NHAI-cops clash delaying road works

Thiruvananthapuram: A dispute between

local police

and

workers

of

National Highway Authority of India

(

NHAI

) has been delaying the works of

elevated highway

and

service roads at Kazhakootam.

The authorities of RDS Project Limited, the engineering and general contracting firm that has undertaken the project have alleged that the works were being affected due to unnecessary intervention by the local police.

The officials said the works were affected on Friday for several hours after the police at Kazhakootam confiscated their vehicles, including an excavator and three concrete mixers.

The workers, including engineers, were also summoned to the station in the evening and kept in confinement till late night. The works could be resumed on Saturday afternoon only after the NHAI project director P Pradeep and RDS Project Limited vice-president colonel M R Nair held talks with district Collector, city police commissioner and deputy commissioner of police.

Speaking to TOI, colonel M R Nair said it was unfortunate that the police, who were supposed to create a favourable condition for ensuring the speedy completion of works are instead causing problems.

“Two months ago, we had demolished the compound wall of the Kazhakootam Police Station as part of service road works. Now, they are demanding that we must build them a new compound wall before proceeding with the road works,” said Nair.

The police station complex, which also consists of the office of Kazhakootam cyber city assistant commissioner, lies beside the proposed service road. Nair said it is the revenue department that has to compensate those whose lands were acquired for the works and the contractor is not liable to carry out any repair works.

“They confiscated our vehicles around 7.30pm the previous evening and released them only after 10.30pm,” Nair said, adding that the concrete mix in the mixers solidified in the meantime, rendering them unusable for work. They were also imposed a penalty of almost Rs 15,000 for causing traffic obstruction.

Kazhakootam assistant commissioner Shainu Thomas said the vehicles were seized for causing traffic obstruction and that they received several complaints from motorists.

“Their vehicles caused traffic snarls for over an hour following which we were forced to take action, he said.

City police Commissioner Balramkumar Upadhyay said the demolition of the compound wall of the police station have compromised the station’s safety.

“It is a government office. The dust and the slush that seeped into the station premises ever since the compound wall was demolished has been causing inconvenience to the public as well who visit the station,” he said, adding that the matter has been resolved for now and the works are resuming.

The works were started in the beginning of 2020. Though the former collector had directed the local police to put traffic diversions in place to facilitate the works, the plan was nixed following protest from the local traders and vendors who complained that their business would be affected. In September last year, minister Kadakampally Surendran had visited the spot to review the works after motorists complained that the ongoing works have rendered the road unsafe.

He had also directed the NHAI authorities to carry out temporary tarring of the service road before proceeding with the works of the elevated highway to address the safety concerns of the motorists. But this was delayed as it took some time to shift utility cables and a drainage.