Kerala's NH-66 Project Sparks Fierce Political Clash Amid Allegations

Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi, Jun 5 (PTI) - A fiery political confrontation is unfolding in Kerala over the NH-66 project, with the ruling CPI(M) and opposition Congress hurling serious allegations at each other amid claims of corruption and project delays.

On Thursday, Kerala's Public Works Minister, P A Mohammed Riyas, asserted the project will reach completion "no matter what," even if Congress general secretary K C Venugopal poses obstacles.

The Congress retorted, criticizing him for allegedly shifting blame and questioned whether he was shielding those responsible for the massive corruption worth thousands of crores related to NHAI's contract awards for the highway work.

In a TV interview in Delhi, Riyas suggested that despite Venugopal potentially being the "nemesis" of the NH-66 project, it would proceed as planned under the state's determined efforts.

He remarked that the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, chaired by Venugopal, is not the equivalent of the Supreme Court, indicating it is being leveraged for political maneuvering.

Riyas' comments followed Venugopal's PAC-ordered CAG audit of the contracts after a section of the NH-66 in Malappuram collapsed during last month’s rains.

Riyas accused the Congress-led UDF, which governed from 2011-2016, of initially stalling the project due to incompetence. Now, as progress resumes, their attempts to obstruct it will not be tolerated by the Left government, he maintained.

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief, Sunny Joseph, countered that Riyas is deflecting criticism and obscuring his previous assurances amid visible road defects and growing opposition to the project.

Joseph alleged extensive corruption in project contract awards and queried if the minister’s actions were attempts to conceal the culprits.

He also criticized Riyas for not visiting the Kuriyad site in Malappuram where the highway section failed.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Riyas met Union Minister Nitin Gadkari regarding the project and resultant issues like road collapses and cracks in Kannur, Kasaragod, and Thrissur districts.

Post-meeting, reassurances were received from the center about completing the NH-66 project by December, spanning from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram.

Meanwhile, the Congress has demanded a CBI investigation into the discrepancies in NH-66's construction and the alleged corruption involving contract allocations.

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