District Collector S. Suhas has instructed officials to make available at least 300 workers at the construction site of the Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC) at Kalamassery so that the project keeps the September deadline.
Work on the project had resumed in February after a three-month gap following the collapse of the porch roof under construction in November 2019.
Construction work on the ₹385-crore project under the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) was suspended pending enquiry by the board. The porch roof structure and one-third of its extension were removed and cleared before resuming work. A stress test on the structure is also under way. So far, only three floors have been constructed.
The eight-storey structure in four blocks will have clinical and laboratory facilities in A and B blocks, while C and D blocks will have administrative and academic wings.
Earlier, only around 180 workers were made available a day by the contractor at the site. Though the strength rose to 240 recently, the requirement is 300 to keep the deadline.
Meanwhile, CCRC Director Dr. Moni Abraham Kuriakose provided details of weekly review meetings on the work that resumed on February 14.
Representatives of Infrastructure Kerala (Inkel), the special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the project, also gave updates on the progress of work. The company said efforts were on for purchase of equipment.
Civil work on the project had started in July 2018, but it was delayed owing to the August 2018 floods. Work resumed in January 2019, but at a very slow pace thanks to shortage of workers.