Pinarayi reviews progress of NH construction works

A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday reviewed the progress of construction of National Highway 66.

The meeting reviewed the construction progress of each stretch in various districts from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram separately. In the meeting, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials said around 80% of the work has been completed on stretches like Thalappady-Chengala, Kozhikode Bypass, Ramanattukara-Valancheri, and the Valanchery bypass to Kappirikkad, and the remaining works will be completed before March 31, 2025.

 The Chief Minister directed the District Collectors to dispose of cases related to land acquisition quickly. There are 17,293 cases related to land acquisition. The meeting also assessed the progress of land acquisition for National Highway 66. Around 90 to 95% of the land required for the work has been acquired. The State has already spent ₹5,580 crore for the construction of NH 66. The NHAI has requested ₹1,065 crore for the construction of NH 966 and ₹237 crore more for NH 66 from Kerala.

The contractors informed the meeting that the non-availability of soil has affected the progress of the construction work. The meeting specifically assessed the stretches with less than 50% construction progress. The progress of the work on other stretches includes Aroor–Thuravoor (41%), Thuravoor-Paravur (27%), Paravur- Kottankulangara (47%), and Kadampattukonam-Kazhakuttam (36%).

The meeting decided to terminate the contractor if there is no work progress of at least 5% every month. The Chief Minister also directed that the Alappuzha and Ernakulam Collectors pay special attention to resolving the traffic jam on the Aroor–Thuravoor route.