The submission of the five-member committee entrusted to review the report of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) on the faulty construction of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus terminal-cum-shopping complex is likely to take more time. Is. its report.
The committee constituted by the transport department in the last week of October was asked to submit its recommendations on the rehabilitation of the building within a fortnight. Sources said that now the report can be submitted only next month.
One reason cited is that three members including Professor Nirjhar Dhang, Head of Department, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Kharagpur were unavailable to reach Kozhikode.
The other members of the panel are Chief Technical Examiner S. Harikumar (Convenor); TM Madhavan Pillai, Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology-Calicut; L. Bina, Chief Engineer (Building) Public Works Department; and KR Bindu, College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram.
The panel was asked to examine the report submitted by P. Alagusundaramoorthy, Professor, Structural Engineering, IIT-M, which stated that the construction of a multi-storey twin tower complex on Mavoor Road in Kozhikode city six years ago at Rs 74.63 crore was done at a cost of Rs. There were serious structural flaws. The report also mentioned that 20% of the terminal’s pillars were structurally weak and needed immediate strengthening.
Sources said that Prof. Dhang had sought at least 10 days’ time to go to Kozhikode. Two other panelists based in the state – Ms. Bina and Prof. Point – had not even visited the site. The report could be prepared only after the three of them visited and inspected the KSRTC premises.
Meanwhile, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) headquarters is yet to take a decision on the preliminary report submitted by its Kozhikode unit to take up a case on irregularities in the construction of the building.
The vigilance report stated that the complex was constructed without the prior approval of the Kozhikode Corporation. He said that the application for the building plan was submitted only after the completion of the structure.
The twin towers were constructed by Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation (KTDFC), which was inaugurated on 1 June 2015. The first tower has 10 floors and the second 11 storeys including parking space.