Collapse of National Highway 66 

The incident of a section of the National Highway 66 collapsing in the Malappuram-Kooriyad area has created a lot of fear and panic among the people. The accident that occurred at a time when the construction of National Highway 66 is being completed across the state has created fear among the people that similar accidents may occur in other high-altitude areas during this rainy season.

In the Kooriyad section of the national highway, which is in the final stage of construction, about 250 meters of road and service road collapsed, causing interlock blocks to fall on moving cars. Eight people, including three children, were slightly injured. Four cars were also involved in the accident. A major disaster was averted because the accident occurred at 2:30 pm when traffic was light. A large crack has formed on the service road for several kilometres. More than a kilometre of the national highway, which is being constructed through more than three kilometres of fields, collapsed. The service road and field on the east side cracked when the national highway collapsed.

There have been some accidents during the construction of the National Highway before this. In March, there was an accident in Alappuzha when four girders fell from a height of 30 feet. A major accident was averted here too as there were no people around when the girders fell. It was later found that the accident here was caused by the plank, like a piece of wood, placed between the pillar and the girder being moved without fulfilling the specified standards. This incident pointed to the fault in the supervision of the National Highway construction. It is not yet clear whether action was taken against anyone for this. Since the accident in Kooriyad occurred when the construction was almost in its final stage, it raises doubts that it was due to a defect in the construction. Although the locals had pointed out the danger of the chance of an accident here earlier, the concerned authorities did not take it seriously. It has been alleged that the road was built at a height of more than 30 feet without building an adequate foundation. Cracks had appeared in the blocks that were laid. When the locals pointed this out, the cracks were sealed with cement. This accident could have been avoided if the engineers had properly inspected the road and taken adequate measures. The sides of the road had collapsed more than ten feet a kilometer away from the field where the Kooriyad accident occurred months ago.

There are many places in the state where the road is this high. Accidents do not necessarily occur everywhere. However, it would be good for the higher authorities to conduct a second inspection of the sections that have been completed so far. Not fixing the defects in the construction, even if they are found, in the name of other considerations, is tantamount to sacrificing the passengers.