Mon Aug 18 05:17:15 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary and rewritten news article based on the provided text:

**Summary:**

Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, MP for Alappuzha, has strongly criticized the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for severe traffic congestion and safety lapses related to ongoing national highway construction in Kerala. He wrote to the NHAI chairperson and urged the Chief Minister of Kerala to address the issues. Venugopal highlighted NHAI’s failure to maintain service roads, manage traffic effectively, and ensure safety at construction sites, leading to prolonged traffic jams, accidents, and court interventions. He called for expedited service road repairs, priority lanes for emergency vehicles, and increased police deployment to regulate traffic flow, specifically on the Ernakulam-Thuravoor and Edappally-Thrissur stretches.

**News Article:**

**Kerala Highway Construction Woes Spark Outrage, Demands for Action**

**ALAPPUZHA, INDIA – August 18, 2025** – A leading Congress politician in India is demanding swift action from both the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Kerala state government to alleviate crippling traffic congestion and address serious safety concerns plaguing national highway construction projects. K.C. Venugopal, Member of Parliament for Alappuzha, has penned a strongly worded letter to NHAI chairperson Santosh Kumar Yadav, citing unacceptable delays, poorly maintained service roads, and a lack of effective traffic management as the primary causes of the chaos.

“Passengers are stranded for hours on end, particularly on the Ernakulam-Thuravoor and Edappally-Thrissur stretches,” Venugopal stated. “The situation is exacerbated by continuous rains and subsequent waterlogging.”

Venugopal, who also chairs the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), revealed that the PAC had previously raised concerns regarding the NHAI’s handling of service roads and safety protocols. He further emphasized that the Kerala High Court had already intervened in the matter of the Paliyekkara toll plaza due to unresolved congestion, even resulting in the suspension of toll collections for four weeks following a reprimand from the Supreme Court.

Beyond the traffic jams, Venugopal highlighted alarming construction lapses. He referenced recent accidents, including the falling of an iron beam and the collapse of a girder at the Aroor-Thuravoor elevated highway construction site, attributing these incidents to negligence and poor construction quality.

He urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to deploy more police personnel to regulate traffic flow effectively in construction zones, particularly on NH 66 and NH 544. Venugopal also called for the immediate repair of service roads and the creation of priority lanes for emergency vehicles to ensure smoother and safer passage for all.

The growing public frustration with the highway construction projects continues to mount pressure on both the NHAI and the state government to find a solution to the ongoing issues and prevent further accidents.

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