Thiruvananthapuram: The Palarivattom flyover in Kochi should be rebuilt, according to E. Sreedharan, principal adviser to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.
He made this recommendation in his report submitted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday. Sreedharan had inspected the flyover as per the request of the Chief Minister earlier. The demolition option will be considered after further talks.
PWD minister G. Sudhakaran told the Assembly that the reports of Sreedharan and Chennai IIT will be factored in before taking a decision.
Sreedharan had held several rounds of deliberations with PWD engineers about the structure design, technology and method of construction used in the flyover which is under repair. Sreedharan said repair works cannot be a permanent solution. He also suggested that joining the girders would not be a good solution either. Sudhakaran told the Assembly that the repair works would continue.
"The LDF government will take a call on whether the flyover has to be demolished after comparing the reports of Sreedharan and the Chennai IIT. As of now, we have decided to continue with the repair works," said Sudhakaran.
Last year, a team of experts led by Prof. Alagu Sundaramoorthy of Chennai IIT had said that the flyover would have to be closed down for at least three months to repair it. He had maintained that the flyover did not meet the adequate level of quality.
Three months after the flyover was inaugurated after the LDF government came to power, hairline cracks were noticed by the officials of RDS Projects Ltd, which built it. It is also the contractor for the Kollam and Alappuzha bypasses and Kazhakoottam elevated highway.
