The Kerala High Court on Wednesday observed that scientific reports indicated that there were substantial materials to doubt the strength of pier caps, girder and other superstructures of the Palarivattom flyover.
The court, while dismissing the bail petitions of former PWD Secretary T.O. Sooraj and two other accused in the case, said the test conducted on the flyover indicated that the quality of the concrete used was doubtful. The contention of the petitioners that load test was not conducted, and that there was no material to suggest that the quality of construction was poor should pale into insignificance in view of the material indicating “doubtful integrity of concrete used”.
The court also noted that even without live load test, most girders and pier caps showed cracks. Some cracks were beyond permissible limits. Cracks were visible even on the unimportant part of the flyover.
The court said the flyover was proposed to contain the acute traffic congestion at Palarivattom Junction of the Ernakulam bypass stretch of NH 66. The road played a prominent part in the vehicular movement. Damage to bridges, that too immediately after their opening, posing a serious threat to the life and safety of public was a very serious concern. This situation could not have normally happened, but for the serious criminal lapses on the part of all persons involved, the court.
Granting bail to the second accused, Benny Paul, joint general manager of KITCO, the court pointed out that though he was supervising the construction, he had been transferred to another work site in April 2015 after the completion of the pier construction. It was seen that major structural defects were seen on constructions done thereafter.
