Thiruvanathapuram: The Centre will not extend any assistance under the National Highways programme if the Kerala Government decides to develop NH stretches in the State at a width of 30 metres instead of 45 metres.
Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari conveyed this to BJP state president V. Muraleedharan when the latter called on him in New Delhi. However, PWD Minister V.K.Ebrahim Kunju said the State Government had never said that national highways would be developed only at a width of 30 metres instead of 45 metres and an affidavit had already been filed before the High Court a few days back.
But Muraleedharan said that the ploy of the State Government was that in some of the stretches where land acquisition was a serious issue, the plan was to go ahead with 30 metres where it would not get the status of National Highway, but the funds would have to be met by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
“The State Government and the local people who are against land acquisition are actually hand in glove. They are creating needless tension so that their ploy of not having the NH will work out in their favor so that they can allocate the tender to those contractors who are close to them. We came to know that the State Government was keen to denotify the stretches which we had brought to the notice of Gadkari”, said Muraleedharan.
Ebrahim Kunju reiterated that the long delay in developing some stretches of the NH had forced his department to think of having a four-lane system within the available land. “There has been a long delay in developing the area where land had been acquired decades ago. With buildings on sides and opposition from local people, it has been difficult to move forth”, said Ebrahim Kunju.
With the NHAI withdrawing from the NH road development works of a 633-km stretch between Kuttipuram and Kazhakoottam, the PWD has been forced to develop it with Central Road Funds. Accordingly, a high level meeting was called two weeks ago by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
The meeting decided to send a delegation to meet Gadkari, to be led by PWD Secretary T.O.Sooraj and NH chief engineer K.P.Prabhakaran with a request to raise compensation for NH land acquisition on par with Aadhar package.
The consultation also sought to denotify the sectors on the NH under the various corridor projects so that Central assistance could be sought. Already a 96.2 km road stretch has been acquired as per a width of 45 metres and another 283 km as per 30 metres so far on the NH 47 and NH 17 stretch covering a total area of 793 km. The PWD is expecting Rs 2,550 cr towards the expansion of NH 17 and NH 47 between Kuttipuram and Kazhakoottam.
