COIMBATORE: The long-pending Coimbatore-Sathyamangalam Green Corridor project has once again come under scrutiny, with activists raising serious concerns over what they describe as "inordinate delays" and administrative lapses spanning more than eight years.
Originally announced in 2018 by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the proposed 90-km corridor (NH 948) was envisioned as a key infrastructure project to boost regional connectivity. However, despite initial alignment approval in February 2018 and subsequent procedural steps, the project has made little tangible progress.
In a detailed representation addressed to the MoRTH Secretary and the Tamil Nadu Highways Department, Kathirmathiyon K, Secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, highlighted the repeated transfer of the project between agencies as a major reason for the delay. The project was shifted from NHAI to the State Highways wing in October 2022, reportedly to accelerate implementation. However, officials failed to complete the crucial land acquisition process, even allowing statutory notifications to lapse.
"The project has remained largely on paper for over eight years," the letter states, pointing out that even the establishment of a dedicated Land Acquisition Unit took more than two years. A fresh notification issued in February 2025 also lapsed within a year, further setting back the timeline.
In December 2025, the Union Government ordered that the project be handed back to NHAI. Yet, the transfer process remains incomplete, pushing the project into further uncertainty. As a result, authorities may now need to initiate the land acquisition process for a third time.
The delays have had significant consequences on landowners along the proposed corridor. With notifications lapsing, land transactions have resumed, complicating acquisition efforts and increasing the risk of legal disputes. Many landowners, who have lived in uncertainty for years, are now demanding compensation based on current market values rather than outdated rates.
Calling the situation "unjust and inequitable," the activists have urged both the Central and State governments to take immediate and decisive action. They have requested that the project be formally transferred back to NHAI without further delay and that fresh notifications be issued swiftly to restart the acquisition process.
With costs likely to escalate and public inconvenience mounting, the fate of this crucial infrastructure project now hinges on timely intervention by the authorities.
