Thiruvananthapuram Central - Nemom: Land acquisition for double laning gathers pace

The notification issued by the department said a plan of the land is available at the office of special tahsildar (land acquisition) Railway, Nemom, for the public to inspect.
Image used for representatioanl purposes only (File Photo| PTI)
Image used for representatioanl purposes only (File Photo| PTI)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram Central - Nemom railway double laning and Nemom railway terminal project have got a boost as notification has been issued for acquisition of over 13 hectares of private land spread over four villages. The revenue department has earmarked Rs 13.3 crore for compensating 355 families affected by rehabilitation in four villages- Thycaud, Thirumala, Nemom and Pallichal.

The notification issued by the department said a plan of the land is available at the office of special tahsildar (land acquisition) Railway, Nemom, for the public to inspect. The decision to speed up land acquisition comes at a time when the railway is planning to complete track-doubling work on the Kanyakumari-Thiruvananthapuram stretch.

The terminal project did not progress much since the then Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal laid its foundation stone in March 2019. The delay in land acquisition was one of the major hindrances to the project.

The doubling of Thiruvananthapuram Central-Nemom stretch is considered as a crucial part of the terminal project. It involves the acquisition of land along the seven-kilometre stretch of the existing line.

Concerns of Valiyasala
Even as land acquisition work is under way along the government hospital side in Thycaud, the residents of Valiyasala heritage village on the opposite side are worried. A proposed shunting track between Thiruvananthapuram Central and Nemom railways station will result in displacement of the heritage village, if land acquisition is carried out as per the original plan. The plan proposes acquisition of 23 m of land from the East side of the overbridge connecting Thycaud and Chalai.

“The people in Valiyasala heritage village have ceded their land to facilitate various development projects over the years. We are not against development, but the new proposal will result in destruction of the village. There are around 200 houses here and more than half will have to be demolished if the project is implemented in its existing form,” said R Krishna Iyer, president of Vyasa Residents Association. The residents association has formed an action committee to press for their demands for protecting the heritage village.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com