Revenue department to acquire 290.58 hectares for Kochi Bypass

NHAI initiates land acquisition process for 44-km Kochi Bypass, aiming to decongest major highways in Kerala.

With the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) issuing the preliminary 3(A) notification recently to commence the ground-level land acquisition process for the 44-km Kochi Bypass that the NHAI has mulled between Nettoor and Karayamparambu, the Revenue department has a gargantuan task ahead to acquire a total of 290.58 hectares of land for the semi-access-controlled highway corridor that has been mooted to decongest the Aroor-Edappally NH 66 Bypass and the Edappally-Angamaly NH 544 stretch.

The six-lane greenfield Kochi Bypass is expected to begin from Nettoor on the Edappally-Aroor NH 66 bypass and end at Karayamparambu located north of Angamaly on the NH 544.

The impending final 3(A) notification will be followed by the ground-level survey, the verification of survey numbers and preparation of sketch and other details, based on which the 3(C) notification will be issued and the locations to lay survey stones finalised. Subsequently, the 3(D), 3(G) and 3(H) notifications will be issued, during the course of which documents pertaining to the plots of land to be acquired will be vetted and the compensation amount finalised. The landowners will also be able to clarify doubts if any, during the process. Among the notifications, the 3(D) might even be issued part by part, considering the huge volume of land that is needed, it is learnt.

The total of 290.58 acres of land for the proposed NH corridor is expected to be acquired from 18 villages in Aluva (six villages), Kunnathunad (eight villages) and Kanayannur (four villages) taluks. Around 100 surveyors from the different villages in the alignment are expected to take ahead the land acquisition process, for which a file will be readied for every landowner. The entire exercise could be completed in approximately a year, if everything went on as planned, sources said.

The NHAI published the preliminary 3(A) notification shortly after the State government issued an order waiving royalty on raw materials and GST, which together totalled ₹424 crore, for the greenfield NH project.