KOCHI: After over four decades, the much-awaited widening of the Edappally-Kodungallur stretch of NH66 is expected to kickstart in May. The land acquisition for this project is nearing the final lap. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials are aiming to widen the 25-km-long road into a six-lane highway soon. The project comes under the Mumbai-Kanyakumari NH corridor which has been in cold storage since 2005 over land acquisition disputes and confusion over the mode of construction. The stretch falls on the 164-km-long Edappally-Ramanattukara stretch of NH66. It has already been divided into five reaches — Kodungallur, Thalikulam, Kaprikkad, Valanchery and Ramanattukara.
According to NHAI officials, the agency has already deposited the required Rs 3,200 crore for the acquisition of 203 hectares. Under the widening plan, the land is being acquired from both sides of the existing road to straighten curves. “The procedures are moving as per plan. We are planning to wrap up the works within 30 months. So far, we have acquired 22 hectares from eight villages and the valuation of structures from these areas is already going on. The final amount for compensation will be fixed by the end of the month,” said an official.
On the other hand, the affected families have brushed aside these claims. “We surrendered our land when a 30m expansion was in progress in the early 2000s. Now, under the 45m expansion, these families that moved earlier are likely to get evicted again, or may lose more land. Just like Aroor-Thuravoor stretch, an elevated highway can be easily built on the 32-km-long Edappally-Moothakunnam stretch.
NHAI can save over Rs 500 crore through the change in approach,” said Hashim Chennampilly, chairman, National Highway Joint Protest Committee. According to the committee, the official claims are a plot to defeat the case filed by them in the Kerala High Court. “Instead of hurriedly completing these processes, NHAI and state government could have waited till the final judgment of the court. Except for a few families who agreed on the government’s terms for land acquisition, a majority of the affected families will boycott the coming hearing for land acquisition,” added Hashim.
Kundannoor-Angamaly bypass to be delayed
Meanwhile, the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) of Kundannoor-Angamaly NH544 Bypass is going to be delayed in the wake of the pandemic-induced inconveniences. The NHAI has recently brought in a new consultant to finalise the DPR and land acquisition plan. The agency has also requested the district administration to prepare notifications to kickstart land acquisition for the development of NH544.
The notification will be published after the approval of an alignment plan. Officials have also clarified that the compensation package will be based on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act of 2013. Besides, a compensation equal to four times the fair value of the land will be provided with a view to benefit rural landowners as they are more likely to be affected as compared to urban residents.