At the Corporation council meeting on Monday, Mayor Honey Benjamin squarely blamed the State government for its inability to open the Chinnakada overbridge for traffic before schools reopen.
The overbridge would be opened only after the Cabinet takes a decision. The contractor had kept the work pending because of fund crunch and an excess amount of about Rs.6 crore was due to him.
The Cabinet had to take a decision in this regard too. The amount increased following a revised estimate because the height of the underpass had to be increased later as per directions from the National Highways Authority of India.
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The work was a joint venture of the State government and the KSUDP (Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project). The Mayor said the next Cabinet meeting was only on June 3. She said that Minister for Urban Development Manjalamkuzhi Ali had been apprised of the situation.
He was informed that the Corporation was ready to shoulder the cost of the remaining work. She said that though the Minister and his secretary had tried to get the amount cleared, the Finance Department was creating hurdles. The overbridge construction has been almost complete and only the tarring part remained, she said.
Government owes contractor
Rs. 6 crore
Corporation ready to shoulder cost of work