THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The fresh 3A notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to acquire land for the development of the proposed Outer Ring Road (ORR) passing through the district is expected to accelerate land acquisition formalities. A gazette notification was issued in this regard last Friday. With this, the demarcation by laying stones on the land will begin next week, according to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
“The land acquisition proceedings have already started. We will start laying stones as part of land acquisition, which will begin next week. If any objections come, we will listen and come up with a solution. The ORR will be constructed with service roads,” said P Pradeep, project director, NHAI.
Last month, the Kerala Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation Ltd submitted the detailed project report (DPR) for land acquisition to the NHAI. The NHAI has finalised the DPR and handed it over to the district administration’s land acquisition wing.
The DPR for other aspects, which includes the resettlement and rehabilitation package and environmental impact assessment report, is yet to be submitted to NHAI. The NHAI is expected to float the tender for the project this financial year itself.
As per the DPR, the stretch passes through 31 villages. In the first notification issued by the state government, there were 47 villages. However, the DPR has avoided 16 villages near it.
Earlier, the revenue department constituted a special team for the speedy implementation of the project. Issuing an order on government approval for land acquisition in April this year, the revenue department set up a team of 12 officials led by a special deputy collector to ensure the smooth takeover of about 1,500 acres for the 80-km road project under the Centre’s Bharatmala Pariyojana scheme.
The ORR project received the Union government’s in-principle approval in 2019. As per the plan, the six-lane road will be 70m-wide and will have 10m-wide service lanes. Furthermore, the road from Parippally in Kollam to the NH-66 bypass at Vizhinjam will be flanked by logistics, IT and entertainment hubs. The project is planned to be implemented in two phases. A road linking NH-66, state highways, and MC Road will also be developed. The corridor is expected to spur economic growth on the fringes of the city, said sources.
Meanwhile, the residents of Mangalapuram-Thekkada stretch, which comes as an interconnection of the ring road, have raised apprehension over losing their homes and land. The total cost of the project is `4,868 crore.