The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has denied responsibility for the death of a 48-year-old man in a mudslide suspected to have been triggered by the widening of NH85 at Adimali in Idukki, Kerala.

The deceased, identified as Biju, 35, got trapped inside his home in a residential colony located on the slope of the hill beneath the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway (NH85) along with his wife Sandhya when the mudslide hit the building along with seven more houses on Saturday night.

The possibility of a mudslide had prompted Adimali panchayat officials to shift 25 families of Unnathi Laksham Veedu colony to a relief camp. However, Biju and Sandhya returned to their home on Saturday night to cook dinner.

It took rescue workers seven hours to pull Biju’s body from under the rubble. Sandhya, who was found trapped under huge slabs of concrete, is undergoing treatment at Rajagiri Hospital in Aluva, Kochi.

The couple’s daughter is a second-year nursing student at Theophilus College of Nursing at Kottayam. The state government has promised to fund her education.

Following public outcry, Idukki district collector Dinesan Cheruvat directed the NHAI to submit a detailed report on its road widening project and ordered the immediate suspension of all construction activities along NH85 until further notice.

"A multidisciplinary team comprising the Devikulam tehsildar, district geologist, hazard analyst, district groundwater officer, soil conservation officer, executive engineers of the PWD and the national highway department has been asked to inspect the mudslide site and submit a preliminary report within two days. Also, a comprehensive report has to be submitted within the next four days. Until then, all construction work in mudslide-prone areas has been stopped," said the district collector.

NHAI officials told reporters in Adimali that they had not started any work there.

"We had asked the district administration to shift the locals. The mishap occurred when Biju and his wife visited their home for personal reasons. The NHAI is not responsible for Biju's death," said an NHAI official.

The state government has directed the NHAI to remove the debris and soil deposited in the affected areas.

Idukki MLA and water resources minister Roshy Augustine visited the spot and took stock of the situation on Sunday. He convened an emergency meeting and decided to relocate 44 families from the colony. Half of the families had earlier shifted to a relief camp at Adimali Government School. Efforts are on to relocate the remaining families to unoccupied government quarters belonging to the Kerala State Electricity Board and other government institutions.

Augustine said the NHAI had been directed to provide immediate assistance to families that suffered losses.

He urged the public to strictly follow the weather alerts and instructions issued by the district administration.