Kerala: High-level probe into Kollam flyover collapse begins today

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 7 (IANS) A high-level probe into the collapse of a portion of the under-construction flyover on NH 66 at Mylakkadu near Kottiyam in Kerala's Kollam district will begin on Sunday, even as it has emerged that a crucial technical warning, issued four months ago, was allegedly ignored.

The warning had come from a four-member expert committee appointed by the NHAI following a similar collapse at Kooriyad in Malappuram earlier this year.

After inspecting the Kollam Bypass–Kadambattukonam stretch of NH 66, the committee had flagged severe lapses in construction and critically weak soil conditions at multiple locations.

In its report, the committee stated: "Similar concerns exist along the under-construction protection wall in the Kollam Bypass–Kadambattukonam reach as well.

The soil is weak in several stretches, with Standard Penetration Test (SPT) results at some locations as low as 0 or 1. This is extremely critical. Unless the soil is strengthened, the wall under construction is at risk of caving in."

The panel had also prescribed corrective measures, including soil strengthening and structural reinforcement.

However, the "failure" to implement these recommendations is now being seen as a key factor behind the collapse, the panel said.