Thodupuzha: The Public Works Department has finally begun reconstruction of the drain and culvert at Muthalakodam, where a youth lost his life.

On Thursday, soil and stones inside the drain were cleared to facilitate lifting the Kerala Water Authority pipeline running through it and placing it above the slab. Officials said the base will be concreted after the pipe is raised. The culvert portion will then be concreted, and slabs will be installed over the remaining stretch that currently lies open.

Jeys Benny (27), a native of Muthalakodam, died on Monday night after his motorcycle plunged into the pit, which allegedly remained open for around 15 years.

A blame game had erupted between the Thodupuzha municipality and the Public Works Department (PWD) following his death. The PWD alleged that municipal authorities removed the culvert slab last year during monsoon-related waterlogging clearance and failed to reinstall it, resulting in the hazardous pit. The municipality strongly contested the PWD's claim and released photographs, including one from 2015, showing the culvert without a slab and filled with water.