New Delhi, 6 December (H.S.):

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has imposed strict penalties and multi-year bans on contractors and engineers responsible for the recent collapse of a retaining wall and service road along the under-construction stretch of National Highway-66 in Kerala’s Kollam district.

According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the NHAI has barred the project’s main contractor and key stakeholders from bidding for government projects for a period of three years and imposed financial penalties. The independent engineer associated with the project has been banned for two years, while senior officials from both entities have been removed from the site.

Following the incident, an expert team from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) promptly conducted a site inspection. Preliminary findings attribute the failure to inadequate geotechnical investigation and neglect of essential technical measures required to strengthen the foundation.

The ministry’s statement detailed that the failure occurred near an underpass at kilometer 504.400 close to Kottiyam, where a 9.4-meter-high embankment gave way due to deep erosion at the base, leading to a loss of structural bearing capacity.

The report concluded that the contractor neither conducted proper soil testing nor implemented the prescribed stabilization methods.In the immediate aftermath of the incident, NHAI suspended the involved contractor, stakeholders, and independent engineer from the bidding process for one month.

On December 5, the authority further issued show-cause notices, formalizing a three-year ban on the contractor and associates and a two-year restriction on the independent engineer, along with financial penalties. The project manager and resident engineer were also removed from their positions with immediate effect.

The project, part of the Kollam–Kadambattukonam corridor, is being developed under the “Build, Operate, and Maintain” model by M/s Shivalaya Constructions, with M/s Feedback Infra and M/s Satra Services serving as independent engineers. The project was being overseen by NHAI’s Project Director for Thiruvananthapuram, D.P. Sahu.

A detailed investigation is now being conducted by a high-level expert committee comprising Dr. Jimmy Thomas from IIT Kanpur and Dr. Sudheesh T.K., Head of the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Palakkad. The committee will assess technical lapses and recommend corrective measures to prevent such failures in future highway projects.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar