Kochi: With strident popular resistance to land acquisition holding up the national highway development project, the state government is contemplating building elevated highways at troubled spots.
“The central government has agreed to the state government’s suggestions to build flyovers, bypasses and diversions wherever necessary at a meeting held with the Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Aug. 4,” public works department secretary A.P. M. Mohammed Hanish told DC.
“The government is now seriously considering building elevated highways or flyovers at certain points so that there will be little requirement for land acquisition.”
The PWD department has more or less completed the process of identifying the “trouble spots” along the highway and has come to the conclusion that there are certain points in Kozhikode, Malappuram and Ernakulam districts on NH17 and Alappuzha and Kollam districts on NH 47 where land acquisition could face resistance.
The centre had asked the state government to form a committee headed by the chief secretary and secretaries of public works, law, revenue and local-self government departments, a representative of the Union ministry of road transport and highways and the chief engineer (National Highway) as members to sort out the issues that held up the four-lane work of the national highway.
The committee will meet immediately after Onam to take up the task, Mr Hanish said. “We expect the decision-making to be a smooth affair as the technical member of the National Highways Authority of India is also part of the committee,” he said. “The district collectors will hold discussions with the land owners and acquire the land,” he added.
