KOCHI: In a major relief to the commuters, the Supreme Court on Tuesday accepted the Kerala government’s plea to demolish and reconstruct the Palarivattom flyover. The bench led by Justice R F Nariman also quashed the Kerala High Court order to conduct a load test before demolishing the structure. The TNIE has learnt that the state government will go by the report submitted by Metroman E Sreedharan recommending partial reconstruction rather than total demolition and rebuilding.
State agency Kerala Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation (KITCO), which was the consultant for the flyover, opposed the state government’s plea alleging malicious intent, but the SC g ave gover nment the go-ahead. CM Pinarayi Vijayan said the government would try to ensure the participation of Sreedharan in the reconstruction project.
Will complete Palarivattom flyover reconstruction quickly, says Pinarayi
“We’ll take all measures to complete the reconstruction of the flyover quickly,” said Pinarayi, adding that the probe into vigilance case against Ebrahim Kunju was in the final stage and a chargesheet would be submitted soon.Sreedharan, who conducted a detailed inspection of the `42-crore flyover that was closed for traffic just three years after its commissioning in 2016 because of major cracks, had submitted a report to the state government on July 4, 2019 on its structural stability, ruling out total demolition and recommending only partial reconstruction to restore it. The state government is expecting a cost of `18 crore for the flyover’s partial reconstruction.
Public Works Department (PWD) Minister G Sudhakaran told TNIE that the state would consult Sreedharan again for taking a final decision on reconstruction of the flyover.“At the time of submitting the report, he agreed to oversee the restoration works. But nearly a year has gone by and now he has shifted to his native place in Ponnani. He has recommended a few names to us for supervisory work. We will have another round of discussion with him,” the minister said.
After submitting the report, Sreedharan had then said that the foundation and pillars of the flyover were strong and only a few spans need to be reconstructed which will require only one-third of the effort needed for building a new structure. Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) superintendent V G Vinod Kumar, who is heading the probe into the Palarivattom flyover corruption case, said they were in the final stages of filing the chargesheet in which Ebrahim Kunju will be arraigned as the fifth accused.
“An expert team of Indian Road Congress which conducted an inspection of the flyover had highlighted poor construction and stated that it cannot be used in its present condition,” he said.The Kerala Government Contractors’ Association (KGCA), which has been pressing for a load test on the flyover before any demolition move, said the government was free to take a decision based on the Supreme Court verdict. “But the builder’s obligation is only as per the rules and norms laid down in the tender procedures. The government should bear the cost if it decides to deviate from the tender norms and take up the reconstruction work on its own,” said KGCA president Varghese Kannampilly.