Special rehab package for coastal highway land acquisition: Kerala PWD Minister

The solatium will be applied to the actual value. Additional compensation equivalent to the depreciation amount will also be given along with actual value.
For representational purpose
For representational purpose

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government  has brought out a special rehabilitation package for land acquisition for the 623-km-long coastal highway that passes through nine districts, Public Works Minister P A Mohamed Riyas informed the assembly on Tuesday. 

There will be separate packages for land owners with deed documents and those without it, Riyas said. He said families that need to be rehabilitated and resettled in both categories can either opt for a 600 sq ft flat or Rs 13 lakh as one-time settlement.

For owners with deed documents, compensation for structures will be provided after considering the total structure value as actual value (replacement value minus depreciation amount). The solatium will be applied to the actual value. Additional compensation equivalent to the depreciation amount will also be given along with actual value.

Regarding compensation only for land for owners with deed documents, the option to avail better compensation and rehabilitation and resettlement will be followed.  Affected families can have negotiations with the district collector who can fix a fair compensation that may be considered by the state-level empowered committee headed by the chief secretary.

For land owners without the deed, replacement value shall be provided to structures without depreciation, Riyas said, adding that of the 52 stretches of the 623-km-long coastal highway, work on 44 stretches (537 km) is being carried out by the Kerala Road Fund Board. 

Twelve special tourist centres will be set up at a distance of every 50 km on the highway. These centres will have facilities such as cycle track, charging station and restaurant. Riyas said the tourism sector will witness a major change once the coastal highway becomes a reality. He was responding to questions by MLAs M Rajagopal, K J Maxi, M K Akbar and Sujith Vijayan Pillai.

With Deed Document

A) Compensation for structures

Total structure value to be taken as actual value; solatium to be applied to actual value

Additional compensation equal to depreciation amount may also be given 

B) Compensation for land

Affected families can have negotiations with district collector to fix fair compensation 

Without Deed Document

A) Compensation for structures

Replacement value shall be provided to the structures without any depreciation

Rehabilitation And Resettlement

Affected families can opt for 600 sq ft flat or one-time settlement of Rs 13 lakh

‘Positive change in Industrial sector’ 

The minister said the industrial sector in Kerala is witnessing a positive change. The state has limitations in resource mobilisation after GST implementation.Manufacturing has to be strengthened to overcome the limitation. An increase in manufacture of products results in an increase in different taxes. The state achieved 17.3 pc industrial growth in 2021-22. This is higher than the 12 pc growth of GSDP. The manufacturing sector alone saw a growth of 18.9 pc. The minister said the state’s takeover of the erstwhile Hindustan Newsprint Ltd has no parallel in history.

As many as 22 newspapers in the country are purchasing paper from the Kerala Paper Products Ltd. The KPPL has achieved Rs 11 crore turnover so far. It can be raised to Rs 40 crore and operational profit can be achieved by the end of this financial year.KPPL employees will be made permanent once the company achieves break-even. The government will implement a plan to make the turnover of KPPL Rs 3,000 crore. The company will focus on paper box production. The paper box trade is set to witness 15 pc growth. Rajeeve said the government has formed a cotton bank to save the spinning mills facing a crisis due to the price rise of cotton and fall in the product price. 

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