Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran has said the State government had accepted the National Highway bypass alignments here, including the Taliparamba bypass that passes through Kezhattur village.
Speaking at a function here to mark the inauguration of various road development projects on Monday, the Minister said the State government had received a letter from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways three weeks ago on the finalisation of the bypass alignment, stating unambiguously that the proposed Taliparamba bypass would pass through Keezhattur.
“There is no alignment other than the one decided by the Central government,” he said adding the letter clearly stated that the representation given by the Minister of State for Tourism K.J. Alphons demanding a change in the alignment was being rejected as it was not acceptable. He reiterated that the alignment of the bypass was not a creation of the State government. The alignment was finalised after the Central government’s consultants visited the area during the previous United Democratic Front government’s term, he pointed out.
An initial alignment proposal envisaged the bypass to pass through Taliparamba town. If that had been accepted, 400 houses would have to be demolished and the town would be badly affected, Mr. Sudhakaran said. The alignment passing through Keezhattur required only a 700-metre stretch of just a portion of paddy field where there was not much cultivation. The State had no role in finalising the alignment, he added.
