New Delhi: The Kerala government may demolish and rebuild the Palarivattom flyover in Kochi, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday.
The SC bench headed by Justice RF Nariman revoked the High Court order ordering a weight test before the demolition of the bridge.
The apex court was considering an appeal against the High Court order by the state government and an interim petition requesting permission to demolish and rebuild the flyover.
On February 7 this year, the Supreme Court, while considering an appeal by the state government against the order of the Kerala High Court to conduct a load test on the flyover, had directed that status quo be maintained. Following which, the load test as well as the government’s plan to rebuild the flyover did not take place.
The government agency Kerala Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation (KITCO) had opposed the plea filed by the state government.
In a counter affidavit filed before the apex court, KITCO even alleged that the state government’s petition had malicious intent.
The Vigilance in Kerala had earlier arrested a top official of KITCO, which was the consultancy firm in the Palarivattom flyover project, in a bribery case.
According to KITCO, the government’s new petition was intended to obtain a favourable order from the Supreme Court on a matter which was rejected by the High Court. The government is planning to start reconstruction of the flyover without conducting a load test, alleged KITCO. When the existing flyover is demolished for constructing a new one, the opportunity for conducting a load test would be lost, said the consultancy firm.