Greater Cochin Development Authority's (GCDA) plan to complete the phase one work of Chilavannoor Bund Road is facing a setback due to the non-availability of gravel (red earth).
The agency is awaiting an order from district collector M G Rajamanickam providing an exemption to procure 200 truckload of gravel required for phase one work.
"It has been a week since the work came to a halt. The collector can grant permission to bring gravel from licenced quarries. We want to complete the phase one work between K P Vallon Road and Shastri Nagar before Onam," said GCDA chairman N Venugopal, adding that he would hold discussion with the collector on Monday to resolve the issue.
Earlier, the collector had banned quarrying activities in the district till July 15.
He added that "The district administration had partially revoked the ban. Since monsoon has gained strength, there is every possibility that the ban will be extended."
GCDA had re-launched the construction of the 4.5 kilometer (km)-long Chilavannoor Bund Road in December 2013. 25 years have passed since GCDA initiated the construction of the road that linked Thevara and Chambakkara Bridge. The agency will spend INR 1 crore for completing the first phase work.
In the second phase, work will be executed between Chilavannoor to Chambakkara. For this, the development authority has to acquire around 100 cents. While GCDA has 25 cents, the rest has to be taken over from individuals and churches.
"The collector is involved in finalizing the land value. The development authority would either pay landowners in cash or provide them land in lieu of the property acquired," he added. GCDA is planning to open the entire stretch in December 2014.