THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The preliminary work on the proposed Karamana-Vellarada road development project connecting Poojapura, Peyad, Kattakada and Kallikadu is progressing.
The revenue department has issued 11 (1) notification under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement Act, 2013, for the first 5.5km reach from Karamana to Peyad of the total 35.5km road development.
Official sources said the land acquisition will begin soon.
The demarcation and laying of boundary stones have already been completed. The work will be taken up in two phases in which the first 20km road will be covered in the first phase and another 15.5km in the second phase.
However, though the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Rs 255.3 crore project had already been submitted to the state government, it has not yet been approved and is still under scrutiny. In 2016, the state government accorded administrative sanctions for the land acquisition.
The road will be upgraded with drains, footpaths, and street lights as per the standards of the Indian Road Congress. But it will be retained as a two-lane road. This stretch will decongest the Thiruvananthapuram-Kattakada road and further up to Vellarada near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.
The project is being undertaken by the Road Infrastructure Company Kerala Ltd. (RICK). Saijamol N Jacob, managing director, RICK, and PWD chief engineer told The New India Express that the revenue authorities have begun the land acquisition proceedings.
“The land acquisition proceedings are on. The 11 (1) notification that is the preliminary step of land acquisition is in progress for the first 5.5 kilometres. We have completed the demarcation and laying of boundary stones and handed over the road’s design to the revenue department. Now, they have to complete the acquisition proceedings and hand over the land to us. However, we are waiting to get a nod from the state government for the DPR which includes the project cost. But it will not affect the acquisition proceedings,” she said.
Two months ago, PWD Minister P A Mohammed Riyas had informed the assembly that the state government was giving prominence to the development of this stretch as it will boost the development of the south-eastern side of Thiruvananthapuram. The road will link the Nemom, Kattakada, Aruvikkara, and Parassala constituencies.
The administrative sanction for Rs 21.4 crore was granted to acquire 8.375 hectares of land. An amount of Rs 1.07 crore was also handed over to the revenue department from the total allocation of Rs 7.5 crore earmarked for the establishment and contingency charges.