THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation principal advisor E Sreedharan has recommended major renovation of the controversial Palarivattom flyover before opening it for the public. He submitted his findings to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday. Works Minister G Sudhakaran said the government would decide the fate of the flyover after corroborating Sreedharan’s findings with that of a report to be submitted by IIT Madras. Sudhakran said the renovation work being carried out at present would continue.
A team of experts led by Sreedharan inspected the flyover on June 17 upon the Chief Minister’s invitation. The team consisting of structural engineer Mahesh Tandon and P Alagu Sundaramoorthy, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, carried out a detailed check of the design, construction and technology of the bridge.
They interacted with site engineers on the progress made in the repair works. Sreedharan was critical of the flyover design and wanted it to be rebuilt rather than relying on quick-fix solutions. IIT-M’s Alagusundara Moorthy had advised the government on fixing the structural weakness of the flyover.
A team of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways detected cracks in the flyover in October last year. Later, a probe by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau found the contractor used less concrete to make the flyover. The report also recommended action against 17 officers associated with the construction of the flyover, including A P M Mohammed Hanish, former managing director of RBDCK, which is the implementing agency of the flyover.
to ease traffic snarls
The flyover built at a cost of H39 crore to ease congestion at Pipeline Junction on NH 66 was commissioned in October 2016.