Mangaluru residents ask NHAI to complete land acquisition process for road widening at the earliest

Accusing National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) of unnecessarily dragging the issue of paying compensation for lands in the city acquired for widening of a part of NH 169 from Bikarnakatte near Mangaluru to Sanoor near Karkala, residents under the aegis of Bhoo Malikara Horata Samiti NH169 on Wednesday asked NHAI to complete the process at the earliest.

Talking to reporters here, samiti president Mariyamma Thomas said it was in 2020 that preliminary notification was issued for acquisition of lands in Padavu and 19 other villages in Mangaluru taluk. Final award was passed by Special Land Acquisition Officer (SLAO) fixing compensation at ₹9.5 lakh per cent for non-agriculture land in Padavu village, which was the market value in 2020. Unhappy with the award, the NHAI Project Officer went on an arbitration before the Deputy Commissioner, who upheld the SLAO’s order. The NHAI officer has filed an appeal against the Arbitration award, which is pending before a District and Session Court since one year.

“We are not dragging the matter. It is the NHAI which is delaying the payment of compensation,” Ms. Thomas said. During a recent meeting chaired by MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta, the NHAI officers said it has proposed to drop the acquisition proceedings as the compensation fixed is too high for NHAI to pay.

“We hope the MP will prevail upon the Central government and pay just compensation to land owners. The government has to acquire the land and lay 45-m-wide road,” she said. Samiti member Brijesh Shetty Mijar said owners have lost right over their lands since 2016 and are unable to make any development activity on these lands. “What we are asking is compensation as per the market value prevailing in 2020. This is the just compensation that NHAI has to pay us,” Mr. Mijar said.

Samiti convener Prakashchandra said if NHAI decides to call off the land acquisition then it has to pay compensation at the present market value of ₹13.5 lakh per cent. Land owners should be compensated for the delay and mental agony, he stated

Samiti treasurer Vishwajeet said road widening work between Padavu in Manglauru and Savanur in Udupi district should have been completed by October month.