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New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, June 4 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his son-in-law and state PWD Minister P.A.Mohammed Riyas on Wednesday heaved a sigh of relief when Union Minister Nitin Gadkari assured them that the under-construction NH 66 that had collapsed at multiple places will be completed on time.

The duo was in Delhi and had a long meeting with Gadkari. Soon after it, Riyas told the media that the Union Minister has assured the NH 66 will be completed on time and it will come as a New Year gift.

"The Minister assured us that strong action will be taken against those responsible for the collapse. They are waiting for a report on this from the National Highway Authority of India," said Riyas, who, along with Vijayan, has been at the receiving end ever since the collapse of the NH 66 at multiple places in Thrissur, Malappuram and Kasargod was reported last month.

"The Union Minister heard us patiently and after going through the memorandum that was submitted, he has promised that Kerala will get more infrastructure support from the Centre by way of more new roads," he added.

The duo had come under flak especially from Congress General Secretary and Congress MP from Alappuzha K.C.Venugopal, who is also the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, said he was shocked to hear the sequence of events of what happened, when he attended the meeting held last week to discuss the crumbling of the NH 66 passing through Malappuram.

Venugopal slammed Vijayan and said when he was always taking credit for NH-66 till it crumbled and the moment the news surfaced that NH-66 was breaking not at one place, but at several spots, he did not even go and visit the spots where the highway has developed cracks, despite being in Malappuram for two days.

On Wednesday, Kerala's Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said all are surprised that till date neither Vijayan nor any in the ruling Left has uttered a word about the collapse of the NH 66.

"Not long ago, when some minor fault occurred on a bridge that was constructed during the rule of the Congress, Vijayan registered a case against the then minister, and here, when this massive damage took place in the NH 66, Vijayan has no issues and has not said a word against the Centre. He is scared. We demand that a CBI probe take place. Not everything is clear in this construction... things will soon surface," he claimed.

--IANS

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