Kerala Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala has demanded a probe by the Central Vigilance Commission into the construction of the Muzhapplangad-Mahe bypass after the under-construction bridge in Thalassery, that is part of the project, collapsed on August 26.
The bridge was being constructed as part of the Rs 1,181 crore bypass project executed by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in collaboration with the state government.
In a letter to the Central Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari, a copy of which was released to the media, Chennithala said the beams had crashed due to the lack of strength of the girder and the incident had raised several questions about the EKK construction company and the supervision done by the central and state agencies in this regard.
"The incident points towards gross malpractices and acts of corruption in the construction of the bridge. If not properly investigated, the faulty constructions will pose serious threat to the lives and security of thousands of people destined to travel through the bypass," he said in the letter.
Chennithala had earlier come out stating that the state government should take responsibility for the bridge’s collapse since the project was being labelled as one of the government’s achievements. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had retorted to this saying the state government’s role was only in acquiring land for the NHAI.
The under-construction bridge across the Dharmadam river at Nettur in Thalassery, had collapsed after three of its beams came down. As per reports, no casualties were reported in the mishap as workers were on the river bank when the accident occurred. The piling work of the bridge was already over and works were reportedly ongoing in laying the slabs on the structure, which is the last leg of works.
Watch visuals of the collapsed bridge