The proposed 49.5 km Kochi outer ring road (ORR) connecting Angamaly and Aroor has accelerated after the Centre appointed an authority to oversee land acquisition. The state government will forego its share of GST and royalty on construction materials, amounting to Rs 4.24 billion (bn), the public works minister said, and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is implementing a Rs 69.356 bn project. NHAI has exempted the state from its 25 per cent share of land-acquisition cost for the eight-lane road.

The Union road transport and highways ministry issued the 3A notification under the National Highways Act, 1956, appointing the special deputy collector (Ernakulam) and the special deputy collector (Alappuzha) as competent authorities for land acquisition in the relevant villages. A total of 363.73 hectares (ha) across 20 villages will be acquired, and the process was expected to be initiated by the end of the month or early September. Authorities anticipated completion within a year to avoid complications linked to the subsequent 3D notification.

The earlier 3A notification for the Angamaly-Kundannoor project had lapsed after the land survey and issuance of the 3D notification were not completed within a year, and a revised proposal increased the scope. Besides Angamaly and Aroor, the ORR will cover Arakkapady, Pattimattom, Vadavucode, Aikaranad North, Aikaranad South, Thiruvaniyoor, Marampilly, Vengola, Karukutty, Thuravoor, Mattoor, Vadakkumbhagom, parts of Kizhakkumbhagom, Kureekkad, Kumbalam, Thekkumbhagam, Thiruvankulam and Maradu.

The think-tank Centre for Public Policy Research cautioned that additional road infrastructure would not resolve existing traffic problems and could encourage more private vehicles, worsening congestion and affecting quality of life. Its founder noted the vehicle-to-population ratio was already a concern, with nearly one vehicle for every two people in a household and that this was likely to increase, and urged stronger, better integrated public transport services reaching remote areas. The state authority to oversee the land-acquisition process was to be appointed this month and the file was being processed.