+
Chalai Project to Take New Turn
SMART CITIES

Chalai Project to Take New Turn

The Chalai Heritage Street project is set to undergo significant modifications after dropping its initial plan to mirror Kozhikode's SM Street model. Tourism minister PA Mohammed Riyas will chair a high-level meeting this month to finalize the revised project features.
The SM Street model project was dropped due to a shortage of funds from the Smart City project. However, Minister Riyas intervened and addressed the funding gap by combining tourism department resources with smart city allocations. The date for the meeting will be finalized soon. Meanwhile, eight roads leading to the market are currently undergoing renovation and are expected to be completed by mid-January.
The project's implementing agency, Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL), has been directed to prepare a revised plan ensuring completion before March 31, 2025, following demands from local shop owners.
"The heritage project hasn't been scaled down," said MLA Antony Raju. "While the eight-road renovation continues, the upcoming meeting will determine further modifications as we secure additional funding from the tourism department." The govt is actively seeking an efficient contractor to complete the smart road development, he added.
A senior smart city official confirmed that the first phase, linking eight roads to the main Chalai market road, will be finished by Jan 15. The main road will be constructed as a new smart road but the plan to lay interlocking tiles has been abandoned.
The deadline for all the smart city projects is March 31, 2025. The re-modification of the heritage street project will take place without the evacuation of traders from the market. As per the new decision, the foremost priority will be to enable smooth road connectivity to the market by renovating the adjoining roads. The market will have eight access points and have an octagonal shape.
Earlier, the fund allocated for the project by the state govt for the 2016–2021 tenure lapsed due to the delay in execution of the project primarily caused by opposition from the traders in the market.
The major work pending is the restructuring of the street to make it pedestrian-friendly and to modify the buildings, enhancing their aesthetics.
Launched with much fanfare in 2018, the project promised to incorporate a variety of features to make Chalai a commercial and tourist destination. The vegetable market renovation is the only work that has been executed so far. The second phase will introduce the core heritage street elements.

The Chalai Heritage Street project is set to undergo significant modifications after dropping its initial plan to mirror Kozhikode's SM Street model. Tourism minister PA Mohammed Riyas will chair a high-level meeting this month to finalize the revised project features.The SM Street model project was dropped due to a shortage of funds from the Smart City project. However, Minister Riyas intervened and addressed the funding gap by combining tourism department resources with smart city allocations. The date for the meeting will be finalized soon. Meanwhile, eight roads leading to the market are currently undergoing renovation and are expected to be completed by mid-January.The project's implementing agency, Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL), has been directed to prepare a revised plan ensuring completion before March 31, 2025, following demands from local shop owners.The heritage project hasn't been scaled down, said MLA Antony Raju. While the eight-road renovation continues, the upcoming meeting will determine further modifications as we secure additional funding from the tourism department. The govt is actively seeking an efficient contractor to complete the smart road development, he added.A senior smart city official confirmed that the first phase, linking eight roads to the main Chalai market road, will be finished by Jan 15. The main road will be constructed as a new smart road but the plan to lay interlocking tiles has been abandoned.The deadline for all the smart city projects is March 31, 2025. The re-modification of the heritage street project will take place without the evacuation of traders from the market. As per the new decision, the foremost priority will be to enable smooth road connectivity to the market by renovating the adjoining roads. The market will have eight access points and have an octagonal shape.Earlier, the fund allocated for the project by the state govt for the 2016–2021 tenure lapsed due to the delay in execution of the project primarily caused by opposition from the traders in the market.The major work pending is the restructuring of the street to make it pedestrian-friendly and to modify the buildings, enhancing their aesthetics.Launched with much fanfare in 2018, the project promised to incorporate a variety of features to make Chalai a commercial and tourist destination. The vegetable market renovation is the only work that has been executed so far. The second phase will introduce the core heritage street elements.

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

Reliable Energy Storage Vital for 24/7 Renewable Power: TKIL

Reliable, scalable, and efficient energy storage systems are essential to ensuring uninterrupted renewable energy supply, said engineering firm TKIL Industries at the India Energy Storage Week (IESW) 2025.India aims to achieve 500 GW of renewable energy capacity within the next five years.Speaking at IESW, organised by the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), Vivek Bhatia, Managing Director and CEO of TKIL Industries, emphasised that the country’s energy sector is experiencing a major transformation. This shift is being driven by innovations in storage technology, aimed at improving grid re..

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

IIT Madras, Hyundai Launch £17m Hydrogen Research Centre

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) have announced the establishment of the Hyundai HTWO Innovation Centre, a cutting-edge hydrogen research facility set to begin operations by 2026.The Rs 180 crore (approx. £17 million or USD 21.5 million) project will be located at IIT Madras' Discovery Campus in Thaiyur, near Chennai. Of the total, Rs 100 crore (approx. £9.4 million) has been committed by HMIL and its philanthropic arm, Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF), with support from the Government of Tamil Nadu and its investment promotion ag..

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

India’s Hydrogen Demand to Hit 8.8 MTPA by 2032: IESA Report

India’s hydrogen demand is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3 per cent, reaching 8.8 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) by 2032, according to a report released by the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA).Unveiled on the first day of the India Energy Storage Week (IESW) 2025, the report points out a gap between ambitious project announcements and actual progress. While green hydrogen (GH₂) projects totalling 9.2 MTPA have been announced, only a limited number have reached Final Investment Decision (FID) or secured long-term domestic or international offtake agreemen..

Advertisement

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?