The four-laning of the 29.2-km Karamana-Kaliyikkavila stretch of National Highway-66, passing through the capital, got an impetus with the district administration taking steps to acquire land from another 60 persons in the Karamana-Pappanamcode stretch, on Saturday. (The road would be developed into a 30.2-metre four-way carriageway).
The 60 were among the 232 persons who had agreed to surrender land for the widening of the National Highway. (The landowners handed over the land and buildings to the PWD).
The 60 landowners would be paid compensation after completing the formalities by Tuesday itself, Deputy Collector (Land Acquisition) K.S. Padmakumari Amma told The Hindu.
Already, the land of 14 persons was taken over on June 11 this year and handed over to the Public Works Department (PWD). They were paid a compensation of Rs.2.70 crore.
Steps to acquire the land of the remaining 170 landowners, on the Karamana-Pappanamcode stretch, would be taken up in phases from Monday, she said. The aim was to complete the land acquisition in the ‘first reach’ from Karamana to Pravachambalam by November last, the Deputy Collector said.
It was certain that the October 31 deadline given Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to hand over the land along the Karamana-Karakkamandapam stretch cannot be met. The State had planned to commence work by December.
The government had sanctioned Rs.208 crore more for acquiring land on the Karamana-Pravachambalam stretch. This was in addition to the Rs.100 crore sanctioned to acquire land, with which compensation was paid to 14 of the 232 families in June.
Concessions in building rules had been announced by the Chief Minister for those who were left with less than three cents of land after surrendering land for the widening of the NH.
The development of the 12-km stretch from Karamana to Vazhimukku would be taken up in the first phase. The width of medians on the 30.2-metre carriageway would also be increased from 1.5 to 3 metres in view of the proposed monorail plan.
