NH-66 stretch under construction collapses in Kollam, miraculous escape for vehicle passengers

Six months after an embankment caved in, forcing the failure of a reinforced earth (RE) wall on Malappuram's Ramanattukara-Valanchery section of NH-66, a portion of the sidewall collapsed on an under-construction site of NH-66 in Kollam, leaving craters on the service road and trapping vehicles on Friday. The passengers in the vehicles, including a school bus, had a miraculous escape following the incident. All the passengers were shifted from the vehicles.

The embankment collapsed at Mylakkadu in Adichanallor panchayat near Kottiyam. The work was underway as part of the Mevaram-Kadampattukonam widening project. Residents in Kottiyam came up with complaints against the contractor. They said that grievances were raised against unscientific construction in an area prone to waterlogging, but it was ignored. The residents recalled a recent instance where craters appeared on another stretch which falls under the project area. The District Collector had visited the site and given instructions to rectify the flaws in construction, the residents said.

Kollam MP NK Premachandran told Onmanorama that the incident has strengthened concerns over the unscientific construction of elevated highways. "I am on my way to the site. In many places, retaining walls are collapsing. This shows construction without proper planning. Instead of constructing elevated highways by filling with earth, there is a need to build structures using pillars. Kollam incident calls for an immediate safety audit," said Premachandran.

"No injuries were reported, as the passengers of the affected vehicles were evacuated in time," said an official from the Kottiyam police station.

Adichanalloor Grama Panchayat vice president Anilumar said soil-filling work for earth levelling is underway on the elevated highway. “During rain, water accumulates on the filled soil and often spills onto the approach road. It is also suspected that the pressure built up within the soil may have caused the current collapse,” he said.

Kottiyam ward member S Rajan said no similar incident has happened in the area in recent times, noting that the opposite side of the approach road is paddy fields. “Construction is progressing without proper safety measures. The authorities are playing with the lives of the public,” he alleged.

Kollam Collector Devidas N, IAS, said the project director and regional officer of the NHAI are on their way to inspect the site. “They will explain the technical reasons behind the collapse and recommend measures to prevent such incidents in the future. Traffic diversions have been arranged,” he told the media.

According to the website of Shivalaya constructions, which carries out the work, the Kollam project is estimated at ₹1,385 crore. The highway project runs over a distance of 31.25 km and involves the development of the existing two-lane road to a six-lane dual carriageway highway. The project includes the construction of one bypass to Kollam city, 6 Flyovers, 1 Rail over bridge, 10 Underpasses, 4 new Major bridges, 3 Minor bridges and 42 Culverts. The project also involves more than 1,00,000 sq.m of RE wall and more than 2.5 million cubic meters of earthwork, according to the project details.