THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: District Collector Geromic George has decided to constitute a technical committee to ensure speedy completion of the Mukkola-Karode NH-66 bypass stretch from Kazhakoottam to Kanyakumari. The work hit a roadblock after the residents protested against the poor quality of the culvert at Thengavila near Punnakulam, which got damaged in heavy rain. The collector said the committee will decide on how the work can be completed by ensuring the safety of the local people. He also instructed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials to commission the project at the earliest.
Earlier, a revenue team led by the Neyyattinkara tahsildar inspected the spot and submitted a report to the collector stating the work should be expedited only after an expert panel carries out an assessment. Though an NHAI-designated team from the IIT Madras conducted a study and asked the department to expedite the work based on its findings, residents with the support of political parties stalled the work.
Later, the NHAI approached the district administration seeking its intervention. The NHAI officials said the local people wanted the state government representatives to inspect the spot before resuming the work. The work on the 16.3-km road is halted at the 150m-long stretch at Thengavila. NHAI officials said the work on the other two sections – Thirupuram and Vlathankara – is in progress.
Commissioning likely by December
NHAI project director P Pradeep said the NHAI and the contractor L&T Constructions are racing against time to ensure the commissioning of the stretch by December. “We are already behind schedule. The only pending part of the stretch is at Thengavila. Once the culvert issue is resolved, the entire Mukkola-Karode stretch can be commissioned in December.
Since the weather conditions are favourable, the soil filling procedures are going on well,” he said.
Public Works Minister P A Mohamed Riyas also visited the spot two months ago and instructed the NHAI to complete the work at the earliest.
The construction of the Mukkola-Karode NH stretch began in 2016. Though the work on the Tamil Nadu side of the NH will not be completed soon because of the issues in land acquisition, the traffic from Mukkola to Karode will be opened once the stretch is commissioned.