Contractual dispute settlement scheme launched

The land acquisition process for the long-awaited Kundannoor-Angamaly NH Bypass is yet to begin as we are waiting for the concurrence of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). In January, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) approved the alignment of the 44-km stretch, with expectations that the project would be commissioned by early 2027. However, due to procedural complexities, motorists and landowners whose land would be acquired for the project were doubtful about meeting the deadline. The Kundannoor-Angamaly NH Bypass is a crucial corridor that was proposed in 2016 to ease congestion on the Edappally-Aroor NH 66 Bypass, which is heavily used by approximately one lakh passenger car units daily. It also aims to alleviate traffic congestion on the Edappally-Angamaly NH 544 stretch. The lack of alternative corridors exacerbates traffic snarls, particularly at the poorly planned Edappally Junction, where the two corridors intersect. MoRTH's concurrence is necessary to finalize and publish the 3(A) notification issued under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013. A draft notification had been prepared earlier in the year, but the delay was due to a policy decision the State government had to make regarding exempting the project and the Kollam-Shengottai highway development project from State GST. The State had initially stated its inability to contribute 25% of the project's land acquisition cost. Once the 3(A) notification is published, a public hearing will be conducted under Section 3(C) of the Act as part of the land acquisition process. This will be followed by the survey and demarcation of individual plots of land required for the highway project. While these steps could be completed within a couple of months, the consolidation of survey results and their publication, as per Section 3(D) of the Act, would take around six months. This is mainly because approximately 287 hectares of land, including paddy fields, scattered across the 44-km distance, need to be acquired. Also read: BMC Awards NCC-J Kumar JV Contract for GMLR Twin TunnelsNHIDCL collaborates with NIT Jamshedpur for Innovative Highway Solution