway via Kadambattukonam was announced, the Union ministry had assured that the Chinnakkada-Edamon stretch would continue to remain part of the national highway network.
Suresh said he demanded that the proposal to widen the road to only 10 metres and de-notify it be dropped completely and that NH-744 be developed as a four-lane highway.
He also stressed the need for bypasses at major towns, including Kottarakkara, to ease traffic congestion and said highway development should take future traffic requirements into account.
The MP said he would also meet Chief Minister V D Satheesan and Public Works Minister P K Basheer to seek the Kerala government's support for revising the earlier recommendation.
Suresh also met Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and requested that a spare MEMU rake be allocated to the Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division to ease overcrowding on the Kollam-Ernakulam route.
The Congress leader said passengers, including many women commuters, had approached him over the reduction in the number of coaches in MEMU trains operating between Kollam and Ernakulam over the past few days.
Suresh said the division's lack of a spare MEMU rake was the primary reason for the problem and requested the minister to allot one to the division to address the situation urgently.
According to the MP, Vaishnaw assured him that the issues raised would be examined and appropriate action taken.