The State government has decided to release the second instalment of Rs.25 crore by this week for land acquisition for the widening of the Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu road on National Highway 212.
Official sources said that the amount would be utilised for completing land acquisition for the improvement of Malaparamba Junction, an intersection of Highways 17 and 212. Last month, Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson who visited the city had announced that the government had given administrative nod for the project.
The delay in releasing funds had almost stalled the acquisition process and this had rattled the local people and the Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu Road Action Committee. Historian and president of the committee M.G.S. Narayanan had shot off a letter to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy expressing apprehensions that the project would remain on paper if the land acquisition was not completed before June 26, when the notification under Section 4 (1) of the Land Acquisition Act would expire.
The Revenue Department which had received the first tranche of Rs.25 crore two months ago had decided to use the amount to acquire land between ADM Bungalow and IQRAA Hospital, which is one of the narrowest stretches along the 8.4-km Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu road.
Rehabilitation
District Collector N. Prasanth said on Thursday that the second tranche of the funds would be used for improving Malaparamba Junction after rehabilitating the shopkeepers and giving compensation to the property owners. At the junction, 6,356 sq.m (1.57 acres) of land would be acquired.
About 40 shopkeepers have been served notices to vacate buildings by June 25. The new deadline has been fixed following discussions between the representatives of the shopkeepers and the District Collector.
N. Ramala, Special Tasildhar (Land Acquisition), said that as per the rehabilitation package worked out, a shopkeeper would be given Rs.2 lakh; Rs.36,000 each for up to two employees; and Rs.25,000 each for vendors on puromboke land. The District Level Purchase Committee had already worked out the compensation for property owners based on existing land rates.
