THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The stalemate over the land acquisition on the Kodinada-Vazhimukku stretch of the Karamana-Kaliyikkavila road development project continues. District Collector Geromic George has sought an explanation from the deputy collector (Land acquisition) and the special tahsildar for the inordinate delay in acquiring the land. Last week, the revenue additional chief secretary wrote to the district collector over the issue.
The development of the 1.5-km stretch on the Karamana-Kaliyikkavila highway hit a roadblock after the traders in the area and members of the road development action council came at loggerheads over the proposed underpass from Kodinada to Chaliyar Street as part of the project in the busy area. Even the CPM-led panchayat passed a resolution earlier this month against the state government’s proposal to build an underpass at Balaramapuram junction to avoid traffic congestion.
Though the work on the 10 km-long Karamana-Kodinada stretch on the highway project was completed long back, the widening process from Kodinana has not seen any progress since 2019 due to the opposition. “It took almost 13 years just to widen the 10 km stretch of the 30 km-long highway. The land acquisition procedures, which are presently going on at a snail’s pace, need to be completed on a war-footing basis and handed over to Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), the implementing agency.
The government must make the project a priority and must show willpower to implement the proposed underpass, which is the only solution to the traffic woes at the busy Balaramapuram junction, against any opposition from anti-developmentalists. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Works minister should intervene to ensure the smooth execution of the project,” said Manu R V, president, Balaramapuram Highway Development Forum.
As per the details available with the revenue department, 49.74 ha of land on the left side of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kaliyikkavila road and 1.63 ha of land on the right side need to be acquired. As per the present alignment, the land will be acquired along the Old Rajapatha road near Thykkapalli mosque situated along the stretch. Revenue officials said there will be minimal land acquisition on the 300m-long Old Rajapatha stretch as most of the land is already in the state’s possession.
Meanwhile, Collector Geromic George told TNIE that efforts are on to complete the land acquisition proceedings. “We have taken the road development project as a top priority. We are collecting the details of landowners on both sides currently. We are expecting the whole proceedings to be completed within two months and could hand it over to the KRFB for further tender proceedings. Similarly, we will also issue a 19 (1) notification very soon as part of awarding the compensation,” he said.
The KRFB is also going ahead with the underpass proposal despite the opposition. The second reach of the six-lane Karamana-Kaliyikkavila highway, from Pravachambalam to Kodinada in Balaramapuram, was commissioned in February 2021. The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) has earmarked Rs 162 crore for the second phase of the project.