Even as protest is brewing against Revenue and NHAI officials over the alleged moves to acquire more land from one side of the road as part of widening the Edappally-Moothakunnam NH 66 corridor, Hibi Eden, MP, has called upon officials to give up what he termed as their “vested interests” in acquiring land in the Mesthiripady-Tirumuppam part of the NH stretch.
As per the current plan, a total of 27,500 sq ft has to be acquired and buildings demolished, to widen the NH into a 45-m stretch. It will further result in over five acres that had been acquired over two decades ago to widen the corridor into a 30-m-wide NH, lying unused. “The new alignment would entail unnecessary acquisition of land and also cause a curve on the road. I had apprised the NHAI’s Kochi project director and the Deputy Collector in charge of land acquisition about the issue in December 2020, and a meeting had been convened by V.D. Satheesan, MLA,” Mr. Eden said.
