Under-construction bridge on NH bypass collapses in Kerala

An under-construction bridge in North Kerala collapsed on Wednesday, raising questions over the quality of public works again, especially since the state recently witnessed a flyover being shut within three years of commissioning owing to low-quality construction.

The bridge in question was under construction carried out by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on the Thalassery-Mahe National Highway bypass in Kannur district and collapsed on Wednesday evening. A beam under construction collapsed after the scaffolds used for support got displaced. Since there were no one at the site, there were no casualties. An Ernakulam-based firm is constructing the bridge.

An official of the NHAI said that prima facie, there seem to be no quality issues in construction. The displacement of the support given from the river to a 45-metre span, possibly due to some changes in water flow, could be the reason. The NHAI regional office in Thiruvananthapuram would be conducting a probe into the matter. The construction company will be meeting the entire loss caused. It is an engineering-procurement-commission mode project, said the official.

Kerala public works minister G Sudhakaran also sought a report from the NHAI on the matter. The bridge is part of an 18.5-kilometre bypass being constructed at a cost of Rs. 1,181 crore. The bypass comprises four bridges, one rail over the bridge and 19 culverts, said the minister.

Kerala has been witnessed a row over the Palarivattom NH flyover in Kochi. The flyover that was commissioned in October 2016 was recently shut in 2019 May owing to safety concerns. The flyover was constructed at a cost of Rs. 42 crore and an expert team led by 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan recommended total reinforcement work, which would cost around Rs. 20 crore. A retired IAS officer and top officials of the construction firms were arrested by the Kerala Vigilance wing in a related corruption case, while former public works minister V K Ebrahimkunju is under the scanner.

Meanwhile, the Congress has demanded a detailed probe into the quality of construction of the bridge. The bypass in the scheduled to be commissioned by May 2021. But it would be delayed further owing to Covid-19 as well as the fresh collapse.

NHAI sources said that in view of the collapse of the under-construction bridge, the quality of all the other four bridges being constructed by the same firm would be examined.