KAKINADA: A new four-lane bypass road will be laid to reduce the traffic congestion in Samalkot town and in particular on the Railway Over Bridge (RoB), in East Godavari district, under the aegis of the central government’s Bharatmala Project.
The revenue department has begun land acquisition for the road including for extension of the four-lane road to the ADB Road from Achampet to Samalkot.
A bypass road had been laid some 25 years ago from Kakinada Port to Rajanagaram through the left side of Samalkot Road linking Rajangaram-Peddapuram Road with funds drawn from the Asian Development Bank. The road is known as ADB Road. This turns into a four-lane from Samalkot to Madhurapudi airport.
The proposed bypass road will cut through the old-bypass road from the ceramic factory area to the ADB Bridge at Samalkot through the back side of the sugar factory and of the Lord Siva temple, through agricultural fields.
Once the new bypass road is completed, heavy vehicles going towards Kakinada Port will not be allowed to enter the present bypass road and the RoB of Samalkot. Cars going towards Kakinada or Rajanagaram from Kakinada Road need not enter Samalkot city.
“The revenue department is acquiring 65 acres of land for the purpose, including land at the Achampet-ADB Bridge for extension of the four-lane road. A land acquisition notification has been issued and objections are under consideration. After this, the land acquisition would be completed,’’ said the Kakinada revenue divisional officer Krishna.
He said compensation would be paid to those whose land is taken over as per the new land acquisition act.
Meanwhile, the farmers whose lands are earmarked for the project have raised objections. Some of them said they had lost their land for the erection of the Samalkot Bypass Road. Again, the new road is laid through their lands and their livelihood would be affected.
Some of the farmers said they expected that the compensation would be increased to four times the market value of the land. Otherwise, they would not agree to the land acquisition.
In Samalkot mandal, there are three types of lands -- for agriculture purposes, as layout for house sites and the existing house sites as per the sub-registrar’s value.
