𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗛-𝟲𝟲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗮

Kerala waited for decades for a seamless, world-class highway that could cut through its spine from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod. The dream was NH-66 — formerly known as NH-17 — a highway that connects Panvel in Maharashtra to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, passing right through Kerala’s length, spanning nearly 678 km within the state alone. It was supposed to be the lifeline of modern Kerala. Instead, it has become a monument to mismanagement, poor planning, and political blame games.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗞𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲

The six-laning of NH-66 was envisioned as one of the most transformative infrastructure projects in Kerala’s history. It promised:

• Faster connectivity from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram
• Decongestion of existing narrow, dangerous highways
• Better logistics and economic development
• Reduced travel time for over 3 crore Keralites

But before even the monsoon arrived in 2025, large stretches of this “modern marvel” began falling apart like cardboard soaked in rainwater.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁

On May 19, 2025, in Kooriyad, Malappuram district, a 250-meter stretch of NH-66 collapsed. This wasn’t a pothole or a minor crack. The entire roadbed gave way, injuring multiple people and damaging several vehicles.

And this was just the beginning. Other affected districts included:

• Kasaragod: Road shoulders caved in
• Kannur: Newly built segments developed deep cracks
• Thrissur and Palakkad: Waterlogging and embankment erosion
• Kozhikode: Landslide-prone slopes collapsed near residential zones

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗲?

Expert investigation by engineers from IITs and the Geological Survey of India concluded one horrifying truth: the soil couldn’t handle the weight of the highway. Why? Because nobody studied the soil properly in the first place.

The stretch that collapsed was built over reclaimed paddy fields, known for soft and water-logged soil with poor load-bearing capacity. A basic geotechnical survey could have flagged this risk. But the contractors ignored it, and NHAI approved it anyway.

This wasn’t an act of nature. It was an act of neglect.

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲?

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is responsible for the project. The primary contractor was KNR Constructions, with soil and safety consultancies like Strata Geosystem, HBS Infra Engineers, and Sri Infotech. Here’s what happened:

• KNR Constructions has now been blacklisted from future highway work.
• Project Director and Site Engineer were suspended.
• A penalty of ₹11.8 crore was proposed.
• Design and safety consultants were fined and issued show-cause notices.

Meanwhile, the Kerala state government, which earlier demanded credit for the highway, is now saying “We weren’t responsible — it’s a central government project.”

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and PWD Minister Mohammed Riyas (his son-in-law) met with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who had earlier thundered that “any road with flaws will face bulldozers.” Well, the flaws are here. Where are the bulldozers?

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗴𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴?

Let’s not pretend the disaster happened in a vacuum. The entire lead-up to this highway’s completion was a political circus.

• The Left government in Kerala wanted a grand inauguration with Chief Minister Pinarayi cutting the ribbon.
• The BJP at the Centre wanted a separate event with Gadkari and possibly the Prime Minister.
• Media reports were filled with inauguration leaks, event planning, media invites — everything except engineering assessments and safety audits.

Now, after the collapse, not one leader from either side is talking about inauguration. The event has been quietly buried, like the highway under the landslide.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁: 𝗞𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗮’𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲

This isn’t about one failed road. This is about:

• Ambulances rerouting over dangerous hill roads
• School buses avoiding crumbled stretches
• Local farmers cut off from marketplaces
• Lives put at risk just because someone didn’t test the ground before pouring the concrete

We’re not talking about a ₹10 lakh road. This is a multi-thousand-crore project that now lies cracked, crumbling, and covered in excuses.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘄?

• Immediate technical audit of all NH-66 stretches in Kerala
• Soil testing reports to be made public
• Accountability from both the State PWD and NHAI
• A timeline for reconstruction using a viaduct instead of weak embankments
• No more ribbon-cutting until the job is properly done

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

The people of Kerala were promised speed, safety, and strength. Instead, they got sinkholes, silence, and sabotage. The NH-66 saga is not just about roads. It’s about everything that goes wrong when ego comes before engineering, and blame comes before building.

It’s time to stop the blame game.
It’s time to fix the road.
It’s time to fix the system.
And above all — it’s time for the people to demand what they were promised. Not asphalt that melts in the sun, but infrastructure that stands in the storm.

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