Land acquisition still a long way off

Land acquisition is awaiting the Revenue Department's sanction since November last year.

Amidst the jubilation over the nod given by the Public Investment Board to the proposed Kochi Metro Rail, the delay in beginning the land acquisition process serves as a reality check.

While acquisition of land for readying infrastructure (overbridges, wider roads etc.) ahead of the implementation of the project is underway, land acquisition for the metro rail project is awaiting the Revenue Department's sanction since November last year.

The department's sanction depends on the nod given by a newly set up high-level committee. Thereafter approval has to be sought from the Land Revenue Commissioner to invoke the urgency clause, based on which acquisition can be launched under the Land Acquisition Act.

About 25 hectares of both private and government land was to be acquired for the project to widen roads, construct station buildings and parking lots, as per the initial estimate drawn up before a few years. Government sources said that this estimate is likely to change on account of a variety of factors including the proposed change in the location of a few stations, increase in parking area etc.

The acquisition of land for readying basic infrastructure is also far from smooth. So far, only 0.5621 hectares of land near the KSRTC stand for the Salim Rajan Road overbridge alone has been acquired.

The acquisition of 0.8880 hectares and .4365 hectares on South Railway Station Road and the Banerjee Road for road widening has run into rough weather, with land owners demanding more than the compensation of Rs. 32 lakh and Rs. 38 lakh for each cent fixed for their land on these two roads respectively.

The value of buildings that would have to be acquired would be decided by KITCO.

Two meetings

Two meetings of the District Level Purchase Committee were held earlier this month but proved inconclusive. Further discussions could not be held as the model code of conduct came in to force in connection with the Piravom by-poll. Another round of meeting of the DLPC is likely to be held shortly to iron out land acquisition issues.