The state government has given administrative sanction for the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a core road network (CRN) spanning 325.6 km in four districts under the Pamba basin. The DPR will be prepared at a cost of Rs 12.29 crores.

The Rebuild Kerala implementation committee in its meeting held in August had approved the proposal for the preparation of DPR for the CRN identified by PWD. It was directed that KSTP shall follow an open competitive tender for selecting the consultant.

The PWD has been directed to ensure that the services of the in-house design wing will be utilised for the preparation of DPRs to the maximum extent possible, however, considering the timelines under the program, and the remaining work shall be entrusted with the consultants following an open competitive tendering in accordance with the extant rules.

The PWD will have to provide the necessary budget provisions for carrying out the maintenance works for the road stretches, based on the DPRs to be prepared, through the PWD's appropriate budget heads since the exercise is to mainstream the maintenance of the CRN roads with climate standards.

The Government has been implementing the Resilient Kerala Program for Results (PforR), with the financial and technical support of the World Bank, AIIB and AFD since June 2021. The program outlines nine Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) across multiple sectors to further strengthen the resilience of the state to natural disasters.

As per the 5th year target, 400 km of Core Road Network (CRN) needs to be maintained/established meeting the resilient standards through any kind of asset management practices, latest by 2026. The Government identified a length of 424.041 km of CRN roads in the Pamba basin districts, Alappuzha, Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta, for consideration under the PforR program.

The PWD has already completed 98.44 km CRN through capital investment (40.82 km) and Output and Performance-based Road Contracts (OPBRC packages (57.61 km)). The district-wise length of CRN identified under PforR pending completion is Alappuzha (65.53 km), Idukki (127.15 km), Kottayam (54.13 km) and Pathanamthitta (78.79 km).