COIMBATORE: A public hearing on the Sathyamangalam greenfield bypass project (NH 948), which was scheduled for Friday (May 16), has been postponed to May 26 due to 'unavoidable reasons,' according to revenue officials. The hearing was for residents of four revenue villages - Kondaiampalayam, Kuppepalayam, Kattampatti, and Kariyampalayam - who have raised objections to land acquisition.
Despite postponement, other public hearings related to the project will continue as planned on May 19 and 23. The postponement comes amid mounting opposition to the proposed 92-km four-lane bypass.
Farmers and residents from nearly 15 villages in the vicinity of Annur, have launched a postcard campaign to voice their protest. Around 2,000 postcards addressed to Chief Minister MK Stalin are being sent, appealing for the project to be dropped and for the existing Coimbatore-Sathyamangalam road to be widened instead. So far, around 100 postcards have already reached the CM.
The State Highways Department (NH wing), which took over the project from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), has issued a 3A notification to acquire nearly 800 acres across Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 630 crore.
In total, 409 individuals from 14 revenue villages in Coimbatore and two in Tiruppur have submitted objections to the District Land Acquisition Office. The federation has also sought police permission to meet the Chief Minister in person when he travels from the Nilgiris to Coimbatore on Friday, in an attempt to submit their petition directly.