The court has approved the deposit of Rs 37,90,96,662 for the acquisition of land, directing the government to deposit the amount into a nationalised bank under the name of the High Court Registrar. The amount has been handed over to the tahsildar, who will deposit it in the Registrar’s name, allowing the land acquisition process to proceed. The state government recently allocated Rs 190.39 million for this purpose, while an additional Rs 180.75 million was already present in the tahsildar’s account.

The acquisition process is part of the second phase of the project, which includes three sections: HMT Road-NAD Junction to Mahilalayam Junction, Mahilalayam Junction to Chowara, and Chowara to Airport Road. Construction has been completed on the 1.5 km stretch from Kalamassery to NAD, but land from NAD is still pending acquisition.

The land from NAD is ready for acquisition, with Rs 230.06 million handed over to the tahsildar to issue award enquiry notes to landowners. Once the necessary documents are produced, the compensation will be given, and the land will be acquired. Authorities are focused on expediting the acquisition of HMT land, where only one landholder remains. The NAD-Mahilalayam stretch, which involves over 400 landowners, is expected to take at least six months to complete.

The 6.5 km section from NAD to Mahilalayam is progressing, with two bridges across the Periyar river already constructed. However, the final 4.15 km section from Chowara to the airport is still awaiting government approval for land acquisition.