Minister for Public Works, Highways and Minor Ports E.V. Velu on Tuesday said that steps were on to set up a lok adalat for cases pertaining to land acquisition in the State. The Commissioner of Land Administration has recommended the formation of a high-level committee to study this and submit proposals. The recommendations were under the consideration of the State government.
Addressing engineers of the Highways Department at a review meeting, he urged the officials to avoid delays in land acquisition for projects at all costs. He said officials should ensure that land owners are taken into confidence and advantages of projects explained clearly so that objections are minimal.
Mr. Velu said that delays in land acquisition led to increase in construction cost and land cost and a delay in the completion of the project. Apart from causing hardship to road users, this also meant an additional and unnecessary financial burden for the government on these accounts, he added.
In 2022, steps have been taken to acquire 802 hectares of land for various projects across the State at a total cost of ₹ 1,731.40 crore.
