THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the Centre and the state government have signed an agreement to proceed with the development of NH 66 in the state, the land acquisition at the starting point at Kazhakkoottam has landed in soup due to the stiff opposition from the residents over the alleged anomalies in land acquisition proceedings. As per the deal, the national Highway is to be developed between Kazhakkoottam in the district to Kasaragod.
According to the residents on the eastern side of the highway, the PWD and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have taken more land from the eastern side than from the west. This they say was allegedly done to protect “big shots”.
The revenue authorities had demarcated and placed stones last year. Allegedly, the revenue authorities took 12 metres of land from east and only 5 metres from the west.
“We are not against giving land for road development. But they should take land equally from the centre of the road. The previous alignment was faulty as they took more land from the eastern side where we are living and less from the western side to protect the apartments and hotels. said PK Sankaran Kutty, president of Kazhakkoottam NH action council. He added that last year, they had approached the High Court several times and had even secured a stay order against the acquisition.
“However later, the HC dismissed our petition citing that NH development was a must for the overall development,” said Kutty. He said that in April, the PWD Minister G Sudhakaran had in a reconciliatory meeting, accepted their demand to revise the alignment. “But that was not done. So we decided to file an appeal with the HC division bench. At this juncture, the government should realign the stretch,” Kutty said.
The residents said the issue began when NHAI drew a new alignment plan where the road’s midpoint shifted east. The residents also allege that they hadn’t been intimated about the demarcation. The new alignment mark starts besides Hotel Al-Saj in Kazhakkoottam to the junction where the highway meets the newly widened NH bypass. The residents also allege that they hadn’t been intimated about the demarcation.
“The alignment now proposed is unscientific and done to protect the interests of certain rich industrialists who own property on the western side of the NH,” Praveen Sakalya, a resident said.
From Kazhakkoottam to Cherthala, the NH will be widened to 45 metres. The government had decided to speed up development from Kazhakkoottam to Kasaragod after a recent discussion with the Union Government. There are 48 families residing on the eastern side of the stretch apart from the traders who could lose business if the land acquisition is heavily biased to the eastern side. TNIE had earlier reported on the plight of several hundred people living on the eastern side of the highway at Kazhakkoottam. According to M Asok Kumar, chief engineer, PWD (NH), they have nothing to do with measuring and demarcating the land and it is the NHAI that is looking at it.
Speaking to TNSE, P Pradeep, project director, NHAI, said the allegations raised by the residents were untrue. “We have not favoured anyone. Not only at Kazhakkoottam, but residents all along the road till Cherthala have also been complaining about this. But it is not true. We compromise land acquisition only at places where religious structures are situated. In fact, we are giving equal consideration to all”, he said.