Historically, “muddy
roads” were built by the Persians across
their Empire. Later, the Roman Empire built deep beds of crushed stone in a
layer beneath the road to ensure the dryness of the road, as the water would
drain out from the crushed stone, instead of mud becoming slushy. This was made
for the quick movement of their troops from one place to another. Gradually,
the Islamic Caliphate built tarred
roads in Baghdad.
Road construction
improved slowly; drainage facilities were provided to reduce the damage to
roads during torrential rains. Roads were macadamized (based on McAdam’s
theory) or having a smooth convex surface to allow rainwater to drain quickly
into drains/canals at the sides.
Kumbalam Village,
being a cluster of tiny islands, there was no road and there was no scope for
road transport. Earlier, swift vessels like Odi-vanchi
and snake boats were used for the transport of warriors and important men.
During the Portuguese and Dutch colonial period, the villagers in the delta
region used ‘Kettu-Vallangal,’ large
vessels to transport goods through the Vembanad Backwaters and major rivers. In
the hilly regions people, used ox-carts or horse-carts to carry goods, trudging
through dirt tracks, or men used to carry goods on their head or
shoulders.
During the colonial period especially the
British, exports and imports increased rapidly. As states became richer, new
roads and bridges were built in erstwhile State of Cochin. The oldest arterial
road of Ernakulam Town was Chittoor Road, built
by the Kochi Raja, connecting South Railway Station with Chittoor Temple via
Pachalam. This road does not connect the southern or western part of Ernakulam
district, especially Mattancherry, the main commercial hub for trade in spices,
grains and pulses in those days; and Fort-cochin, the British quarter of
Cochin. The British Resident felt the need of another major road that connects
southern and western areas as well. In the year 1920, Sir Robert Bristow, the
Chief Engineer, who conceived the new port of Kochi, announced his plans to
create a new island from the Vembanad Backwaters between the mainland,
Ernakulam and Fort-cochin Island. Willington
Island is the largest
artificial man-made island in India. The Island was reclaimed during
construction of modern Kochi Port in 1936 by filling in dredged out soil around
a previously existing, tiny Island called Venduruthy; while deepening the estuary region of Vembanad Lake
to accommodate the new Kochi Port. The Kochi Port Trust, Kochi Naval Base (the
Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy,) Central
Institute of Fisheries Technology and Marine University are the significant
offices housed therein. A large aerodrome (present INS GARUDA) was constructed
and used for civil aviation too until it was moved to present location at
Nedumbassery in Kochi. The Island was named after the 1st Earl of
Willington, the Viceroy of India at
the time, who commissioned the project. Sir
Robert Charles Bristow, the chief engineer for the project, owned the first
building on the island. Willington Island links Kochi with other seaports of
the world and hosts some of the state's best hotels, like Malabar Hotel, Casino
hotel and Trident; other commercial establishments like Darraghsmail & Co
and other industrial offices.
The Mattancherry and Venduruthy Bridges were
built in 1940 by Sir Robert Charles Bristow. The spans of these two oldest
bridges were built with steel across the Vembanad Lake. The central portion of
the Mattancherry Bridge was built in steel and wood. The center span of the
bridge is designed in such a way that it can be raised using a spring
mechanism. These bridges were commissioned in 1943 and it was a part of NH-47
later. Now the archaic bridges are closed. Two wheelers and light motor
vehicles alone are allowed to enter into the Mattancherry bridge.
Sir Robert Charles
Bristow, foresaw the urgent need of a new road connecting the mainland and the
new port island for transferring materials and for future cargo requirements.
In 1923, plans for the new road were finalized. Work commenced, with the State
of Cochin providing land for the same. The new 4 Km long road was seventy feet
in width and hence named the “Seventy Feet Road.” It was opened to public in
1925. The road was connected to the newly formed port island – Willington,
through a bridge and merged with Chittoor Road, near Kacheripady, where the Central
Town offices of Kochi Kingdom were located. In the year 1972, “Seventy Feet
Roas” was renamed as “Mahatma Gandhi Road or M.G. Road.” Today M.G. Road is one
of the most important commercial roads in the city and one of the most
congested roads in the state.
Infrastructure
development, such as roads, bridges and railways helped a lot in the growth of
trade, commerce and industry, apart from providing a source of employment to a
large number of the locals. For example, M.G. Road played a significant role in
the history of the modern city of Cochin, with several landmarks located at
this stretch. Most Airline/Tour offices/travel agents like Air India, Sri
Lankan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Jet Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines,
Kingfisher Airlines, Sitas, ITC, GTL, S.O.T.C., and Cox & Kings have their
offices in the Atlantis-Ravipuram area. Kochi is one of the most important gold
shopping centers in India. Jeweler shops include Alappatt Heritage, Alappat
Fashion Jewellery, Alappat Arcade, House of Alappat, Francis Alukkas, Kalyan
Jewellers, Bhima, Malabar Gold, Tanishq, Geeri Pai, Thribhuvandas Bhimji
Zaveri, Vanitha, Parakatt Jewellers and Paul Alukkas. Almost all national banks
maintain their regional or main branches in this road. Regional offices of State
Bank of India, State Bank of Travancore, Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of
India, IOB, ICICI Bank, HDFC, Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank, HSBC, ICICI and Stanard
Chartered Bank are located here. Branches of international banks like Standard
Chartered, City Bank, HSBC and Oman Bank are also to be found here. The popular
theatres like Shenoy’s, Kavitha, Padma and Deepa are located here. The
significant textile shops placed here are Parthas, Vettukattil, Jos,
Jayalakshmi, Park Avenue, Chennai Silk, Seematti and there are franchise of
Loui Philip, Van-Husan, Levise, Lee and Peter England. Shoe shops like Bata,
Puma, Motchi, Metro, Woodlands are here. The important hotels are Grand Hotel,
New Woodlands, Avenue Regent, Mercy Tourist Home, Abad, International Hotel;
and Woodlands, and Dwaraka are the important vegetarian hotels. There are
shopping malls like Central Mall and multiplexes and several famous retail
stores; hospitals like Medical Trust Hospital, Krishna Nursing Home, City
Hospital and Madhava Pharmacy, are located here. The famous Cochin Shipyard is also located in MG Road and this Road
was recently ranked one of the busiest and most expensive in the state of
Kerala.
Road infrastructure in Kochi has not been
able to meet the growing traffic requirement and traffic-blocks is a major
problem in the city. A comprehensive transport development plan has been
included in the Kochi Master Plan, hoping to improve transport infrastructure.
The rapid transit system called the
Kochi Metro is under construction and the
first phase is expected to be completed by 2018. It is being extended to
Kakkanad as well. In the next phase Kochi Metro is to be extended to
Mattancherry-Fort-cochin (through Panampilly Nagar, Kadavanthara,) and Vypeen
Islands (the western belt,) and Kumbalam (the southern region through Kadavanthara South, Konthuruthy, Thevara,
Nettoor, Panangad and Kumbalam.)
Most roads in Kochi are under the control of
the City Corporation, State PWD and National Highway Authority. Many roads in
the city follow a north-south direction with two main east-west corridors. A
few more wide and straight east-west corridors have to be developed; from
Vyttila (South) to Atlantis through the Chilavannur Bridge; from Kakkanad
(Infotech) to Ernakulam (Market Road end) through Thammanam and from Anchumana
(in NH-99/544) to Pachalam. Vyttila Mobility Hub would definitely ease the
traffic congestion in the Kochi city. Boat services from the Mobility Hub area
through inland-waters to Kumbalam and other deltan regions, Mattancherry and
Fort-Cochin would be yet another tourist attraction.
Kochi is part of the north-south Corridor of
India's National Highways System via the NH-17 the seventh longest highways in
India, which connects Kochi with Mumbai, via Kozhikode and Mangalore on the western coast of India. The NH-66
(old NH-47,) originating from Salem, connects Kochi with cities like
Coimbatore, Thrissur, and Palakkad. It also connects with the state capital,
Thiruvananthapuram, terminating at Kanyakumari. NH–66B (old NH-47A is another
highway, connecting Wellington Island at Kochi with Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu via
Munnar and Madurai. There are two smaller National Highways, NH-47A, connecting Willington Island and
NH-47C, connecting NH-47 to Vallarpadom Port Terminal from Kalamassery. NH-47
has a 17 Km-long bypass road connecting Aroor and Edappally Junction. The Kochi
city is also connected with several state highways like SH 15, SH 16, SH 41, SH 63, SH 66. The state government has constructed an expressway, the
Seaport-Airport Road that runs parallel to NH-47 bypass Road at Maradu junction, to
Kalamasserry junction. The Phase II, proposes an alternate road directly to
Airport. A second 2 Km-long four-lane road called Infopark Expressway has been
constructed from Seaport-Airport Road to Infopark, which is planned to develop
into a 15 Km-long east–west corridor in the future. The traffic congestion has
necessitated the construction of flyovers at many key junctions on the national
highways in Kochi. The works on Edappally and Palarivattom flyover has been
completed. Flyovers at Vyttila and Kundannoor junction have also been
sanctioned and work is in progress. Road Over Bridges (ROBs) shall be
constructed at Atlantis and Ravipuram at Ernakulam without any further delay to
ease the traffic congestion at Atlantis and Thevara Junctions.
In
1975, the foundation stone for the construction of the 17 Km-long, National
Highway-47 (NH-66/544) bypass roads and bridges, from Aroor Junction to
Edappally Junction through Kumbalam, Maradu, Poonithura and Edappally Villages,
was laid and the work progressed at a snail’s pace. Shortly thereafter, in
1981, the land acquisition for the construction of the Alleppy-Ernakulam
Railway line (later extended to Thiruvananthapuram) too was started in 1981.
The NH-47 Bridges at Kumbalam were opened to traffic on the 6th of
June 1987 and the Ernakulum–Alleppy Railway, with a railway station at
Kumbalam, was commissioned in 1988. At that time, the eight to ten feet wide
sandy Kumbalam PWD Road was not motor-able. In order to take advantage of the
new road transport facility through the National Highway-47, the road networks
in Kumbalam Island too had to be widened and developed to make them motor-able.
It was made possible with the co-operation of Islanders. Now Kumbalam is the
main gateway to the Cochin commercial City for people in the southern districts
of Kerala.
Excerpts from
NEED OF THE HOUR
By
Joseph
J. Thayamkeril,
Lawyer,
Cochin
josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com
josephjthayamkeril.google.com
