KOCHI : The govt on Saturday petitioned the High Court seeking to review its Division Bench directive on load test for the controversial Palarivattom bridge, that developed major cracks within months of its commissioning.
Load test is not mandatory in the contractual agreement, the state attorney KV Rohan pointed out in the plea. The document requires the contractor to conduct the test only if deemed necessary. The govt ruled out such necessity following the Experts Committee and IIT Study report which concluded the flyover as structurally precarious. Cracks in the strategic overbridge exceed acceptable levels, the reports indicate.
The Supreme Court has several times in the past, restrained judicial interventions in govt decisions based on expert committee reports. The Division Bench, while ordering a load test, failed to consider the reports submitted by Expert Committee or that of IIT, The court ruling comes based purely on arguments put forth by contracting company RDS and KITCO, the plea said.
The govt has not decided to demolish the flyover completely. Only girders and pier caps in hazardous state will be rebuilt. The bridge turned unsafe ever since its commissioning and was shut for traffic since Feb this year. The load test will take three months and another nine months would be lost in repairs, adding to commuter woes in strategic stretch.
Only Reinforcement Concreting (RCC) and girder repairs are required currently, argue former contractors while the govt wants the RCC girders to be replaced with PSC(Pre-Stressed Concrete) girders. Contractors are looking to halve their liability hence the insistence on RCC and repairs. The Bench has overlooked the fact that the structure is dangerous for people to ride on, , read the plea.
The govt has allotted rebuilding works to Delhi Meto Rail Corporation, a trusted name in heavy construction. It is ideal that works take off in Dec-Jan. given favourable weather conditions of the time. The Roads and Bridges Corporation too has submitted pleas to proceed with rebuilding. The court will hear all petitions beginning Tuesday.
