Kochi: The much-hyped Broadway and Ernakulam Market Heritage and Urban Renewal Project, which has been at a standstill for quite a long time, will finally get a boost after the corporation council approved a revised detailed project report (DPR). The new DPR will be submitted for funding under the JNNURM transition funding period. The estimated cost for the project is Rs. 25 cr.
Though the project was submitted in the first phase of JNNURM, it failed to take off due to cost escalation and flaws in the DPR. The two projects were combined together and submitted during JNNURM phase I. “We decided to separate the Ernakulam market renovation and Broadway heritage conservation projects for easy implementation and also to get adequate funding,” said Mayor Tony Chammany.
The plan prepared by the Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development (C-hed), an agency under the city corporation, is aimed at redesigning the Broadway to make it a pedestrian- friendly street.
Apart from renovating the road, drain and footpath, a uniquely designed roof will be constructed over the street. The major components of the project are heritage conservation, waste management, traffic management and vendor and street hawkers’ management.
“The proposed biogas plant within Broadway, an underpass to connect the Marine Drive and a new link to Banarjee Road were avoided. We’ve also made some other modifications in the basic concept,” said Dr. Rajan Chedambath, director of C-hed.
Meanwhile, the Ernakulam market renovation project will be submitted as a separate proposal at an estimated cost of Rs. 15 cr.
