THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has commenced earth-filling activities to address the crater formation on NH 66 near the Infosys campus.
The crater resulted from a road collapse during the Kerala Water Authority’s drilling for a sewage pipe. The NHAI aims to complete the filling by Saturday night and expects to finish the road tarring process by Monday.
The incident, causing significant traffic disruption, occurred on Friday evening, prompting the NHAI to take immediate action. The affected area had a well that was covered during land acquisition for national highway development.
According to an NHAI official, active efforts are underway to address the issue, with the NHAI having already cut the road to commence earth filling in the crater. The proximity of a pipe to the crater initially posed challenges in the refilling process. However, the KWA has since relocated the pipe, allowing the NHAI to proceed with the refilling. The official stated, “Once the filling is completed, we will initiate the tarring process. Tarring is scheduled for Monday, considering the plant is on holiday this Saturday. We anticipate completing the tarring by Monday.”
Despite ongoing efforts, traffic congestion persists on NH 66 on Saturday. Numerous vehicles have been rerouted from Akkulam to Kulathoor through the Akkulam-Ulloor road. The affected area has been cordoned off by the police to manage the situation. NHAI officials have announced their intention to instruct the KWA to provide advance notification to the NHAI before undertaking any underground drilling for pipe laying in the future.