The equipment consisting of Boomer drill rigs will cut a one-km-long tunnel through the Kuthiran to help avoid vehicular congestions while traversing the hills. The 28-km stretch is a vital part of the highway linking Palakkad and Thrissur. Mumbai-based Pragathi Engineering and Rail Project Private Limited bagged the sub contract for the Kuthiran tunnel construction, said official sources, adding that the company, which had earlier done similar works for Mumbai-Pune Express Highway and Konkan Railway Corporation, affirmed that the tunneling works would be initiated very shortly. There would be two separate tunnels at Kuthiran and each would have 14-metre width and 10-metre height. Meanwhile, widening works are on fast pace in the rest of the areas of the stretch after the Hyderabad-based KMC, which is the contractor-firm for the project, was able to source fresh bank loans recently. In the first phase, the contractor was able to carry out only 13% of it and now the banks have asked the contractor to complete another 20% in three months and that the construction work on the remaining portion was resumed following strong pressure from the State government and the civil society movements in Thrissur and adjoining areas, said official sources.
