Protests brew after NIT claims ownership on part of State Highway in Kozhikode

Kozhikode: A controversy is brewing in Kozhikode after the installation of boards by the National Institute of Technology (NIT) claiming ownership of a portion of the State Highway passing through the campus.
Two boards have been placed on the State Highway (SH 83) announcing that the road and adjacent property belong to the NIT and it also displays a warning against trespassing.

The state highway, connecting Kozhikode city to Kunnamangalam, Mukkom, the proposed tunnel road, high-range areas and also connecting the Malappuram district is one of the busiest roads in the district and is being used by thousands of commuters daily.
The NIT authorities have fixed boards at Valiya Poyil (12th mile) where the campus starts and at Kattangal where the campus ends.

At present construction work of an underpass connecting both ends of the campus is going on. The road is partially closed due to this work. Earlier a part of the road, from Valiya Poyil to Kattangal, was closed and vehicles were diverted to Valiya Poyil-Company Mukku Road. Construction work is progressing on this road as well. Hence the state highway has been reopened partially and traffic has resumed.

The Regional Engineering College started in 1962 was upgraded as NIT in 2002. The local residents said that even before the beginning of the REC, the road was being used. Earlier the campus was functioning only on one side of the road, and later the campus developed to the opposite area of the road too. The underpass aims to connect both portions of the campus.

Following the installation of the boards, the residents approached the Public Works department seeking clarity over the ownership of a portion of SH 83. A response to an RTI query by social worker Shareef Malayamma said that the road belongs to the PWD. Shareef lodged a complaint with the PWD PA Muhammed Riyas seeking action against encroachment of the road and demanding a solution to the issue.

MLA PTA Rahim also released a statement snubbing the NIT's claims. “The road passing along the NIT campus is owned by the PWD and the state government has notified it as part of the state highway. The state government didn't approve the proposal to build an underpass crossing the road; now the bridges' section is doing the project as deposit work. Once this project is completed, the difficulties faced because of the extension of the campus into both sides of the road will be solved, so there will not be a need to divert the public road,” said PTA Rahim in his statement

NIT authorities said that a detailed press statement will be issued with all the proof of ownership. “We will issue a press release regarding the issue with all the proof. We have all the documents as proof that the government has given the land to the NIT when it was a Regional Engineering College. At present the NIT director is out of the station for an official comment,” authorities said.