Gadkari assures Kerala CM Satheesan: NH-66 delays to end, NH-966 nod in 3 months
Synopsis
Kerala CM Satheesan secured concrete timelines from Union Minister Gadkari in New Delhi — NH-966 Kozhikode-Palakkad approval in three months, NH-66 delays to be cleared, and the Sabarimala ropeway DPR to be fast-tracked. With 80 per cent of NH-966 land acquisition done, the corridor is closer to take-off than it appears.
Key Takeaways
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari assured Kerala CM V.D.
Satheesan on 8 October 2026 that NH-66 construction delays would be resolved and work expedited.
Approval for the NH-966 Kozhikode-Palakkad project will be granted within three months ; around 80 per cent of land acquisition is already complete.
Union Cabinet approval for the Thiruvananthapuram Outer Ring Road is expected soon.
Steps will be taken to accelerate supply of river sand and quarry materials for Kerala highway sites.
A Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Sabarimala ropeway will be prepared, with a target completion of two years .
Satheesan also met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh separately to discuss Kerala-related matters.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has assured Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan that the long-delayed works on National Highway 66 (NH-66) in Kerala will be expedited, according to an official statement issued on Thursday, 8 October 2026. The assurance came during a high-level meeting in New Delhi, where Satheesan raised several critical road and transport infrastructure bottlenecks affecting the state.
Key Assurances from Gadkari
Gadkari confirmed that construction delays on NH-66 would be actively addressed and work accelerated. He further assured that formal approval for the NH-966 Kozhikode-Palakkad corridor would be granted within three months. Notably, around 80 per cent of the land acquisition for the NH-966 project has already been completed, placing it close to construction-ready status once approvals come through.
The Thiruvananthapuram Outer Ring Road was another major agenda item. Gadkari indicated that the required Union Cabinet approval for the project would be secured soon, clearing a key bureaucratic hurdle that has stalled progress.
Construction Materials and Supply Chain
The availability of raw materials for Kerala's highway projects also featured prominently in discussions. Both leaders agreed to take steps to accelerate the supply of river sand and quarry materials — shortages of which have been a persistent cause of project delays across the state's NH construction sites.
Sabarimala Ropeway and Other Projects
The proposed Sabarimala ropeway project came up for discussion, with both sides agreeing to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and fast-track the required Central and state-level approvals. The target is to complete the ropeway within two years of formal clearances.
Chief Minister Satheesan also sought faster progress on the Western Ernakulam Bypass, the Kothamangalam-Muvattupuzha bypasses, and improved road connectivity to Kozhikode International Airport — projects that are at varying stages of approval and land acquisition.
Meeting with Rajnath Singh
Separately, Satheesan met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to discuss matters concerning Kerala. The back-to-back ministerial meetings in New Delhi were part of the Chief Minister's broader push to clear pending infrastructure and governance issues with the Union government. Officials described the Centre-state discussions as constructive, with both sides committing to work within specified timelines to remove bottlenecks.
What This Means for Kerala
Several major road projects in Kerala are currently stalled at different stages — some awaiting Cabinet nods, others held up by incomplete land acquisition or material shortages. The assurances from Gadkari, if translated into action, could unblock a significant pipeline of highway infrastructure for the state. With the NH-966 approval window set at three months and the Sabarimala ropeway DPR on the table, the next quarter will be the real test of whether these commitments materialise into ground-level progress.
Point of View
Not signed orders — and Kerala has seen plenty of the former on NH-66. The highway has been under various stages of 'expedited' construction for years, and the causes of delay — land acquisition disputes, contractor issues, material shortages — are structural, not bureaucratic. The three-month NH-966 approval window is more concrete and trackable, especially since 80 per cent of land acquisition is reportedly done. The real accountability test is whether these timelines are built into project monitoring dashboards or simply become the next set of promises reviewed at the next Delhi meeting.
NationPress
8 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Union Minister Gadkari assure Kerala CM Satheesan about NH-66?
Gadkari assured Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan that the delays in NH-66 construction in Kerala would be addressed and work expedited. The assurance was given during a meeting in New Delhi on 8 October 2026.
When will the NH-966 Kozhikode-Palakkad project receive further approval?
Gadkari assured that further approval for the NH-966 Kozhikode-Palakkad project would be granted within three months. Around 80 per cent of the required land acquisition for the project has already been completed.
What is the status of the Sabarimala ropeway project?
Both the Union government and Kerala agreed to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Sabarimala ropeway and fast-track Central and state approvals. The aim is to complete the project within two years of approvals being secured.
Which other Kerala road projects were discussed at the meeting?
Chief Minister Satheesan raised the Thiruvananthapuram Outer Ring Road, the Western Ernakulam Bypass, Kothamangalam-Muvattupuzha bypasses, and road connectivity to Kozhikode International Airport. Gadkari indicated Cabinet approval for the Thiruvananthapuram Outer Ring Road would be obtained soon.
Why did Kerala CM Satheesan travel to New Delhi?
Satheesan visited New Delhi to meet Union ministers and push for resolution of Kerala's pending infrastructure and governance issues. Besides Gadkari, he also met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to discuss various matters concerning the state.
