Amid growing public outrage over alleged construction flaws in flyovers built under national highway projects in Kerala, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said the Union government has assured that all future flyovers will be constructed on pillars.

The assurance follows a series of accidents and structural failures linked to flyovers built using earth-filled retaining walls. The most serious incidents were reported last year at Kooriyad in Malappuram and Kottiyam in Kollam, triggering widespread criticism of the construction method, particularly in paddy fields and areas with heavy underground water flow.

Chandrasekhar said discussions with Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on national highway development had “yielded positive results.” “Even though the cost will increase, permission has been granted to construct all future flyovers on pillars instead of earth-filled retaining walls, taking public concerns into account,” he said in a social media post.
He added, “We have kept our promise. 2026 has been given a strong beginning for a developed Kerala. This will bring major relief to people living along national highways, including in areas such as Ochira."

He said he had earlier assured that these concerns would be taken up with the Narendra Modi government and addressed. He also said Gadkari had informed him that the Thiruvananthapuram Outer Ring Road project would receive final approval in February–March, and that compensation would be provided to landowners who had surrendered their property for the project.

A portion of the sidewall of an under-construction NH 66 stretch collapsed at Kottiyam in Kollam in December 2025. The embankment failure occurred during the Mevaram–Kadampattukonam widening project, leaving craters on the service road and trapping vehicles. Residents alleged that repeated warnings about unscientific construction in the waterlogged area were ignored.

Kollam MP N K Premachandran had also flagged similar concerns then, noting that retaining walls had collapsed at several under-construction elevated highway sites. “These incidents point to construction without proper planning. Instead of raising highways by filling the earth, structures should be built on pillars. The Kollam incident warrants an immediate safety audit,” he had said.

Another major collapse occurred in May 2025 at an under-construction NH 66 stretch in Kooriyad, Malappuram, raising serious ecological concerns. Cracks appeared across the roadway and nearby paddy fields through which the highway was built. In this region, the road had been elevated using gabion walls, interlocking concrete blocks, and soil fill. Residents alleged that contractors ignored repeated warnings that the method was unscientific and unsuitable for the soft, waterlogged terrain.

Residents here also had earlier demanded that the highway be constructed on pillars, cautioning that reclaimed paddy fields would not withstand the load—fears that were realised when a portion of the road and embankment collapsed.

Adding to the concerns, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways last year revealed that 72 national highway projects across the country reported collapses or major construction deficiencies between 2020 and 2025. Kerala ranked second after Maharashtra, with 10 such incidents. Maharashtra reported 19 such incidents in the five years. Contractors in Kerala were collectively fined ₹32.18 crore for major lapses that led to failures on different highway stretches during this period.