Coastal Highway to be reality soon

Koyilandy : The coastal highway from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod will become a reality soon. 
The 500-km highway  is expected to cost Rs 1,300 crore.
The 50- metre-wide road will need rehabilitation of 20,000 families. KIFBI is expected to fund the project. The new road, part of the larger plan of the state to expand the tourism and allied infrastructure in the state, will come up stringing together a large number of the existing roads.
Any future building and construction plans will be sanctioned with a 50-metre margin from the shoreline. The families that are being displaced will be given 500 square feet houses built by the government. The two-lane road will consume 15 metres of the 50 metres acquired. Trees will be planted  between the road and the sea and 35 metres will be maintained as green buffer zone in the eco-friendly construction. 
There will no residential settlements on the western part of the road. Rs 7000 crore is apparently being loaned from an agency called Green Private Fund. The project has been moved into a fast track mode following the initiative of Fisheries Minister J Mercykutty Amma. The Fisheries and Harbour ministries will jointly oversee the project.
The alignment and survey work on the bridges over the rivers and even the sea at some points, together measuring 9.5 kilometers will start in a short while. A meeting will be held at Thiruvananthapuram in the first week of November to discuss the project with the MLAs, all of whom are expected to come on board for the project which will also enhance the green cover along the seashores.