Kerala minister urges Centre to reconstruct collapsed portion of NH 66

The Kerala government apprised Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari of the need to urgently reconstruct the collapsed section of the NH 66 at Kooriyad

The Kerala government apprised Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari of the need to urgently reconstruct the collapsed section of the NH 66 at Kooriyad and complete the six-lane expansion of the project in a time-bound manner, the state public works minister PA Muhammad Riyas said Wednesday.

A 360-metre-long viaduct will be constructed at the spot where a section of the elevated under-construction highway caved in onto the service roads at Kooriyad on May 20. Several motorists were injured in the incident. (HT photo)

Riyas accompanied chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other top officials at a meeting in Delhi with Gadkari on Wednesday in the backdrop of complaints of cracks and fissures in several reaches of the NH 66 and the fallout of the collapse of a section at Kooriyad. Vijayan and Gadkari previously met in December last year to evaluate the ongoing road and highway projects in Kerala.

At a press conference at Kerala House, Riyas said, “The Union minister has promised the CM that steps will be taken to address all the current (construction-related) issues in the NH66 project and prevent any further mishaps. A 45-metre-wide six-lane NH 66 from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram is the dream of every Malayali. We know how the project at one stage was suspended and how it is being realised...the Union minister has informed us that the project can be completed by December this year. It will be a new year gift to the people of the state.”

The PWD minister said a 360-metre-long viaduct will be constructed at the spot where a section of the elevated under-construction highway caved in onto the service roads at Kooriyad on May 20. Several motorists were injured in the incident.

“Those responsible for the collapse within the NHAI have been suspended. The contracting firm has been barred from taking part in future tender proceedings. The state has informed the Union ministry of the cracks and fissures in some of the other reaches of the NH 66. The NHAI is overseeing every aspect of the highway from alignment to construction,” the minister said.

He added that the notification for the outer ring road project in Thiruvananthapuram is expected by July this year.

Riyas underlined that the heft land acquisition costs in Kerala compared to other states in India continues to be a big challenge for major infrastructure projects. “To give you an example, land acquisition for a kilometre of road in any other state is about ₹2 crore. In Kerala, it is ₹37 crore. That’s how wide the disparity is. We need to evaluate this aspect going forward in the future,” he added.