<p>A flyover constructed at a cost for Rs. 42 crore and commissioned in October 2016 at Kochi in Kerala will be now reconstructed by spending around Rs. 20 crores owing to the flaws in construction.</p>.<p>With the Supreme Court on Tuesday setting aside an order of Kerala High court to conduct a load test of the bridge before going ahead with the proposal for reconstructing it, the state government will soon commence the work, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.</p>.<p>The Palarivattom flyover on NH by-pass in Kochi was constructed with an estimated life of about 100 years. But it had to be closed in May 2019 following safety concerns. Metro man E Sreedharan and experts from IIT Madras inspected the flyover found cracks in 97 out of the 102 girders and 16 of the 18 pier caps. Hence those were proposed to be demolished and reconstructed. The reconstruction cost estimated last year was Rs. 18.5 crore and the estimated time required was ten months.</p>.<p>The government would be now bearing the reconstruction cost and legal measures will be initiated to recover the cost from those responsible for the lapses. A vigilance probe is progressing into the irregularities in the construction of the flyover, which took place during the term of the previous Congress-led UDF government. Former public works secretary T O Sooraj was among the arrested and former minister V K Ebrahim Kunju was also facing a probe.</p>.<p>The Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala, an agency under the Kerala government, initiated the flyover project. Bengaluru-based Nagesh Consultants designed it and Delhi-based RDS Projects constructed it. Another Kerala government agency KITCO was the technical consultant. Officials of these agencies were arraigned in the Vigilance case.</p>.<p>Kerala government had earlier alleged attempts to cover up the serious lapses in the initial construction.</p>.<p>With the flyover remaining closed, Kochi city has been experiencing heavy traffic block during peak hours.</p>
<p>A flyover constructed at a cost for Rs. 42 crore and commissioned in October 2016 at Kochi in Kerala will be now reconstructed by spending around Rs. 20 crores owing to the flaws in construction.</p>.<p>With the Supreme Court on Tuesday setting aside an order of Kerala High court to conduct a load test of the bridge before going ahead with the proposal for reconstructing it, the state government will soon commence the work, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.</p>.<p>The Palarivattom flyover on NH by-pass in Kochi was constructed with an estimated life of about 100 years. But it had to be closed in May 2019 following safety concerns. Metro man E Sreedharan and experts from IIT Madras inspected the flyover found cracks in 97 out of the 102 girders and 16 of the 18 pier caps. Hence those were proposed to be demolished and reconstructed. The reconstruction cost estimated last year was Rs. 18.5 crore and the estimated time required was ten months.</p>.<p>The government would be now bearing the reconstruction cost and legal measures will be initiated to recover the cost from those responsible for the lapses. A vigilance probe is progressing into the irregularities in the construction of the flyover, which took place during the term of the previous Congress-led UDF government. Former public works secretary T O Sooraj was among the arrested and former minister V K Ebrahim Kunju was also facing a probe.</p>.<p>The Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala, an agency under the Kerala government, initiated the flyover project. Bengaluru-based Nagesh Consultants designed it and Delhi-based RDS Projects constructed it. Another Kerala government agency KITCO was the technical consultant. Officials of these agencies were arraigned in the Vigilance case.</p>.<p>Kerala government had earlier alleged attempts to cover up the serious lapses in the initial construction.</p>.<p>With the flyover remaining closed, Kochi city has been experiencing heavy traffic block during peak hours.</p>
