Stop memo issued, Mukkola-Karode NH66 stretch work hits roadblock

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The work on the 16.3-km Mukkola-Karode NH66 bypass has again hit a roadblock, further delaying its commissioning. The Geology Department issued a stop memo against the remaining work at Thangavila, alleging that the contractor L&T Constructions had excavated soil from a buffer zone adjacent to the allotted land for soil excavation in Perumkadavila panchayat near Neyyattinkara.

The work hit a roadblock at a time 98% of the bypass work are over. Though the NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) had announced that the work will be completed by January, the present deadlock might delay the project further. The first concrete highway in the state, from Mukkola near Vizhinjam to Karode near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, was developed in 2016. The project had witnessed several hurdles, including soil unavailability and opposition from residents, over the past few years.

“Currently, the works are pending in three locations - Thengavila, Thirupuram and Vlathankara. It was progressing well. The favourable weather for executing the work is from December to March. Already, we are behind schedule. We expect the highway to be commissioned in January. But if the issue persists, the opening of the road will delay again,” said P Pradeep, project director, NHAI.  

On Tuesday, the Geology department also served a show cause notice to the contractor. The Geology and Mining department had previously issued a stop-memo against the project for similar reasons. However, the issue was resolved after the district collector intervened.

According to the Geology Department, they will impose a penalty on the contractor if they have illegally excavated soil.

“We have issued a stop memo and show-cause notice based on the action taken by the Perumkadavuila panchayat. The panchayat secretary has also instructed them to stop the work. Even land is allotted for soil excavation, the contractor excavated it from a nearby buffer zone, which is illegal. We can lift the suspension of work only after we get a green signal from the panchayat,” said M S Rajkumar, geologist. The panchayat secretary was unavailable for comments.

Dist collector to intervene
Meanwhile, District Collector Geromic George told TNIE that he would look into the issue and resolve it as soon as possible.

“We had convened a review meeting recently. This issue was not raised at that time. However, I will talk to those concerned and take it up so as to ensure the speedy completion of the project. A meeting will be convened, if needed,” he said.

Earlier, the work hit a roadblock after the residents protested against the poor quality of the culvert at Thengavila near Punnakulam, which collapsed in heavy rain. The construction of the Mukkola-Karode NH stretch began in 2016. Though the work on the Tamil Nadu side of the NH will not be completed soon because of issues pertaining to land acquisition, the traffic from Mukkola to Karode will be opened once the stretch is commissioned.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The work on the 16.3-km Mukkola-Karode NH66 bypass has again hit a roadblock, further delaying its commissioning. The Geology Department issued a stop memo against the remaining work at Thangavila, alleging that the contractor L&T Constructions had excavated soil from a buffer zone adjacent to the allotted land for soil excavation in Perumkadavila panchayat near Neyyattinkara. The work hit a roadblock at a time 98% of the bypass work are over. Though the NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) had announced that the work will be completed by January, the present deadlock might delay the project further. The first concrete highway in the state, from Mukkola near Vizhinjam to Karode near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, was developed in 2016. The project had witnessed several hurdles, including soil unavailability and opposition from residents, over the past few years. “Currently, the works are pending in three locations - Thengavila, Thirupuram and Vlathankara. It was progressing well. The favourable weather for executing the work is from December to March. Already, we are behind schedule. We expect the highway to be commissioned in January. But if the issue persists, the opening of the road will delay again,” said P Pradeep, project director, NHAI.   On Tuesday, the Geology department also served a show cause notice to the contractor. The Geology and Mining department had previously issued a stop-memo against the project for similar reasons. However, the issue was resolved after the district collector intervened. According to the Geology Department, they will impose a penalty on the contractor if they have illegally excavated soil. “We have issued a stop memo and show-cause notice based on the action taken by the Perumkadavuila panchayat. The panchayat secretary has also instructed them to stop the work. Even land is allotted for soil excavation, the contractor excavated it from a nearby buffer zone, which is illegal. We can lift the suspension of work only after we get a green signal from the panchayat,” said M S Rajkumar, geologist. The panchayat secretary was unavailable for comments. Dist collector to intervene Meanwhile, District Collector Geromic George told TNIE that he would look into the issue and resolve it as soon as possible. “We had convened a review meeting recently. This issue was not raised at that time. However, I will talk to those concerned and take it up so as to ensure the speedy completion of the project. A meeting will be convened, if needed,” he said. Earlier, the work hit a roadblock after the residents protested against the poor quality of the culvert at Thengavila near Punnakulam, which collapsed in heavy rain. The construction of the Mukkola-Karode NH stretch began in 2016. Though the work on the Tamil Nadu side of the NH will not be completed soon because of issues pertaining to land acquisition, the traffic from Mukkola to Karode will be opened once the stretch is commissioned.