Greenfield highway back in focus in Keralam as Vizhinjam begins EXIM operations
Legislators in Kerala are pushing for the revival of a 257-km greenfield highway project to improve freight connectivity to the newly opened Vizhinjam International Seaport. The project, previously shelved by the Union government, is being promoted as a vital link for transporting plantation produce from central Kerala.
Why it matters
The highway is critical for the economic viability of the Vizhinjam port, which aims to become a major global transshipment hub.
The opening of Vizhinjam International Seaport to export-import (EXIM) cargo operations has breathed new life into a long-pending highway proposal that could provide the high ranges of central Kerala with a faster freight link to the international port.
The proposed greenfield highway is back on the agenda, with Sebastian M.J. and Rony K. Baby, respectively the legislators of Poonjar and Kanjirappally, urging Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan to revive the project and take up the matter with the Union government. The 257-km corridor was conceived as an alternative to the increasingly congested MC Road, connecting Pulimath in Thiruvananthapuram district with Angamaly in Ernakulam through parts of Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Idukki. The project had progressed beyond the initial planning stage, with its alignment finalised and other preliminary procedures completed, before the Union government subsequently withdrew it from consideration.
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