New alignment for Kazhakoottam-Cherthala national highway likely

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A new alignment would be finalised for  the Kazhakoottam- Cherthala NH road development with a fresh detailed project report being prepared by consultants SMEC India Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi. With a delay of over three decades in land acquisition, the local people are in a dilemma.  None of the district collectors in the three regions - Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha- has taken them into confidence, it is alleged.

The officials of the National Highway Authority of India have held talks with SMEC India Pvt. Ltd as well as with the district collectors. A top PWD NH official told DC that the DPR worth  '2420 crore,  prepared by the earlier consultant in 2007, was abandoned.  Even after nine years,  land could not be acquired due to the opposition from the local people.

Though the union surface transport ministry has promised to pay more than the land value to the land owners, it will still be delayed inordinately. “The process of issuing the notification and the following work would take a minimum of three years to be completed. By that time, a few people would approach the court and get stay orders against  the whole process,” he said.

For the development of the  Karamana –Kaliyikkavila stretch, the previous UDF government had appointed a nodal officer in the rank of an IAS official, P. Balakiran,  who is now the IT mission director. He had expedited the land acquisition. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and PWD Minister G. Sudhakaran have  asked the officials in the NH section to expedite the land acquisition and the  road development.