COIMBATORE: The lifting of restrictions on 786 acres that had been earmarked for the proposed Coimbatore-Sathyamangalam bypass project has brought much-needed relief to farmers across parts of Coimbatore, Tiruppur and Erode districts.
It was in February 2022 the authorities had imposed a freeze on the identified land parcels, preventing owners from selling, purchasing or mortgaging their properties. Instructions were issued to sub-registrar offices in Annur, Periyanaickenpalayam, Puliyampatti and Sathyamangalam to enforce the restrictions.
For farmers, the freeze created prolonged hardship. Many were unable to raise loans for family needs such as education, medical expenses or social functions, as their land assets remained unusable.
The land to be acquired spreads across 30 revenue villages, which include 12 in Coimbatore district, two in Tiruppur, and 16 in Erode, with an allocation of Rs 630 crore.
The Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association stated that the 3A land acquisition notice issued in February 2025 had lapsed after one year and was not renewed. As a result, the earlier restrictions have now been withdrawn by the officials.
"This brings much-needed relief. We can finally sell, mortgage, or utilise our land after years of uncertainty," farmers said, adding that despite the prolonged freeze, the bypass project itself has yet to take off.
The bypass project was originally planned to ease mounting traffic congestion on the Coimbatore-Sathy National Highway. After multiple revisions, a final detailed project report was approved in late 2022. The proposed alignment was to begin near Kurumbapalayam, close to Saravanampatti, and pass through Kovilpalayam, Annur, Puliyampatti and Sathyamangalam before reaching the Karnataka border, running roughly 2 km parallel to the existing highway.