Land acquisition only after talks: Collector

KOCHI: Allaying the fears of the dissident groups and civil society organisations, the District Collector has said that  land acquisition for widening the Vyttila-Pettah -Tripunithura Road will be done only after detailed consultations. The members of the civil society had protested against the   widening of roads to 30 metres saying it would put the future    of several business enterprises and residents along the  highway in jeopardy.“There has been a miscommunication between the District  Administration and civil society. Earlier, we had planned  for continuous parking along the highway. This would mean a width of 30 metres. But, we have changed the plan after consultation with business houses and others. They had promised us a minimum of 26 metres but more than that can jeopardize the business prospects. So, we decided to acquire  26 metres in business areas and make up for the loss in areas  with sparser population. This is the strategy now. But, when the survey by the PWD began, there were suspicions that we were going back to the earlier plan,” said District Collector P I Sheikh Pareeth.Though this might be an immediate consolation for the  residents along the highway, it can be detrimental in the long run, said KMRL Managing Director Tom Jose. “The 30 metres is to provide parking space and utility corridor apart from the main road widening. Reducing on these would mean that people would park their cars on the outer lane of the road, thereby reducing the space for road  traffic. The utility corridor is provided for laying down pipes, wires and drains so that the road does not have to be dug up every time. Reducing on all this would mean an increase in traffic congestion. At a time when we are reeling  under traffic crunch, this could be a huge problem,” Tom Jose  said. According to the norms of the State Highway, the roads should have a width of 30 metres. Moreover, it is the State Highway which connects the two major National Highways- NH 47 and NH 49. This area is set to be a business hub in the near future. This would further enhance the problem, he added. “The congestion along the Sahodaran Ayyapan Road and the M G Road which lack these utilities is a proof,” Tom Jose said.