Residents come out against land acquisition for flyover in Thiruvananthapuram
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Local residents in and around Attakulangara are at the receiving end owing to the ‘unjustified’ land acquisition for the proposed flyover. It is learnt that none of the residents was pre-notified about the acquisition. Many of them came to know that their lands and houses would be acquired only after the revenue officials reached their houses to demarcate the land as part of acquisition. Following this, the residents have launched protests against the government’s move.
According to the revenue department, as many as 300 shops and 150 households in the agraharams in Fort area would be demolished to make way for the 1,200-m flyover. The land will be acquired from at least 420 residents. As per the alignment, the proposed flyover will start from Sreevaraham and end near the Ramachandran Shopping Mall on Attakulangara-Killipalam Road.
S Janaki Ammal, Fort ward councillor, said the state government is doing injustice to the residents near Attakulangara. “Last week, government officials entered some houses in the area for laying stones. They even went to the kitchen as part of the demarcation process. Some of the officials also erected concrete stones in the streets of the agraharams. The most affected are from Puthen Street-1 in the Fort area. Neither I nor the residents were informed about the survey, and the government is still unsure about the alignment. Earlier, the alignment was different. So the residents at Puthen Street have formed an action council, and another action council was formed by the shop owners. The action councils will coordinate and submit a memorandum to the district collector, MLA and minister Antony Raju, who proposed the flyover,” said Janaki.
She also pointed out that there is no need for a flyover at the place. The congestion at the junction is due to illegal parking of tourist buses. As per the alignment, six agraharams will be completely demolished and 120 houses partially demolished, said Janaki.
T Balasubramanian, a resident of Puthen Street- I, said that the alignment for the construction of the flyover was drawn up unilaterally. “The survey officials took more land on one side where most of the agraharams are situated. The required land could not be acquired on the other side due to a wall, which is of historical importance.”
We have no options left. The land acquisition is not justifiable. The houses of the agraharam are situated on three or four cents of land. So the acquisition will lead to eviction of many residents from the agraharams,” he said.
The officials avoided one side for conserving heritage. Going by the same criterion, these agraharams are also important owing to their heritage value, said Janaki Ammal. The residents said the agraharams are more than 100 years old and were built during the erstwhile Travancore kingdom. The residents are planning to hold a big protest until the state government withdraws from its decision. The BJP district committee has also intervened in the issue and is planning protests.
Meanwhile, Jacob Sanjay John, deputy collector (Land Acquisition), told TNIE that only preliminary proceedings have started. “We have finalised the alignment and asked the land acquisition officer to lay stones. But it is only a preliminary process. We will hear the grievances of people once the work progresses,” he said.
ACTION COUNCILS FORMED
Residents at Puthen Street have formed an action council, and another action council was formed by the shop owners. The action councils will coordinate and submit a memorandum to the district collector, MLA and minister Antony Raju