Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is set to meet Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to discuss the grave issue regarding the collapse of NH 66 under construction. The meeting is being planned for June 3 or 4.
The collapse of the under-construction stretch of NH 66 at various places and defects in the construction have become a major political topic of discussion in Kerala.
Chief Minister Vijayan decided to meet Gadkari soon after the Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan demanded a thorough probe into the crumbling under-construction NH 66.
“In 2011-2016, when the Palarivattom Bridge developed some cracks, Vijayan created a hue and cry, after which the IUML leader and then State PWD Minister ended up as accused in a vigilance case. Now, with the NH-66 crumbling in around 100 places, Vijayan is silent and has not said a word against the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the Centre,” said Satheesan.
“Ever since the NH 66 construction started, both Vijayan and State PWD Minister P A Mohammed Riyas were speaking from the rooftops about this NH 66 and claimed that if not for them, this would not have happened. Riyas was engaged in posting reels about how he has been closely following the progress and about the numerous meetings that were chaired by CM Vijayan to ensure the NH 66 works in full steam following all protocols,” said Satheesan.
“But after the first crack surfaced early this week, neither Vijayan nor Riyas has said anything. They were taking credit all the time, but now they say they have done no wrong. A detailed probe has to be announced,” said Satheesan.
Cracks have surfaced at several places in the under-construction stretch of NH 66 in Thrissur, Malappuram, and Kasargod, and the local population in these areas is up in arms. A retaining wall of the under-construction stretch of NH 66 collapsed at Kooriyad in Malappuram on Monday. Apart from Kooriyad in Malappuram, several other sections of roads constructed under the NH 66 widening project continued to cave in and develop cracks in various parts of northern Kerala. On Wednesday, multiple landslips at the NH construction site at Kuppam in Kannur triggered protests by residents who blocked the road. The landslides were reported twice in a single day on the stretch.
More cracks have been spotted on under-construction NH 66 stretches, this time at Thiruvangoor and Ambalapadi in Kozhikode, sparking concerns. During the heavy rain on Thursday night, small pieces of concrete from the underpass at Ambalapadi fell on a two-wheeler rider travelling towards Cherukulam. In Thiruvangoor, a 400-m-long crack was seen at an under-construction flyover on the NH stretch.
Meanwhile, following the recent collapse of a few newly-constructed National Highway (NH) 66 corridors in northern Kerala, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) admitted before the Kerala High Court on Friday that there were lapses on the part of the agency in constructing the embankment of the highway that collapsed at Kooriyad in Malappuram district and in some other stretches on the NH.
Following this, the court directed the NHAI to file a report by May 29, specifically mentioning the cause(s) for the collapse of the NH 66 stretches and the rectification measures that the agency proposed to carry out. The directive came while the court was hearing a batch of petitions that referred to the poor condition of roads across Kerala.