New Delhi: Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee Chairman and Alappuzha MP K C Venugopal has urged Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to convene an urgent high-level meeting in Delhi to address the alarming surge in accidents on Kerala's national highways.

Calling accident-prone highways a "critical public safety issue," the Congress General Secretary said that unscientific construction methods and poor oversight have turned the national highways into "death traps" with the onset of the monsoon.

In his letter to Gadkari, Venugopal cited a recent incident near Kooriyad in Malappuram, where a section of the under-construction NH 66 collapsed. He blamed the accident on shoddy construction and the National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) lack of supervision. "The concessionaires responsible for construction have also exhibited an irresponsible attitude," he said.

The Alappuzha Bypass has reported a series of accidents in recent weeks -- two in the last week alone. One person died and six, including children, were injured in the latest incident near the Karuvatta Powerhouse. Despite repeated appeals by the district administration, the concessionaire tasked with maintenance has not responded, Venugopal alleged.

He also flagged the Thrissur-Palakkad NH 544, where severe congestion recently brought traffic to a halt for over six hours. It is unacceptable that commuters pay steep tolls for roads in such poor condition, he said.
In Kozhikode, a pile-up on NH 66 claimed two lives and injured several others. Poor road conditions and the absence of signage were identified as contributing factors. Near Thrissur, a school bus accident left 15 children injured.

Though not mentioned in his letter, in Kasaragod, a portion of the highway collapsed opposite Christ CMI School near Kanhangad on Tuesday morning. Later that day, an ambulance overturned after its driver braked suddenly due to water splashing onto the windshield from the flooded NH66, triggering a six-vehicle pile-up. One person died and four others, including the driver, were injured.

Venugopal stressed that accidents and traffic jams have become daily occurrences on Kerala's national highways, with little to no action from either NHAI or the concessionaires. He called for strict penalties against erring companies and demanded time-bound repairs and maintenance.