Southern Railway To Build Three-Metre Road At Vattavila

09 Mar 2026 CW Team

Petitions were submitted to the chief minister and the land revenue commissioner seeking restoration of connectivity. At a land acquisition hearing chaired by the district deputy collector for Land Acquisition railway officials agreed to build the road on railway land and to hand it over to the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for maintenance. The railways did not commit to long term upkeep and described the step as immediate relief pending formal procedures.

Officials from the special tahsildar's office attended the hearing alongside railway representatives and members of the action council. Revenue authorities had maintained there was no procedural lapse in the takeover even as residents questioned the absence of an alternative road at acquisition. The corporation will need to submit a formal request to obtain the land on lease from the railways if it is to assume long term maintenance.

The Nemom line-doubling project forms part of broader efforts to strengthen railway infrastructure in the region but the Vattavila episode underlines the need for better coordination when public access routes are affected. The sequencing of construction, land transfer and municipal acceptance will determine whether the arrangement restores durable access. The decision to build the road is expected to ease daily travel for residents while administrative steps for handover are completed.

Southern Railway has agreed to construct a three-metre wide tarred pucca road at Vattavila in Thiruvananthapuram after protests by residents and the Nemom Action Council. The takeover of a portion of Vattavila Suresh Road for railway line-doubling near Nemom led the Kerala government to transfer land after receiving an advance of Rs 11.5 million from the railways. Around 10 cents of public road came under railway control without an arranged alternative, causing daily travel difficulties for several families. Residents said the loss of access disrupted routine movement and prompted sustained objections. Petitions were submitted to the chief minister and the land revenue commissioner seeking restoration of connectivity. At a land acquisition hearing chaired by the district deputy collector for Land Acquisition railway officials agreed to build the road on railway land and to hand it over to the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for maintenance. The railways did not commit to long term upkeep and described the step as immediate relief pending formal procedures. Officials from the special tahsildar's office attended the hearing alongside railway representatives and members of the action council. Revenue authorities had maintained there was no procedural lapse in the takeover even as residents questioned the absence of an alternative road at acquisition. The corporation will need to submit a formal request to obtain the land on lease from the railways if it is to assume long term maintenance. The Nemom line-doubling project forms part of broader efforts to strengthen railway infrastructure in the region but the Vattavila episode underlines the need for better coordination when public access routes are affected. The sequencing of construction, land transfer and municipal acceptance will determine whether the arrangement restores durable access. The decision to build the road is expected to ease daily travel for residents while administrative steps for handover are completed.

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