Congress leader and Kozhikode MP M.K. Raghavan has criticised the State government for its handling of the proposed flyover construction at the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) – Panathuthazham road junction on the National Highway near Haritha Nagar colony in Kozhikode city.
His remarks have come amid the growing public inconvenience following the closure of the Panathuthazham road, with the flyover project still in limbo due to delayed land acquisition procedures.
While welcoming the Public Works department (PWD) Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas’s recent meeting with the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari he was critical of the State government’s prior inaction. ”The government’s main responsibility was to complete the land acquisition formalities and submit a detailed proposal. Meeting the Union Minister is welcome, but they should have approached the Centre with clear project documents, not just for discussions,” Mr. Raghavan said in a statement here on Thursday (October 9, 2025).
Mr. Raghavan also pointed out that the issue was not new to the Centre, as he had personally raised the demand for the Panathuthazham flyover as part of a wider traffic solution package with the National Highway Authority and the Union Transport Minister back in 2022.
At that time, the Central authorities had clearly instructed that a detailed proposal be submitted via the State government only after land acquisition was complete. Despite repeated reminders to the PWD to submit the proposal, Mr. Raghavan said no action was taken, and the project was further delayed even after the Minister forwarded the relevant file to the Chief Engineer.
“The project remains stalled today because the land acquisition process was never even started,” Mr. Raghavan alleged. He added that the government’s intervention now, after the public’s traffic flow has already been disrupted, could only be described as a failure to act until the last minute.
Mr. Raghavan did not mince words regarding the consequences of the delay. “The government failed to carry out its duty. Now, with the Panathuthazham road closed, the general public will have to suffer until the land acquisition is finished and the work on the approach road and the flyover is eventually completed.”
The MP pointed to the Union Minister’s reply in Parliament, along with accompanying documents, as definitive proof of the State government’s negligence in the matter.
Published – October 10, 2025 12:13 am IST
