'Sinkhole on flyover secretly covered to conceal corruption'; Protests in Cherthala against national highways authority

ALAPPUZHA: The collapsed part of the road on the newly completed flyover in Cherthala was covered with concrete. The sinkhole was about four meters deep. The sinkhole was noticed by commuters yesterday. There are allegations that the national highway authorities have not reached the spot and conducted a scientific inspection even after hours. Public activists and Congress leaders have reached the spot and are protesting.

According to the directive of the district collector, officials from the state public works department and the water authority are inspecting the site. Authorities said a water pipeline beneath the road had burst earlier, which may have caused the road to collapse and led to the formation of the sinkhole. They added that the exact cause can only be determined after a detailed scientific inspection by national highways authority officials.

Meantime, protesters said the damaged pipeline had already been replaced and questioned why national highways authority officials had not come to inspect the site yet despite the seriousness of the incident. They alleged that only a temporary solution had been adopted. According to them, silt dredged from the backwaters was used in the road construction, and to prevent this from being exposed, contractors were allegedly instructed to pour concrete over the damaged section secretly at dawn.

The issue first came to light when a motorist travelling noticed the pit and alerted the police. Protesters, including local residents, said the deep sinkhole could have caused a major accident and alleged that the road had been constructed in a manner that endangered the lives of commuters.