State Public Works Minister Mohammed Riyas recently announced that the completed stretches of National Highway 66 in Kerala will be inaugurated by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in January next year. He also announced that during a meeting between the Kerala contingent, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and Gadkari, it was also decided that Rs 237 crore spent by the state government on land acquisition would be written off. This is a welcome development. However, construction on some stretches, especially the southern section, including Thiruvananthapuram, is progressing at a very slow pace. Minister Riyas himself admitted this delay.

The main reason, he said, is the sloppiness of contractors. The stretches from Kasaragod–Taliparamba, Vadakara–Azhiyur–V

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