State NH wing's role in Centre's projects comes under lens
Thiruvananthapuram: With freshly laid stretches of NH 66 showing signs of structural damage at multiple locations even before the arrival of the monsoon, attention has turned to the state's National Highways wing under the public works department (PWD), which maintains a sizeable administrative setup for highway oversight.
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According to budget documents, the state govt has earmarked Rs 39.32cr for 2025-26 towards salaries and expenses of 447 officials working in the state's NH wing. This includes a chief engineer, two superintending engineers, executive engineers, assistant engineers, and other staff, as per details published on the PWD's official website.
While the actual construction of NH 66 is being carried out by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Centre's Bharatmala Pariyojana, the PWD's NH wing is described in official sources as responsible for the planning, project preparation, construction, and maintenance of NHs entrusted to it by the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH).
Of the 1,781.5km of NHs in Kerala, 1,233.5km, including key NH 66 segments, are under NHAI. The remaining 548km continue to be maintained by the state PWD. However, the role of the state NH wing in overseeing centrally executed works remains unclear.
PWD minister P A Mohamed Riyas stated that the state is actively engaged in NH development, with regular field inspections by the PWD and coordination led by the chief minister himself.
The remarks, made before the NH 66 damage became evident, suggested that the state plays a visible and participatory role in the execution and monitoring of NH projects even those led by central agencies.
Now, in the wake of the NH 66 embankment collapse, those comments have prompted further scrutiny. If the state was indeed monitoring progress, questions are being raised about whether any deficiencies were noticed and flagged.
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Conversely, if the state had no formal oversight mandate in such projects, clarity is needed on the scope and limitations of its role.
A former senior official who previously served with the PWD, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "With all NHs being developed under BOT-annuity and hybrid-annuity models by NHAI, the Kerala PWD's NH wing has effectively become a redundant structure drawing nearly Rs 40cr annually in salaries without any real authority or technical responsibility.
A serious reform would begin by phasing out or repurposing this administrative relic.
"
No official statement has yet clarified whether the NH wing is completely excluded from supervising centrally executed NH works or whether it shares joint responsibility. The issue is further complicated by recurring public grievances and early signs of deterioration on major NH 66 segments.
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