Flyover fiasco: VACB quizzes Ebrahim Kunju

Corruption charges levelled by those with political motives, says former Minister

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), which is probing the alleged irregularities in the construction of the Palarivattom flyover that developed cracks within two years of being built by RBDCK (a subsidiary of PWD), interrogated former Minister for Public Works V.K. Ebrahim Kunju at the VACB office here on Thursday.

The interrogation, which began in the forenoon, lasted for a few hours. The construction of the flyover was sanctioned when Mr. Ebrahim Kunju was Minister. The awarding of contract to build the four-lane flyover on the NH Bypass at Palarivattom had drawn much flak since all components of the project, including design, supervision, and execution, were left to the Delhi-based RDS Projects.

The technical wing of the VACB and other experts had said that the flyover would not have suffered extensive cracks if officials of RBDCK and KITCO, the project consultant, had vetted the ‘deck-continuity design’ submitted by the private construction firm.

A preliminary probe by the VACB had shown that there were prima facie irregularities in the construction, following which a case was registered against officials of RBDCK, KITCO, and the contracting firm.

After his interrogation, Mr. Ebrahim Kunju said he would continue to cooperate with the VACB probe. “The VACB team sought information pertaining to various aspects of the flyover construction. I gave them the details I knew. The damage suffered by the structure shows there were lapses in its construction. The Chief Minister and Minister for Public Works G. Sudhakaran have not said anything against me. Only a few people with political motives have levelled corruption charges against me,” he added.

Statement to be verified

Meanwhile, J. Himendranath, Superintendent of Police, VACB, Central Range, said Mr. Kunju was questioned about details like administrative sanction given to the project. “He is not an accused in the case. Any decision to arraign him as an accused, if need be, will be taken based on further investigation. He was asked to appear before us to give his statement. We will verify his statement before proceeding further in the case,” he added.

Closed since May

Members of the public are peeved that the flyover has remained closed for traffic since May and even after resurfacing was completed in June. A team of structural engineers from IIT-Chennai is yet to submit its report on whether to rehabilitate the flyover or rebuild girders which have suffered cracks beyond permissible limits. Metroman E. Sreedharan had suggested the second option to ensure the longevity of the structure.

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