The State government has approved a ₹92.55-lakh package for the rehabilitation of vendors and their employees who were evicted as part of the land acquisition process for the widening of the Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu Road.
The amount will soon be distributed among 79 people who have submitted the relevant documents. Each person will receive a compensation that ranges from ₹36,000 to ₹2 lakh depending on the location, size, and revenue of their shops.
The 8.24-km stretch from Mananchira to Vellimadukunnu is part of the Wayanad Road and is being developed into a 24-metre-wide road as congestion on the stretch has often led to several accidents. The project materialised after years of struggle by the Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu Road Action Committee headed by historian M.G.S. Narayanan.
The land acquisition for the project is almost over. So far, 6.87 hectares have been acquired, which includes residential plots, commercial buildings, and private property. Most buildings on the acquired land have already been demolished. The demolition of two buildings is pending as the landowners have approached the court against the acquisition.
Meanwhile, the committee alleged delay in completing the acquisition process and tender proceedings. “It has been a year since Public Works Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas announced that the tender proceedings would begin soon. But there has been no such move yet,” M.P. Vasudevan, secretary of the committee, had said recently. He had also said that the committee would be forced to take up protest measures if no action was not taken.
