Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 28 Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday termed the delay in starting the Sreekaryam flyover project by the KIIFB as “criminal negligence.”
Satheesan’s remark came in response to a submission in the Assembly by BJP MLA V Muraleedharan seeking expediting of the flyover construction.
Responding to the submission, the CM claimed that the project was another example of not just negligence, but “criminal negligence” by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) as three construction inaugurations were held in connection with it in 2025, when there was no plan or design for the flyover.
One of the inaugurations was by former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, he said.
“It is not negligence. It is criminal negligence,” he contended.
Satheesan said that a special purpose vehicle was constituted to carry out the project, but other than employing hundreds of people drawing lakhs in salaries, nothing has been done.
He further said that while a design agency was hired to prepare a plan and design in 2023, nothing has happened till now.
Since the design agency has not provided any plan or outline till now, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd, which was handling the project, has issued a tender to appoint a new agency.
He said that such projects are like “memorials” of the drawbacks of KIIFB-related work.
Satheesan said that he firmly believes that such delays would not have happened if the Public Works Department (PWD) was handling the project.
“If PWD was carrying out such construction work, this would not have happened, as it has a system. I am saying this because in 2014, the first constituency in the state where all PWD roads were done by BMBC (Bituminous Macadam and Bituminous Concrete) was my constituency, Paravur. All 63 roads are BMBC. It was done by PWD. We have an agency that systematically does it very nicely and cleanly,” he said.
He further said that following the delay in the project, it will not be carried out at the rates that were decided initially.
The contractor will now ask for a revised estimate, and crores will have to be paid again, he added.
“So, crores will be lost again from the treasury due to this criminal negligence,” the CM contended.
Regarding the relocation of the Sree Narayana Guru Mandiram and Ayyankali statue at Sreekaryam junction, which was also raised by Muraleedharan, the CM said that the District Collector has been instructed to expedite the process.
“We will try to get it expedited,” he said.
(PTI News)
