Crack appears on NH stretch in Kasaragod

Kozhikode: A crack has appeared on a stretch of the national highway at Mattalayi in Cheruvathur, Kasaragod. The crack, about 50 meters in length, was detected on an embankment section on the highway near the Mattalayi Shiva temple. Officials suspect that the damage was caused by heavy rain the previous night. In some areas close to the crack, the tarred surface has slightly subsided. Authorities said repair work to seal the crack has already begun. Following the incident, Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd, which is executing the highway project, started removing the asphalt layer from the affected stretch.In July 2025, Cheruvathur had witnessed collapse of a major portion of a hill onto the under construction stretch of the road.The National Highways Authority of India had debarred Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd from participating in future bids in June after the collapse of slope protection works on the Chengala–Neeleshwaram section of NH-66 at Cherkala in Kasaragod on June 16. The NHAI found that improper design, inadequate slope protection measures and poor drainage systems led to the incident.