ALAPPUZHA: CPM Alappuzha secretary R Nazar and senior party leader and Fisheries Minister Saji Cheriyan have come out against Aroor MP AM Ariff's demand to conduct a vigilance inquiry into the failures in the 'reconstruction of NH 66'.
Nazar said Ariff did not discuss the issue with either the party secretary or the district committee before filing a petition with the minister. Cheriyan too expressed dissatisfaction with the Aroor MP's move.
In the petition, Ariff sought an inquiry into the repair work carried out in 2019, when G Sudhakaran was the PWD minister. A sum of Rs 36 crore was spent for the repair of a 23km-stretch of the road but it was again riddled with potholes.
Earlier, PWD Minister PA Mohamed Riyas said the demand for vigilance inquiry was rejected by the department. "PWD had inquired into the matter and submitted a report. Based on that, the department took action and everything was cleared during Sudhakaran’s term. Sudhakaran had sincerely implemented the LDF policy," Riyas said.
In 2020, the PWD's inquiry report stated the Centre had cut short the estimate for repair, which led to low-quality work. The state PWD supervised the repair work carried out with German technology.
After the issue gained public attention, Ariff clarified that he did not allege that Sudhakaran had made any mistake or indulged in corruption. Rather, officials and contractors failed to implement the project in a proper manner leading to the destruction of the road constructed with a three-year guarantee, he said.