Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has confirmed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will complete the entire NH-66 stretch through Kerala by December. This significant assurance came after a meeting between the two leaders in New Delhi on Friday, where Chief Minister Vijayan detailed the state’s proactive efforts to accelerate the NH-66 project.
To further streamline progress, Gadkari committed to convening a joint meeting with NHAI contractors and officials from Kerala’s Public Works Department, including PWD Minister Mohamed Riyaz. The Union Minister also pledged to personally visit Kerala to review the ongoing NH-66 construction firsthand.
Chief Minister Vijayan shared that Gadkari expressed optimism about jointly inaugurating the completed sections of NH-66 in January. Notably, the Centre has waived the ₹237 crore that Kerala previously owed for land acquisition costs related to the NH-66 project.
In an additional boost for the state, Gadkari confirmed that the NHAI plans to initiate construction on the new Palakkad-Kozhikode greenfield highway and the Thiruvananthapuram Outer Ring Road starting in January. He also instructed NHAI officials to commence the Kollam-Shencotta greenfield road project as part of a special, one-time infrastructure improvement initiative. Furthermore, work on the Ernakulam bypass will begin in January, and the Union Minister assured that approvals for the Punalur bypass and the Idamon-Kollam road would be fast-tracked.