Cabinet to acquire land required for developing the NH stretches
Picture used for representational purpose. (Photo: DC/File)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The cabinet on Thursday decided to acquire land required for developing the NH stretches in compliance with the National Highway Authority of India stipulation of the minimum width of 45 metres. At the cabinet briefing, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the land would be acquired at the earliest and handed over to the NHAI.
“The NHAI has made it clear that it will start the work only after the government gives a guarantee that it will acquire 80 per cent of the required land. The cabinet has decided to give the assurance to the centre,’’ he said and added that the collectors had been directed to start land acquisition process at the earliest.
The decision came in the wake of the centre rejecting the state government’s plea for 30-metre width. The work mainly on stretches on the NH 17 from Edapally to Uppala on the Kerala-Karnataka border and on NH 47 from Cherthala to Kazhakootam will be taken up “We will adopt a liberal attitude towards people giving their land for NH development. The market price of the land will be ensured and the compensation will be given in a time-bound manner. We cannot delay or go back on the land acquisition process. The widening of NH to 45 meters has to be undertaken at any cost,’’ he added. Mr Chandy said Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had recently criticised the state government for not cooperating in the NH development work. “We cannot blame the minister for his criticism. Though the centre had fixed 60 metres for NH, considering the peculiar situation in some states, including Kerala, it had allowed 45 metres. But now they have categorically rejected our request for 30 metres saying, ‘take it or leave it,’ ’’ he added.
He recalled that during his recent meeting with the Prime Minister, the latter asked why the state government was not using gas from the LNG terminal after completing the pipe lying work to reduce production cost at the public sector Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT), Kochi.
The PM’s query came following our request for financial package for rejuvenation of FACT, he added. The pipe laying work for Gas Authority of India Ltd from Kochi terminal to Mangalore had come to a standstill due to land acquisition problems. Mr Chandy said that with the government now complying with 45-metre width criterion, it expected to get adequate funds from the centre for the NH development project.
The government was preparing special compensation packages for those who allow laying of gas pipelines, water pipelines and powerlines through their property. They would also be allowed to cultivate such lands, he added.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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