The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is readying to publish the critical Section 3(D) notification under the National Highways Act, 1956, to take possession of the requisite land for the Muvattupuzha and Kothamangalam bypasses.
Before this, the agency had completed laying of boundary stones of the land that ought to be acquired, to develop the two bypass stretches at 30-m width. “Once the 3(D) notification is published, the land marked for acquisition would vest entirely with the Central government, free of all encumbrances. This would be followed by awarding of the contracts to build the two corridors, in March. All works on the two projects would have to be completed in another two years, by March 2026,” said informed sources.
The greenfield bypass stretches in the two towns are long overdue, especially so in the case of Muvattupuzha town, where motorists have been struggling due to serpentine traffic snarls and the subsequent chaos. The notification to acquire land for the bypass projects, both of which are part of the Kochi-Munnar NH 85 corridor, was published in India Gazette dated December 9, 2023.
The Muvattupuzha bypass will be 4.30-km-long and the Kothamangalam bypass 3.80-km. The alignment for the Muvattupuzha project will begin near Canadian Central School and end near Bhakta Nandanar Temple Road. The alignment for the Kothamangalam bypass will begin from near Ayyapankavu school and end near Alumkal Rubber Nursery.
While the requisite land was acquired under the National Highways Act, 1956, compensation will be paid under provisions of Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
