Kerala Orders Vigilance Probe Into Rs 647 Crore Alappuzha Road

Kerala Public Works Minister P K Basheer on Sunday announced a Vigilance Department probe into the construction of the 25-km Alappuzha-Changanassery (AC) road, built at a cost of Rs 647 crore under the previous LDF government, PTI and Deccan Chronicle reported. He questioned whether that cost was justified for a road of that length and said the probe would follow a complaint from Ambalappuzha MLA G Sudhakaran.

The road was inaugurated by then Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in March, shortly before the Assembly election. After floods in August, a major stretch of the road stayed under water, disrupting traffic, reports said. The previous government and the contractors had not responded to the announcement in the reports reviewed by IPB.

The AC road is a key link between Alappuzha and central Kerala through the low-lying Kuttanad region, and residents depend on it for travel to work, schools and hospitals. More short reads in IPB’s Quick Reads.

Based on reporting by PTI via ThePrint, Deccan Chronicle and Madhyamam.

Image: Alappuzha backwaters / Wikimedia Commons (file photo).