Palarivattom flyover in Kochi to be rebuilt: Ker Govt

The Kerala government on Monday decided to rebuild the Palarivattom flyover in Kochi, which has been closed for traffic since May this year after cracks and potholes surfaced within three years of its commissioning.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here the construction of the new bridge will commence by October this year and the work is expected to be completed in a year's time.

The decision in this regard was taken after the chief minister held discussions with PWD minister G Sudhakaran and Metroman E Sreedharan and evaluated the report prepared by IIT-Madras on the bridge.

Sreedharan had suggested the flyover should be rebuilt and the suggestion has been accepted by the government, Vijayan said.

An expert committee will prepare the design of the new bridge and Sreedharan will be supervising the construction activities.

The 750-metre long flyover, construction of which began when the Congress-led UDF was in power, was completed and commissioned in October 2016, when the CPI(M)-LDF was voted to power.

Within three years of its construction, large cracks were noticed in the pier caps of various pillars of the flyover following which it was closed for traffic.

Vijayan had ordered Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau (VACB) to probe into the alleged corruption in the construction of the flyover.

Retired Kerala PWD secretary T O Sooraj and three others-- a top official of the company which constructed the flyover and two officials of a technical consultancy company were arrested last month by the VACB in connection with the case.

Former PWD minister V K Ibrahim Kunju had also been questioned by the Vigilance bureau.

A report submitted by Sreedharan had said the flyover built at a cost of Rs 42 crore was supposed to have a life span of over 100 years.