NH 66 crater triggers standoff, probe

Kottayam: A crater around 10 feet deep formed on an elevated stretch of National Highway 66 at the 11th mile in Cherthala, Alappuzha, on Tuesday evening, triggering a standoff between residents and authorities that lasted into the night.The crater appeared around 6.30pm in the middle of the elevated highway, whose construction was recently completed. National Highway authorities arrived with an excavator to fill the pit but withdrew after local residents and commuters protested under the leadership of CPM district secretary R Nazar. Around midnight, once the crowd had dispersed, the pit was covered with cement and stones.On Wednesday morning, Congress workers led by KPCC secretary S Sharath obstructed subsequent tarring work at the site, alleging it was an attempt to conceal construction flaws.

KWA and PWD officials who arrived for inspection said an assessment should have been carried out before the pit was filled.Officials said a drinking water pipeline had burst near the same spot a month earlier, eroding the soil beneath and causing the road above to sink.The National Highway division general manager, who inspected the site, said the affected soil would be completely excavated, a proper foundation would be laid, and the surface would be levelled.

He warned that the crater could recur if the pipeline bursts again and said preventive measures would be put in place to avoid a repeat.Experts said covering the crater without a thorough inspection risked a major accident, as the extent of soil erosion and water leakage beneath could not be determined.MLA P Prasad, in a letter to the chief minister, demanded an urgent high-level inspection and pointed to the absence of a heavy-duty drain pipe and the construction of an underpass retaining wall above the pipeline as causes of the crater. Crime branch, Alappuzha DSP’s vigilance wing and Mararikulam police’s special branch also conducted an on-site investigation.