KANNUR: The four-decade-old demand for Thalassery-Mahe bypass took a positive turn on Wednesday with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) floating a tender for work. The 17.8-km road from Muzhappilangad to Azhiyoor with 45-metre width is expected to reduce traffic snarls in Thalassery and Mahe in a big way and provide better connectivity on the Kannur-Kozhikode stretch. Of the total distance, the land has already been acquired in the 12 km from Muzhappilangad to Paral by the state government. According to sources, the work will start in this area soon. The land acquisition process needs to be completed in Chokli, Mahe and Azhiyoor.
“In Chokli, the compensation package was submitted but funds not released. In Azhiyoor no proposal has gone. The acquisition in Mahe is before the court over compensation dispute,” said an NHAI official in Kozhikode. In Mahe, a mere 2 km has to be acquired, but the NHAI has moved a Puducherry court against high value fixed by the district level purchasing committee. “Let the work begin in the already acquired area. The issues in other places would be sorted out,” says Kannur district collector Mir Mohammad Ali. The work has been tendered for Rs 723 crore. The bidding for developing the 28-km Vengalam-Ramanattukara bypass into six-lane would begin on March 17. No land acquisition is required in the stretch as already land bad been acquired during the bypass construction.
