Minister for Public Works P.A. Mohamed Riyas has promised to act against a private firm that bagged the contract for six-laning the 28.4-km Ramanattuakara-Vengalam section of National Highway 66 in Kozhikode district.
He said at a review meeting here on Saturday that the project was getting delayed due to the indifference of the company. An agreement was signed in April 2018 and seven flyovers were supposed to be built as part of the project over a period of two years. Though Union Minister Nitin Gadkari opened the works for the project in 2020, construction is yet to be taken up by Hyderabad-based KMC Constructions Limited.
A meeting will be convened at Thiruvananthapuram to discuss various aspects of the project, including changing the contractor. The State government was according high priority to the Kozhikode bypass and the Mahe bypass. A team of State officials would soon visit New Delhi to hold talks with the Union Minister on expediting road development works, said Mr. Riyas.
He said large potholes had developed on roads after the onset of the monsoon, which was leading to casualties. Road contractors were not paying attention to the issue despite the department sending them repeated reminders. The Minister said such an attitude was not acceptable.
