Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday announced that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has approved a revised plan for a vehicular underpass (VUP) at Kumarichantha on NH 66 in Thiruvananthapuram, bringing an end to a long-pending dispute.

In a post on X, Tharoor said the NHAI had proposed a single-span 20-metre vehicular underpass, which triggered strong opposition from residents. After the MP took up the issue with the authority, the proposal was revised to a VUP with three spans of 20 metres each. However, residents continued their agitation, saying the revised plan was inadequate and disrupted highway construction work.

Tharoor then held further discussions with NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav, highlighting the daily difficulties faced by the public who need to cross under the highway. Following these talks, NHAI approved a further revision, increasing the underpass to three spans of 30 metres each. The revised proposal was accepted after consultations with community leaders, Tharoor said.