Kerala CM Seeks NH‑66 Safety Audit, Writes To Gadkari After Thrissur Crash

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan has called for a comprehensive safety review of the National Highway 66 corridor in the state following the tragic accident in Thrissur district in which eight engineering students lost their lives.

In a letter to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, the Chief Minister sought strict measures to prevent the unauthorised and unsafe parking of construction and other heavy vehicles along all stretches of NH 66 where work is currently ongoing. He also urged Gadkari to direct the NHAI authorities to carry out an immediate, independent, and thorough safety review of the highway project in the state in light of the incident.

Satheesan said that during the construction phase, thousands of people are compelled to travel daily through temporary diversions, narrow carriageways, unfinished stretches, and construction zones. In these circumstances, the highest standards of traffic management and road safety are essential along these sections.

The Chief Minister called for an assessment of whether contractors and concessionaires are complying with the safety guidelines and traffic management plans prescribed by the NHAI. Officials should also review the effectiveness of supervision and monitoring from time to time.

The fatal accident in Thrissur should be seen not just as an isolated incident but as an opportunity to carry out a comprehensive review of safety arrangements along the entire NH 66 corridor in Kerala. He also called for a detailed investigation into the circumstances that led to the accident. Satheeshan said the time-bound safety review should assess the adequacy of temporary traffic diversions, road lighting, warning signs, reflective markings, barricades, delineators, crash barriers, and other safety measures, especially at points where traffic is diverted from the original carriageway.

The traffic incident occurred late on the night of September 4, when the car carrying the students crashed into a goods lorry parked on National Highway 66 at Panambikunnu in Thrissur district. The incident had sparked massive outrage in the state with people demanding immediate measures to ensure strict safety measures along the National Highway.

The car crashed into the back of a Maharashtra-registered goods lorry parked on the highway. All the victims were students from PSNA College of Engineering and Technology in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. They had been on a leisure trip to Kerala and were returning from Guruvayur to Kodungallur when the accident happened.