The second phase of the Chellanam tetrapod seawall project in Ernakulam district is scheduled to begin this month, with construction planned along a 6.1-kilometre coastal stretch from Puthenthode to Manassery. MLA Muhammad Shiyas said the project inauguration would be held on October 31, with V.D. Satheesan expected to attend.
The Kerala Irrigation Infrastructure Development Corporation (KIIDC) is the implementing agency, while the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society has been assigned the construction work. The state government had sanctioned Rs 404 crore for the second phase, which is intended to extend the coastal protection system beyond the first completed section.
The second phase will include the construction of the tetrapod seawall, renovation of the existing seawall, a pedestrian pathway, painting and an increase in the height of the bazaar groynes built during the first phase. These works are planned between Puthenthode and Manassery, covering 6.1 kilometres of coastline.
The first phase was executed between Chellanam and Puthenthode over a length of 7.35 kilometres. It was also led by the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society and was implemented as a Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board project. The completed section forms the initial part of the coastal protection system in the region.
According to the report, the Rs 404-crore allocation for the second phase was made by the previous government. However, the project could not begin because technical approval was delayed. The decision to award the work to the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society had already been taken earlier, and the government has now decided to retain that arrangement.
KIIDC has been instructed to accelerate the start of construction, while officials from the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society have begun preliminary work. The government has also directed that the project be completed within the stipulated schedule, according to Muhammad Shiyas.
The project had faced uncertainty because the first phase was carried out under the KIIFB framework and concerns had emerged over the future of the funding system. The state has nevertheless decided to complete the second phase through the same KIIFB-based arrangement.
The proposed works will add to the coastal infrastructure already built in Chellanam and are expected to include both protective structures and public-use facilities such as the pedestrian pathway. The next formal milestone is the scheduled inauguration on October 31, followed by the commencement of the second-phase construction works.
