Following the collapse of a section of National Highway 66 at Kooriyad, Malappuram on May 19, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has suspended the project director and site engineer responsible for the work. A three-member expert panel, led by a retired IIT-Delhi professor, inspected the site and attributed the failure to the foundation soil’s inability to support the heavy embankment.

Investigations revealed serious lapses by the contractor, KNR Constructions, including poor soil assessment and neglect of land reinforcement. In response, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways imposed a ₹20 lakh fine on KNR Constructions and banned them from bidding on new projects for one year.

The contractor has been ordered to remove debris and reconstruct the damaged flyover at their own cost, estimated at around ₹80 crore. Meanwhile, concerns escalate as another part of the retaining wall on the same NH-66 stretch collapsed, and cracks appeared on the service road. Continuous heavy rainfall has caused flooding in nearby paddy fields, worsening the situation.

To prevent further incidents, a committee was formed on May 24 to examine other vulnerable sites with reinforced soil walls and slope protection across 17 ongoing NH-66 projects in Kerala.

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