The Kerala government on Monday started the demolition of the Palarivattom flyover in Kochi. A new flyover in place of the one being demolished is expected to be built in nine months, said authorities.
The flyover, constructed by the UDF government at a cost of Rs 48 crore, was closed in May 2019 after major cracks appeared on the structure. This was within three years of it being opened for public. The LDF government has now started to reconstruct the flyover.
"To start with, the tarmac would be removed in three days, followed by concrete beams. Pier caps would be strengthened and new beams cast. We expect the entire work to be completed in nine months," said AP Pramod, the engineer in charge of the project.
The Kerala government had approached the Supreme Court after the High Court ordered a load test to be conducted before the decision to demolish the flyover could be taken.
The apex court, however, allowed the state to reconstruct the flyover, taking into account the public safety aspect. The state government roped in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Principal Advisor E Sreedharan to oversee the reconstruction, which will be done by Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) Ltd.
After the flyover was shut on the discovery of structural damages, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) started a probe into the alleged scam involved in constructing a faulty flyover. The VACB is in the final stages of its probe.
Built during then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's tenure, the 750-metre flyover was supposed to last over 100 years. It was opened in October 2016.
The VACB had arrested four officials-- former secretary of Public Works Department (PWD) Soorej TO; Sumeet Goyal, managing director of the construction company RDS Projects Ltd.; MT Thankachan, former assistant general manager of the subsidiary of the Kerala PWD Roads Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Ltd. (RBDCK), and Benny Paul, joint general manager of KITCO, which provides technical expertise. The accused are now out on bail.
Former PWD Minister and leader of the Indian Union Muslim League Ebrahim Kunju, in whose tenure the flyover was constructed, was also questioned multiple times by the VACB in connection with the probe.
Watch visuals of works started to demolish flyover: