Construction work of Kundannoor flyover resumes

KOCHI:  A week after the resumption of Vyttilla flyover work, construction of Kundannoor flyover, one of the flagship projects funded by Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), was restarted on Friday. Amid the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, the state government had given special permission to the contractors to continue the works.

Scarcity of raw materials for construction remains a worrisome factor for contractors. “With the current raw materials, we can only continue for another week. Though we get an exemption for continuing the work, it is no brainer that the work will come to a standstill soon. Cement and other materials will have to come from Tamil Nadu. We have deployed 40 workers and we require another 200 to complete the project before the monsoon. Without any government intervention, the situation will not change,” said a representative of Mary Matha Constructions, which is handling the Kundannoor flyover project.

Echoing the same, a source close to Sreedhanya Constructions, the contractors of the Vyttila flyover, said, “As most of the permit renewal of quarries has been halted by the Mining and Geology Department, we are on the verge of another halt. They could have at least opened the dealers’ licence to provide the available materials considering the urgency of the situation. We have completed the span work and we are awaiting other raw materials from states like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu,” he said. Currently, 50 labourers are working at the flyover site and the contractor will bring another 20 by Monday.

 Speaking to TNIE, Works Minister G Sudhakaran brushed aside the claims of the work being stalled once again. “There is no restriction for vehicular movement for construction and agriculture purposes. If materials are scarce, the chief engineers can reach out to the chief secretary or PWD secretary. Once they notify, the government will take necessary steps,” said Sudhakaran. Pending amounts from KIIFB are also turning out to be a headache. According to the sources, Mary Matha Constructions awaits `13 crore while Sreedhanya Constructions is expecting the remaining `10 crore from the agency. The contractors are expecting to finish off the project by June 2020.  

Work of Vyttila flyover began on December 11, 2017, and May 2019 was set as the deadline. After this lapsed, the government extended the deadline to December 2019 and later to March 2020. Meanwhile, Kundannoor flyover, expected to be completed on March 11, was further extended to April 30, 2020.