Thiruvananthapuram: The National Highway Authority of India officials are expected to hold further talks with the state PWD officials on resuming the NH development work soon. But the NHAI and PWD officials told DC that they had not received any orders from the union surface transport ministry on the matter.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had held talks with union surface transport minister Nitin Gadkari on July 30. It was then decided that the central government will meet 75 percent of the land acquisition cost and the state government the rest.
"We are awaiting the next move from the centre. Currently, status quo is being maintained as far as work is concerned. We have also not prepared any report to be submitted to them so far," said a top PWD official.
However, a senior NHAI official told DC that a high-level meeting of NHAI officials planned to be held in Goa on August 7 and 8 had been postponed following the death of BJP leader Sushma Swaraj. The next meeting will finalise the norms and terms and conditions, he said. Gadkari had told Pinarayi Vijayan that certain changes will have to be incorporated in the design for NH development. The work on the Kozhikode bypass will also be taken up immediately and the contract has been awarded.
