Highway project delayed due to compensation issues

T'puram: PWD minister Mohamed Riyas stated that the stipulation by the national highway authorities, which dictates that compensation for land acquisition can only be determined based on the depreciation of buildings, is delaying the Kollam-Sengottai greenfield highway project.Riyas, in the assembly on Monday, emphasized that this issue is being viewed with utmost seriousness. "Govt acknowledges that the issue is indeed a serious concern for the people. An urgent meeting of senior officials from the national highway authority, revenue, and public works departments, along with the respective MLAs, will be convened soon," he added.For Kollam-Sengottai NH-744, a notification was published on Sept 29, 2022 to acquire 44 hectares over 9.86km from Navaikulam, Pallikkal, Kudavoor and Madavoor villages in Varkala taluk. Documents from landowners were obtained as per procedure. Subsequently, instructions were given to NHAI authorities to allocate funds for compensation. The compensation here is calculated based on depreciation of the structures. However, the request is to provide compensation without considering depreciation, as was done for NH-66 and 966, Riyas said.The 2018 land acquisition manual of the ministry of road transport and highways says depreciation should be considered when calculating the value of structures during land acquisition for national highways. However, on state govt's request, NHAI granted a concession for NH-66 and 966. On Feb 19, 2024, NHAI informed state govt that such concessions can't be granted for other projects. PWD then issued an order saying compensation should be given considering depreciation as stated in the 2018 LA manual, he added.
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