Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran has accused the Central government of stalling the State government’s efforts to acquire land for the development of the National Highway (NH) in the State.
Inaugurating a new bridge on the NH at Mele Chovva here on Monday, the Minister dismissed the allegation that the obstacle to the NH development in the State was the State government’s failure to acquire land.
The Central government had not yet released funds to be paid as compensation to land owners.
While the State government had been pleading the Centre for the past two-and-a-half years to acquire land, the latter suspended the works by not even permitting the survey stones to be laid as part of acquisition process, he alleged.
Compensation funds
The Minister said that the compensation funds were not being released by the Centre by citing that land value was very high in the State. In Kerala where population density was high, land could not be acquired without giving high compensation, he said.
This fact was brought to the notice of the Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, he added.
He also said that recently the Centre had acquired land in Bengaluru by paying higher compensation.
‘Though there were some people in the Central government who wanted no NH development during the tenure of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government in the State, Mr. Gadkari was not one of them, Mr. Sudhakaran said.
It had been earlier decided at a meeting attended by Mr. Gadkari that the works for NH development would begin in November, Mr. Sudhakaran said.
If the works could be started in November, the State government would make sure that they could be completed in two-and-a-half years, he informed.
₹5,000 crore infra works
He said over the past two-and-a-half years, infrastructure development works estimated at ₹5,000 crore had been under way in this district. If Kannur International Airport was also included in the works, the estimate of the works would be over ₹10,000 crore, he noted.
Mr. Sudhakaran also said that half of the roads granted to the State through the Central Road Fund were in this district. By 2020 all PWD roads in the district would be upgraded. One road in each Assembly constituency would be developed to international standards, he informed.
Ports Minister Kadannappally Ramachandran presided. Kannur Mayor E.P. Latha, P.K. Sreemathy, MP and district panchayat president K.V. Sumesh were among those present.