The district administration has decided to fast-track the land acquisition process for widening the Balaramapuram-Vazhimukku Road as part of the Karamana-Kaliyikkavila Road development project. The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) needs to release Rs 102 crore to compensate around 70 landowners in Balaramapuram. The delay in the release of funds has caused uncertainty and stalled the progress of the project.
M Vincent, MLA, said that a monthly meeting convened by the district collector on Saturday agreed to expedite the compensation disbursal process for the remaining landowners. “The project has already been delayed. The govt only needs to release Rs 102 crore to the landowners, but the delay is deliberate. The landowners are urging the govt to compensate them and start the work immediately,” he stated.Revenue officials, however, indicated that some landowners have issues with their land documents, which are not up-to-date or are unclear, requiring re-verification. “Even if we receive the funds, these complications with the land documents need to be resolved. We expect to start the work by calling for tenders within this financial year,” a revenue official said.
So far, approximately Rs 40 crore has been disbursed, according to sources close to the revenue department. The total amount required for land acquisition is Rs 97 crore. The acquisition for the 1.5km stretch at Balaramapuram, part of the Karamana-Kaliyikkavila interstate highway, has been delayed for several months.
Earlier, the administration had projected that compensation disbursal would be completed by Feb and construction could begin in April, but no significant progress has been made so far. The state govt had initially proposed an underpass at Balaramapuram Junction, but the plan was dropped due to opposition from local traders. The current plan is to widen the road to four lanes with a width of 30.2 metres. Minimal land acquisition will be required on the 300-metre Old Rajapatha stretch, as most of the land is already state-owned. Only a small portion will be acquired from private owners.
