The Vizianagaram district administration is giving full priority to the early completion of land acquisition for the Visakhapatnam-Raipur greenfield highway project, which is being built for swift transport of goods.
The proposed expressway passes through 52 villages of nine mandals including Kothavalasa, S. Kota, Gantyada, Vizianagaram, and Gajapathinagaram of Vizianagaram district. The total stretch of the project is 473 km between Visakhapatnam and Raipur.
The State governemnt has so far acquired around 461 hectares out of 600.75 hectares within Vizianagaram district for speedy completion of the economic corridor.
Vizianagaram Revenue Divisional Officer B.H. Bhavani Sankar told The Hindu that the acquisition of the remaining land would also be completed within a couple of months as most of the farmers were satisfied with the compensation package offered to them. “We are paying compensation as per the Land Acquisition Act-2013 which ensures decent compensation. It is almost 2.5 times higher than the prevailing market price. We are holding meetings with a few farmers and property owners who have raised objections. We are hopeful of convincing them soon and completing the land acquisition process,” Mr. Bhavani Sankar said.
S. Kota MLA Kadubandi Srinivasa Rao, who is also interacting with the farmers, said that the project would give a boost to the economic activity in his constituency. He said that most farmers had lent their support to the land acquisition drive in S. Kota.
This project is expected to boost trade between Vizianagaram and Raipur in Chhattisgarh. Currently, a majority of traders from Vizianagaram district travel to Chhattisgarh to buy goods. Transport is a major concern as the roads in this stretch are narrow.
Vizianagaram Chamber of Commerce president Kapuganti Prakash told The Hindu that the trade and commerce between Vizianagaram and Raipur would get the required impetus with the greenfield highway project.
“Vizianagaram, which is a major trade centre of North Andhra, has enjoyed a special connect with Raipur for many decades. Wholesale traders from the Fort City buy goods from Raipur in large numbers. The frieght corridor will certainly help boost trade activity in the region,” he said.
