The Palakkad-Kozhikode Highway project has hit a rough patch as landowners who surrendered their property have approached the Kerala High Court challenging the move of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Revenue department to reclaim part of the financial compensation given to them.
About 100 landowners who handed over their land in Peruvanna and Olavanna grama panchayats in Kozhikode district have sought legal recourse against the decision to recover their compensation. “Most of us will have to return about 70% of the amount if the decision is implemented,” said K.T. Moosa, chairman of the Action Committee for the Palakkad-Kozhikode Green Highway Project.
The decision to reduce the value of the land was taken after the project director, along with Revenue department officials, reviewed the Basic Valuation Report following complaints from landowners in Malappuram district that they did not receive the same amount of compensation as the landowners in Kozhikode. An expert committee constituted for the purpose also looked into the issue and submitted a report.
“This cannot be justified as the land value is higher on the outskirts of Kozhikode city than in Malappuram and Palakkad districts,” said A.P. Inchiyas, a member of the action committee. About 400 out of the 700 landowners in Kozhikode had secured the financial package for their land. “The compensation for structures and buildings has not been disbursed yet,” added Mr. Inchiyas.
The total distance of the proposed six-lane Palakkad-Kozhikode Greenfield Highway Project is 121 km, stretching from Marutharode town in Palakkad to Ramanattukara Junction in Kozhikode. The project, which has been included in the Bharatmala Project, will not only ease traffic congestion on National Highway 966 but also reduce the travel time from Palakkad to Kozhikode. It will connect to NH-544 and NH-66, with only six km running through Kozhikode district.
Mr. Moosa also claimed that the existing market value of land in some areas was actually higher than the fair value of land fixed by the Revenue department. Previously, the compensation package had been worked out through five-level verification procedures, including land survey and valuation.
