‘Unending saga of collapses’: Venugopal on Kerala’s Kollam highway
New Delhi: AICC general secretary and chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament, K.C. Venugopal, on Friday came down heavily on the Kerala government and national highway authorities after yet another retaining wall collapsed along the under-construction highway near Kottiyam in Kollam.
Calling it “an unending saga of collapses,” Venugopal said the incident pointed to serious safety failures and deep-rooted corruption in the implementation of the highway project.
Speaking to reporters, Venugopal recalled that he had inspected a similar collapse in North Kerala earlier and raised the matter at the PAC meeting.
“They had admitted there was a lapse in the way things happened,” he said.
“Now today the same thing occurred at Kottiyam in Kollam. This is not an accident in isolation. It reflects a pattern. It raises grave concerns about the quality of construction and the lack of oversight,” he said.
Venugopal added that the latest collapse should serve as a wake-up call for both the Union and state governments, warning that continued negligence could put lives at risk.
“This is a serious issue of safety. This is nothing but corruption,” he alleged.
He also criticised the Kerala government, saying its priorities were misplaced.
“The Kerala government also has a role, as they are only interested in somehow getting the project completed, as elections are happening. They are looking to take credit only,” Venugopal said.
He added that hurried project execution for political gain cannot come at the cost of public safety.
With multiple collapses now reported across the state in recent years — from Kozhikode to Kannur to Kollam — Venugopal said the PAC would take up the matter again and seek accountability from all agencies involved.
“Those responsible for repeated failures must be identified, and action must follow. Public money and public safety are both at stake,” he said and added that the respective district collectors are vital links in this project.
A woman who was passing, in a car at the time when the incident occurred said it was a shocking experience.
“It was horrible. I stopped the car and ran to safety. The road was cracking, and the side walls and the electric posts were shaking,” she said.
Meanwhile, State PWD Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas asked for an immediate report on the incident from the concerned authorities.