Malappuram: Around 257 families whose properties have been notified for the Nilambur bypass project are unable to do any transaction on their properties and the situation has remained so for more than three decades. Some of the houses are now in a dilapidated state and inmates of a few of the houses have shifted to rented houses as they are not allowed to repair or sell the property as per the rule of acquisition.

The Nilambur Bypass Action Committee has been demanding a solution for their plight. They have sought confirmation from the government on land acquisition.

The notification for the bypass project was issued in 1998.  Since then, the people living on the 6.5-kilometre stretch have been unable to do any kind of repair work or extension work on their property.  Most of the houses are damaged and a few have to abandon their houses due to the dilapidated state. The work has only started in a 2-kilometre stretch during this period.

"We have witnessed a portion of a house collapsing this morning before leaving from Nilambur to Malappuram. Nobody has answers to our queries about when the construction of the bypass will resume.  We have been living under stress for more than three and a half decades.  The land in 2 2-kilometre stretch from the Nilambur side has only been acquired so far.  The project has halted since then and the government and the district authorities have no clue about when they would be able to restart the project," K P Ummer, Convenor of the action committee said.

Nilambur town in the interstate highway connecting Kozhikode and Malappuram districts with Gudallur in Tamilnadu has been facing heavy traffic block due to the narrow roads in the town.  The political parties have projected the bypass as a promise in various elections for the last few terms.  

"We have approached the finance and PWD ministers.  Minister Muhammed Riyas has informed us of the financial issues as the reason for the delay however, the finance minister allocated Rs 50 lakh to reopen the file of the project.  We have been informed that a few more staff would be allocated to the land acquisition department from the Collectorate to expedite the project but this has not yet materialised," said E K Muhammed Ibrahim, a member of the action committee.