State, Centre ink agreement on land cost to execute work

In a swift move, Kerala and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Thursday inked an agreement on the willingness of the State to contribute 25% of the cost of the remaining land to be acquired for widening of National Highway 66.

Principal Secretary, Public Works Department, G. Kamalavardhana Rao and Amith Ghosh, Joint Secretary, MoRTH, signed the agreement at the NHAI headquarters in New Delhi.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had taken up the delay in issuing the order with Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, when he called on him in Delhi on Tuesday.

Following a reprimand by Mr. Gadkari, MoRTH officials issued the orders on Tuesday night and announced their intention to sign the pact on October 9.

But, the signing of the agreement was advanced as the Chief Minister and the Principal Secretary, Public Works, were in Delhi.

With the agreement, the NHAI can expedite the long-pending development of the 526-km NH corridor from Thalapady in Kasaragod in the north to Kazhakuttam in the capital district. Significantly, the road corridor to be developed by the NHAI will have six lanes with a right of way of 45 m.

Width of median

Though the developed NH 66 will be in six lanes, there will be no additional land acquisition in view of the peculiar situation in the State, opposition of title holders to part with land for NH development, and to avoid delay. The width of the median is yet to be decided, NHAI sources said.

The 36th board meeting of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) had decided to make available ₹5,200 crore, 25% cost of the remaining land to be acquired for NH development. The funds will be made available from the ₹14,000 crore earmarked by the KIIFB for land acquisition for projects funded by it. The ₹5,200 crore is the 25% share for 1,176 hectares to be acquired at a cost of ₹21,000 crore.