No further extension will be given for the completion of the Alappuzha bypass project, Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran has said.
He was speaking at a meeting convened to review the progress of the project at the Collectorate conference hall on Monday. “We have already extended the deadline twice. Contractors have been given 10 months of additional time to complete the project. As such no extension will be given beyond the deadline of August 31,” the Minister said.
The bypass work, which got under way on April 10, 2015, was originally set to be completed in September 2017. However, the project got delayed on account of many reasons and the deadline was initially extended to May 28, 2018. Officials said only about 85% of the project had been completed so far. The pending work included construction of two ROBs at Malikamukku and Kuthirapanthy.
The representatives of the consortium comprising RDS Project Ltd and Cheriyan Varkey Construction Company had earlier said the deadline of August 31 was not realistic. They said the consortium had sought an extension of six months in May 2018. According to them, the delay in getting nod from Railways for the safety plan submitted for the construction of two rail overbridges (ROBs) hampered the project’s progress. The meet further decided to reconstruct the Kalarcode and Kommady junctions, along with constructing service roads, slip roads and drainage. A.M. Arif MLA and District Collector S. Suhas attended the meeting.