National Highway collapse: Damages to be repaired at expense of KNR Constructions, company debarred

NEW DELHI: The Central Government will take strict action regarding the collapse of the road during the construction of National Highway 66 at Kooriyad in Malappuram. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways clarified that the incident occurred due to the negligence of the contractors. The ministry also stated that the damages will be repaired and the works will be completed at the expense of the contracting company KNR Constructions.

According to an official statement from the ministry, the company has been debarred for one year and will not be allowed to participate in current or future road construction tenders. In addition, the project consultant—Highway Engineering Consultant—has also been barred from participating in future tenders. The project manager of the construction company, A. Amarnath Reddy, and team leader Rajkumar have been suspended.

The Ministry's action was based on a report by an expert team that investigated the structural failure at the Kooriyad site. The report concluded that the subsoil was unable to bear the load of the road on the soft ground, which caused the collapse. The required ground strengthening was not done before the tarring process. Furthermore, the soil composition was not properly analysed, and no reinforcement was carried out accordingly.

Construction failures in areas like Kooriyad, Thrissur, Kuppam, and Kanjikode—as well as general issues in national highway construction—will be investigated by a committee led by Delhi IIT professor G.V.K.R. Rao, along with Anil Dixit and Jimmy Thomas. The intervention came following a complaint submitted by MP E.T. Mohammed Basheer directly to Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.