Non-payment of dues: Vyttila flyover work halted

  • | Thursday | 18th July, 2019

By Express News ServiceKOCHI: The construction activities of Vyttila Flyover came to a halt on Wednesday with the contractor withdrawing his workforce demanding immediate payment of dues from the PWD. The officers concerned said a meeting, which will be presided over by Works Minister G Sudhakaran, will be held in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. We also hope that the deadline to complete the flyover work will not be affected as the issue will be sorted out soon,” the officer said. HURDLES GALOREThe work on the Vyttila Flyover began in December 2017 after facing several hurdles. Though the proposal to construct a flyover at the busy Vyttila junction was nearly two decades old, the confusion over its design delayed the proceedings.

By Express News Service KOCHI: The construction activities of Vyttila Flyover came to a halt on Wednesday with the contractor withdrawing his workforce demanding immediate payment of dues from the PWD. According to the representatives of contracting firm Sreedhanya Constructions, the Works Department is yet to clear the pending dues to the tune of `18 crore, which it owes to the company. The contractor said he had sent a letter to the PWD (NH Wing), officials of Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) and the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) two days ago. “In the letter, we have clearly mentioned that we are not in a position to carry out the work unless funds are released. If the dues are not paid, the company is left with no option than to stop the work for an indefinite period, till the payment is made,” according to a company source. “Only around `10 crore is due in connection with the ongoing work. There was a request from the contractors for a revision of cost estimate after considering the condition of the soil. Certain construction parameters were added further and a revised budget was submitted to KIIFB in January this year. We are yet to approve it. Hence, the contractor can only ask for the actual payment due,” according to a PWD official. The officers concerned said a meeting, which will be presided over by Works Minister G Sudhakaran, will be held in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. “We hope the contractors and the officers concerned will arrive at a consensus at the meeting. We also hope that the deadline to complete the flyover work will not be affected as the issue will be sorted out soon,” the officer said. HURDLES GALORE The work on the Vyttila Flyover began in December 2017 after facing several hurdles. Though the proposal to construct a flyover at the busy Vyttila junction was nearly two decades old, the confusion over its design delayed the proceedings. Though the foundation stone for the project was laid in February 2016 by then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, his tenure ended soon. Finally, the work was launched in December 2017 by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. It was scheduled to be completed in May 2019. However, the deadline was revised to August and later to December 2019.

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