With the laying of boundary stones getting over on the 3.70-km alignment of the MG Road-Pullepady-Thammanam-NH Bypass corridor, the stage is set for joint inspection of the corridor by officials of the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), the agency that will widen the stretch to 22-metre width, and those of the Revenue department.
This would be followed by the tahsildar spearheading the acquisition of the requisite land for the long-awaited project. Already, the boundary stones had been assigned numbers in order to identify them, official sources said.
In the meantime, a few landowners along the stretch have sought adequate compensation for small tracts of additional land that would be acquired in keeping with the revised alignment of the road. They include those who had surrendered land free of cost over 20 years ago in the hope that the road project that was then a decade old would be fast-tracked.
Nature activist Purushotama Kamath had surrendered 7.50 cents of land free of cost 25 years ago to the Kochi Corporation to catalyse the road project. “Many people like me who had opted for free surrender of land are a disappointed lot since assurances like tax relaxation for buildings constructed on the balance land were not executed. This time around, the authorities concerned must specify all relevant details, including the extent of additional land that is needed for the road project and when the advance payment will be made,” said Mr. Kamath, a Thammanam resident.
A total of 13 cents at Pullepady of P.B. Jayasankar, yet another landowner, is slated for acquisition for the road project that is expected to augment east-west connectivity in the city. He hoped that it would be realised as soon as possible and would not remain as a mere assurance. “This is because the road did not materialise, although boundary stones were laid at least four times during the past 30 years,” he added.
Sources said a social impact assessment (SIA) would be done shortly. The expert committee must approve this, to be followed by the publication of 11(1) and 19(1) notifications and payment of compensation. “The entire land acquisition process can be completed in six to eight months. The SIA would cover aspects like any potential lessening of the commercial value of buildings, in case of acquisition of minimal additional land of people who had earlier surrendered their land free of cost,” they said.
Published - November 07, 2024 01:56 am IST
