Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said here on Monday that a compensation and rehabilitation package would be worked out for the families to be displaced for the widening of the Karamana-Kaliyikavila stretch of the National Highway (NH).
Addressing a meeting of people's representatives, officials, and leaders of the action council for the development of the NH, he said the package would be based on the provisions of the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act under the consideration of the Cabinet. He told the meeting that the compensation would be equivalent to the market value of the land.
Mr. Chandy assured the meeting that a committee including elected representatives would be constituted to resolve complaints about the alignment of the four-lane highway.
A video copy of the revised alignment would be provided to the people's representatives.
The Chief Minister added that the land required for the project would be acquired only after compensating the families that would lose their land or buildings.
The meeting decided to take up the development of 10 junctions on the route. Bus bays would be constructed on government land.
The road from the Balaramapuram junction to the railway line and Vizhinjam spinning mill would be developed to a width of 30.2 metre.
Minister for Public Works V.K. Ebrahim Kunju; Transport Minister V.S. Sivakumar; Deputy Speaker N. Sakthan; A. Sampath, MP; MLAs V. Sivankutty, Jameela Prakasam, R. Selvaraj, and A.T. George; Mayor K. Chandrika; District Collector P.M. Francis, senior officials representing various departments, leaders of political parties, and traders' organisations and action council leaders participated in the meeting.
The action council decided to suspend its agitation following the assurance from the government that the project would be completed in a time-bound manner.
In a press note issued here, S.K. Jayakumar, action council general secretary, said the organisation would urge the government to honour its commitment on the project.
