Minister for Public Works G. Sudhakaran has directed the contract company and e National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials to make the Mannuthy-Wadakkanchery stretch of the National Highway 544 motorable after repairing and tar-topping.
He was addressing a meeting of elected representatives, NHAI officials and representatives of the contract company here on Tuesday.
“The pothole-riddled stretches at Kuthiran, Pattikkad, Mulayam, Peechi, Mannuthy, and Donbosco Junction should be repaired by October 10. Work on the twin tunnels should be completed and it should be opened for traffic by January 29, 2019.
The inside of the tunnels should be strengthened with steel sheets. A decision should be taken soon in the case of flyovers too,” the Minister directed the NHAI officials and representatives of the contract company.
The Forest Department and the NHAI should reach a consensus on acquiring forestland for NH development. The NHAI is responsible for the ecological issues owing to delay in construction. So far 56 lives have been lost during the construction of the National Highway. A case should be taken for culpable homicide for these deaths. If it was State Highway, we should have faced legal action, the Minister said.
“The KMC, the contract company, is violating the conditions of the contract. The company is acting irresponsibly.
It has sub-let the works to 16-odd small companies. It has been affecting the quality. The company should not think that they are above the law,” the Minister said.
The Minister made it clear that collection of toll would be allowed only after completing the work according to the conditions put forward by the State government.
A special review meeting in this regard will be held in Thiruvananthapuram after three weeks, the Minister said.
Education Minister C. Ravindranath said the National Highway works should be completed in a time-bound manner.
P.K. Biju MP, Mayor Ajitha Jayarajan, B.D. Devassy, K.V. Abdul Khader and K. Rajan, MLAs, Collector T.V. Anupama , city police commissioner Yatheesh Chandra, NHAI Regional Officer Ashish Dwivedi, KMC CEO Niranjan Reddy and others participated.
The Minster and team visited the Kuthiran area where there was a landslide during the floods and reviewed the situation.