THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The works of the hill highway passing through Parassala in the capital has taken a hit due to the death of the contractor. The deadline for the completion of the first stretch, 15.70km-long Parassala-Kudappanamoodu road, was December 12, 2020.The work of the first stretch was assigned to Sukumaran, a contractor and retired engineer of the Public Works Department. But the contractor died of Covid-19 recently and his kin are unwilling to continue the business.
The contractor’s family has been paid the amount for the work done and the rest of the work has been re-tendered. According to Parassala MLA C K Hareendran, the work will resume under a new contractor in the second week of February. He said the road development includes several components like construction of sewage lines and ducts, removing old constructions like buildings and compound walls on the roadside for widening.
“The road is in a poor condition since it was built without giving attention to the prevention of waterlogging. The new road will be built scientifically with sufficient provisions to channel the storm water,” Hareendran said. The width of the new road built in the BMBC method is 9m. The renovation of major junctions and construction of footpaths and retaining walls are also part of the project.
Meanwhile, the delay in road work has invited sharp criticism on social media.
The MLA claimed that the slow progress was due to several factors like the general lockdown, containment zone announcements and the closure of quarries. The other stretches passing through Parassala are the 7.85km-long Kudappanamoodu-Kallikkad road and the 3.90km-long Kallikkad-Paruthippally road. The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board is funding the work.