No flexes now: Kerala Congress leader slams state, Centre over highway collapse
'The state government has no coordination with the National Highways Authority. Drinking water supply lines have been broken. There are not even underpasses in many places. If the rains start, lives will be at risk,' he added, demanding accountability.The six-lane National Highway-66 which is being built collapsed near Kooriyad in Tirurangadi on Monday, raising serious concerns over construction quality and public safety. The protective wall of the elevated highway crumbled onto a car on the service road near the Kooriyad service station. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. The collapse, which occurred along the Kozhikode –Thrissur stretch, prompted a swift diversion of traffic in the area. advertisementHowever, this was not an isolated incident. Cracks have been reported in Chavakkad, Thrissur, while fresh damages surfaced in Kuppam, Kannur — indicating broader structural issues in the ongoing highway construction project.The National Highway 66 project is one of the flagship infrastructure initiatives under the Vijayan government, which has spent nearly Rs 5,000 crore on land acquisition alone, given the high real estate costs in the state.Satheesan, however, credited the project's land acquisition success to the UPA-era Right to Fair Compensation Act, arguing that the current government is merely 'showing off' due to a lack of real achievements.Meanwhile, Indian Union Muslim League MP ET Muhammad Basheer stated that Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had assured him that appropriate action would be taken.
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