PATHANAMTHITTA: The much-delayed Achenkovil-Konni-Chittar-Pallappally road, an alternative road for Sabarimala pilgrims from Tamil Nadu which touches the famous Achenkovil Sree Dharma Sastha temple located in thick forests, is all set to be completed before the next Sabarimala pilgrimage season. The construction work on the 1.6-km forest stretch of the road, between Neeliplavu and Kuthadimon, in the Vadasserikara range under Ranni forest division, will begin by the June-end. Talking to ‘Express’, Ranni DFO R Kamalahar said that the Forest Department would invite tenders on June 21. Once the tender is finalised, probably by the June-end, the work on the road could be completed in five months, Kamalahar said. He said that the construction of the forest stretch is time-consuming due to the rocky surface of the area and the setting up of four culverts, he said. The estimated construction cost is Rs 1.35 crore, Kamalahar said. He said that construction work of the road will be supervised by the PWD authorities, he said. Once the forest stretch of the road under Ranni division is commissioned, the pilgrim flow from Tamil Nadu on the Thenmala-Punalur-Pathanamthitta-Plappally could come down during the Mandalam-Makaravilakku season, he said. During the peak days of Makaravilakku season, the Tamil Nadu-bound traffic could be diverted to the new road so that the pressure on the flow on the Plappally-Mannarakulanji road could be reduced, he said.
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