THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The standoff between Geology and Mining department and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for excavating soil from a quarry at Perumkadavila in the district, to fill the pending portions of the Mukkola-Karode NH 66 bypass stretch is likely to delay the commissioning of the road.
Earlier, the NHAI had promised that the road would be commissioned in August. The delay from the geology department may prompt L&T, the contractor of the project, to withdraw from the work as it did in Kanyakumari district earlier. Only 1.2km of the 16.3km stretch is left for construction. This stretch will be the first concrete highway in the state.
“The works are nearing completion. At this stage, the geology department has inspected and asked us to stop the excavation citing mining rules. Now, we are in shortage of soil which is affecting the remaining works at Punnakulam and Thirupuram area. The contractor L&T can go ahead with the work only if the geology department gives approval. NHAI approached the department to clear the file, but we have not received the approval so far. Soon the monsoon season will start, so again the work will be delayed,” said P Pradeep, project director, NHAI.
Earlier, the geology and mining department had issued a stop memo to the NHAI to halt work after 5 pm. This had slowed down the work on 1.2km of the total 16.3km stretch, at Kottukal and Thirupuram.The work on the NH 66 bypass, which is a part of Tamil Nadu, has also been stopped midway due to the unavailability of soil or red earth.
Meanwhile, a top official of the geology department said that the department could not give permission for excavation owing to rules. “We have given permits earlier. We are going by the rules. Currently, two houses and a building is located near the quarry where the excavation is happening. So the NHAI or the contractor needs to get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Irrigation department. Otherwise, they need to excavate at other places after stopping excavation at the current place. We are not against any development. But rules are rules and that needs to be followed,” the official said.
The original deadline for the completion of the first concrete road in the state was May 31 last year. The deadline was changed several times owing to the pandemic. Once the 16.3 km road is opened, commuters can travel to Tamil Nadu via Kanyakumari without touching Thiruvananthapuram city thereby saving time.