KOCHI: The expert team headed by metro man E Sreedharan on Monday inspected the Palarivattom flyover which has been closed down for major repairs as a result of alleged faulty construction. Sreedharan undertook the mission following a request from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
During the nearly 90 minute-long inspection, the team which also included Mahesh Tandon, noted structural engineer, and P Alagu Sundaramoorthy, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, carried out a detailed check of the girders, pillars (pier) and portion of the bridge where the cracks have developed. After collecting samples from the site, Sreedharan held talks with site engineers on the progress made in the repair works.
He will submit a comprehensive report to the state government based on tests conducted on the samples. Following this, the government will take a call on whether the existing structure can be retained after carrying out necessary repairs or whether indeed it should be demolished and a new one built in its place.
Sreedharan, though, remained tight-lipped on the details of the analysis.
Tandon is known for helping out Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) execute complex projects. Sundaramoorthy had earlier identified serious issues in the flyover’s design and quality of construction, especially with regard to the quantity of materials used.
New Delhi-based RDS Projects Ltd, which built the bridge, is carrying out the phase I repairs on the instructions of the IIT professor. According to the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Ltd (RBDCK), the implementing agency for the construction work, the first phase is nearly over. Phase II repairs are slated to be taken up by September-end after monsoon.
E Sreedharan at the site of Palarivattom flyover on Monday | Express
Kochi: The state government should not frame the contractor of the Palarivattom flyover - RDS Project Ltd - in unnecessary cases as the contractor has been positively responding to the suggestions of repair works made by the team from IIT Madras, said Varghese Kannabilly, Kerala Government Contractors’ Association on Monday. He said the contractor has the responsibility to conduct repair works of the bridge for three years since the commissioning of the bridge. So the contractor should be given adequate time to complete the repair work. “If the repair works are not enough to strengthen the flyover, why did the government force the contractor to spend crores on carrying out repair works on the bridge?” he said.