Thiruvananthapuram: The government has come up with an action plan to expand the national highway from Kasaragod to the capital to 45 meters with four lanes.
CM Pinarayi Vijayan has, during a high-level official meeting, issued directives to expedite land acquisition and other procedures in this regard. The plan is to start work in Kasaragod and Kannur in April while work in Kozhikode would start in May.
As of now, Walayar to Cherthala is a four-lane highway. The government is giving priority to expand the Kasaragod-Trichur as well as the Cherthala-Kazhakoottam stretches. Since 60 per cent of land acquisition has been completed, tenders may be submitted, as per assurances received from the central government. The expansion work is being expedited on this assurance.
The blueprints for expansion in Kasargod and Kannur have been completed and the blueprint for Kozhikode is to be completed by the next month. A new agency has been entrusted with the job of creating a new blueprint for the roads from Cherthala to Kazhakoottam.
Measures to expand the Kozhikode bypass and the Mahe-Thalassery bypass would start soon. The government has come to the conclusion that complaints about alignment in areas such as Idimuzhikkal, Panambra and Chelari in Malappuram district are factual. Therefore, alignment in these areas would be modified and the new alignment would be ready by the 15th of next month. District collectors would explain the change to people's representatives.
In areas where there is no option to acquire land, service roads would be narrowed and in these areas, width of the road would be reduced to 35 meters from 45 meters.
Land acquired for the purpose would be compensated with the cost of the land as well as cost incurred for rehabilitation. The central government has announced plans to expand 22,000 kilometres of roads to four lane in five years incurring a cost of Rs 4 trillion. Meanwhile, surface transport minister Nitin Gadkari had assured the state Rs 25,000 crore for the expansion of national highways. Since there is widespread opposition to building roads as per the BOT norms, EPC (Engineering Procurement Contract) norms may be adopted as in the Kazhakootam-Karode four-lane path. Under this plan, the National Highway Authority would directly collect toll after building the roads.
The expansion activities are to be completed in three years and wherever there are complaints, road alignment would be modified. In areas where land acquisition cannot be completed, the government would be ready for compromises.
