Giving a fillip to the Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu road widening project, about 40 shopkeepers at the Malaparamba junction handed over their property deeds to the Revenue Department on Monday.
Vyapara Vyavasai Ekopana Samiti Eranhipalam-Malaparamba unit president V.M. Koya, and samiti general secretary C.P. Ratnakaran, and Shopkeepers Welfare Committee convener M.A. Prasad handed over the documents to Tahsildar (Land Acquisition) N. Ramla at the Collectorate here.
This follows a rehabilitation package worked out by District Collector N. Prasanth with the shopkeepers earlier.
Previously, the Revenue Department had decided to acquire land for the improvement of the Malaparamba junction, an intersection of highways 17 and 212, after it obtained the first tranche of Rs.25 crore two months ago.
The department decided to take this step, as a sum of Rs.340 crore is required to acquire almost 7.5 acres of land for widening the 8.4-km Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu stretch of NH 212 passing through the city.
Welcoming the development, the Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu Road Action Committee, which has been spearheading the project, said that Collector’s rehabilitation package was a model for the State government to be followed in such projects elsewhere.
The package should be implemented for the shopkeepers without further delay, committee president M.G.S Narayanan and working president Mathew Kattikkana, said.
On several occasions, the Revenue Department had to extend the deadline for eviction of shopkeepers at Malaparamba junction. Many had opposed the move, as they wanted the department to execute the package.
This was after the officials had carried out the verification of documents of plots and had signed agreements with the landowners.
The land rates had been fixed by the State government at the District-Level Purchase Committee and it was endorsed by the State-level Empowered Committee. But the Revenue Department initiated development of the stretch from IQRAA Hospital-ADM Bungalow with the first instalment from the State government. It was still awaiting financial sanction for the second tranche of Rs.25 crore, which was announced by Chief Secretary Jiji Thompson during his visit to the city last month.
Land to be acquired
The department needs to acquire 6,356 sq.m (1.57 acres) of land for improving the Malaparamba junction. But many landowners are at odds with the department on land rates.
In any case, the properties of those who refused to hand over their land will be taken over by the government under the Land Acquisition Act, officials said.
