Kerala's expressway of hope

It is billed as the highway of hope that would bring investment and prosperity to industry-starved Kerala and change the state's economic and urban face.

A 507-kilometre expressway connecting Kerala's southern and northern tips and passing through 12 of the state's 14 districts is the biggest-ever infrastructure project that the A K Antony government is getting ready to execute.

The proposed north-south super highway, modeled on a similar one built by the Malaysian government, has most Kerala politicians, businessmen and industrialists agreeing in unison that such an express road could drive up the state's economic fortunes.

Here are some facts about the proposed expressway that was showcased as the biggest infrastructure project during the recent Global Investor Meet in Kerala.

• The 504-km expressway from Thiruvananthapuram in southern Kerala to Kasargod in the state's northern tip will cost Rs 6,400 crore (Rs 64 billion). Traveling time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod will be reduced to five hours through the expressway from the current 12 hours.
• Gas, power supply cables, irrigation canals and even a bullet train would pass through the express highway. As much as three metric tones of rubberised bitumen and 15 metric tones of coir-geo textiles will be used for the expressway's construction. This will boost the agriculture sectors in Kerala.
• The expressway will have only 19 interchange points for entry and exit of motor vehicles. These interchanges will house development centers for tourism, information technology, biotechnology, marketing and warehousing sectors. There would be 21 major bridges, five railway crossings and an under bridge every one kilometer of the expressway.
• The expressway would pass through 890 hectares of agricultural land, 2,900 hectares of plantations and 238 hectares of households. While more than 3,000 families will have to be rehabilitated, Rs 1,758 crore (Rs 17.58 billion) would be needed for land acquisition, resettlement and the rehabilitation of the displaced.

But will the expressway -- which Chief Minister Antony has termed as the high-speed corridor of Kerala's ultimate development -- become a reality?

"It will be a reality. We are on the right track. It is an economically sound project for which there is also total political consensus in the state," Kerala's Public Works Minister M K Muneer told rediff.com.

In the last one year, the young minister has been quietly working on the expressway project. "I have been keeping this project close to my heart all these months. I take it with me in my laptop wherever I go," says Muneer.

Aiding Muneer in the mammoth task was V J Kurien, an IAS officer, who now heads Kerala's Roads and Bridges Development Corporation.

Kurien who single-handedly raised funds from Non-Resident Indians from 30 countries to build India's first ever private airport -- the Cochin International Airport -- in a record five years says the expressway will be developed in three phases.

"If everything goes in the right direction, we will complete the project by 2003," he said.

Muneer, Kurien and other senior officials held a video presentation of the expressway to Kerala's members of legislative assembly.

Most legislators said it is an amazing project that will catapult Kerala as an economic powerhouse.

But how?

Muneer says Kerala's biggest handicap these days is the lack of good quality roads. "Good infrastructure is a must for good investment. Not only that the expressway will boost the construction industry in the state, it will be the hub of all economic activities, including IT, tourism, et cetera," says the minister.

"The north-south highway built in Malaysia tremendously helped the country to develop its economy and tourism. We expect similar growth in Kerala," Muneer said.

And is the expressway financially viable? The Antony government says it is.

To begin with, the government is mulling various options to execute the project. One option that is gaining ground is the setting up a new company to build the expressway.

The Kerala government and various strategic partners -- that could include NRI investors -- would hold equity participation in the new company.

Already, at least seven companies led by a consortium of firms from Malaysia have evinced keen interest in the Kerala expressway.

Muneer and his team are going all out to ensure that there are no bottlenecks in their ambitious super-corridor project. Meanwhile, the Kerala Roads and Bridges Development Corporation under Kurien is in the process of preparing the financial structuring of the project.