Kasaragod: Workers employed by nearly 25 subcontractors of Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL), who are working on the Chengala-Nileshwar stretch of National Highway 66, have gone on strike, demanding wages that have been pending for the past four months. Protesting outside MEIL's camp office at Mylatty, the workers said they would not return to work until their dues were cleared.

Abdul Nisar, liaison and vigilance officer at MEIL, said the company has promised to settle the payments by July 25. "They are not our direct employees, but we have agreed to clear their dues," he said. The subcontractors handle a wide range of work, including logistics, earthworks, concrete, and road laying. Nisar added that overall progress on the stretch is not affected, as MEIL’s own workers are continuing with the job. Another MEIL official claimed that the subcontractors were using the workers’ protest to voice their own grievances.

MEIL had not cleared the bills of the subcontractors, which in turn has affected the disbursal of wages to the workers. When asked if MEIL held back payments because of delays or incomplete work, the official said, "No, that's not the case. These delays happen in major projects". In comparison, the 39-km Talapady-Chengala stretch of NH 66, developed by Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society Limited (ULCCS) for ₹1,704.12 crore, is nearly complete and scheduled for inauguration before July 31, said an executive.                 

But MEIL's stretches, from Chengala to Nileshwar (37 km) and from Nileshwar to Taliparamba (40 km) are lagging far behind schedule. The Chengala-Nileshwar segment, awarded to MEIL for ₹1,697.55 crore, was initially set for completion by April 15, 2024. The revised deadline is now March 31, 2026.

Likewise, the Nileshwar-Taliparamba stretch, being built for ₹2,251 crore, was supposed to be completed by January 11, 2024. Its new deadline is also March 2026. The ongoing wage protest threatens to push the deadlines further. MEIL is already under scrutiny after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) debarred the company from bidding for new projects due to the poor construction of a slope protection wall on the Chengala-Nileshwar reach.