Road works hit slow lane amid cost spike and labour crunch

A perfect storm is brewing over Kerala’s road construction sector as fallout from the West Asia conflict, a steep spike in material costs and a mass exit of migrant workers ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections have thrown road construction works into disarray.

The uncertainty has already hit the ground with the Sabarimala projects slowing to a crawl. The tendering process for the project, which span over 800 km across Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Alappuzha, and Kollam districts , usually sets in motion by April but is now stuck in limbo, with little sign of movement at the government level.