KOZHIKODE: As several sections of roads constructed under the NH 66 widening project continued to cave in and develop cracks in various parts of northern Kerala, people’s representatives have sought the urgent intervention of Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.
On Wednesday, multiple landslips at the NH construction site at Kuppam in Kannur triggered protests by residents who blocked the road. The landslips were reported twice in a single day on the stretch.
In Kasaragod, a crack measuring 72 feet in length appeared on the NH near Mavungal, near the location where a crack had developed on Tuesday. The service road near Kooliyangal, near Kanhangad, also collapsed, heightening concerns about the quality of road work in the area.
IUML MP E T Muhammed Basheer, who met Gadkari in Delhi and raised the issue, said the minister has promised to take action against the contractor. “We have also called for the setting up of a panel comprising experts from IIT Delhi,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kozhikode MP M K Raghavan, in a letter, asked Gadkari to take immediate steps to address the issue before the onset of monsoon. “There are many places in Kozhikode where hills were razed unscientifically for the construction of the road,” he said.
Residents of Kuppam alleged landslips have been occurring in the area intermittently since Tuesday, and they fear the situation could worsen at night when visibility is poor. They claimed that neither the district collector nor officials from the National Highways Authority visited the site.
Residents stage protest at Kuppam
“The landslip took place at a site where a hill had been excavated for ongoing NH construction.The absence of a proper drainage system caused the mud and debris to enter nearby homes,” said Biju, Kuppam resident. After the protest halted vehicular movement, police personnel reached the spot to manage traffic and divert vehicles from the affected area.
Later, Taliparamba RDO T V Ranjith, tahsildar P Sajeevan, panchayat president T Sheeba and others reached the spot. In the evening, NHAI authorities and representatives of the contractor company held discussions with the residents. The residents dispersed after assurances from the NH Authority that their project manager and an expert inspection team would visit the site promptly.
Meanwhile, an expert team from the NHAI inspected the site where the retaining wall of the under-construction stretch of NH 66 collapsed at Kooriyad in Malappuram on Monday. The team comprising Dr Anil Dixit from Jaipur and Dr Jimmy Thomas from Kochi conducted a preliminary assessment of the damaged section, which includes both the main highway and the service road.
According to initial observations, no irregularities were found in the construction of the protective wall, which was built using cement blocks. “The initial conclusion points to a soil-related issue,” said Jimmy Thomas. “We need to conduct a detailed analysis of all aspects, including soil composition, road design, and construction methodology. Only after a thorough study can we confirm the exact cause,” he said. The Youth Congress took out a protest march in Kooriyad on Wednesday. The demonstrators, led by state leaders including Abin Varkey, marched towards the office of KNR Constructions Ltd, accusing it of negligence and demanding accountability.
Meanwhile, unrest is also brewing in Kunniyoormala in Koyilandi, Kozhikode, with residents complaining that their houses are under threat due to unscientific land excavation and road construction. “Around 50 houses on both sides of the service road are facing the risk of collapse. It’s a hilly area and when NH authorities excavated the hill to build the underpass, they used the soil nailing technology to prevent mudslides. However, the technology has proven unscientific and many sections of the NH in Kozhikode district have collapsed during rain,” said Bhaskaran, a resident of Kunniyoormala. There residents have demanded that the government take over the houses facing the risk.
In Kasaragod, the district administration has implemented a contingency plan to prevent rain-related disasters on the NH. The collector has assigned tahsildars to monitor the disaster management work. District Collector Inbasekar K directed the NHAI and the construction contractor to take action to prevent landslides and waterlogging before the onset of monsoon.
An expert committee appointed by the collector to study disaster management on NHs in the district found identified problems at 56 places. Its detailed report was presented at a meeting of people’s representatives and officials on Wednesday.