New Delhi/Malappuram, May 29 (IANS) Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman and senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal on Thursday said that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways have admitted to lapses, including a design failure, in the under-construction stretches of National Highway 66 in Kerala.

Speaking to the media in New Delhi after a meeting of the PAC, Venugopal said that both the NHAI and the Transport Secretary acknowledged technical snags during the review, including flaws in the project’s design, which have led to the crumbling of road segments in multiple districts.

“At the meeting, NHAI and the Transport Secretary accepted that technical failures, especially in design, were behind the damage to NH 66. Alarmingly, it has emerged that the final design was made by the contractor,” Venugopal said.

The PAC also raised concerns over procedural lapses. Venugopal noted that during the interaction, it was revealed there was no high-level technical committee in place for quality assurance.

“In the case of the collapsed stretch at Kuriyad in Malappuram, locals had long warned that the highway should have been elevated, as it passes through a paddy field. These warnings were ignored,” he said.

The PAC has now asked the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to conduct a performance audit, including a detailed review of the design.

Venugopal added that the PAC has directed the NHAI chairman to visit Kerala for a three-day inspection starting Saturday, not just to Kuriyad but to other sites as well.

A three-member technical committee comprising senior experts has also been formed, which has been tasked with submitting a report to the PAC within three weeks.

“We have asked for a comprehensive report detailing what went wrong and what corrective measures will be taken,” Venugopal said.

Venugopal also took a swipe at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his son-in-law, PWD Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas, accusing them of silence after initially taking credit for the project.

“Until the NH 66 collapses came to light, both the Chief Minister and the PWD Minister were boasting about the project. Now, they have gone quiet,” he remarked.

Venugopal had visited NH 66 sites in Kerala on Wednesday and raised strong objections to the construction standards and lack of oversight.

–IANS

sg/skp