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Key Points

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) recently terminated the site engineer overseeing the NH-66 project in Kerala following the collapse of an embankment. An expert committee led by Professor GV Rao found that the collapse was due to foundation soil inadequacies. To prevent future incidents, NHAI has constituted additional expert teams to assess potential risks in ongoing projects. The responsible concessionaire, KNR Constructions Ltd, has been mandated to rebuild the affected section at their cost, incurring an estimated expense of Rs 80 crore.

Key Points: NHAI Removes Site Engineer After NH-66 Wall Collapse in Kerala

  • NHAI terminates site engineer after NH-66 wall collapse
  • Preliminary assessment cites foundation soil issues
  • Expert committee to review safety oversight on ongoing projects
  • Concessionaire to rebuild at Rs 80 crore cost
2 min read

Kerala: NHAI terminates site engineer after collapse of RE wall, embankment at NH-66

NHAI terminates site engineer following NH-66 collapse; new expert committee formed for safety oversight.

"The failure is due to the inability of foundation soils to support high embankment loads. - Retired IIT-Delhi Professor GV Rao"

Mallapuram, May 29

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has suspended the project engineer and terminated its site engineer who are part of the NH-66 project in Kerala, following an investigation into the collapse of a part of the embankment at the national highway, with the contractor being tasked to construct the viaduct at the highway at their own cost.

A port of the embankment and RE Wall was reported on Ramanattukara-Valanchery Section of NH-66 in Kerala on May 19, 2025, when the project was nearing completion, read a statement from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on May 22. While no deaths occurred due to the collapse of the embankment, multiple cars were stuck at the section.

On May 19, a team of four experts was constituted to study the reasons for failed Kooriyad RE wall including testing under the supervision of a Retired IIT-Delhi Professor GV Rao. The preliminary assessment by the team suggested that the failure is due to inability of the foundation soils to support the high embankment loads.

On May 24, an additional expert committee was constituted, comprising of a retired senior Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) scientist, an Associate Professor from IIT-Palakkad and the Deputy Director General from the Geological Survey of India (GSI). The committee is tasked with assessing other potential location of reinforced soil (RS) walls and slope protection works in 17 ongoing projects on NH-66 in Kerala.

NHAI also levied a monetary penalty of Rs 20 lakh on Thursday against the Design Consultant, Strata Geosystems, and debarred them for one year. The Highway Authority has also served a show cause notice to Sri Infotech, which was the safety consultant of the project, while also issuing a penalty of Rs 20 lakh.

On May 21, NHAI had suspended the Concessionaire, KNR Constructions Ltd from participating in ongoing/future bidding. Project consultant/independent engineer, Highway Engineering Consultant has also been disallowed from participating in future and ongoing bids.

The Project Manager of Concessionaire and Team Leader of Consultant have also been suspended from their duties, according to the ministry.

The Concessionaire is also required to clear the debris from the RE wall collapse and rectify the damage by constructing a new flyover at their cost, with the cost being approximately Rs 80 crore.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rajesh K.
Strict action was needed! This is taxpayers' money being wasted due to poor execution. The ₹80 crore penalty is justified but who will compensate commuters for the inconvenience? NHAI should conduct surprise audits at all ongoing projects across India.
P
Priya M.
As a Malayali, I'm relieved no lives were lost but this is unacceptable. NH-66 is our lifeline! 😤 Why do Kerala projects always face such issues? The expert committee must ensure proper soil testing is done - our terrain is different from North India.
A
Arjun S.
Good that NHAI acted swiftly but suspending engineers alone won't solve systemic issues. We need better project monitoring systems with IoT sensors and real-time data. Hope the IIT-Palakkad expert brings local knowledge to the table.
S
Sunita R.
The ₹20 lakh penalty is peanuts for these big contractors! They make crores in profits. Should be at least 5% of project cost. Also, why debar for just 1 year? Blacklist permanently if found negligent. Safety can't be compromised.
V
Vikram J.
While accountability is important, we must also appreciate that NHAI constituted expert committees within days. The inclusion of GSI shows they're looking at geological factors too. Hope this leads to better construction standards nationwide.
M
Meena P.
As someone who travels this route often, I'm worried about other stretches too. The authorities should compensate affected drivers whose vehicles were damaged. When will we learn? Every monsoon brings such collapses in Kerala. Proper drainage planning is must! 💧

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